‘’Where am I? What happened?’’
‘’Please calm down, I am afraid that I have some bad news to tell you, sir.’’
☯
It’s been three hours. Three hours since Elliot was told the bad news by the doctor. When he opened his eyes he expected to see Desiree’s glowing face smiling down at him. But he didn’t. Instead his eyes were met by the bright fluorescent light above him and instead of Desiree a middle aged man was looking down at him.
He was told that he had a broken leg and a sprained wrist and suffered from a mild concussion, but that wasn’t the bad news. The bad news concerned Desiree.
After asking the doctor to give him any information regarding his girlfriend, the doctor finally gave in and with a sad tone told him what had happened to her. She was in a coma and had some bruised ribs. Elliot’s world fell apart at the doctor’s words and demanded the doctor to take him to her room.
He had to see her for himself. She couldn’t really be in a coma, she was the strongest person he knew. The doctors must have made a mistake.
☯
It’s been eight hours. Eight hours since Elliot saw Desiree for the first time.
The sight of her with an IV in her hand, a nasal cannula and all the purple bruises covering her body brought him to tears immediately. She looked so bad. It looked like she had already left from this earth and went where she really belonged. His poor poor angel.
All that time he spent it in his wheelchair looking at her, for any sign that she was alive. The nurses didn’t bother to ask him to leave the room since they saw the state that he was in and assumed that he was her husband.
After he had controlled his tears he called her family and told him that they were both beaten up pretty badly and that their daughter was in a coma. They told him that they would get on a plane as soon as possible and to call them if anything happened.
Then he called Mia and Noah, Mia broke down just like he had when he told her the news and told him that she didn’t have enough money to go all the way from Chicago to London, but if she had she would be there for her best friend and just like her parents did she told him to call her as soon as something happened to her.
When Noah heard that Desiree was in a coma he instantly blamed Elliot and started to curse him. He didn’t have it in him to argue because he knew that Noah was right and he was relieved when he told him that he will come to the hospital with her family.
☯
Seventeen hours passed.
Elliot woke up to find that Desiree’s bed was surrounded by her family and Noah, who all held balloons and soft toys in their hands as they looked at her fragile lifeless looking body.
‘’What time is it? How long have you been here?’’ He asked them as he tried to stand up, but remembered that he was in a wheelchair.
‘’It’s late at night, they made an exception to let us come in here. We have been here for an hour but didn’t have the heart to wake you up.’’ Amber told him as he gave him a small smile.
‘’Elliot, is she going to make it?’’ Rupert asked as he wiped away his tears by his sleeve.
‘’I asked the doctors that same question for hundreds of times, but they don’t know yet. It’s a fifty fifty chance.’’ Elliot told him as he rolled closer to the bed.
‘’I knew that something like this was about to happen sooner than later, I knew that you were bad news for Desiree!’’ Noah yelled from the opposite side of the room.
‘’Noah, it wasn’t his fault, how dare you speak to him like that?’’ Amber scolded him.
‘’It’s okay, I know it’s my fault, if I hadn’t brought her to London with me she would still be alive and kicking.’’ He told them as he covered his face with his hands and took deep breaths. He couldn’t cry again. His body wouldn’t have enough water in it if he cried for one more time, he thought.
‘’Elliot honey, would you like something to eat? The nurses said that you haven’t eaten anything since they brought you here yesterday.’’ Amber told him as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
‘’A black coffee would be fine.’’ Elliot told her with a smile.
‘’Alice, would you mind bringing him some coffee and bring me some tea please and anything that the others want please.’’
‘’Yes mum.’’ She said with a smile as she asked the other men what they wanted.
‘’I hope she wakes up from this coma. She has so much things left to do in her life. I have dreamt of her graduating, of her walking down the aisle, announcing that she was bearing my grandchild. I can’t lose her, Elliot.’’ Amber cried as she sat on the floor next to him.
‘’She will wake up Amber, she can’t leave like this. You’ll see, we just need to have a little faith.’’ Elliot told her as she took her hand in his.
Amber was about to say something when a knock on the door interrupted her and the doctor that had spoken to Elliot earlier walked in.
‘’Mr. Sword can I speak with you alone please?’’ He asked.
‘’Yeah sure.’’ Elliot said as he rolled his way out the door that the doctor held open for him.
‘’We received some tests that we did earlier in the day and I’m afraid that I have some more bad news to tell you.’’ The doctor told him. He must have hate his job since most of the time he had to deliver bad news to the patient’s loved ones.
