Cara’s POV
“Cara.”
I jerked awake at the sound of my name, blinking away the sleep in my eyes.
“You can see him now.” Doctor Bruno said. Exhaustion displayed across his face, showing how draining the last few hours had been.
“He’s awake?” I rasped, stifling a yawn. My entire body felt sore from sleeping on the chair.
How many hours had it been?
Eyeing the big clock on the wall-
5am. Thirty-one hours.
Sun rays were beginning to stream in from outside lighting up the hallway. This was the second sunrise since Adonis had his…
I sighed, pulling myself up when I noticed something odd. Before sleep finally claimed me last night, I was sure there were two men passed out on the chair opposite me. Now I could see just one.
My brows knitted in a frown, “Where’s my father?”
“He left to get a cup of coffee. He woke up a while ago.” Doctor Bruno replied.
My eyes darted to Luca, who still had his head bent, eyes closed, and arms folded over his chest. From the weird position he was in and the odd angle his leg formed, one could tell he was uncomfortable, yet he slept soundly.
I couldn’t blame him; like everyone else, he was extremely exhausted. Even my father, who rarely closed his eyes for more than a few hours, was on a caffeine marathon.
We hadn’t left the hospital since the breakdown.
I wiped my hand down my face, giving it a soft pat to chase away the sleep.
“How’s he now? Any improvement?”
The doctor pulled his lips in a tight, thin line. “Seeing as he’s awake, I believe things are getting better.”
If that was the case, why was he delivering such good news with a strained smile?
“But we still can’t have the surgery, right?” I asked, repeating the exact thing he told me after Adonis was stabilised.
“For now… the only thing we can do is watch Cara. Watch and Pray.”
I nodded, too tired to give a reaction to his conclusion. Although it wasn’t needed. Sorrow had become my main emotion for days. I didn’t need to react to let him know how disheartening the news was.
The image of my husband’s huge form jerking violently and uncontrollably was still stuck in my head. I couldn’t move or stand or speak and kept on staring helplessly. I didn’t even feel a thing when I was being dragged off to the waiting room.
And as the name implied, we stayed here for a long time. When Doctor Bruno finally showed, it was with even more disheartening news.
The fluid buildup had increased, causing pressure on the temporal lobe, which is responsible for memory and language. And they couldn’t even proceed with treatment because his vitals were unstable. The only option was to contain it before wheeling him into surgery.
“So…” I gulped. “Can he, you know? Speak? Does he still have his memory?”
“He’s as fine as he can be for now. Miraculously better if I do say so myself.”
“Well, that’s Adonis for you. He’s a force to reckon with.” Luca yawned, joining in on the conversation. “I’ve been listening to you both for the past five minutes. Why don’t you swallow your fear and just go see him yourself, Cara?”
He had hit the nail on the head.
“I support Luca. He’ll want to see you anyway.” My father added, appearing with an extra cup of coffee in hand.
I really could use one.
“He did ask for you.” Doctor Bruno gave me a knowing look. “That’s why I’m here. Also, I’d like you to convince him. We’re walking on a thin line. We need to have the surgery at the next available chance.”
I glanced at the men… they’d all given up on trying to talk Adonis out of killing himself. But I had no choice. Unlike them, my life depended on it; my family did too.
I wasn’t like Luca, who could find comfort in his sense of humour at this time, or my father, who had seen more than enough to get him through this.
Rising to my feet, my eyes shut for a few seconds. I’d never been a religious person, but I said a little word of prayer.
Not for myself but for him. Because I wasn’t leaving that room without getting what I wanted.
Then my feet began moving.
“Don’t be too hard on him,” Luca called out. It was meant to be a joke but his voice sounded frail at the end. “Man, do I smell? Is that why you’re sitting far away?”
I kept walking.
“Go get a change of clothes, boy.” My father’s grumpy voice commented.
“Why would she be hard on him?” Doctor Bruno sounded confused. “He needs complete rest.”
Complete rest my foot. I increased my pace.
“You… she’s going to have his head.”
Their words started to become distant.
