Liam was currently sitting in a family meeting at his home deep in thoughts. He wasn't attentively listening to anybody as his mind was on the girl who possess his heart. The more he replayed their romantic scene in his head the more butterflies in his chest intensified. The fact that she was in love with him all along weakened him in the knees.
He wanted to be with her, hug her, kiss her and hold her in his arms right now but these old men and women he was with couldn't free him. He missed her so badly.
A small smile plastered his lips.
"Are you listening Liam?" Mr Edmond asked.
Liam cleared his throat as everybody was staring at him, " Yes, Uncle"
" As we were saying, it's only a month ahead....."
Liam's mind was diverted by his beeping cell phone. He checked the phone and saw the text message from Max.
*Anna hadn't shown up at the café yet*
Liam stood up in a lightening speed and stormed out of the parlor giving his family member's protests a deaf ear. How could he sit still when his guts feeling were telling him that something was wrong.
Liam hopped into his car and drove as fast as he could, he had been looking forward to picking Anna at the café and have a full sleepover at her place tonight but now he had to check if anything was the matter.
When he reached at her house he immediately hopped out the car and opened the door; he had taken her spare keys so unlocking the door wasn't the problem.
Liam got in the house hurriedly to set his eyes on a girl curled into a ball on the cold floor holding a cloth drained by blood onto her face. The site terrified him so much that his heart started beating like a drum in his ears.
" Anna! Anna! Look at me, open your eyes! look at me." Liam yelled as he shook her shoulders. The protruding forehead veins and cold sweat beads on her pale face and neck scared the hell out of Liam.
Anna weakly opened her eyes but her sight was blurry to see the person clearly but his voice was loud and clear for her senses to notice him. She stretched her arm and held onto his upper arm as she struggled to catch a breath.
" Liam" She called in a low cracking voice that moisturised Liam's eyes. She was on the verge of crying but couldn't, she was feeling like an arrow pierced into her chest that hindered air from reaching her lungs properly. Her stomach was aching from hunger; it was 2pm for God's sake and she hadn't gotten anything to eat. Her head was aching as if someone was pulling strings from inside it and every time she made the effort to inhale and exhale her womanhood hurt from the last night's events.
Liam held her into his chest and whispered into her ear, " It's okay, Belle. Am here with you, nothing will happen."
Liam lifted her in his arms and rushed to his car. He opened the car and made her sit and then went back to first lock the house.
All five women who had been gossipping about Anna earlier were left shocked and stunned. First, the man wasn't actually old but a young handsome white guy at that. Second, the fact that Anna had all along been inside her room meaning that she had heard them and worst of all, she was so sick. Shame and guilty filled their hearts when Fiona casted them a 'l told you' look. They stared at Anna whose face was stained with both dryed and fresh tears and blood with wide eyes, to them, she looked like she had lost her consciousness as she couldn't move her body. The fact that she could've died when she was right here with them scared them.
Liam drove in full speed to the hospital to have Anna treated as soon as possible. He didn't quite understand what had happened to her but he really knew that it was serious.
Liam got at the hospital and the doctors quickly attended to Anna. He sat next to the bed and anxiously watched the doctors check her up as he held her palm onto his cheek. The frown on her pale face and the way she was heavily breathing broke his heart. He kept pecking her hand repeatedly as he waited for the doctors' report but they were taking forever.
"What's the problem Doc? Is she gonna be fine?" Liam asked impatiently.
" First thing first, get her something to eat before we talk about anything else." The doctor said,
Liam took out his cell phone, dialled Max and told him to bring food and some some soft drinks immediately. Within fifteen minutes, Max has delivered everything. Liam excused himself and got out of the room to meet him.
" Is everything alright in there?" Max's deeper voice asked as soon as Liam got closer.
"Yeah!" Liam said as he grabbed the package.
" Is she alright?" Max continued as he wasn't contented with his plain response.
Liam glared at Max, "Does this look like a beach or a bar to you?"
Max didn't reply. Judging by Liam's cold expression, he just knew that Anna was in danger. He watched his retreating back with concern, " May God keep her safe for you" he muttered under his breath and then turned around to go for his waiting work.
Liam got back in the hospital room and sat behind Anna on the bed so that he could feed her well. He spread his legs around her, made her back lean in his chest and her head on his shoulder as he also laid his back on the wall.
With his left hand holding the plate and right hand holding the fork, he proceeded to feed her but the whimpering girl in his arms couldn't open her mouth to take some food. Tears were rolling on her temples.
" Please babe, you can do this, okay? Just eat some food so that you can get treated." Liam whispered in her ear, "Now open your mouth"
As if his voice alone was a cure itself, the pulsing head subsided a little and she started taking in whatever Liam was feeding her. Luckily, the bleeding had stopped so there wasn't any inconveniences.
After making sure that she had taken more than enough, they proceeded to the treating process. A male doctor came forward with a syringe and a piece of cotton in his hand.
" I think you will have to let her lay on her stomach" The doctor suggested but Liam shook his head in denial immediately, how in the hell could he let any male see his girl's ass.
" No!" He said in a firm voice, " You either apply a cannulation on her arm or you call a female nurse."
The doctor stared down at Liam in disbelief, he shook his head and went on to prepare for the cannulation. He wasn't so surprised anyway, any other man could do the same.
" This is a butorphanol injection, it's a painkiller which will relieve her from pain instantly." The doctor said as he prepared for a cannulation installation.
Liam didn't say anything back and just held Anna's hand as the cannula would be installed on her wrist. Anna stiffened when she felt a cannula needle pierce into her flesh but Liam gripped on her shoulders to calm her down.
Within five minutes, all the pain Anna had been feeling had disappeared. Earlier, everything was spinning every time she had opened her eyes making her nauseous but now her entire body had stabilised.
" You okay now"? Liam asked.
" Uh huh" Anna replied while nodding. The vibrations from Liam's chest tingling her back alert something in her. She made the effort to sit upright but Liam pulled her back.
" Back at shying a way ma'am?" Liam asked in a teasing tone.
'Thank God he's not looking into my eyes. Oh wait, did he just call me babe a few minutes ago? But what was that Belle name he called me about? Maybe he mistook me for his lover called Belle, but his wife is Lexie not....whatever!' Anna thought as she internationally shrugged, she was back at her naughtiness as if she wasn't dying minutes ago.
" Why didn't you call for help" Liam asked caressing her free hand.
" I had no phone to..."
" How about your neighbors?"
' When I heard them roasting me?' She thought, " I was already preparing to go for breakfast when my nose started bleeding before I could open the door"
" What was hurting you the most" Liam asked like a concerned parent.
" Headache, stomachache and chestache" Anna said and heard Liam chuckle together with the doctor who was busy writing something on his notepad.
" Chest what?" Liam asked.
Anna blushed noticing that the word was grammatically wrong. She silently stared at her legs between his.
" When did you start nosebleeding?" The doctor asked.
" Ever since I was little" Anna replied.
" Oh! Okay" The doctor replied, then handed Liam a piece of paper. " We have tested all diseases and the results are negative. The only problem is epistaxis which is caused by nose/throat infection and local trauma. Anxiety and depression greatly cause much bleeding, so as we treat the infection, avoid stressing yourself."
Anna lowered her head, ' How can I avoid stressing myself when am in a married man's chest right now?'
After injecting in her cannula one more time, Anna excused herself for the restrooms. She eased herself and then washed her face to get rid of the dried blood and tears and then went back.
Anna found Liam alone in the ward this time. And when their eyes met, she quickly averted her's.
" Do you still hurt down there" Liam asked,
Anna's palms started sweating immediately, how could she answer such an embarrassing question?