"I wonder why didn't he came yet." says Isabelle to Anna.
"Maybe he's busy with something. Afterall he has chores to do for a living and he has been much occupied with me since few days." Anna says easily scrolling through the phone.
Isabelle looks at the time and it shows half past 1, "Would you like to have soup or porridge for lunch?" she asks getting up from the sofa to leave for getting the lunch.
"Well I don't feel like eating anything for now. Please call the nurse I feel like my blood pressure is going down." says Anna rubbing her eyes.
"Are you feeling dizzy again?" she asks getting worried.
" No not that." she says and yawns.
Isabelle rushes to call the nurse and sending her in the room she went straight to Dr. Maxwell's room.
Nurse enters after knocking the door twice and checks her blood pressure levels and temperature.
"Your BP level is below normal but not much to worry about. I'm giving you the injection you'll be feeling much better." nurse says filling up the syringe.
She nods, "Could you please lower down the bed, I feel like tired a bit." asks Anna.
"Yes sure." and she levels the bed and the put the injection in her IV drip, "Have you had your lunch?" she asks.
"No, But I just had brownies and ice cream a few hours ago so I don't feel like eating anything now. I'm full." she says slowly.
"Fine. But kindly have something light maybe juice or fruits atleast because you need to eat something half an hour before the medicine." she informs.
"Fine. I'll take it."
"I have kept your afternoon medicines in this box. Please eat something and take it within one hour." nurse says keeping that small tablet box on the table beside her bed.
Passing smiles to each other the nurse left.
After the injection slowly gets injects in her system through the IV drip she feels relaxed a bit. But the thought that Jim is still not here and what could be the reason behind it. Yesterday he was not willing to leave her for a second and today he is not even called or texted her once.
"Should I call him?" she says picking up her phone. Just as she is about to hit the call button Dr. Maxwell knocks at the door and enters on her answer.
Checking through her file he felt assured as she has already received the jab just now.
"Haven't you taken your medicine yet?" he asks holding the tablet box.
"No. The nurse told me to eat before taking it. I'll just have something then take it. Don't worry." she says sweetly.
"I know how responsible and cooperative you are. Just focus on your health seriously." he says.
"When will I be discharged?" she asks.
"You know you are not completely well. Let me be contented with the reports of you MRI, blood samples tomorrow then I'll make sure not to keep you waiting here for long. " he assures her.
Smiling at this she thanks him and he left. " Isabelle please get me some juice for now."
" Sure. I'll be back soon just don't get down from your bed Madam. Jim left me at your strict guard." she says leaving the room.
" What is it now? Why is she being worried about what he said?" she says pouting.
Looking back at her phone she noticed the call is ongoing with Jim. "Oh My!" she flustered and bringing the phone close to her ear she remains silent hoping for him to speak. But she frowns because he is speaking but not on the phone but to someone else.
"I think he didn't noticed his phone is answered. But if he answered it then why did he kept on like this? Was it mistakenly done?" she wonders. Through the second voice she realised that it's his Mother. She sounds really upset and Anna couldn't help but to listen to her. She heard everything his mother told him about his father's visit and his return, about the transfer of shares to marriage. She felt numb hearing all this and couldn't help but think his father js just as like other men. She had high respect for him in both the aspects of life and work but hearing this made her upset. Just as she was about to end the call she heard him sobbing and apologizing. She never saw or heard him cry, he always smiles and makes other smile.
She feels sorry for him on hearing what he says to his Mother. Hearing him in pain makes her heart sink for the first time. Unknowingly she kept her hand on her heart as she felt a strange feeling on hearing it. She has been affected always by his problems or whenever he was upset but never did she ever felt the way she feels today. Her heart is sinking with the thought of his pain. She knows it must have been really taking onto him to make him break like this. She feels guilty about being the reason he was unable to reach to his mother when she needed him the most.
Keeping the phone aside she covers her face with her palms trying to calm down. Breathing slowly she thinks, "I never wanted you to get bothered because of me Jim. But now when I knows that you being with me all this time has brought grief to you in regards with your mother, I will be keeping you away from me. You need to be with her more than me now." she sighs, "I hope with this you may be able to get over me as well." she mumbles.
Deep down in her heart she feels like she is cheating herself by wishing this. She said this but her heart wants something else. She has been so much used to him being with her, telling her about his days, weeks, trips, concerts, new songs, tours, and all the new places he visits etc, that she feels like him being an inseparable part of her life. She may have never said or even felt it this way but today she feels she don't want to let him go but has to do so somehow. She wants him to work out things with his family but she don't want him to leave her behind. But she never wanted to be a burden or a reason for ruining something or someone.
Her overthinking made her take such decisions which she never wanted to make herself. But she is habitual in keeping the other person's opinion in her thoughts and decisions that she always neglected and ignored what she really wants. She only thinks what may be good for the other person and that is enough for her to make her mind up.
