Even before I opened my eyes, I knew I was in a hospital.
I forced my eyes open to a bright shaft of light that nearly blinded me. I blinked several times, allowing my eyes to adjust to the sudden exposure while stirring at the stench of antiseptics and artificial cleaners, as a dim flicker of sleep remained, blurring my vision.
A foreign feeling washed over me while my mind pieced together the last few hours. When the haze cleared and my focus returned, I found myself gazing at a bunch of flowers, tons of them lying on the surface of a cartwheel that was pushed up against the tiny space between my bed and my neighbour's.
Looking at them made me sad, for I had too once received them.
During my recovery after the accident, I remember being showered with bouquets of balloons, Get Well Soon cards and assorted flower arrangements that dripped with pity. I often woke up to many blurry faces, hushed voices and white coats that spiked fear and uncertainty inside me, leaving me all alone to wither away on a hospital bed with a broken memory.
It was then I found solace in flowers, especially the roses. People that came often made small talk and left, but the roses didn't…
Every day a fresh bunch would take its place next to the physiologic monitor, enlivening the arid room with its dark crimson colour, and gifting me with a companion beside pain. Later I came to know that the roses were Jade's way around the limited visitation.
I sensed movement to my left.
"Finally! She lives" , came from a distant voice. I fixated on the accent, trying to make out its owner.
No way…He wouldn't…For real???
I struggled to sit up, stunned beyond words as a figure yet again towered over me.
"What are you doing here?" I stammered in disbelief.
Ace Ryder sat down near the empty space at the foot of the bed and stared at me, his face a utopia of confusion.
"So, that wasn't a stunt?" He muttered while appearing deep in thought.
I had no idea what he was talking about.
Whatever, I thought. I didn't have time for him. I quickly fished my phone out the back of my jeans and searched for any missed calls. None. Nobody missed me. Great. Then I saw the time. It was slightly past two hours since I left Aunt Cassie's which meant I haven't been out for long. I could still make it back home before dark if I hurried and found a cab.
I was in the middle of phoning Aunt Cassie to let her know that I took a detour when someone yanked my phone away.
"Give me that. I was in the middle of doing something." I exclaimed irritated. Couldn't he wait for two minutes? I was going to talk with him after calling Aunt Cassie to make sure she didn't report me missing.
"Come on, that's no way to talk to the guy that saved your tempting ass" He smirked, managing to look more sexy than pesky.
I ignored him and reached for my phone which he kept tossing in his hands like it was a mere toy rather than a five hundred dollar phone. Usually, I had a set of very colourful word in my vocabulary, waiting to be used if I ever found myself being a target of dirt talks. However, with him, I seemed to be at a loss.
I paused abruptly as his words replayed in my head.
"whoa! Back up. You SAVED me?" I queried incredulously.
My response sparked his interest and I could literally feel the mischief bubbling up behind his gorgeous eyes. Whatever his next words were going to be, he measured them carefully.
"Yes, it is I, your saviour. Now doesn't that sound romantic?" I raised an eyebrow in suspicion. I didn't know what he was after, but him being here made me extremely uncomfortable.
If he expected some corny line could get him in my pants, he was dead wrong. I died and came back. It was going to take a hell of a lot more than some cheesy lines and hard-core muscles to make my heart beat for a man.
Under the weight of his ocean blue stare, I forced myself to think back. He was the last thing I saw before I passed out cold which meant there was a good chance he brought me to the ER.
But why did he stay till I wake up? Now that was a different question. One, I hoped he would answer.
"If that's what you expected, sorry to let you down. I don't do that bullshit. I got you here and the doctors did the rest" He continued laughing at my expense. Of course, he had a comeback. What was I expecting?
"Well, thank you. And I'm so sorry to inconvenience you." I said, setting the mistrust aside and packing enough sincerity into my tone.
At that, he chuckled. A low menacing chuckle that made hairs at the back of my neck stand.
He stood up and walked around the bed, arriving by my side. I stiffened. He better not try anything funny. I watched him watch me as he reached my sides to sort of cage me under his huge frame. The next second, I found myself being a prey to his unwavering predatory gaze while suffocating beneath the closeness of his body next to mine.
"If I wanted just a thank you, I wouldn't have bothered carrying you all the way out here", he whispered, his mouth a few inches away from my ears. "I can see it, you know. The desire. It's pretty obvious actually. But unlike the others, you're fighting it." I didn't move a muscle. I was afraid that if I flinch away, it would benefit him a lot more than it would do for me. I stood completely still, waiting for him to finish.
