“Oh Lash, I’m so sorry for doing this to you. I understand now and I love you too. I always have since the day I first met you,” she whispered softly.
She didn’t even care that the nurse was still there checking the numbers on the monitors and probably heard what she said.
“Can I stay with him?” Ana asked.
The nurse smiled kindly as she replied, “I think that is a good idea. We all know that he is in a coma, but the heart is a strange thing. It can hear what the ears cannot. Talk to him. It may do him good,” she said before leaving the room.
Ana took a chair and positioned it as close to the bed as she could. She took hold of his hand once again. She had no intentions of letting go even if she had to stay the whole night. She feasted her eyes on the chiseled face, the perfect brows, the strong chin, the lips that could bring her to a state of nirvana, and was struck once more at how perfectly symmetrical his bone structure was.
But she knew there was more to him than just a handsome face. She remembered his kindness, his relentless passion for the foundation, his love for his mother, his conflicted feelings for his dad, his search for someone who knew her mother. She now had a grandfather, a family, in Zafarraya, and it was all thanks to him.
Ana’s heart filled to overflowing. Even if the nurse was right and he wouldn’t hear a word she said, she talked to him the entire night. She repeatedly told him she loved him until exhaustion crept in and she fell asleep on the chair still clutching his hand.
***
Ana dreamed that she was dancing with Lash. His face was so close she knew she could kiss him if she wanted to. Then he let go of her, and she plummeted into an abyss. She heard voices too but didn’t know where they were coming from.
Ana jolted upright. She blinked from the sudden light that was shining through the window. Then she remembered she was at the ICU with Lash. The voices she thought she heard were coming from a white-coated figure, a doctor, who was hunched over Lash. He was blocking her sight and didn’t know what was happening.
“Is everything all right?” she asked nervously.
“See for yourself,” the doctor replied as he straightened smiling.
Lash had opened his eyes. He saw her and smiled weakly.
“The numbers seem good,” the doctor announced. “He might float in and out of consciousness, but it’s nothing to be concerned about. It’s just the after-effects of being induced into a coma,” he said before leaving the room.
Ana clutched his hand in both her hands. She brought it to her lips and kissed it. Her eyes brimmed with tears of relief and happiness. She didn’t know what to say after she talked herself to sleep last night. She felt his hand move as he entwined his fingers with hers.
“Ana,” he called in a whispery voice.
Ana shook her head and placed a finger to his lips. She caressed his face lovingly, their eyes locked, both expressing the words he couldn’t utter. His eyelids began to droop as he whispered a single word.
“Stay.”
Chapter FIFTEEN
A month after his surgery, Lash was back on his feet like nothing had ever happened. A small scar near the top of his head was the only sign of those dark hours Ana endured before he came out of his coma. He stayed at the hospital for nearly a week. Ana never left his side.
During his stay, the stream of visitors was endless. Jonathan Engels and the cast came. Friends and colleagues showed up. Everyone was concerned about him. Lash fell into the habit of teasing her by telling anyone who asked that she was to blame for the accident. It embarrassed her and elated her simultaneously that he had no qualms announcing to the world that he was in love with her.
Ana always longed for that time of day when visiting hours was over and it was just the two of them inside the hospital room. Each night he would ask her to join him in the hospital bed. Ana would indulge him, knowing it would be a struggle just to lie there locked in each other’s embrace. But she had to be firm for his sake; giggling at how Lash would sulk and throw a tantrum each time she rebuffed him.
No one was more elated than Lash himself when he was finally given the green light. A limousine came to fetch them outside the hospital lobby. Ana wondered why he rushed her into the penthouse elevator, down the hallway, and into his apartment. Once inside, he physically dragged her into the bedroom where he undressed her.
“Lash, no.” Ana struggled, afraid that he hasn’t fully recovered yet.
“Ana if you don’t let me fuck you, I swear to God, I’ll hop on another bike and crash myself into the nearest wall,” he threatened.
“A-alright,” Ana agreed hesitantly, “but you have to promise to take it slow.”
“I promise,” Lash answered readily.
It was a promise he had no intentions of keeping. They spent the rest of the day and straight into the night in bed and were still wide-awake when dawn came.
***
As the days progressed, Ana insisted Lash should ease off of some of his responsibilities at the Foundation office and the dance studio.
“Jonathan and I will help you.”
She stopped upon seeing the look of exasperation on his face. “It will only be until you are caught up with your companies. You were away for quite some time. I’m sure your workload has doubled since you were gone,” Ana justified.
“Okay,” he agreed rather reluctantly.
Ana was elated that he agreed, but taking over his responsibilities at the studio was harder than she had expected. She was cooped up in a meeting with Jonathan and failed to notice his call. It was only hours afterwards that she realized she had 12 missed calls…all coming from him.
