As the giant clock on the wall in hospital hallway ticked closer to midday, Laura felt tension crawling under her skin. She took a breath and shifted in her seat, feeling a invisible ache in her buttocks.
Her breaths came out forcefully out her throat, filling her nose with heat. She swallowed hard as she clenched her fist and rested leaned into the chair.
A million thoughts were racing through her mind but when she closed her eyes to relieve herself, something silly happened.
An image of her laying naked in bed with Christian flashed across her mind and she blushed. Heat rushed to her cheeks, a tingling sensation spread between her thighs as excitement made her heart thrummed heavily between her breasts.
She missed him- his adventurous hands, tasty lips, warm skin and strong chest. But there he was, lying between the Rubicon, neither alive nor dead, his existence hanging by a fraying thread.
“You are a fool Laura,”she cursed underneath her breath, rising from the chair.”this might be Christian’s last day on earth and all you can think of is his cock. Can’t you say prayers? When did you become a pervert!”
The weight of the rebuking thoughts settled on Laura’s mind and she started pacing back and forth. Christian had to live, nothing in the world would ever matter to her.
11:46, she muttered as she took a glance at the clock again. The door of Christian’s ward opened then and the doctor walked out. The instant she saw the white haired man, she dashed towards him as soon as he closed the door.
“How is he feeling?,”she asked, struggling to keep her quivering lips in place.”Is breathing well? Say Something doctor”
“Your husband will be fine Ma’am,”the doctor replied as sympathetic as his professional tone would allow.”We’re preparing to move him to the theatre now. The surgery will start in 20 minutes”
“What is his chance of survival?”
“His internal organs are not damaged yet, fortunately for us and for you.”He answered, “we’re going to extract the remaining fluid in his lungs. You can only hope for luck.”
“I am afraid doctor,”the weaknesses in her tone and the tears in her eyes did a good job portraying her emotions.”This is really delicate”
The placed a hand on her shoulder and caressed it gently.
“Everything will be alright”
As soon as the doctor left, Laura resumed her pacing and her incoherent silent prayers, wrapping her arms around her body to keep away the recurring cold the goosebumps on her skin caused.
“Christian!”
She cried out with widened eyes as the door opened and his claudicated body was wheeled out on a stretcher. Quickly, she ran towards the nurses and joined them in pushing the stretcher.
“I know you can hear me Christian,”some of her tears fell on his face as she reached for his face, above the oxygen device on his nose.”Please, do everything you can to survive. Your love is the air I breathe”
As soon as she finished the statement, she lost her grip over the stretcher as the nurses increased their pace towards the opened theatre. Laura remained there, watching until the door was slammed.
After standing for a few more minutes, she finally turned around and dragged her legs back to the reception. She met Damien, Christian’s best friend and Antonia waiting for her.
“What is going on now?”Damien asked, running towards her, “will he be alright?”
“I don’t know,”she whispered, “I can only hope for the best”
“It’s okay dear,”Antonia consoled, pulling Laura into her arms as she burst into fresh sobs.”Christian is a survivor. Don’t ever forget that”
Laura took the words and wiped her tears. They started pacing again but after two hours passed, the two women started panicking.
“Where was the doctor?”Laura asked Damien, who sat with his head buried in his arms, “What was happening?
“The doctor is here already,”he said, rising to his feet as he gestured to the old man.
“How did the surgery go,”he asked, “is there good news?”
Laura held her breath in anticipation as the doctor removed the stethoscope around his neck and folded it in his hand.
“The surgery went well,”he announced, “but Mr Christian is still in coma.”
“Oh, had damage affected his brain”‘
“No lady Laura,”he replied, “he just needs intensive care and medicines. Are you available to remain with him in the hospital for the rest of the month?”
“Yes,'”she responded, “I will remain here with Christian until he’s alright”
“Very well then. He’s going to be wheeled back to room in less than 30 minutes”
It had been two weeks after Christina’s surgery. Laura stayed with him, waiting patiently for him to wake up but he didn’t.
While this was happening, she held his hand and sang for him everytime. Other times, she read him bedtime fairy tales and even magazines.
When his cold skin started feeling warm, she praised the heavens and told Damien and Antonia about it. They were overjoyed and had started planning a welcome home party for him.
On the day Christian eventually woke up, Laura was cleaning him up , when he suddenly moved his fingers and started coughing.
She jumped up instantly and hurriedly removed the oxygen from his nose. The coughing receded and she hurriedly poured eaem water into a glass mug and presented it to him, sitting beside him on the edge of the bed.
“Here,”she placed the mug in his hand after she’d helped him sit on his back.
“Drink this up. It will make you feel better”
Laura expected Christian to take the mug from her but he stood there glaring at her as though she just fell out of the sky.
She saw the abnormal reaction as a result of his blurry eyes, he was definitely suffering from one minute blindness.
But when she leaned towards him to wipe the sweat on his forehead, he pushed her away and shot back.
“Antonia,”he muttered, “Is that you?”