Ken had just left Aiden’s office when he suddenly heard Jess shouting for help.
He didn’t think twice and immediately ran into the office. When he saw Ariel unconscious with her face reddening and swelling, alarm bells went off in his head.
He quickly lifted her and carried her to the hospital.
“What did you feed her, Kenneth?” Doc. Carla asked as she stepped out of Ariel’s ward room.
“What? Me?” Ken asked, surprised.
“Who else brought her here? You of course,” Doc. Carla rolled her eyes and walked into her office.
“Can I go in and-”
“No, Kenneth, follow me,” She replied without turning to look at Ken.
Ken sighed and stared at Ariel’s door for some time before following Doc. Carla into her office.
“Sit down, Kenneth, I’m highly disappointed in you,” Doc. Carla walked over to her fridge and retrieved a bottle of water, drinking it as she lowered herself on her chair.
Ken was still confused, what had he done? Why was his cousin accusing him mysteriously?
“Carla, how’s Ariel’s condition?” He wanted to know how she was first before he even asked her what she was accusing him of.
“You tell me what you fed her first. It’s not up to a day I introduced a girl to you; you’re already giving her foods that threaten her life; are you any different from Aiden?” Doc. Carla asked, frowning at him.
Ken tilted his head to the side, suddenly remembering something. The breakfast!
“Oh, you see, Carla, you got it all wrong, it wasn’t me, it was-”
“Where is Ariel?” The door suddenly opened behind them and Aiden walked into the room, looking a little disheveled.
Ken sighed, shaking his head.
“Mr. Chaz, your wife is reacting to an allergy. She’s been fed something that could jarm her, or worse, kill her if she wasn’t rushed to the hospital, thanks to Ken’s intervention, she’s stable now,” She said, looking at him seriously.
“I was just asking; which of you fed her something that poisonous to her health?” She questioned the two men in her office.
Aiden’s face hardened, he knew exactly what Ariel had eaten that morning, and he knew who gave it to her.
Was she that stupid?! Why would she eat something she knew she was allergic to?
“It’s salmon,” Aiden replied, glaring at Ken.
Ken saw how Aiden was looking at him and turned his face away from him.
“That’s, what I was about to say. Grandma Nari ordered her breakfast, and I think she didn’t want to offend the sweet lady, so she ate it,” Ken explained.
Doc. Carla sighed, drumming her fingers on her desk, “Oh, poor girl. She’s under a lot of pressure,” she shook her head.
“Don’t worry, Carla, I’m here to take care of her,” Ken said, smiling.
“Where is she, Carla?” Aiden asked again, his tone icy.
“She’s resting, Aiden. You know, you shouldn’t have come, it’s not like anyone would report to the press that you ignored your wife, oh, wait… they don’t know you have a wife. Relax Aiden, let me take care of her,” Ken rotated his chair and smiled at Aiden.
“You will mind your words, Ken,” Aiden’s voice went down an octave as he dangerously approached Ken.
“Let’s all go!” Doc. Carla announced suddenly.
She saw that the two friends were ready to take on each other in her office; she didn’t want that.
“Relax guys, let’s all go see how she’s doing,” She said and walked toward the door.
Aiden glared at Ken for a second before walking out of the office.
“Oh, hi, Jess. Came to see Ariel too?” Doc. Carla asked, smiling at Jess.
Jess nodded, “Yes, is she alright?” She asked.
“Come find out yourself,” Doc. Carla replied to her.
Aiden was feeling anxious, he needed to see Ariel. When Jess had asked into his office and told him what happened to Ariel, he never expected to react the way he did.
He had immediately left everything he was doing and drove over to the hospital; he didn’t know which one bothered him the most: the fact that Ariel had fallen unconscious or the fact that it was Ken who got to take her to the hospital.
He didn’t like the feeling he was getting, as if he was about to lose something important to him. Something he might never be able to recover.
“No loud talks, Gents,” Doc. Carla informed as she pushed Ariel’s door open.
“Oh dear,” Jess gasped as she saw Ariel’s reddened face. The swelling had reduced to a reasonable extent, but it was still swollen nevertheless.
Aiden slowly walked over to her bed, pausing to stand beside it.
He stared down at Ariel’s sleeping face and felt his heart twitch painfully in his chest. It was just as Ken had said; she ate the salmon to please his grandma and keep up the loving couple act with him.