"Interesting…Very interesting…." He snickered, flashing his flawless teeth.
Can this man be anything less than perfect? I genuinely wondered.
He had vampire teeth, two of them which showed whenever he broke out a smile. His laugh was priceless and undoubtedly one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my entire life.
What a waste…I couldn't help but feel sorry. Even after being blessed with such beauty, this guy turned out hopeless.
Sensing my attention being diverted elsewhere, he moved his lips closer to mine, robbing me of my thoughts. "Even now, you're holding yourself back. One look from me and women would melt. But you…you seem to hold your own, even now. I'll give you a chance to pay me back what you owe. Correction! I'll give you exactly what you need. All you have to do is give in…" During the last part, we were practically kissing.
I wouldn't blame him. I was absolutely motionless during his little inviting verbal seduction, that anyone in his shoes could mistake my reaction for submission. He was the type of man that could get any women on his bed with just a look. So naturally, he must have thought he got under my skin.
Poor thing. If only he knew how screwed he was…
I let him have his fun, taking my silence and stillness as an excuse to buy me enough time to teach this egotistical narcissist an unforgettable lesson. It was about time a woman knocked some real sense into this ignorant and self-centred idiot.
He thought the proximity would intimidate me. Well, it sort of did but that wasn't the point. When a window of opportunity presented itself, I braced myself and focused all my energy on my forehead. I knew it was going to hurt afterwards but I didn't care as long as he left me alone. Just when he smirked, realizing he got the best of me, I crashed my head to his face, sending him hurling backwards.
Now, it was my turn to smirk.
Astonishment followed by appreciation marred his feature. Clearly, my head butting did him no harm, except maybe catch him off-guard and send him a few steps back. I highly doubted that it was the power of my thrust that pushed him away, rather, it was the surprise of being attacked on rather than been surrendered to. I on the other hand felt as if I crashed my head on a steel door instead of a human face.
"Yah, what were you saying?", I asked, feigning innocent, "I couldn't hear past all the bullshit"
"oh, you're so gonna regret that" he promised, crossing his arms and leaning against the half draped blinders, the familiar smirk replacing his shock. "I was right though. You are a piece of work."
"Right back at ya" I retorted while attempting to find my footing.
I hated hospitals. Its capricious environment was similar to that of a pestering wound. One can hope to clean off the blood, sanitize the germs and conceal the infected cells, yet have to take home an inevitable scar that marks the damaged skin, or sometimes the damaged brain. So, I hurried to the front desk, eager to discharge myself and get the hell out of there since I didn't want another scar.
***
I could feel the wintery skies slowly claiming sleep as traces of light slowly faded into the abyss of darkness. The dusk approached faster in winter, claiming the sky in absolute possession while driving away any last remnants of the sun.
I never paid much attention to the change in seasons except that I had to upgrade my wardrobe whenever winter came around, not that I was big on fashion. A certain disaster tends to happen to clothes, especially jackets, that sit around your closet, unused and discarded for roughly about twelve months until the right season arrive for them to be worn. So whenever winter came around, my pocket felt it.
"If you are going to follow me around like a stalker, the least you could do is be a gentleman and help me fetch a cab?" I gave in, finally turning around to look at Ace who had been following me since I discharged myself.
"A, I'm not following you. This place only has one common exit. B, I'm not your god-damn dog. So don't you dare ask me to fetch you anything. C, which part of me looks like a gentleman to you?" He snapped back, sounding genuinely pissed.
He had a point. But that didn't make him any less of a jerk. Damn him for being so straightforward!
"My mistake." I said holding my hands up in surrender, "Just to be clear, I don't owe you anything and I don't remember asking you to carry me to the hospital, so it was basically your choice. I'm grateful that you did though. Don't mistake that for a debt".
I waited for a reaction but was met with silence on his part. Since he showed no signs of speaking up, I continued. "Well…I guess this is good-bye. It was an adventure meeting you but I hope I never see you again." With that, I gave him a small smile and turned on my heels to leave.
"Kane." He said from behind me.
I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or someone else so I just kept on walking.