‘’What’s wrong doc?’’ Elliot asked impatiently.
‘’I’m afraid that she didn’t make it. I am so sorry. We tried to save her but we couldn’t.’’
42☕
For a moment Elliot didn’t say a word as he tried to make sense of what the doctor had told him. He was with Desiree a minute ago, how could she have died?
‘’I’m sorry doc, but I don’t understand. I was with her a minute ago, she didn’t wake up but she was breathing. I saw her!’’ Elliot told him with wide eyes.
‘’I wasn’t talking about Ms. Lock, Mr. Sword. Ms. Lock was twelve weeks pregnant with a baby girl, but unfortunately the blows that she received to her stomach caused her to lose the baby. We tried to save them both, but we simply couldn’t.’’ The doctor explained.
‘’I was going to be a father?’’ Elliot exclaimed. This was clearly a surprise to him. She hadn’t looked pregnant or had any morning sickness. Did she know?
The doctor simply nodded his head. ‘’I am very sorry Mr. Sword, if you need anything you can press the red button next to the bed and I’ll come as soon as I can.’’ He told him with a small smile.
‘’Thanks doc, I appreciate your help.’’ He replied as he wiped away the tears from his face. He had lost their baby girl, he couldn’t bear to lose his other.
‘’Mr. Sword, she is very strong don’t give up on her.’’ The doctor told him before he turned and walked away.
Elliot couldn’t face her family and Noah at that moment, so he stayed for a while in the corridor. Should he tell them that Desiree lost their baby? Would he tell her when she woke up, if she woke up, or did she already know?
After thinking and thinking some more he was ready to face them and rolled back into the room. They had been clearly waiting for him to tell them what the doctor told him because as soon as he was in the room they looked up at him.
‘’What did he tell you? Is she okay?’’ Rupert asked him.
‘’He didn’t talk to me about Desiree.’’ He took a deep breath before he gave them the news. ‘’Desiree was pregnant, but the blows to her stomach caused her to lose our baby.’’ He sobbed.
For a moment there was silence in the room, before a loud yell erupted.
‘’You impregnated my daughter before marriage? How dare you? I thought that I could trust you, but you have crossed the line young man! You are going to hell for this and because of you my girl is going to suffer for eternity.’’ Her father yelled at him as he moved towards him with his hands balled, ready to punch him.
‘’Rupert don’t yell in the hospital!’’ Amber scolded him.
‘’How can I not? My daughter was pregnant before marriage, I don’t know how you aren’t yelling at him!’’ He said as he pointed at Elliot with disgust on his face.
‘’How can you be so insensitive? She lost a baby for Christ’s sake, your grandchild! Noah, Alice let’s go back to the hotel we can’t stay here. Elliot, call us if you need anything and I’m sorry for your loss.’’ Amber said before they left him alone with Desiree.
‘’Desiree, please wake up. I can’t continue doing this if you aren’t by my side. We were going to be parents, can you believe it Desiree? I was going to be the father of a little baby girl. I hope that she was going to be like you, my angel. I will be back in the morning because the nurses aren’t going to let me stay here anymore. I love you, baby girl.’’ He told her before placing a kiss on her forehead and leaving the room.
☯
The first thing that she saw when she woke up was white light. The first thing that she felt was pain.
As her eyes adjusted to the light, she took in her surroundings and looked down at her body. When her mind registered where she was and what had happened to her she screamed and tried to get up from the bed, but a sharp pain on her side stopped her.
Where was Elliot? Elliot! Was he okay? Was he alive? As these thoughts entered her mind she screamed even louder and a doctor ran into the room.
‘’Ms. Lock, please calm down or you will do harm to yourself.’’ The doctor told her as he walked next to her bed.
‘’What happened? Where is Elliot?’’ She asked with her brown eyes wide open.
‘’Elliot is fine, he is in his room right now, you don’t need to worry we are taking good care of him.’’ He smiled. ‘’Now what is the last thing that you remember, Ms. Lock?’’
She thought for a while before the memories came rushing back, those horrible nightmares. ‘’The last thing that I remember was hugging Elliot, before these men jumped on us and started beating us.’’ She told him with a sigh.
‘’So as I can see you haven’t suffered from any memory loss. That is good since you were in a coma for about three days. You don’t have to worry about those men. Mr. Sword already spoke to the police and they have been arrested, when you are ready they will come here and ask you some questions.’’ He smiled at her.
