The silence in the rom only grows stronger as Mirabelle glances towards the Assistant who almost doesn't want to make eye contact with her. She clears her throat as she redirects her gaze towards him instead, watching as his face is facing down to their hands that he is holding tightly.
The warmth of him hand in hers makes her feel slightly embraced by his desire for another woman. She can tell he has strong feelings for someone who isn't anywhere close to the hospital. Someone who doesn't want to be with him.
For Eighteen years, Derek had been in love with a woman who doesn't reciprocate his feelings.
For Eighteen years had he thought she loved him and were destined to be in love and get married.
Mirabelle wanted to tell him to stop fantasizing about a marriage that clearly isn't there, but the thought of the amount of money she will get just from pretending for possibly three more days is enough to make her brush it off.
After all, it won't be her problem to deal with.
"Derek, it's been a while since you've moved about." The assistant suddenly says as she remains at her table by the window and on her laptop, knowing she's at least not the one to pretend. "Serena will take you to the garden for a small walk, get some fresh air."
"sounds perfect." Derek smiles and briefly lets her hand go as he moves the blanket off his body before placing his feet to the ground as Mirabelle steps away to let him stand. "Just the two of us, me and Serena though. I'd wish for you not to intervene in our quality time. Theres a few things I want to tell her in private."
"oh, I wasn't planning on following since Serena will take good care of you." The assistant glances at Mirabelle who shoots her a panicked expression and is about to walk to her but is stopped when Derek suddenly reaches for her shoulder.
"Great." Derek says and gently squeezes Mirabelle's shoulder. "Mind if we walk now… Serena?"
"Uh… sure." Mirabelle chuckles uncomfortably and reaches her hand up to his on her shoulder taking it in hers instead when she feels uncomfortable with him touching her elsewhere. "uh… we wont be long…" she tells the assistant who waves her hand.
"oh no, take your time." She teases when she can see Mirabelle about to run out of the room.
"should I grab your stick… Derek?" Mirabelle asks as she glances up at the tall frame of a man who gently squeezes his old on her hand.
"no need, you'll guide me today. Be my eyes." He says in a softer tone, getting her to clear her throat and slowly nod her head before guiding him to the door.
Derek can only smile as he can feel the gentle tug of her hand as he is directed out of the room and into the corridor. She makes slight turns which makes him also move in lane with her, knowing he might be passing some doctors and nurses that she doesn't want him to bump into.
She doesn't really say anything, but Derek doesn't pressure the conversation since only he really cares about is that she is here with him. Walking with him, hand in hand with her.
He can only imagine what it could look like if he was able to see. What her back would be shaped like, her shoulders, her legs… just everything about her… he wanted to know. He wanted to see her, not simply imagine it.
She was the reason he had to undergo such an expensive treatment to get eye surgery. Luckily for him, even though the procedure is still under heavy research, all he needed was a stem cell therapy that had taken him nearly half the year to improve.
All to see the woman of his heart, Serena.
Mirabelle finally steps out of the hospital's back door and into the garden, sighing out in relief when there are barely any people around to question what Derek would say or do to her.
It's not like anyone else apart from her and the assistant who knows about the pretentious acting. But taking him out to the garden is just something any nurse could have done for her patient.
Even if that patient is Derek Richmond, the rich handsome twenty-eight year would businessman.
She manages to find a small bench just behind the tall hedges where she can hide away from the eyes of the curious and helps Derek sit down onto the stoney bench. He feels the bench for a while and sits down, sighing out as the sound of the birds chirping in the trees around him feels his ears. The rattling of leaves and whistling of the wind makes him feel more at peace.
Mirabelle sits next to him and stares at the flower hedge in front of her, unsure of what to do or say.
"Must be beautiful out here." He says and she glances at him with raised brows. "The garden I mean. I can hear the birds, smell the dirt and the flowers, hear the leaves as well… I can only picture it in my head. But obviously it's not as wonderful as it might be."
"you're not missing out on this garden. Trust me." Mirabelle points out as she glances at the flowers once more. "The flowers aren't that healthy, the hedges are tall but not entirely green, the birds pooped on the statue of… I don't even know what the heck that thing is."
Derek laughs at this as he can hear her slightly loosen up than before. She laughs as well as she squints her eyes at the statue.