He felt guilty as he stared at her face; if he hadn’t told his grandma that they were trying to give her a grandchild, she wouldn’t have subjected Ariel to eating such poisonous food.
“She’s going to be alright, right?” Ken asked from the other side of the bed.
Aiden snapped out of his thoughts and looked toward Ken, he frowned so hard when he saw Ken gently take Ariel’s hand into his.
He felt his heart twisting painfully at the sight, he knew he had no right to ask him to let her go. This was only a contract marriage.
So why the fuck was he bothered?
“She’s alright already,” Doc. Carla replied.
Jess sighed in relief, holding Aiden’s arm, “Wheew! I was scared for a second. You can relax now, bro, she’s alright,” Jess patted his arm.
“I wasn’t worried, Jess; I just wanted to make sure she doesn’t die while still bearing my last name,” Aiden said and turned to leave.
What was the use of staying? Ken was enough to take care of her.
No need to stay and become their third wheel.
“Where are you going?” Jess asked, dragging him back to the bedside.
“It’s alright, Jess. He’s a busy man; he has businesses to attend to; he shouldn’t waste his time nursing a sick person,” Ken said, smoothing away Ariel’s hair from her face.
Aiden balled his fists, his eyes following Ken’s hand that was caressing Ariel’s hair.
“Um, so, before anyone leaves, I’d like to ask which of you I should inform about her medical condition?” Doc. Carla asked cautiously.
She didn’t want to offend Aiden by speaking directly to Ken about Ariel, and she didn’t want to make Ken feel any less deserving by ignoring him and speaking to Aiden about Ariel’s condition.
“Both of them,” Jess rushed to reply, nodding her head at Aiden and Ken.
“I mean no inconvenience to you, brother, but she needs to tell you too because you’re the one she lives with; she spends most of her time with you, too,” Jess explained.
“That could change, Jess,” Ken said, looking over at her.
“Yes, yes, I know, but, he needs to know too,” Jess replied.
Doc. Carla nodded. “Um, alright.” She smiled at Ken and Aiden.
She found the situation comical yet complex. One man is unwilling to accept his feelings yet refuses to fully back off, while the other is over-enthusiastic about his feelings, using every second to show how he truly feels.
“She’s out of harm’s way, but I must say, she’s had a very serious reaction, and it’d best to keep away salmon and every food that contains salmon from her to avoid any future risks,” Doc. Carla explained.
Aiden was not happy, he didn’t appreciate the situation. Ariel was his wife, why did he have to share her with Ken?
“I’ve administered Antihistamines, it’ll take care of the itching and sweating. I’ve also applied a hydrocortisone cream, whoever will be with her by midnight should remind her to apply another one. Make sure she’s well rested and hydrated. And please, do read the labels carefully before she consumes any product,” Doc. Carla informed.
“Noted, Carla, when is she going to wake-”
“Ugh… my head,” Ariel murmured quietly as she slowly opened her eyes.
“She’s up, she’s up,” Jess whispered excitedly, going closer to Ariel’s bed.
Ariel opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Aiden’s cold face staring down at her.
What was happening?
“It’s alright, dear, the headache will go away soon, are you feeling any other discomfort apart from the headache?” Doc. Carla moved forward and asked.
Ariel immediately understood the situation. She had reacted to the Salmon and now here she was in the hospital, but, why was he here too?
Was Aiden the one who broght her here?
She slowly blinked and looked over at the doctor, “No, Doctor. It’s just the headache,” Ariel answered and suddenly tried to sit up.
“Be still, Ariel,” Aiden placed a firm hand on Ariel’s shoulder, stopping her from sitting up.
Ariel obediently laid back on the bed, looking up at Aiden’s angry face.
Why was he angry?
“Easy, Aiden, she’s just woken up,” Ken said from the other bed, shaking his head at Aiden.
Ariel heard Ken’s voice and realized that there was someone holding her hand, she looked beside her and found Ken staring down at her worriedly.
“Ken?” She called, confusion written all over her face.
How did he end up here too?
“You’re fine now, Ariel, you just need-”
“Excuse me, everyone, I’d like to take my wife home,” Aiden suddenly took Ariel’s hand from Ken’s, and before anyone could react, he leaned over and carried her bridal style, walking out of the room.