Carefully, Max led his wife to the toilet. When he arrived at the door, the woman smiled at him.
“The only thing that hurt is my back, Max. I can walk alone,” Gabriella said casually.
“But you still have to be watched,” the man implied with a wrinkled brow.
Patting her husband’s hand, the woman pursed her lips. “I don’t want to be a spoiled woman. So let me do it alone. If there’s anything, I’ll definitely call you.”
“But-”
“I’m just peeing, Max,” Gabriella said, raising an eyebrow.
After taking a deep breath, the man finally let go of his wife’s hand. “Don’t lock the door.”
The woman chuckled and nodded. “I’ll be fine,” she said before entering.
For a moment, Max stood with his brows furrowed nervously. The doctor had explained that the bleeding would still occur. He was really afraid that Gabriella would be shocked and shaken.
“Max?” Gabriella suddenly called. The man was startled and wide-eyed.
“What’s wrong, Gaby?” he asked before holding his breath.
“Apparently, my monthly period came. Can you find a pad for me?”
In an instant, Max’s tension evaporated. With shoulders no longer stiff, he replied, “Wait a minute. I’ll ask the nurse.”
With a sigh of relief, the man stepped out of the room. “Luckily, Gaby doesn’t suspect anything,” he thought, nodding faintly. The man had no idea that behind the door, Gabriella was motionless with hands on her stomach.
“What’s wrong with me? Why is the blood coming out like this?” the woman thought nervously. She had never seen so many blood clots.
***
Max kissed his wife’s forehead and stroked her gently. “I go now. If anything happens, press the emergency button immediately. Understand?”
Gabriella nodded with a sweet smile. “Understand. Don’t be too tired, Max. Let me know when your business is done.”
After answering with nodding, the man stepped back towards the door. He wanted to see the woman’s face as long as possible. His behavior succeeded in making Gabriella laugh a little.
“You could run into the nurse if you keep moving backwards,” the woman said while giving a rotating code with her hand.
After sounding the same cheer, Max turned and disappeared from his wife’s sight. Just at that moment, the curve of Gabriella’s lips turned flat. Concern was clearly etched on her face. In seconds, the woman stepped on the floor, then walked out of the room.
“Excuse me. Can I see the doctor?” Gabriella asked as she passed a nurse.
“Do you have any complaints?” the woman in white asked with eyebrows raised high.
Gabriella had to lift the corners of her lips and nod. “I feel something is wrong with this stomach.”
Knowing the patient’s suspicion, the nurse blinked awkwardly. Even so, her friendliness hadn’t changed at all.
“Alright, I will immediately arrange the schedule. Currently, the doctor is conducting consultations with other patients. When it’s done, he’ll see you.”
“Thank you. And please … keep this a secret from my husband. I don’t want him to worry,” Gabriella said in a low voice. Restlessness had constricted her throat.
“You’re welcome, Madam. Now, please rest. The doctor will see you as soon as the practice is over,” the nurse implied, pointing at the door with five fingers.
Hearing that reassuring statement, a slight weight was lifted from Gabriella’s shoulders. After a nod, she walked back to the her room. The woman was completely unaware that as soon as she turned around, the nurse had a look of uneasiness.
After Gabriella closed the door, the woman in uniform walked straight to the administration desk. Taking out a piece of paper, she grabbed the phone and started dialing numbers.
“Good morning, Mr. Max. I want to let you know that your wife is getting suspicious. She even asked for a schedule to see the doctor,” the nurse explained succinctly.
Receiving such a report, the man’s footsteps suddenly stopped. With eyeballs shaking violently, he digested the unexpected information.
“But, Gabriella seems fine. What did she say?” the man asked a moment later.
“Madam said that there’s something strange with her stomach. She also asked me to keep it a secret from you, Sir.”
Getting such a direct answer, Max’s legs automatically moved backwards. The man realized that his wife had sniffed the truth. Reality could not be hidden any longer.
After blinking, Max sighed. Looking down and closing his eyes, he said, “Don’t call the doctor. Let me explain to her.”
“Are you sure, Sir?”
“Yes,” he nodded, followed by a dry sigh.
After thanking the nurse and hanging up the phone, Max went back into the hospital. Gabriella was in need of him.
***
“What’s wrong with me?” Gabriella muttered as she searched for a comfortable position on the bed. After successfully propping her back against the pile of pillows, she picked up Snowy and placed it on the lap.
“Is it possible that the attack had an impact on my stomach?” she asked the white teddy. Not getting an answer, her gaze shifted to the green bear beside her. “I hope my worries are wrong. I don’t want to make Max sad.”
Before Gabriella’s anxiety subsided, the door suddenly opened. As soon as she saw her husband rushing in, the woman’s eyes widened.
“What’s the matter, Max?” she asked, straightening herself. “Why do you come back?”
With a stiff look, the man approached and stroked his wife’s cheek. “The nurse said you have a stomach problem. Are you in pain?”
Knowing her secret had been exposed, Gabriella blinked flatly and sighed. “I already asked the nurse to hide it from you. Why did she report it?” the woman grumbled in disappointment.
“Where does it hurt?” the man asked as he was holding his wife’s shoulder.
“Nothing hurts, Max. I’ve taken painkillers this morning. Do you forget?”
“Then why did you say your stomach was weird?” Max asked, successfully silencing the woman.
With quivering eyes, Gabriella tried to make up an excuse. “That is … just my feeling,” the woman answered before giving a faint smile.
Unexpectedly, Max closed his eyes and gulped. “Don’t lie to me, Gaby. I don’t want you to pretend in front of me.”
After a moment of silence, the woman finally lowered her tense shoulders.
“Okay, I’ll be honest. My bleeding this morning was weird. It’s unusual for it to be lumpy and a lot like that. I’m afraid, yesterday’s attack had a bad effect on my stomach.”
A second later, no sound was heard. Max stared at his wife with red eyes that started to tear up. His head felt very heavy. He realized that the time to reveal the truth had indeed come.
Thinking she had made the man anxious, Gabriella raised the corners of her lips.
“But you don’t have to worry, Max. I’ve made an appointment with the doctor. My suspicions could be wrong. Let’s just wait for the results of the examination.”
Suddenly, the man sighed and bowed before his wife. As soon as he lifted his head, tears had rolled down the cheeks.
Witnessing her husband’s cry, panic immediately rose overshadowing Gabriella’s heart. With round eyes, she wiped the man’s face.
“Why are you crying, Max? Don’t be afraid! I’ll be fine,” the woman whispered, trying to calm him down.
Hearing his wife’s innocence, Max’s sadness automatically flowed more heavily. He really couldn’t bear to tell the truth. Sobbing, the man took Gabriella’s hand and kissed it.
“I’m sorry, Gaby,” he whispered with eyes closed.
“Why are you apologizing, Max? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I’m sorry for hiding it from you,” the man admitted between ragged breaths. “I was afraid you would be shaken and blame yourself. I don’t want your suffering to increase.”
In just an instant, the woman’s expression turned tense. A bad premonition had rapidly grown into fear. “What do you mean, Max? What are you hiding from me?”
“Promise me you won’t blame yourself,” Max insisted, showing his sad eyes again.
With a stiff motion, Gabriella nodded.
“What is it?” she sighed with a pounding heart.
A second later, the man swallowed hard. “Our Little Prince … he is gone.”
Gabriella was frozen digesting Max’s words. After a few blinks, her expression still hadn’t changed. She didn’t know if her heart was still beating or not. Her senses had been paralyzed while her feeling was numb.