GLIMMERS
Tyler left the hospital pretty early the next morning to attend to business deals. Elena remembered waking up at intervals during the course of the night for fear that he might strangle her while sleeping or even increase the dosage of her IV. Everytime she woke up, she found him fast asleep on the couch with his phone clenched to his chest. One time she woke up and couldn't find the call button close to her, she searched frantically for it for fear that he had taken it and maybe planned to hurt her. He knew that without the call button she wouldn't be able to call for help. In her desperation to find the call button she mistakenly pulled out her IV line and set off the alarm on the machine. Two of the nurses rushed to her bedside and helped put it back in. She told them what had happened and the nurses smiled in pity reassuring her that she was fine. She didn't believe them so one of the nurses brought the call button from underneath the sheets by tracing the wire attached to it. She then remembered putting the call button underneath her pillow so she could rest her hands. But she rolled over it in her sleep. One of the nurses gently assured her that they could see what was happening from the desk and that she was in safe hands. Elena asked for Dane but she was told that he wasn't on shift that night but he would be on duty first thing in the morning. She was a bit disappointed but relieved when she checked the time on the wall clock and realized that it was 4am. The nurses told her that his shift started at 6am. The nurses tucked her neatly into bed and made sure she took enough fluids so she could rest well. While all of this happened, Tyler didn't even flinch in his sleep. Elena knew he only stayed the night to keep an eye on Dane. She knew he would rather be home, working on his laptop while drinking scotch or bourbon. Before she awoke by 8:00am in the morning, he was gone. The nurses told her that he left the hospital around 4:45am. He left no note and nothing to reassure her of his love. Only the scent of his deodorant lingered in the room.
The maids had brought her a decent meal from home. She had eaten little because she didn't have an appetite but enjoyed the jelly one of the nurses brought her. People often complained about hospital food but Elena seemed to want to eat them. Food from Tyler's house reminded her of Tyler and she didn't want to remember him. If she was spending all day or even all week in a hospital bed, she would want it to be Tyler free. He brought misery with him anytime he was around her. She picked up the remote from her bedside to turn on the TV. Tyler's money could afford her a bed in the VIP section, fancy car rides, mansion, clothes and all the food in the world. His money provided every other thing a woman would want but his love. He had declared on National news three years ago that his love was not for any woman. She always thought maybe he was gay but living with him and being his wife for seven months she realized that he was just heartless. Whoever or whatever turned him into what he was must have been twice the monster he is. Her hands didn't reach the remote cause the moveable tray had moved a few metres away from her bedside so she had to stretch a bit to get it. As she moved the tray close to her, her nose caught sense of the fresh roses beside her bed. She picked it up and read the small note attached to it. It read; "Get well soon. THE MAN WITH GENTLE HANDS". Elena smiled as she inhaled the fresh scent from the flowers and set them on the vase beside her bed. A knock on the door made her turn her head to see who it was. "I see you like the flowers" Dane was handsome and something about his face and voice made Elena smile uncontrollably. "The nurses told me you didn't have the night shift" she said sitting up on the bed. Dane helped adjust her pillows. Elena could smell his deodorants and she couldn't help thinking about him being close to her one more time. " I got here around 6am. Came to check on you as soon as I came in but you were fast asleep" Dane said checking her vitals to make sure she was okay. "You're recovering well, Elena" Dane said as he wrote on his tablet. She assumed he logged her progress into the hospital database. However she was enjoying his company more than she cared about her health at that moment. "The hospital and you of course are taking good care of me. Recovery is expected." She smiled again at him. Dane left the machines beeping by her bedside and walked over to sit in the chair placed very close to the door. Elena thought he did that so he could bolt in case Tyler came in unexpectedly but she remembered how brave he was the last time. "I want to talk to you about something Elena" Dane's countenance looked serious so Elena straightened up to listen. "I may have a solution to your problem with Tyler." "You mean my husband?" Elena asked. Dane moved the chair closer to her bed so he could hold her hands. "Any man that acts the way Tyler does is not your husband. He's not fit to be anyone's husband." Elena simply looked at him wondering where the conversation was heading. "I spent all night thinking about it. If you give him a child,I am confident that he'll change his attitude towards you. He needs that child so he can feel secure, so he can know that he has someone to inherit his wealth. He may not be the best father to the child but he needs to know that his assets don't go to a stranger if anything happens. He looks strong but Elena that's his greatest fear. I can see it in his eyes." Dane was interrupted by Elena's question. "Dane, what are you saying exactly?" Dane chuckled and watched her in amusement. "It's not what you think. I can help you get pregnant. We can do an Intro Vitro Fertilization." Dane said. "Tyler will never agree to donate his sperm". Elena replied with assertion. " Who said he has to? Elena if you let me help you, you can use mine" Dane said this in hush tones. Elena thought she heard him wrong. "Dane ....." Elena was short of words. Dane noticed but simply held her hands in his. "Don't wait for him to kill you. Give him the child he wants by whatever means necessary and then we'll find a way to pay your father's debt. I know you don't know me but I also don't know why I really want to help you Elena. You can be free of this marriage Elena. You can be free" Dane left her hands, moved his chair backwards and stood up to leave. " I'll check on you later but think about it". He put his tab into his pocket and left the room. Elena watched him leave but she was too shocked to utter a word