"Madam juice." says Isabelle breaking her cloud of thoughts in which she was floating for long enough.
She didn't even realised when did Isabelle entered the room and realign her bed to make her sit and drink.
"When did you came?" she asks taking the glass.
"A while ago when you were lost somewhere in your mind." she replies giving her medicines.
"I'm told to take them after the meal." she says.
"I confirmed it with the nurse she says you can have it with the juice as well. Or do you want to have it with water then you can have your juice or vice versa." she says getting confused with her own words.
"No it's fine give it to me." and she gulps down the medicine with the juice and then she realigns the bed for her to rest.
"Isabelle you also go home and have some rest." she says while Isabelle sit on the couch.
"No I cannot go. I'm hoping Jim to come by then I may leave." she says and stretches her arms.
" Lay down atleast and have some sleep." she says.
" Yes Madam. Thankyou." says Isabelle and lays down on the sofa and put on the blanket.
She knows Jim might not be able to come as she ended the call before she could heard him coming to her.
" I hope he is fine now." she mumbles slowly to herself and slowly her eyes closed as the medicine are for her to rest the mind and body.
The phone sounds like the alarm to her when she woke up by the ringtone and as she picks it up to snooze it off she realised it's a call from Jim. Silencing it instantly for not to disturb Isabelle she answers it. Being asleep made her voice a bit heavy sounding more rude on the phone to him. Though she didn't want to sound like this but she can't help it. She wanted to console him and tell him that she is always by his side. But she is not a much of a person who can express their feelings easily. She has always been a person of action rather than words and Jim knows it more than anyone else. But today why did he not come even though he was just outside the hospital. Was he hurt by the way she talked or was he hurt by what he heard yesterday outside her room.
All these things circulating in her mind continuously for the past hour when there's a knock on the door.
"Come in." she says.
And Jim enters with a sweet smile in his black attire. His smile feels like a glowing moon that lights up the room and her heart. She feels her heart swollen up of happiness on seeing him. She can't help but smile back him and today her smile looks genuine as it shows how happy and contented she feels on his arrival.
He is holding a box in his right hand and a heavy shopper in his left one. Keeping the shopper on her bed he gave her the other box.
"What's this?" she asks trying to get up.
"Wait." he lifted the head side of her bed and then says, "Your favourite." , and helps her with the pillows.
Isabelle coming out of the bathroom greets him. "Isabelle you can go home now. Please rest assured as I'm here now." he says.
"But will you staying overnight today also?" she asks.
"Yeah." replies Jim with a smile.
"No you don't need to stay overnight. Isabelle can stay. You must be having some work of yours too why don't you manage them. Why are you always wasting your time with me." she says opening the box. "You went so far to get this, Jim." she says smiling.
"You really love these Almond Cheesecake, and I can't think of anything else better to make up for being this late today." he said sheepishly. "And yes I am staying overnight today. " he says with a sudden change of expression.
"Madam, then I'm leaving and I'll send porridge for you before 9pm. Please have it and your medicines too on time." she says picking up her bag and coat.
" First come eat it." She says handing over the box towards her.
"No Madam. You know my sugar levels rise easily. And I think I had more than my daily sugar requirement." she chuckles and move towards the door.
"Drive safely Isabelle. Text me as you reach home." says Anna.
" Yeah." saying this she left.
" Is it snowing hard?" she asks.
" Why? Do you want to see? Shall I take you outside?" he asks giving her a spoonful cake.
Chewing it she says, " No." she bend a little towards him and dust off the snowflakes from his hair and coat.
"Oh this. Yeah its snowing but not much. It's just I had my hands full so I can't hold the umbrella." he says quickly getting up from the chair. Taking off his coat he hung it and the picks up the shopper and keeps it on the side table.
Anna feels awkward by his sudden reaction towards her. Avoiding to ask anything she just looks at him while he puts the books in the drawer. "Why did you bought them?"
"You must be bored here. I thought this might help you kill some time." replies Jim avoiding eye contact with her.
She wonders what happened to to him all of a sudden.
"I'll open the blinds then you can see the snowfall also." saying this he get up to go towards the window but she held his hand. His heart skips a beat and he turns to her.
"Look at me." she says without letting his hand go.
He remains silent, "Look at me." she says again softly.
"What happened?" she asks.
"Nothing." he says smiling.
His smile and his eyes showing two different emotions and this made her heart hurt more. She looks at him with concern while he looks at her with a fake big smile.
She sighed deeply and pulls him towards her and embraced him in her arms tightly. His smile turns into surprise and his breathing gets fast like his heartbeat. His hand remaining on the bed for a moment because he can't decide whether to hold her or not.
But when she didn't let him loose he hugs her back with his eyes closed because it feels like a dream to him.