Chereads / PRIMEVIL / Chapter 18 - Chapter 17: A Blissful Reunion

Chapter 18 - Chapter 17: A Blissful Reunion

Room 304, Tanner Memorial Hospital, Unknown City, Arizona

Beeping and clicking filled the room as monitor after monitor did their best to track the progress of a coma patient who had been in recovery after extensive surgery. He barely registered the humming from his respiratory device as he began to open his eyes, which were revealed to have been hazel in color. As images began to materialize in the form of sight the lingering fog from being unconscious began to subside giving way to the conclusion that he was in some sort of hospital.

Further inspection gave him the conclusion that he had not been alone due to a slim figure with long dark hair crumpled up in the infamous fetal position in an old armchair just a few meters from his bed.

He recalled the scent of a lingering perfume someone use to wear that he'd been close to. Fragments of memory began to piece together as he finally made sense of the scene he found himself observing.

The sleeping figure was a woman and her name was Julia. Julia Rawsone was his wife since they married as teenagers right out of high school.

"J-Julia?." he said startled by how raspy his voice had gotten as if he had not spoken for quite some time.

At that moment his body felt heavy, almost like it didn't belong to him and he was an unwanted intruder. He had all ten fingers and toes, his legs worked despite being much too heavy to lift for long and his "equipment" as it were was still intact.

His breaths were labored and slightly painful, but for the most part, he was indeed alive. Brushing his hand across his face, he took definite notice of the prominent beard that grew out suggesting that he hadn't shaved in quite some time.

In addition to his new beard, he found his hair had grown a great deal as well. He wondered how he looked at Julia when she first saw him. It was clear she was there for a while, he could see her overnight bag in the corner on the floor by her feet.

One of the machines reacted to his unceremonious disconnection when he moved his arm and it alarmed Julia who had nearly leaped from the chair to see to him.

"Hadrian," she said with tears and a good deal of concern in her eyes. "You're awake."

The newly awakened Hadrian Rawsone blinked before looking around the room. The doctors and nurses rushed in to see what the machine was doing to find the patient awake. They attempted to escort Julia out while they did their work causing distress in her husband.

"I'm right here Hadrian". she assured him. "I'm just going to step out while they get a look at you...I'll be right here Dren, I promise."

Hadrian seemed to calm some after this reassurance and the machines indicated as much. Julia stepped out into the hall pleased to finally have some good news for a change.

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The Hall, Tanner Memorial Hospital, Unknown City, Arizona

Pacing the hall, Julia took a moment to compose herself. She had a good deal of questions for her husband and not enough answers about many of the events that took place since his disappearance. When she first arrived Detective Hank Gordon informed her that Hadrian was being operated on for what appeared to have been a gunshot wound to his chest and he had a high amount of chemicals in his system pertaining to drugs.

Hadrian was against drugs in all forms including prescription due to them leading to addiction and the obvious effects on his patients. He only ever drank wine on special occasions and always was a water fanatic.

She couldn't fathom how her health-conscious husband could even bring himself to put any substance in his body that would cause him harm and wondered if it had been done of his own choosing together.

Hadrian's condition was touch and go for quite some time and the doctors didn't know if he'd survive given how much blood he lost.

Taking a deep breath, Julia decided the answers would come when her husband was well enough to provide them. For the moment she took the time to be grateful he was alive. For three months she'd been hoping and praying for a miracle that he'd come home and he had.

Julia decided to give the rest of the family a call to inform them that Hadrian had been found and that he was just woken up from surgery. There were a lot more questions from her parents about what happened to Hadrian, but she had no real answers herself.

Once the doctors had finished seeing Hadrian, Julia was allowed to enter the room again.

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Room 304, Tanner Memorial Hospital, Unknown City, Arizona

The room was dark and silent aside from Hadrian's light snoring. Julia made a guess they had given him something to help him sleep while he continued to heal and adjust to everything that's happened. She still could hardly believe it when Detective Gordon called her with the news about finding Hadrian.

Moving quietly, she pulled her chair closer to him and sat beside him. Three months he'd been missing and she feared she'd never again lay eyes on the man she loved and here he was sleeping as if he had not a care in the world. She didn't doubt that her presence put him at ease as he was intent on fighting with the doctors and nurses that attempted to see to his welfare.

Julia didn't know what she would have done if he had not been found or worse...if he had been killed by whomever it was that had taken it upon themselves to attack him. Hadrian shifted a bit in his sleep much as he did when they were in bed at home and she had gotten up to use the restroom or to see the children when they were younger.

"J-Jules.." said Hadrian in a voice much deeper and less profound due to the drugs being pumped into his system.

"I'm right here Dren," replied Julia taking his hand in hers as she pressed her lips against it. "I'm right here."

Tears of absolute joy streamed down her cheeks as she held his hand unsure if she could ever have let him go even at that moment no matter how tired her body had been.