As soon as Darwin heard the news that his wife had been in an accident, he immediately decided to rush over to the hospital. He sped his car at high speed and eventually arrived at the hospital. He went to the reception area first and was then guided by the medical team to the emergency ward.
Outside the room, Darwin could clearly see one of the medical team members talking to a police officer. Approaching them, he asked right away.
“Excuse me, is my wife inside?”
“Are you Darwin Walters?” the police officer asked.
“Yes,” Darwin nodded. “I’m Darwin, Veronica Ashborne’s husband. What actually happened to my wife?”
The police officer nodded and motioned for Darwin to stand beside him, then slowly explained what had happened.
“So, the SUV your wife was driving was hit by a cargo truck while crossing KS Tubun street. The black car Veronica was driving got dragged for several meters before coming to a stop and getting pinned against a roadside barrier. It’s strongly suspected that the truck driver was negligent due to drowsiness while driving.”
Darwin’s heart raced even faster. Hearing the story from the police officer, he grew more concerned about Veronica’s condition. He feared that something serious might have happened to his wife in this unfortunate incident.
“But, how is my wife’s condition, Sir?”
“For medical details, let the doctor inform you, Mr. Darwin. As for the driver, my assistant will handle that at the police station.”
The police officer nodded. Then Darwin was allowed to proceed and listen to the explanation from one of the doctors who had attended to Veronica.
“How’s my wife, doc? She’s okay, right?”
The male doctor nodded.
“So far, Mrs. Veronica’s condition is not a cause for concern, Sir. Several examinations have been done. The Air Bag feature in the car likely worked effectively to protect her from various impacts. However, she does have some minor scrapes on her body. She also complained of her ankle feeling crampy and painful.”
“So, is that dangerous, doc?”
The doctor shook his head.
“We’ve examined her. There are no broken bones or worrying bleeding. The discomfort and cramps might be due to a sprain or could also be shock from the incident. That’s why I recommend Mrs. Veronica stays in the hospital for a day or two to be sure. If no issues arise by tomorrow, she can be discharged for outpatient care.”
Darwin let out a relieved breath. At least the doctor assured him that his wife’s condition was okay so far.
“Can I visit her then?”
“Yes, Mr. Darwin. You can visit after your wife has been moved to the recovery room.”
It took about 30 minutes for Darwin to wait through the processes – from the final checks and observations to the transfer procedure – until he was finally allowed to see Veronica in the recovery room.
“Ve…” Darwin called out as he entered the room. He saw his wife lying there, looking towards him. “I’m sorry. I truly apologize,” he said sincerely as he stood by the bed where Veronica lay.
“Apologize for what?” Veronica wondered, her voice almost a whisper.
“If you hadn’t gone with me this morning, this wouldn’t have happened. I really didn’t mean for things to turn out like this.”
Regret was clearly evident on Darwin’s face. Even though the doctor had confirmed Veronica’s condition was alright, he still felt uneasy. He believed Veronica shouldn’t have gone alone this morning.
“I’m fine. Besides, the doctor confirmed that nothing serious, like broken bones, happened. So, you don’t need to feel guilty. I should be the one apologizing to you.”
Darwin furrowed his brows. Now he was puzzled after hearing Veronica apologize.
“You’re not at fault, why apologize?”
“Because of me, your car got badly damaged, Win. But I promise, I’ll get a mechanic to fix it as soon as possible.”
Darwin sighed. He had taken the situation seriously, only to find out that Veronica was apologizing for her car being severely damaged in the accident.
“Oh my, Ve. My car doesn’t matter, whether it’s damaged or not. It doesn’t need fixing. It’s easy, I can buy another one. But if something happens to you, where can I find a replacement? My future father-in-law might kill me if he finds out I couldn’t take care of you properly.”
Veronica chuckled. From Darwin’s expressions, it was clear he was worried and scared.
“But, speaking of Dad, did you let him know about my accident this morning?”
Darwin shook his head slowly.
“No. I haven’t had a chance to inform anyone.”
“Alright then. No need to tell anyone. It’ll be a hassle, and Dad will just keep worrying. Besides, I’m really fine.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell your Dad?”
“No need,” Veronica shook her head. “Also, what about the person who crashed into me? Did you handle it?”
“Yes. I’ve already asked my assistant to deal with the police at the station. So, you don’t need to worry about it.”
“Okay then, since everything’s being taken care of, let’s just go home now. Besides, I’m fine, right? Just some scratches and a sore ankle.”
Darwin shook his head. He was definitely refusing Veronica’s request to go home right away.
“We can’t go home now, Ve. The doctor advised waiting for a day or two to make sure the pain and cramps in your leg aren’t serious.”
“I’m fine, Win.”
“Enough with the protests. You better rest for now. I’m going out for a bit to make a call to my secretary to cancel a few appointments for today.”
“It’s also okay if you want to go back to the office, Win. Besides, there are nurses here taking care of me.”
“I’m not crazy. I can’t just leave you alone like that,” Darwin chuckled. There’s no way he would leave Veronica alone at the hospital. After all, he had a heart. Moreover, he played a part in Veronica ending up in the hospital like this.