‘’I hope those bastards will get locked up for good!’’ She told him.
‘’I can assure you that they will.’’ The doctor smiled. ‘’Ms. Lock I have something to ask you.’’ He told her in a more serious tone.
‘’You aren’t proposing aren’t you?’’ She joked.
‘’No, I’m not, I’m already married.’’ He laughed as he showed off his wedding ring. ‘’Ms. Lock, were you aware that you were pregnant?’’ He asked.
She reacted just like Elliot had, she didn’t say anything and just stared at the wall infront of her, before she grinned.
‘’I’m pregnant? Oh my God, I can’t believe this I’m going to be a mother! Does Elliot know? I can’t wait to tell him!’’ She giggled. Becoming a mother was a dream of hers since she was a young girl. She always played with dolls pretending that she was a mum, while her own mother laughed at her and took photos of her capturing the precious moments.
‘’I’m sorry to tell you this Desiree, but the blows that you received to your stomach cause you to lose the baby.’’ He sadly told her.
‘’What? No!’’ She yelled.
‘’We tried to save her but it was too late.’’ The doctor explained to her.
‘’Her? She was a girl?!’’ Desiree burst out crying, her baby, their baby, was gone just like that.
‘’Desiree, you woke up!’’ Elliot exclaimed as he rolled in the room, but stopped when he saw her crying and the doctor looking at her with a sad expression on his face.
‘’You told her?’’ Elliot asked him, and the doctor nodded.
‘’Desiree honey, shh I’m here.’’ He took her hand in his and kissed her.
‘’Elliot, I’m so glad that you’re okay! I was so scared when I woke up and didn’t see you here.’’ She told him as she kissed their intertwined hands. The doctor chose that moment to leave them alone.
‘’I’m here now, baby girl. I missed you so much.’’ He cried as he caressed her face. She was back with him, she wasn’t going anywhere.
‘’I’m here with you and that’s all that matters. I’m sorry Elliot, for losing our child.’’ Desiree told him as she cried with him.
‘’It’s not your fault, if it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine and my decisions which led to horrible consequences. Did you know that you were pregnant?’’
‘’It’s not your fault honey, no I didn’t know. If I knew I would have been more careful. I can’t believe we were going to become parents.’’ She smiled sadly at him.
‘’We can always try again, baby girl. We can have twenty babies if you want to as long as you’re happy. I don’t mind making them’’ He winked at her as he tried to make her smile, he missed her beautiful smile.
‘’I didn’t have a doubt that you don’t mind making them, but twenty is so much! That’s like spending twenty years of my life with a balloon sticking out of my tummy.’’ She told him with a smile.
‘’How many children would you like to have then?’’ He asked her with a smile.
‘’Three, with you.’’ She told him with a grin.
‘’I wouldn’t let you have any beautiful babies with anybody else, Desiree. Don’t worry about that. Oh and while you were in a come your family and Noah came to visit and I have to warn you that your dad wasn’t too happy that I got you pregnant and we sort of got in a fight.’’
‘’Again? When will you too boys learn to behave around each other?’’ She giggled.
‘’Probably never, he never liked me.’’ He laughed.
‘’Don’t make me laugh, my ribs hurt.’’ She told him as she tried to stop laughing.
‘’It’s good to see your smile again, it’s good to have you back, baby girl.’’ He told her before he kissed her for the first time.
43☕
❝Put up a fight for what you love.❞
After a few days Desiree was finally dismissed from the hospital, along with Elliot. They both had took the decision that her family and Noah should stay at their home since they had more than enough space. They were going to stay for only two weeks in London, so Elliot didn’t mind that much since they would pass quickly.
‘’Elliot, they’ll be here soon, are you ready?’’ Desiree asked him as she placed the last plate on the kitchen table and lit up the candles.
‘’I’m here.’’ He walked into the room wearing his broken leg boot since he had soon got bored of sitting all day in the wheelchair.
‘’You look handsome.’’ She told him as she placed a kiss on his lips.
‘’And you look beautiful as usual, do I really have to have dinner with them?’’
‘’Oh c’mon Elliot, you know you have to. I hate seeing you fight, I’m going to make things right between you and my dad.’’
‘’You can try, but you should be prepared that whatever you say won’t stop him from hating my guts. He hates that we had sex before marriage, got you pregnant and the fact that you are even with me!’’ He exclaimed.
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