"Mrs Moore?" The nurse showed up.
"Yes?" Claire stood up quickly, tripping over the very chair she sat on.
"You can come to see your husband now." Alex stood up in anticipation. "I'm afraid that we can allow only one visitor at a time."
Claire stopped and looked back at Alex realising that he was his best friend of Gabriel for years. Her lip quivered as she realised her insignificance in Gabriel's life. She was barely a spec of dust. She just appeared and touched upon the very surface of it. It was almost six months since she signed their marriage contract, spending the first two months insisting on hating Gabriel, then following two months running away, only to come back to him for the last few weeks. Alex knew Gabriel for over a decade. If anyone deserves to be by Gabriel's side, it should be him. He never caused Gabriel the most anguishing heartbreak, nor was he a reason why Gabriel might die.
"You must go." Claire decided, she took a step back, her eyes still widened from shock. How could SHE be in love with someone that she barely knew? She must've been mistaken.
"Claire…" Alex looked at her warily. Claire shook her head and walked out, making her way out of the hospital. "Claire!" She couldn't bear it. She couldn't bear the responsibility over Gabriel's life. Or death.
"Alex?" Matthew saw Alex speed down the corridor.
"Did you see Claire?" Alex asked frantically.
"No."
"Shit." Alex hurried past him.
"What's going on?" Jacque asked him.
"Gabriel's dying." Alex said honestly. "Claire's in shock. She just ran out after being told that she can see him. I need to find her before…"
"Before what?" Zoe asked.
"I think that she's going to kill herself." Alex said honestly.
"What?" Jacque asked but Zoe and Gina knew that it was a possibility.
"She blames herself for Gabriel getting shot." Alex uttered. "Jacque, stay with Gabriel. Only one person is allowed to see him. Keep us updated. Any ideas where she could've gone?" Alex turned around as he rubbed his face.
Claire ran out of the hospital ready to fulfil Alex's suspicions. Her breathing was fast and her steps were wobbly. Everything must've been a horrible nightmare.
She stopped in front of the building watching the traffic move fast, people driving home or some other places, not understanding how much pain there was, living their lives.
The night fell in the hours that she was inside of the building, with only artificial lights in the corridors and waiting room.
Some pedestrians scowled at her. Claire followed their gaze and she looked down at the maroon stains that reminded her of the sickening reality.
Her chest felt as if it was stabbed repeatedly, and yet, when Claire placed her hand there, there was nothing. The pain came from within her. It was an unbearable pain…
She was at fault for Gabriel's suffering. She was at fault for every single bit of it. She hurt him when she left. She hurt him when she revealed her connection to Michael Moore. She hurt him by being next to him earlier in the day. A single thought passed through her head which stopped her.
'I didn't know happiness before you, and I didn't know pain before you left.'
Now, she understood it. She turned around looking at a tall building with hundreds of square windows, with white lights shining through.
Gabriel felt like that all of the time. When she left him, he must've felt like she does now. She was unsure if she ever is going to see his blue eyes again, looking at her in an enigmatic way, but with such underlying softness and care. She might never feel his large hand wrapped around hers. She automatically wrapped one of her hands around the other, feeling her cold fingertips. Gabriel's hands were always warm.
She couldn't keep running away anymore. Gabriel needed her and she needed him.
She walked back inside making her way back into the department.
"…Any ideas where she could've gone?" Alex's voice carried through the corridor. Six pairs of eyes landed on her at the same time as she froze.
Claire didn't say a word, angry that they were so focused on her that no one was next to Gabriel yet. She walked towards the nurse who led her through the long corridor.
"I should warn you that ICU can be quite overwhelming." The nurse said carefully. "Not sure if you ever…"
"I was in the ICU before. My mum has cancer." Claire said rather sharply.
"I'm sorry." Nurse uttered opening the door for Claire. The beeping of the machines within the room straight away brought back the memories of every hospital visit to her mum. It was a sickening memory that twisted her stomach tightly, into a horrid knot.
And there he was, with tenths of tubes and wires attached to his body. Claire froze as she looked at the weak shell of a human on the bed that was kept alive by machines. There, somewhere, was her Gabriel. He didn't look tall, muscular, or strong. He was buried below all of the medical equipment, all of the bandages, and a thin grey blanket.
