Chapter 26: The Hospital Room: Please, Help My Husband!
The hospital room was quiet, except for the steady beeps of machines and the faint hum of hospital lights.
Eira sat next to Callian's bed, lightly wrapping her hand around his.
Her head was bandaged, and her eyes were swollen from crying.
She was trembling, exhausted, and in pain. But she refused to leave his side.
"Oh, Callian… I'm so sorry," she whispered. Her tears fell onto the bed as she squeezed his hand. "I… I should have stopped you."
When Callian stopped the car, just to take a breather, to calm her down…But in that instant, another car had come speeding down the road.
Callian had only a second to react, throwing himself over Eira, shielding her as the car smashed into theirs.
He'd taken the full force of it.
"Why… why did you do that?" she whispered. "You shouldn't have…"
Her cries were interrupted as the door opened.
"So, you're still here?" Leina's voice was cold as ice. She didn't bother hiding her disgust as she glared at Eira.
Eira looked up, startled. "I… I just wanted to stay with him."
Leina scoffed, crossing her arms. "You? After all you've done? You've destroyed his life!"
"Please, I… I didn't mean for this to happen," Eira whispered, feeling her heart sink.
"Oh, I'm sure you didn't. You're nothing but a leech. An evil woman who's only ever brought my son pain."
Eira flinched, feeling Leina's words stab into her. "No, that's not true… I love him…"
"Love?" Leina laughed in a bitter tone. "If you loved him, you'd leave. You'd break this marriage and disappear, spare him from any more of your misery."
Eira tried to stand, to defend herself, but her body felt too weak.
Her knees shook, and she could barely keep herself steady.
"You should be gone forever, Eira. Leave us alone!" Leina's voice grew louder, sounding with pure hatred.
Suddenly, she grabbed Eira by her hair, and yanked her away from Callian's bed.
"Stop, please!" Eira cried. "I… I didn't want any of this."
Leina shoved her roughly, and Eira stumbled, nearly falling over. "Get out!" Leina shouted. "You've done enough damage."
Eira's tears fell faster as she tried to speak. "I… I just want to be here for him…"
"You don't deserve to be anywhere near him," Leina stated. "This is all your fault. My son… my treasure is in this situation because of you!"
Just then, Rylan walked in.
He took one look at the scene; he narrowed his eyes when he saw Eira, hurt and shaken, and his mother standing over her.
"Mother, what are you doing?"
Leina turned to him. "I'm getting rid of this… this poison! She's ruined Callian's life!"
Rylan stepped forward, gently placing his hand on Eira's shoulder. "Enough, Mother," he said sharply. "Blaming Eira won't change anything."
"Rylan, she's the reason he's here!" Leina cried. "If she wasn't in his life, he'd be fine."
"No, Mother," Rylan said. "This was an accident. Callian made his own choices. And from what I see, he'd do it all over again to protect her."
Leina glared at Eira, still furious. "I don't care. I want her out of our lives."
Rylan looked at Eira and softened. "Come on, Eira," he said quietly, gently guiding her toward the door. "Let's get you back to your room."
Eira nodded, barely able to hold back her sobs as she allowed Rylan to lead her away.
As they walked down the hospital hall, Eira glanced back once, catching a final look of Callian sleeping with machines keeping him alive.
Eira collapsed in her own bed; her body and heart both ached from the suffering she was going through right now.
She felt Rylan's comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Don't listen to her," he murmured softly. "Callian would want you here. He'd want you by his side."
"But… she's right, Rylan. I've done nothing but bring him trouble," she whispered.
"No, Eira," Rylan said. "You've brought him happiness, too. Don't let anyone make you forget that."
She was broken, drowning with guilt, and yet somehow, Rylan's words healed her mind.
She wasn't sure she could ever forgive herself. But for now, she held on to the hope that, somehow, Callian would wake up and they could find a way to make things right.
Henry's drama—all of it—faded away.
None of it mattered now.
She could only think of Callian, the man who had put himself in harm's way for her.
His jokes, his comments, his love, his sacrifice… and now, his life was slipping through her fingers.
She felt numb; her eyes looked at the cold ceiling above, wondering how she'd go on if he didn't make it.
Her body burned; her head throbbed from her own injuries, but the pain was nothing compared to the fragile and now almost-broken glass in her heart.
Suddenly, she heard commotion down the hall.
Eira's body tensed as she looked out the door and saw nurses rushing past.
"Hurry up!"
"Can't let him die!"
A doctor shouted, then more nurses moved quickly. This urgency made the hair on Eira's body stand out. A cold chill ran through her spine.
Eira's heart skipped a beat.
She forced herself to stand, ignoring the way her legs wobbled, and stepped out into the hallway.
She followed the crowd, moving slowly, her breathing started quickening with every step.
In the distance, she could hear Leina's voice. "No! Callian! Please, do something!"
She saw Callian's body shaking, yet his eyes remained closed.
The doctor was pressing his hands on his chest, then nurses ran to bring him some things that she couldn't quite understand what it was.
Then suddenly silence filled her ears and mind, and Eira felt like the glass in her heart fell and shattered into millions of pieces.
Leina's screams filled the hallway, every sound was starting to slice through Eira like a knife.
Eira stopped in her tracks, her blood turned cold.
She watched as more doctors and nurses disappeared into Callian's room, they shut the door behind them.
All Eira could do was stand there, helpless, waiting.
Minutes passed, each one stretched into eternity, forever...
She clasped her hands together tightly, her knuckles turned white. "I beg you, God… please, take me instead. Let him live…"
She held her breath, praying for a miracle, but no one came out.
Then, finally, the door opened, and one of the doctors stepped out. His face was like a grave, eyes looked downward as though he was bracing himself.
Eira sank against the wall, her body trembled as silent tears slid down her cheeks.
Inside the room, Leina's cries turned louder. "My son! My baby! No! This can't be happening!"
Eira felt hollow, as if the world had cracked open beneath her feet. She could barely process what was happening, barely understand what it meant.
"Mrs. Reed," a nurse murmured, gently trying to help Eira to her feet. "Please, let me take you back to your ward."
Eira shook her head, refusing to move. "No… I won't move until you tell me what happened to my husband."
The doctor approached slowly, "Mrs. Reed, Callian… he's stable, but…" He paused, choosing his words carefully. "The impact caused severe brain trauma. He's in a coma. And we can't save him…"
Eira's knees gave up, and she felt herself falling, clutching for support as darkness closed in.