"What does it look like? Describe it." He explains and she pouts her lips as she tilts her head to the side.
"Looks more like a… baby, but with tiny wings… I don't know, has feet with nearly two toes, how on earth did they build this thing?" she chuckles out again and he smiles. "it's not that great to look at."
"Does it have an arrow and a bow?" he asks, and she gets up to check the other side, only to gasp and run back to him in shock.
"How did you know?" she asks, getting him to grin out and fold his arms to his chest, happy that he guessed right. "you're lying that you can't see."
"Maybe I am." He chuckles as she furrows her brows and reached out to grab his chin, turning his head to face her.
"Then what do I look like?" she asks as she raises a brow while staring at his bandages around is eyes. Knowing if someone could wrap them around their eyes, they aren't too thick not to see through them. There are just enough gaps to tell what's in front of him. "Describe me. If you can see or not."
Derek puts on a small smile as he feels the warmth f her small hand on his chin, deeply wanting to stare into her eyes and say want he wants to say. Itching to remove the bandages before the Doctors allow him to. But he had to wait, he needed not to rush so that he doesn't hurt his eyes for good. For her.
"You have the most beautiful set of eyes I've ever seen. I wish to stare at them a moment longer." He begins and Mirabelle stands frozen in place as she suddenly realizes the situation. She had grown a bit comfortable and forgotten for a moment that he is not her friend. "You have a soft round face… soft cheeks, that I want to plant small endless kisses on. You have soft small… but full lips… that I was to press against mine. The thought of it… drives me crazy."
Mirabelle stares at him dumbfounded when she knows he is clearly describing her and only her. From the shape of her face down to the details…
"I know I have to wait until tomorrow to say this whilst looking right at you… but… Serena, I love you with all my heart." He says as he reaches down to her hand and brings it to his chest, pressing her palm against his grey buttoned office T-shirt. "I have known you for eighteen years, but I have only ever felt closest to you these past weeks, even though we rarely talked but I could tell you were in the room, watching me. Your scent isn't hard to miss… so maybe you were concerned or shy to approach me… but today, you've taken care of me so much that I don't want to further delay anything. I want to assure you, today, so that you don't hesitate to speak to me like you did until today."
Mirabelle feels her cheek suddenly warm up as she glances down to her hand and feels the warmth of his skin against her palm.
She knows Serena has never visited since she transferred to become his nurse. She had transferred to this hospital nearly three to five months ago and she's never seen anyone else aside from the assistant.
So, who was he talking about?
As she remains silent and lost in thought, she's taken aback when she feels her finger suddenly feel constricted. She glances towards her hand only to gasp when she catches him slipping on a ring on her engagement finger.
"This is my confession… I want to marry you, Serena. When they remove my blindfolds tomorrow, I hope you will be there, I want you to be the first thing I see when they take them off. After eighteen years, I only want to see you. Not the doctors, not the nurses, but you."
"But… when they take it off, I won't be in the room with you." She explains as she glances at the ring in forming fear. "the doctor-."
"I won't let them take it off without you in the room. I promise." He explains as his hands trail up her shoulder and up to her cheek. "I only want to see you… those beautiful eyes."
Mirabelle clenches her jaw tightly as she now feels more insecure about the whole thing but reminds herself that she won't be there on that day. It will be the real Serena who will now come to accept him when he can see.
She didn't need to worry. Everything will work according to plan.
"Do… you like the ring?" he asks and Mirabelle glances down at the ring, staring right into the diamond center wrapped in pure white metal feathers that glimmer in the light. "Helen had to pick it out for me, since I couldn't tell if it was perfect for you. She insisted it was."
"When did you get this?" she asks as she moves her hand to marvel at the expensive ring sitting on her finger.
"A year ago." He says with a small smile tagging his lips. "When they informed me about the stem cell therapy, I wanted to buy it before I could see. To propose once my eyesight had been restored but turns out I couldn't handle waiting to propose… but we'll get married… only when I can see you. To watch you come to me at the altar, smiling in a beautiful white dress."
"gosh…" Mirabelle sighs out as she stares up at him, touched at his words for Serena.
She could only envy the love he has for her.
Since she can barely reveal anything about her nonexistent love life.