“But seriously —”
“Shh,” Darwin quickly hushed her, raising his index finger to his lips. “Quiet. Now, rest so you can recover quickly and get home soon.”
Darwin then tightened the blanket that covered Veronica. He made sure she rested as he instructed. After making sure his wife was asleep, he decided to leave the room to call his secretary at the office.
***
“Mr. Darwin, may I see Veronica?”
Darwin, who had stepped out of the room to buy bottled water, coincidentally ran into Deasy. He wasn’t sure how she knew that Veronica was in the hospital, but he was relieved to see her visiting without bringing Sean along.
“How did you find out Veronica is in the hospital?” Darwin asked curiously.
“During the break, I intentionally called Veronica to invite her for lunch. That’s when I found out about the accident and that she had to be hospitalized. That’s why I decided to visit right after work.”
Darwin gave her a close look, raising an eyebrow, and asked another question.
“Are you alone?”
Deasy nodded.
“Yes, I came alone.”
“In that case, just go in. Veronica is inside.”
While Darwin continued with his plan to get drinks, Deasy entered the recovery room to meet Veronica.
Seeing her friend’s arrival, Veronica was naturally delighted. She had been leaning back while watching TV, but she quickly stretched her arms out to hug Deasy.
“Oh my goodness, Veronica. What happened to you?” Deasy asked with an incredulous look after seeing the bruises and scrapes on her friend’s body.
“Just the usual bad luck. But I’m fine,” Veronica replied nonchalantly, as if she carried no burden. After all, she genuinely felt okay.
“But why do you have all these injuries? How could your husband let this happen?”
“It’s not Darwin’s fault, Des,” Veronica defended. “Besides, this accident was purely the fault of the other driver who fell asleep at the wheel. My car got rammed and hit the roadside barrier.”
“Oh my gosh,” Deasy exclaimed. She shook her head in disbelief. “Your husband is still at fault. Why did he let you drive alone? Didn’t you agree to go to and from work together?”
“Darwin had a meeting outside this morning. That’s why I decided to drive myself.”
Veronica kept making excuses. She didn’t want to complicate matters. Besides, Deasy had a tendency to speak too freely. She was afraid that if Deasy started talking, Darwin might overhear and misunderstand things.
“So, what did the doctor say? Are you really okay?”
Veronica nodded.
“Don’t worry. I don’t have any broken bones or anything like that. I can go home tomorrow.”
“Thank goodness for that. And have you told Sean?”
Now it was Veronica’s turn to shake her head. She thought, why bother telling Sean about her current situation?
“Let alone Sean, even my dad doesn’t know that I’m in the hospital.”
Deasy looked at her, puzzled. She was definitely curious as to why Veronica seemed to be hiding her condition.
“Why didn’t you tell Uncle Darius? Your dad has the right to know, Ve. What if something happens?”
“But look, I’m fine, right? Besides, I don’t want to worry my dad unnecessarily. You know he has a heart condition.”
“Darwin must have told you not to inform anyone about this, right?”
Veronica sighed. Deasy never really liked Darwin, and she always underestimated him.
“No, Des. I just didn’t feel like telling anyone.”
“Including Sean?”
Veronica nodded repeatedly.
“Why would I tell Sean?”
“Why not?” Deasy wondered. “He’s your boyfriend. It’s not fair if you don’t let him know.”
“He used to be my boyfriend,” Veronica corrected. “Now he’s my ex. And speaking of Sean, why did you tell him about my upcoming wedding to Darwin in just six months? Now I’m in a bind. Sean brought up the topic yesterday, and Darwin overheard. I felt so uncomfortable, Des.”
Deasy was taken aback. She felt uncomfortable herself after learning about the situation.
“Well, I initially felt sorry for Sean, who was really upset a while ago. He was sad because he thought he was losing you. So I told him about you and Darwin not being together for long. I did it all just to comfort Sean and stop him from being sad. And besides, he’s the one who should be your husband, Ve.”
Veronica sighed. It would be pointless to get angry now. After all, everything had already happened.
“Next time, you don’t need to tell Sean about my relationship with Darwin, Des. I don’t like it. If I tell you something, just keep it to yourself without passing it on to Sean.”
“Why? Are you starting to like Darwin?” Deasy asked straightforwardly.
“What’s wrong if Veronica likes me?”
Suddenly, Darwin appeared at the door. He entered and immediately interrupted Deasy’s previous words.
“Is there something wrong if Veronica likes me?” he asked again.
Deasy and Veronica exchanged glances. Only after that did one of them speak to Darwin.
“Win, there’s no need to continue. It’s not what you think.”
Darwin nodded.
“Just relax, Ve. I was just asking your friend here. What’s wrong if you like me? What business does she have with our marriage?”
“Mr. Darwin, I —-”
“That’s enough. No need to go on,” Darwin cut her off. “I know from the start that you don’t really like me, and that’s not a big deal. But please! Don’t get too involved in our marriage affairs, you and Veronica.”
Deasy looked silenced. Not a single word came out of her mouth.
“I think the visit has been long enough. Besides, Veronica needs to rest.”
Hearing Darwin’s clear request for her to leave, Deasy finally decided to bid farewell to Veronica. She stepped out before Darwin could scold her again.