On yet another occasion, she agreed to meet him for lunch. Ana was in the midst of finalizing a deal with a European theater company, and she totally forgot to send him a message cancelling the date. She returned to his apartment that evening fully intending to apologize. His obvious annoyance made her wary, but she had great news and hoped it would compensate for missing lunch.
“Guess what,” she greeted him with delight.
“You missed lunch and didn’t even bother to send me a message,” he accused coldly.
Ana sighed heavily and replied, “I know, and I’m sorry, but wait till you hear what I have to say. I’m sure you’ll insist on taking me to an expensive dinner instead.”
Lash looked at her saying nothing. Ana couldn’t read the expression on his face.
“That will change once he hears the good news,” she thought to herself.
She removed a Manila folder from her bag and brought it to him.
“What’s that,” Lash asked. The expression on his face hardly changed.
“Open it and read it,” Ana urged him.
Lash scanned through the document. Ana held her breath in excitement.
She couldn’t wait for him to finish and blurted out, “It’s an invitation from the England Center for Arts and Dance. They want to book us for a series of performances in London,” she shrieked excitedly.
Ana was surprised at his reaction. Lash tossed the invitation aside and headed for the bar. He poured himself a drink.
“Lash, what’s the matter. I thought you would be excited,” she exclaimed.
Lash turned and faced her. “Yes. Yes of course I am. You and Jonathan did a great job.”
Ana was certain something bothered him. She walked up to where he stood and placed her arms around his waist. She pulled him close and raised her face to him.
“Tell me what’s bothering you,” she asked.
“We’ve both been working so hard that we rarely have time to spend together. You leave for the studio each morning as I go to the office. We both come home at night tired and exhausted. Then it’s the same shit all over again,” he ranted. A few seconds passed before he added softly, “I miss you, Ana.”
Ana leaned against his chest and whispered back, “I miss you too Lash, terribly. But I’ve only been busy because I wanted to make things work at the studio for you. I se
e how badly you want the studio to be known not only locally but also abroad. And this invitation is proof that you are slowly being recognized for all your hard work. I’m sure your mom is happy wherever she is,” Ana declared.
She heard him sigh deeply then said, “You’re right Ana. I should be grateful to you and Jonathan, but I do miss you. I am sorry for being angry about our missed lunch.”
“We’ll make it work, somehow,” Ana promised.
Ana was glad for the momentary impasse. But she didn’t know Lash the way she thought she did.
When she stepped into his apartment a few days later, she saw that he was dressed casually with a suitcase standing by the door. His eyes shone with hidden excitement.
“Are you going somewhere?” Ana asked anxiously. He never mentioned anything about spending time away from her.
Lash nodded animatedly. “You’re coming with me, so go pack your things.”
“What?”
“It’s all been arranged. You don’t have to worry about the studio. Jonathan knows. We spoke earlier today, and he fully supports me,” Lash declared.
Ana was in a daze. Leaving her duties on such short notice felt irresponsible, but if Jonathan knew, then she supposed it was all right.
“If you’re not ready in ten minutes I swear I’ll leave you,” Lash threatened.
Ana made a mad dash for the bedroom to pack her things. A feeling of excitement filled her over this unexpected surprise. She was out again before her ten minutes were up.
Inside the Bentley she asked, “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” he answered mysteriously.
Ana fell back on the seat trying to contain her annoyance. Why did he have to be so enigmatic about it?
“We’re headed for the airport,” Ana exclaimed seeing the familiar landmarks.
Lash shook his head, still with a teasing look on his face.
“Of course, we are,” Ana insisted.
He made a sudden turn onto a side road away from the airport. They passed a series of airplane hangars before coming to a stop in front of one of them. Lash drove straight to a gulf stream that was parked outside the hangar. He stepped out and tossed the keys of the Bentley to a mechanic. A man in a pilot’s uniform stood beside the stairs of the aircraft. They talked for a couple of seconds before Lash came to open the door. Ana stepped out of the car with a look of amazement on her face.
“This is your private plane, right?
Lash chuckled at the accusing tone in her voice.
“Yes,” he answered, “…and a helicopter will be waiting for us at the airport when we land to bring us to our final destination.”
She was still in the dark about his plans even as the plane took off and was airborne for almost 7 hours. She decided to just enjoy the surprise as they whiled away the time talking and selecting treats from the menu the stewardess brought to them. Then she retrieved a magazine, positioned herself next to him and decided to just lie down on his lap and read.
She glanced at him and saw that he had dozed off. She closed the magazine and burrowed comfortably in on his lap before falling asleep. She didn’t know how long she slept, but when she opened her eyes, she had a pillow on her head and a blanket wrapped around her. Lash was seated across from her watching her intently.
