13 Percent..

Collins

It looked like a kidnapping situation. I jumped into their car.

“Take me there now, without delay!” I slammed the car door shut.

“Collins!”

My mum and Phillip shouted in unison. I didn't answer. I only turned and stole a glance at them.

My mum was gesturing with both hands for me to wait.

Phillip was gesturing at me, asking what had happened, and Rachel, the woman I didn't love, burst into tears.

She needed to understand one thing: I didn't love her. I watched a bouquet of roses slip from her hands and fall to the ground.

The officiant looked equally confused. Situations like this rarely happened during a wedding ceremony.

My heart raced with anxiety. What could be wrong with the woman who had saved my life?

“What is wrong with her?” My eyes met the young driver's in the rear-view mirror.

“The test showed that some blood had entered her brain…”

“Brain?” I exclaimed, pausing for a few seconds.

“Yes, sir, but there has been improvement.”

Out of curiosity, I asked another question, even though being pulled away from that wedding ceremony was a blessing in disguise.

“How are you sure it was the lady I had been searching for?”

“Sir, the blood matched the sample you submitted exactly,” the woman spoke up.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before opening them again.

I rubbed my thumbs together nervously. I tried to remember the woman's face from years ago, but I couldn't.

I knew my mum would be furious with me, but if she wanted me to get married, then I would marry the woman who had saved me.

“What if she is married?” The words slipped out before I realised it. I only became aware of what I had said when both the man and woman in the front seats glanced at me through the rear-view mirror.

When we arrived at the hospital, we got out and walked inside. I was oblivious to my surroundings. All I wanted was to see her.

“Take me to her now!”

We walked through the corridors and entered an office; a doctor's office.

“Where is she? I thought you were taking me to her.”

“Dr Robert, we're here to see the lady whose blood test we submitted.”

“Okay, but based on the test results, we've already begun treatment. She is currently inside a semi-automated medical machine, and this isn't the right time to meet her.”

“Doctor, how is her condition?” I asked. He could clearly see the tension in my eyes.

“She will be fine. We're working to remove the blood completely from her brain.”

“Is there any way I can see her? Just to catch a glimpse of her.”

“I can show you on camera.”

He turned to his computer. I eagerly waited for a glimpse of her face.

“Okay.” I moved closer.

The doctor's fingers moved across the keyboard, and a live video feed appeared on the screen. I couldn't describe how relieved I felt at the thought of finally seeing the woman I had been searching for all these years.

“Look at her.”

I stared, but what I saw wasn't what I had hoped for. The machine covered her head and face. All I could see was her body from the shoulders down.

On the screen, I noticed 13 percent.

“What does that 13 percent mean?” I asked.

“It represents the percentage of blood that has been removed from her brain. She will be alright. She just needs some time.”

“Thank you.” I held out my hand, and we shook hands. “Whatever it takes for her to recover fully, I'll pay for it.”

Then a knock on the door drew everyone's attention.

“Please come in,” the doctor said.

The door opened, and my mum and Phillip walked in.

“Mum, what are you doing here?” I asked, walking towards her.

“I should be asking you that question. What kind of disrespect is this? Do you know how heartbroken you've made your wife feel?”

“She isn't my wife yet. We haven't finished the vows.”

“That is exactly why we followed you; to take you back.”

“Mum, I'm sorry I didn't explain before leaving. The woman who saved my life years ago has been found.”

“Why should I care? Although I've never met that woman, she's already my enemy. She's the reason you're still single. She's not helping your life. News about her ruined what you were about to do.”

“Mum, stop that. Remember, she saved my life.”

“And now she's controlling your life.”

She paused and looked directly into my eyes.

“You will never marry that woman, not while I'm still alive.”

I was so upset that I walked out of the office. Only Phillip followed me.

“Collins, what is going on? You should have finished your wedding before leaving. You could have visited this woman tomorrow.”

I turned to look at him, but before I could respond, he continued.

“I want you to calm down. Can we go somewhere quiet?”

“No. I'm not leaving this hospital without seeing her. If not for her, I would be dead.”

“What kind of gratitude are you planning to show her? By marrying her? What if she's already married?”

Those words hit me hard. If she was married, then I...

I couldn't even finish the thought.

“Phillip, you're my best friend. I've never fallen for anyone except her.”

“What about the girl from the dating app?” he countered, trying to prove my heart was misleading me. If I could develop feelings for a woman I had only spoken to online, then surely I could fall for someone else too.

“You haven't given any other woman a chance in your life.”

“Are you done?” I asked, wanting to end the conversation.

“We'd better end this conversation. Someone you hate is coming this way.”

“And who is that?”

I turned, and what I saw shocked me.

Mr Luke, my old school rival, the thief that stole my software, and a man I had publicly disgraced.

“What have you come here to do? Have I stolen another one of your software programs, as you claim?” He tried to mock me.

I gave him a sarcastic look.

“See you in court,” I said.

“You have no evidence. You've been jealous of me since our college days. Every time I see you, you accuse me of stealing something from you.”

He sneered as he walked past me.