FRE-ENEMIES
Anxiety consumes our daily life that we lose the essence of the present moment. Maria worried about one thing or the other 24/7 unable to change things. She always had anxiety and even in her waking moment as she lay in an hospital bed.
Maria felt disconnected from the world as her body refused to listened at attempt to open her eyes. She could hear the beep of a machine that was connected to her right arm, like a peg on her index finger, and a drip connected to her left arm.
That nostalgic hospital scent was in the air and her mind was foggy to recall how she had ended up there.
Aside from hearing and smell, she struggled to move her body and open her eyes. She was awake and aware of her surroundings but was paralyzed to the bed.
It was not an uncommon phenomenon and she had slowly learned to overcome it. She panicked, terrified to an extent she thought something grave had happened to her. She could hear voices although faint and it assured she was very much alive.
Maria took a deep breath and began moving each off her ten fingers. She repeated it three times and moved to her feet. She did the same thing until she could feel them come alive.
Maria took another deep breath and counted to twenty and tried opening her eyes. It was unsuccessful and she kicked the bed angrily. The faint voices went quiet as the sound of footsteps came closer.
A warm touched her knee over the hospital blanket and her eyes flew open. It took a while for her sights to adjust to the bright lights and make out the faces of the voices she had been listening to.
“Hey,” A familiar voice said lowly and she looked at him.
Reid was watching with a concerned look, scanning her face to be sure she was alright.
“Hello, Ms. Maria. I’m Dr. Harvey How do you feel?” The other voice belonged to the doctor who was standing at the edge of the bed. The doctor’s friendly tone reminded her of father as well as features, experience written over his face and aura.
“Like I fell from a tall building.” Her voice came out hoarse and it hurt as she said those words.
“Do you remember what happened to you?”
Maria shook her head. “Last I recall, I was having a cookie at the coffee shop and now I’m here.” Her throat was dry and it hurt as she spoke. She licked her dry lips and adjusted herself to sit upright.
Reid left her side to pour her a cup of water which she thanked him for before drinking.
The doctor looked down at her medical report file and said, “You were brought to the hospital due to an allergy reaction that was caused by the cookie you consumed.”
Maria’s eyebrows furrowed as she sputtered, “Allergy? You must be mistaken, I’m not allergic to anything.”
The doctor nodded understanding her worry and confusion. “Based on the tests carried out, it shows you are and what happened today was not a mild case.”
He flipped the pages in his hand and gave it to her. “Many people develop allergies at a young age and some at their adult stage. It won’t be surprising if someone in your family also has a peanut allergy and you just might not have consumed it to have noticed it.”
Maria’s last sibling, Jessica had a peanut allergy and ever since she joined the family no product that contained peanut could be found in the house. Maria never fancied peanuts so she rarely are it and she couldn’t even recall the few times she did.
“Am I going to be alright though?” She could not hide her fears.
Maria had never been hospitalized in her life and the fact that something as fickle as a peanut could have ended her life. She did not notice the cookie she ate had some sort of peanut oil in it as the other flavors had overshadowed it.
“Yes, you just have to stay away from peanuts henceforth. I have a few questions to ask about your family’s medical history and run some more tests to ascertain the level of your allergy so you’ll know how to manage it.”
Maria had no idea about her extended family’s health conditions and history. Her father’s mother had died of a heart attack and her father had only being in the hospital once when he had his appendix surgery. Other than that, they were quite a healthy family and she had broken the record to be the first out of her siblings to be hospitalized.
The doctor explained a few things to Maria and Reid before excusing himself, and mentioned a nurse will come in soon to check on her.
Maria had a terrible headache and the memory of how hard she had hit the floor when she fainted came back. Reid noticed her wince and groaned as she placed her palm on her forehead.
“Is something wrong? Should I call the doctor?” He asked worriedly as he hovered her.
“I’m fine, just a headache.” She manages to give a small smile to convince him it wasn’t anything serious. She almost laughed at his expression as it was something she had never seen before.
Reid who was either scowling or smirking cockily, was acting like a mother hen protecting her cheeks. There was a different look in his eyes as he peered at her. The fact that he was worried about her like a friend would put a smile on her face and made her see him differently.
“I’ll call on the nurse to administer something for your headache so there won’t be complications when you have to leave tomorrow.” He picked up the landline phone on the drawer close to the window and dialed the reception.
Maria who had not surveyed her surroundings had her eyes fixated on the open window that displayed the green view of a large garden that seemed to be part of the hospital building. She looked around the room and judged by the size of the hospital room, décor, and equipment, she was in a VIP room in a private hospital.
The calculation cost of the hospital fees filtered through her head and was enough cause to make her panic. Maria wondered how Reid even knew what had happened to her cause her mother was her emergency contact, so she asked.
“Were you the one that brought me to the hospital?”
He was done making the call and dropped the landline. “No, some boy called me since I was the last person that contacted you. He was already in the ambulance with you and sent me the address.”
“Oh,” She uttered absentmindedly. It must have been the boy who took her order and she hadn’t even asked for his name.
