Raymond grasped Lina’s hand that was reaching out to the wall, pulling her closer to him, before guiding her to sit on the white-covered bed that can be occupied by two people.
Jayden swiftly moved to catch Ria, who stumbled back at Raymond’s push. “Don’t go too far, Raymond,” Jayden warned, his hand wrapping around Ria’s waist to steady her. “Are you okay?” He asked with concern etched on his face. The room fell silent, except for the steady beeping of the hospital machines.
Ria’s gaze locked onto Jayden’s, her eyes wide with surprise. Jayden’s black orbs shone with care and concern, his expression softening as he held her.
For a moment, they seemed to forget about the others in the room. The world around them melted away, leaving only the two of them, suspended in a moment of tender connection.
“Ria?” Jayden called softly, noticing the dazed look on her face. He gently flicked her forehead, his voice low and soothing. “Hey, are you with me?”
Ria blinked, her eyes slowly focusing on Jayden’s face. Her face instantly turned red from embarrassment. A deep blush spread across her cheeks as she realized their intimate position.
She raised her right hand, placing her palm on his chest to steady herself. She could feel his steady heartbeat as the warmth of his chest solid muscle seeped into her fingertips. She immediately steadied herself, while taking a step back, distancing herself from him.
Jayden’s lips couldn’t help spreading into a loving smile at her red cheeks. She looks so lovely while blushing. He knew she was still shy around him, even when they had been in a relationship for two weeks.
Ria stole a glance at Jayden. She saw he was smiling lovingly at her. Her cheeks turn crimson. She quickly took her eyes away from him, her eyes darting around the room. Her gaze fell onto Lina, who had been helped to sit on the bed, her hand still clutching her stomach. Raymond was sitting beside her, his palm on her forehead trying to check her temperature.
“Didn’t I tell you to wait patiently for me as you stay in bed and rest?” Raymond scolded Lina, but there was still a doting tone in his voice. “Why were you standing earlier, making you pull on your wounds?” He questioned as he pressed the bedside bell, calling for a nurse to come in immediately.
“No,” Lina’s palm wrapped around his hand, trying to stop him from calling the nurse. “I’m fine honestly, you shouldn’t have bothered the nurse.”
Ria and Jayden, who were standing beside each other, watched the couple’s interactions. “Are you sure you are fine Lina? You don’t look good. See how pale your face is. Let the nurse come over to take a look.” Ria chimes in before Raymond can speak.
Lina and Raymond were so busy with each other earlier that they didn’t notice the awkward air surrounding Ria and Jayden. Lina’s gaze shifted to Ria. Seeing her red face, she understood something must have happened between them. She smiled sweetly at Ria as she nodded.
“Okay, the nurse can come…” Lina didn’t finish her sentence as her eyes widened in shock. She felt a warm liquid rush out of her Private part.
Raymond was the first to see her shocked expression. “What is it? Are you feeling pain somewhere else?” Raymond asked with concern as he shifted his butt on the bed to sit closer to her.
“I…I think my…” Lina’s face grew hot with embarrassment, thinking of how she wanted to tell Raymond that her monthly flow was here. She knew she shouldn’t have felt so much pain earlier when Ria hugged her, since almost all her injuries had healed. Now she knew why she felt that sharp pain earlier.
“Lina? Talk to me, what’s wrong?” Raymond asked again. Ria seems to have understood Lina’s predicament without even speaking to her.
“Umm,” Ria coughs slightly, “can you guys please go out? I will take care of her. It’s a ladies thing.” Ria said awkwardly. She understands Lina so well that any of Lina’s expressions are familiar and understood by her.
Jayden immediately understands what Ria meant as ‘it’s a lady’s thing,’ while Raymond, who didn’t seem to hear anything Ria said apart from asking him to go out, was angry.
“Who are you to tell me to leave my wife when she is in pain?” Raymond’s voice instantly turned cold as he cut Ria off. His tone doesn’t carry that gentle and doting tone he spoke with Lina with. Just then, the door was pushed open as a nurse in her working suit came in.
“Mrs Walton, where are you feeling discomfort? Let me take a look.” The nurse walked forward, clearing the cold air in the ward.
Jayden’s hand wrapped around Ria’s, his fingers intertwining with hers as he gently tugged her towards the door. “Let’s give them some space,” he whispered, his eyes locked on hers.