“His head? Cara! Cara, hold up. Mrs. Ber…”
I drowned out the distracting voices, placing my hand on the doorknob.
It was now or never, so exhaling deeply, I pulled the door open.
Swirling pools of dark grey eyes were the first thing my gaze met when I entered. They had their usual lifeless look but one could easily tell that the cause of this was fatigue. Tiny bruises peppered his arms from where the medical team had inserted IVs during the seizure.
How exactly he managed to sit up with his back against the bed, amazed me. His breathing was shallow, each rise and fall of his chest a labored effort making the rhythmic beeping of the machines intense.
Was he that strong or was he trying to be?
I stood at the door, unmoving, intentionally putting a small distance between us. The tension from earlier remained, yet I refused to crack, and for the first time, he lost the staring contest.
“Bel…”
My neck raised an inch, “I’ve said everything I can and should.”
Adonis sighed, “Come over.”
“You look like a shadow of yourself.”
Even as he held himself up, I could still see the difference. The uneven posture, pale complexion, dry cracked lips…
He knew he needed help, yet he was fighting it.
“You know I have to do this.”
“Yes. I do, and that is the problem! Your need to be in control of everything would send you to an early grave.”
“That’s not true.” Adonis frowned. “I told you. It’s for-
“You’re lying. Don’t make this about me or the babies.” I retorted sharply. “You would care about being alive then than ending this. You have competent hands. Let them handle it.”
Adonis looked away. “It’s not my style. You know me, Cara.”
My eyes narrowed in on him. “Do I? Do I really? Because the person in front of me isn’t the one I’m in love with.” He eyed me with disbelief, shocked at my words, but I didn’t stop. “The Adonis I know would do anything to make me happy… to make us happy.”
“That’s what I’m doing-
“No!” I snapped, earning a wince from him. “I am not a child who you can lead on, and I am not a fool.”
He gulped, his hands moving to press on his thigh and I scoffed at the odd attitude. “Is there something you’d like to say to me?”
He stared for a while, until-
“I need to use the bathroom…” Adonis cleared his throat. “Been holding it for a while now.”
My searing gaze turned to glare as I stormed over to his bedside to help beep a nurse who came to him to get rid of the wires and IV so I could help him get to the restroom.
“Let me know when you’re done.”
He gave me a lazy smirk, “You’re not coming?”
“You’ve lost that privilege.” I huffed, making sure the door was completely shut before a small smile broke out on my face.
That man was insane.
It was funny that we could find reasons to smile at a time like this, but I had already made up my mind not to bend, so it immediately fell from my face as I waited for him to be done.
Two minutes passed and turned into five, which turned into ten, yet I stayed quietly by the door. It wasn’t until an extra five minutes whirled away that I knew something was up.
“Adonis?”
There was no reply.
“Are you fine? Are you done?”
Silence once again.
I raised my hands, about to push the door open, when he called back.
“Cara?” He sounded… unsure? “Is that you?” His voice lacked its usual firmness, creating a sense of unease within me.
“Yes, it is. Are you alright?”
“I… I don’t know.”
Was that a stutter? Hell no.
Without a second thought, I burst into the room, instantly hit with thick with the scent of disinfectant. He stood under the fluorescent light, standing by the window, as the soft hue of the morning reflecting over his frame.
Adonis turned towards me, a confused expression on his face. My discomfort increased, he was never one to show his emotions.
Taking a cautious step towards him, I encouraged, “You want to tell me what’s going on?”
He glanced at me, then around the room.
“For a second, I forgot.”
My heart skipped, the ache in my chest intensifying.
“Forgot what?”
“… why I came here. Where I am.” He muttered.
Not again.
“It’s alright.” I didn’t say more. “You needed a restroom break. Do you still feel the need to go?”
He held my gaze. “No. I’d rather…” His throat bobbed. “Help me back.”
With a heavy heart, I placed my arm around my husband’s waist, escorting him back into the room.
He’d barely settled in when the door burst open, and Luca came through the door, my father right behind him. His phone was clutched in his hand, his face pale and with a trembling voice, he announced
“Adrian is at the mansion.”