"You said 'Kane', right before you passed out." This time, I was a hundred percent sure he was talking to me because he stood right in front of my face. I was at a loss for words at his speed, but then again he might have taken long strides. That was a definite possibility for him with those long legs I didn't want to think about.
"What?" I asked, irritated at his attempt to make conversation just when I told him I wished to never see him again. This was the second time today I came face-to-face with dimwits that didn't know how to take a hint. Number one was Annabelle, or at least that's what I'll call her for the time being, and number two was the Jerk standing in front of me.
"Must be the boyfriend." He uttered walking past me towards the exit only to turn back and add, "Not that it's any of my business, but you guys must have some serious issues if he makes you bleed like that.". With that, he spun on his heels and disappeared out of the exit into the world outside that I wasn't ready to face yet.
***
"HEY!!! GET BACK HERE!" I ran like a mad woman, shouting behind a man that had no remorse whatsoever. I yelled and pleaded, over and over again, all the while sprinting to keep up with Ace's speed.
I was sure that this was his so-called payback for me head butting him earlier. But I couldn't let him walk away, at least not after what he just said.
Finally, having caught up, I jumped in front of him with both hands stretched to the sides, blocking his escape. "What do mean I bled? I thought I just passed out." I managed to ask through battered breath.
He looked impassive, walking around me as if I was just a mere obstacle in his path. Jerk!
"Okay look, I'm sorry." I tried again. This time, I shouted after him since I had no energy to catch-up. We were out in the parking lot where the frigid air grew cooler by the minute while snow re-coloured the roads white.
He stopped in his tracks, slowly turning back to me, his blue eyes detached. I watched him stuff his hands inside the pockets of his jeans and raise an eyebrow at me in question. Now that we were outside, my eyes trailed down the length of his body. I never paid attention to what he wore before because he managed to look gorgeous nonetheless. But this was beyond crazy. He simply had a lightweight cardigan sweater on with basic boots, a tee and jeans. No heavy coat, no fitted gloves or any other sorts of ear protection in the dead of winter.
I hid my surprise and walked towards him, picking up my pace in case he got bored and left before I got to ask what he meant. "You told I bled, when? I don't remember seeing blood when I woke up."
"Of course you didn't. The doctor cleaned it off."
"And they just let me go? This easily? That doesn't happen very often in hospitals." I countered, clutching my coat for additional warmth.
"I told them that you repeatedly blow your nose in the weather."
Unbelievable.
"And they just believed you?"
"Well, if I told them the truth, they'd just do a lot of tests and other bullshit that'd just waste my time. I wanted you up you see… I had a few questions." And some agenda, I thought.
What he did was selfish, but it somehow helped my case since tests didn't work on me. Like he said, it would just be a waste of time and money.
"Ok, let's just keep that aside for now. What do mean I said 'Kane'?"
He let out a growl, an exasperated one. Apparently, he hated talking to me just as much as I hated to bother him. "It's exactly what it means. You kept asking for that guy on the way to the hospital, quite desperately might I add."
"What the hell does that mean?" I asked more from myself than him. Just when I thought I could fight my troubles off, yet another dead end comes razing my spirit.
"You don't know the guy?" He asked after a long moment of silence.
I didn't reply. Instead, I bid him farewell and left. There was nothing left for him to do, except leave me to my broken thoughts. My mind was an active volcano dripping with confusion laced lava, and above all, I wanted to go home.
I was walking at a controlled pace, being careful not to slip on snow when a loud shriek broke out from behind me. I turned around to inspect its source when a huge form hurtled at me, sending me flying forward at a speed that knocked the breath out of me.
"WHAT THE HELL??!!" I screamed, punching Ace in the back when the numbness cleared and pain settled from the impact. Like me, he groaned in pain while taking my wrists in a tight grip to prevent being punched at.
From somewhere close, I heard a loud thud, followed by the sound of cracking.
I spun around almost twisting my neck only to face Ace who had released my wrists to clasp my face in his hands.
"Don't" He muttered carefully and prevented me from looking anywhere else but him. Caught in between his iron grip and sudden change in behaviour, I used my free hands to shove him away. He didn't budge. I tried again, this time with a painful cry.
"Let me go. You'll bruise my face at this rate." He let go hesitantly and I used that opportunity to turn back.
I shouldn't have though. I wish I'd listen to him. Little did I know he was protecting me from what lay lifeless a few spaces away from us.
Horror filled my lungs as breathing became painful. Then I remembered screaming…