Ria’s gaze shifted to their intertwined hands, her face slightly blushing. She tried pulling her hand out, but Jayden’s grip on her hand was gentle but firm. Ria saw that the nurse was attending to Lina, whose eyes were on her, asking for help.
Ria shook her head while using her eyes to point at Raymond. Her expression was like, I wanted to help you, but your man is worried about you more. If I defile him, I might freeze to death. After their silent expression conversation, Ria waved at Lina before walking out of the ward with Jayden who was holding her hand.
Raymond didn’t seem to notice his friend’s departure with his girlfriend. All his attention was on Lina. The nurse checked on Lina’s wound, her expression was professional and reassuring. “Everything seems fine Mrs Walton, what exactly is the problem? Should I call the doctor?” The nurse’s brow furrowed in confusion.
Lina sighed heavily. If Raymond wasn’t here, all this would have been easy to say. They weren’t that close and she just planned to try out a relationship with him. She is still shy around him.
She signals for the nurse to bend forward to her height. She whispered her predicament to the nurse. Understandingly, the nurse smiles before nodding at Raymond saying; “I will be right back. I will go get what Mrs Walton needs.” After that, she left the confused Raymond, and the shy Lina in the room.
A minute of silence passed before Raymond spoke. “Babe, what’s wrong with you?” He placed his right palm on Lina’s shoulder. “The nurse said you are fine, but you don’t look okay. Should I call Dylan?”
Lina immediately rejected his idea. Wouldn’t it be even more awkward if another man was here?
Lina finally decided to open up to Raymond as she avoided eye contact with him. “It’s…it’s my time of the month.” She stammered.
Raymond’s expression changed from confusion to understanding, and then to surprise. “Oh, I… I didn’t realize,” he said, his voice tinged with embarrassment. Lina’s face burned hotter, and she looked away, trying to compose herself.
“Is it that painful? What can I do to help?” Raymond said softly as he placed his big palm on Lina’s stomach. He gently rubs it for her to relieve her pain. He had read somewhere in high school that women went through severe pain during their period, and rubbing the stomach in a circular motion can help soothe the pain slightly.
Lina was frozen in position as Raymond rubbed her stomach. She still wasn’t used to Raymond’s being intimate with her. “You don’t have to do this, I will be fine.” Lina’s complexion turned rosy as she said this. She tried catching Raymond’s hand, but he was fast. He caught her hand with his free left hand.
“You don’t need to be shy around me baby, I’m your husband. If I don’t help you with this, who will, huh?” He said jokingly, trying to make Lina get used to him as soon as possible. He still felt a strain in their relationship.
“I’m not your baby Raymond.” Lina felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach at Raymond calling her baby. Though she loves being called sweet names, she still has to showcase her shy little woman attitude.
Lina noticed that since she woke up, Raymond’s way of calling her had changed. He didn’t call her Lina anymore. He would call her sweet names all the time. No matter how she warned him, he wouldn’t listen.
“If you are not my baby, whose baby are you then?” Raymond pouted his lips, looking as cute as possible, feeling wrong. How can he be so shameless? Lina thought.
“I just knew that I’m…”, Lina was cut off by the creaking sound of the door. The nurse walked in with a discreet package. She walked toward them. She smiled at Raymond’s care for Lina. They look so lovely together, she thought.
“Here you go, Mrs Walton. Everything you need is in there.” Raymond took the package from the nurse. Lina nodded her thanks, her face glowing in embarrassment.
As the nurse left, Raymond passed the light package to Lina. “Go change quickly, or should I come and help you with it?” He said with a serious expression as his blue eyes stared into Lina’s brown orbs.
Lina rolled her eyes at him before standing up abruptly. She snatched the package from Raymond and rushed into the washroom. Raymond smiled at how shy she was. Wouldn’t he still see all of her body later? He doesn’t know why women like pretending too much.
As he was smiling, he noticed the red stain on the white bed cover. This scene took his mind to the morning of their first night together. He had also noticed the red stain that showed how he had forced himself on her that night. That was why he left the hotel that morning without looking at her face.
His eyes shut tightly, thinking of how Lina would feel when he later told her the truth about that night. He just hoped she wouldn’t get mad at him for lying to her all this while. As Raymond’s mind wandered far away, his phone rang, breaking his thoughts. His brow furrowed at the caller ID.