“…Morning, gorgeous.” He said.
“Was it morning already,” Ana wondered. And where exactly were they?
The pilot’s voice suddenly broke through the intercom.
“Please fasten your seatbelts. We are landing in El Prat in a few minutes.”
“El Prat?” Ana exclaimed. “We are in Barcelona?”
Lash nodded and smiled. Ana jumped off the plane seat and ran straight to his arms.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she wailed.
“Because it was supposed to be a surprise,” Lash shot back.
He placed her next to him and reached for her seatbelt. Ana was so excited she pressed her nose against the windowpane of the aircraft. She felt the floor beneath her thud as the wheels touched down.
Ana was home.
Or so she thought, as she eagerly alighted from the aircraft. They were led to another hangar where a helicopter was on standby.
“C’mon they’re waiting for us,” Lash spurred her inside the chopper.
“Who?” Ana asked confused.
Why were they leaving Barcelona already? It wasn’t fair, she thought, as the helicopter ascended into the air.
Ana looked down and recognized the tree-lined avenue in the heart of Barcelona. She had walked the streets of La Rambla almost every single day of her life. Then there was the Sagrada Familia Church in the distance. The cranes spiraling into the sky were proof of the ongoing renovation of the Gaudi masterpiece. She even spotted La Bouqueria, the famous indoor public market with meat, produce, cheese and an array of other food in a bustling space.
Ana wanted to scream in frustration as they left Barcelona behind. Lash just smiled seeing the look on her face.
Ana didn’t have to wonder long. Soon, the familiar landscape of a seaside town came into view. Her heart thumped as the chopper descended and pursued the stretch of shoreline of Playa del Cura beach. Even with her eyes blindfolded, Ana knew what was at the very edge of this coastline.
“Are-are we going…” she stammered. She still couldn’t believe her eyes when the Cancer Facility where she worked came into view.
The chopper hovered over the facility then landed on its rooftop.
Ana was speechless as two figures appeared. Diane Hawkins and her husband Leon Álvaro waved from where they stood. Ana jumped out of the helicopter and ran straight into Diane’s arms. She had never been more speechless in her entire life.
“We’re ready,” Leon’s cool voice addressed Lash.
“Ready for what?” Ana asked, still not over her astonishment and confusion.
“You’ll understand soon enough, my dear,” Diana replied in typical Diane fashion- cool, calm and collected. Then she addressed Lash and said, “Leon’s been taking flying lessons and insists on taking our own chopper,” she pointed to another helicopter nearby. “I’m afraid we won’t be riding with you and Ana.”
“No problem,” Lash replied, “I’m just grateful you both could accept my invitation.”
Ana thought she was in a dream. First Barcelona, then Torrevieja. Then there was Diane and Leon coming along. But where to? And she distinctly heard Lash mention something about accepting his invitation.
The parties boarded separately, and the two helicopters became visible before slowly disappearing over the horizon. Ana gave up guessing. She surrendered herself to fate…and whatever Lash had planned for her.
It didn’t take long for the landscape to change into the verdant green of rolling hills and valleys. She had no idea where they were headed. She saw the ruins of a castle overgrown with grass. Sheep and goats pastured nearby where grass dotted with white poppy flowers was spread out like a carpet of green and white.
Ana noticed a gaping cleft in the mountain and realized it was some kind of passage, a route that extended for miles and miles ahead. A town surrounded by vegetation and foliage on all sides appeared down below. The helicopters hovered over the small town. They flew slowly until they came upon a small mountain bluff that was broad and flat. Their chopper came in for a landing while Diane and Leon landed a few meters away.
Lash jumped out of the helicopter and extended a hand to help her disembark.
“Welcome to Zafarraya, Ana,” he announced, eyes glinting with excitement.
Ana’s eyes t popped from disbelief. She remained speechless as she surveyed her surroundings. A jeep appeared in the distance and came to a stop where they stood. The door opened, and a stooped figure alighted.
Ana gawked as Manfred Vano approached.
“Grandfather?” She shrieked in delight.
The old man enfolded her in a giant bear hug, then said, “Lash gave us very little notice, but I think you a
nd your guests will be happy with the accommodations we managed to prepare. The whole village has been agog with excitement with all the supplies that have been arriving.
Ana soon realized the enormity of Lash’s preparations as Manfred brought them to a clearing. Two air-conditioned tents complete with hot and cold running water, one for her and Lash and another for Diane and Leon, were to be their temporary shelter. A few smaller tents dotted the campsite, and locals scurried about preparing for their arrival.
When she had time to collect her wits, she went in search of Lash, who was deep in conversation with Diane and Leon.
The Boss's Fiance Box Set Page 46