“I feel fine though. Can’t you help rush my discharge process so I can leave tonight?”
“Athina is already on her way to stay with us you and no, it’s best you follow the doctors advice,” He insisted.
Maria frowned and was ready to argue and grumble her way out of it but the stare Reid gave her had her folding her lips.
Reid put his two hands in his suit trousers pocket and sighed. “Need I remind you what happened to you a few hours ago? What would have happened if you hadn’t eaten the cookie in the coffee shop and instead in your car? It’s just a night here.”
Maria’s face fell as reality sunk in. Reid quickly took notice of this and took a seat beside her on the bed. He placed her hand in his and rubbed his thumb soothingly on the back of her hand.
“I could have died,” She murmured the words she had been thinking since she woke up.
“But you didn’t,” Reid countered quickly. He was so attentive he could tell where her thoughts were drifting to and see the fear in her Amber brown eyes.
“I….” she began and Reid caught her off by shushing her.
“Positive thoughts only, Maria. You’re safe now,” He whispered.
Maria gazed at him and tried mustering a bright smile but failed. A stray tear fell from her left eye and before it could touch her cheek, Reid had wiped it with his hands.
“Don’t think about it anymore. You’ll be fine, I promise.” His words carried a certain weight of responsibility towards her that put a genuine smile on her face.
Maria nodded, deciding to take his word for it and not dwell on the incident. She was alive and doing well. She banished all thoughts of what if’s and looked at bright side of things.
“I hope Athina is the only you called?” Maria was already thinking of her family and how worried they’d be if they found out she was in the hospital.
“Yes, and I told her not to call your parents until you wanted.”
She sighed relieved that he was smart to have instructed Athina that way. Maria knew Athina so well that she would have panicked and called her mom in tears. If not her mom or her dad, the entire family would have gotten on the next available plane to be sure she was alright.
Left to Maria, she did not have any intention of informing them of her new found allergy. Maybe when she returned home she’d bring it up in a conversation in a way they would not freak out. The last thing she wanted was to worry her parents. They were growing old as it is and all she wanted to do was to ease their burdens.
Maria glanced at her hand that was in between Reid’s two palms. A rueful smile appeared on her lips and her the pace of heart increased. He was being so nice to her which was a contrast to how he had always treated her. If this was what being his friend felt like, she wanted a long lasting friendship, she thought.
“Thank you,” She said lowly, her face bright with a smile that was bound to win hearts.
His eyes locked with hers and he replied, “It’s nothing.”
Affection was something that could grow at the oddest of times without any indication to each party. A hint or two, but hard to notice. And it is in this case that one could say love is truly blind.
It was a quiet intense moment between the two as they got lost in the eyes of one another with different thoughts going through their head.
Reid was the first to look away as he released
Maria’s hand and stood up. He cleared his throat and shifted back till he was at the edge of the bed.
“I have to leave for the office. Came here in such a rush and I still have an important meeting to attend,” He rambled and Maria found it charming to see him flustered.
She also seemed to wake up from her bubble and mentions she also had business to take care of even if she was bedridden. Reid assured her not to worry about them as he had his secretary reschedule her meetings.
“Make sure to get your own secretary or you’ll have to start paying Kate,” He smirked.
“I did have one until someone decided to keep me here indefinitely.”
He chuckled lowly at her statement and the room door flew open.
“Minnie!” Athina cried as she ran for the bed and jumped on Maria.
Maria winced caught off guard by her best friend burst of energy and emotions.
“Are you alright? I was so worried when Reid called, I was scared something worse could have happened to you,” She sobbed.
“I’m fine,” Maria said and Athina released her from the hug.
“You’ve always been this healthy person and now seeing you in a hospital bed looking as pale as Geralt of Rivia in the Witcher breaks my heart.”
Reid who was watching the women’s exchange of affection laughed at the comparison Athina made and Maria scowled.
“I’m still healthy! Strong as ever,” She hissed and gave Athina a bad eyes.
Athina understood the concept of Maria’s family and how they hardly fell sick. She praised them for their immune system and even envied them for it.
To see her friend pale and helpless on a hospital bed was an abstract to the string person she one her to be.
Athina finally acknowledged Reid and badgered him about the details of what had happened. After he explained and told her the instructions of the doctor, he kissed Athina on the forehead and bid them both goodbye.
Maria felt strange as he walked out of the room. She had seen the caring side of Reid as he comforted her though she couldn’t help but wonder if it would ever be like the way he treated Athina.
They had agreed to be friends but logically he was only caring towards her because of her predicament. What if she wasn’t in the hospital bed, would he have held her hands the way he did or wiped her tears?
She shook her head at the direction of her thoughts as her friend rambled to her deaf ears. Athina was doing fine and had received a kiss on her forehead. She was the one in the hospital bed yet only got a warm smile.
The direction of her thoughts made her gasp out loud that Athina panicked thinking something was wrong. Whereas, the only thing wrong was she thinking about Reid in an odd yet satisfying way.