Claire slowly took a step forward, as if she still hoped that it was some horrible mistake.
"Here are all of Mr Moore's clothes and belongings." The nurse passed a box of Gabriel's things. There was his suit that was now stained and with holes, his wallet and phone, his watch, and… there was a small jewellery box. His phone flashed with notifications. Claire quickly noticed that they were from Eva and a few from Alex from earlier in the day. She knew that she should call Eva and let her know what happened but right now there was Gabriel and she needed to be there for him.
Claire placed the box with Gabriel's stuff on the side. She carefully sat down in a chair beside him, as if any sudden movement could affect his state.
The nurse left her alone in the room.
Claire shifted uncomfortably in the chair, unsure what to do with herself. She wiped her tears away, making sure to not cry in front of Gabriel anymore.
"You know, you're selfish as heck, Gabriel." She started talking to him, or rather at him. "Leaving me like that, with the entire company on my shoulders. I thought it was you who is meant to bring our worth into trillions. Who said that you're allowed vacation now?" She looked at him and put a pained smile on her face. "I was told to speak to my mum when she was in ICU. It's meant to help. But… I don't know how to talk to you. Not without your snarky comments back. Turns out that I kind of miss them. I miss your teasing and your annoying self-righteous ass." She gently ran her fingertips on the back of his hand, making sure to avoid every tube and wire sticking out of it. "But at least now I have time to speak without being interrupted. You know, there's so much I am yet to tell you. Can you believe that we have been married for almost six months? And I don't know what your favourite colour is, or your favourite meal. I don't think you know my favourite colour or meal either. For your information, it's blue." Claire laughed at her own ridiculousness as she spoke. "Specifically, ocean blue. Just like your eyes. That's why I like looking at them so much. They are truly stunning. I don't think I ever told you that. I don't know whether I will ever have a chance to tell you that. I wish you knew. Oh, and my favourite meal is my dad's ricotta ravioli. I need to make sure that you try it one day. If anything is worth living for, that's it, Gabriel. You need to pull it through so you can try my dad's infamous ricotta ravioli. He promised to pass his recipe to a man, or a woman, I will marry. You need to keep brushing up on those cooking skills of yours to be able to roll out a perfect pasta for it. But I know that you're smart and stubborn, and you will get there soon enough. You've managed to get from being unable to break an egg to making a perfect salmon within a few weeks." Claire leaned back in a chair, holding Gabriel's hand. "I'll stay with you for a little longer before I let others see you. I know it's selfish. Alex has known you for almost a decade, he probably should be here instead of me. But I couldn't not be selfish. I couldn't wait to see you. I have things to tell you. I have so much to tell you still. Now, you know my favourite colour and meal. What else is there?" Claire mused. "My dream was always to live in a small cottage, with a porch where I could watch sunsets. Not quite your style, I suspect. You seem to always go big. But I don't think I could. I don't like the idea of living in a mansion. We could go days without seeing each other in a place like that. If we lived in a cottage, I could see you as soon as you step inside, not wasting a minute, or twenty, of having to walk across huge hallways. And… I don't like the idea of a wedding, but maybe we could celebrate our first anniversary with our family and friends? Maybe like a small cosy wedding reception. I'm thinking of a marquee somewhere beautiful, with plenty of flowers and fairy lights, and lots of food and drinks. But firstly, you need to meet my parents. They will love you. They will. You've been absolutely amazing in the past few weeks. If anything, I screwed up. Time and time again. And I think I've only just realised how much. The mere thought of you not being there is worse pain than if I died myself. I cannot live without you. So, in short, stop being selfish and pull yourself together. You can't just selfishly die and leave me all alone now." Claire huffed. She leaned forward and started drawing circles on Gabriel's cheek. "When I was away, you lost so much of your weight. You seemed much better recently. Those cheeks seem a little fuller." Claire mused. "Another thing I love is your smile. I am addicted to your dimples. I absolutely adore them. It's funny because at first, I didn't even know that they existed. I didn't see you smile much before our marriage. And then, you've smiled at me more and more. And each time those dimples were melting my heart. I need to see them again, just so you know. Honestly, I don't think you have a choice about this. You have to pull it through. I mean, I can always go back to Pierre." Claire laughed at herself. "Not like I would, but still. And if not, I think Alex will try to set me up with Jacque after the mourning period." Claire sighed. "You can't do that to me. I'm too young to be a widow. And there's still stuff I need to do with you. I want to go on a holiday by sea with you. I haven't been abroad in years. You need to meet my Nonna too. We need to see her in Italy as she lives in the stunning province of Modena. You can see some amazing vineyards spreading across the land from the windows of her house. I don't even know if you like sightseeing or whether you prefer a holiday laying on a sunbed. And where would you like to go? I think a bit of tan would suit you…" Claire continued talking to unresponsive Gabriel for a while longer. After nearly an hour she stood up and walked out towards the waiting room, letting Alex in next.
She quickly went outside and called Eva, letting her know that she was going to be by Gabriel's side and that she'll update her as soon as she knows anything more, omitting just how critical was Gabriel's condition, as to not make Eva feel bad for not being able to be there right away.
She walked back inside and into the waiting room, to be struck by a news reporter's statement.
"Miss Thompson, who resigned earlier today from Diamond Corporate, was last seen with Mr Moore before the shooting. There are some suspicions over her involvement in the incident."
Claire froze and stared at the screen of the tv, shaken by the ridiculousness of that statement.
Mark was on the phone, almost screaming at someone. Gina and Zoe walked up to her, hugging her.
"I didn't…" Claire mumbled as she stared at the screen.
"We know." They all nodded, including Jacque and Matthew.
Mark finished the call and sighed. "May I have a word with you, Claire?" He asked before they left the waiting room to find a quiet corner.
"What's going on, Mark?" Claire asked anxiously.
"There's no CCTV footage from earlier. All the monitoring was down when the attack happened. This means that you were the only witness of it."
"But, security tackled the man that shot Gabriel."
"I'm afraid that this wasn't reported through to Diamond Corporate security or Harry." Mark sighed. "The police will have to investigate. I've been working on suppressing the media but it's not working."
"Someone's behind it, right?" Claire asked feeling nauseous.
"I'm afraid so." Mark nodded. "You may be asked to give your statement to the police."
"Mark, I don't think it'll change anything." Claire said carefully.
"I suspected as much."
"I haven't shot Gabriel!"
"I know. We all know."
"Besides, he wasn't the aim." Claire sighed. "The gun was directed at me."
Mark looked at Claire with his eyes wide open, suddenly realising the likely source of the attack.
"You can't be serious?"
"Who else?" Claire asked back.
"But… his own son?" Mark asked Claire in a whisper. "That's just sick."
"Gabriel was an accidental victim. As I've said, it was meant to be me. He did say that I will be dead soon so I guess he kept his word." Claire's non-Chaka to voice as she said it made Mark feel even more uneasy.
"Does Gabriel know?"
"That his father is after me? Yes." Claire nodded. "He also knows some of the history between me and his father, as well as the fact that I'm filing a lawsuit. He doesn't know everything yet though…"
"How did he react?"
"It was a bit of a shock. He took my side pretty much immediately and he offered his help in getting his father to justice."
"Is that the outcome you hoped for?"
"I'm not sure. I didn't like seeing Gabriel this upset and in so much distress. I wish he didn't have to know so that he didn't have to go through it. But…" Claire hesitated. "I'm so grateful for him being by my side. And now…" she looked down again, feeling more tears coming.
"Thanks, Claire." Alex came out of the room, wiping his tears. "Do you want to go back?"
"Does no one else want to see him?"
"Maybe but you're the most important, Claire. Gabriel would have preferred you to be by his side over any of us." Alex said honestly. Claire was about to protest when Mark chipped in.
"That's right, Claire. Gabriel considered you the most important person in his life. You should be by his side if you're willing to. If it's too difficult, we will swap you. If you want to go home and refresh yourself or if you need a rest. We will keep you updated."
"No. I'm staying here until he comes out, whichever way it'll be." Claire said sternly.