Chapter 18 We’re Going To The Hospital
I didn't wait. I stormed out of the building, and the music faded behind me. The laughter fell short in my ears as I exited the hall. I couldn't care less about waiting till the end of the event.
A supposed family dinner that turned into an extravagant engagement ceremony. As if that wasn't enough, I just had to face Annie too.
My heels thudded against the concrete with every step I made.
The air outside pierced my skin like a knife. It was so cold but yet, it couldn't put out the flames of anger coursing in my veins.
I pulled out my phone with trembling hands, my teeth grinding against each other. The anger kept burning, threatening to consume me.
I dialed Ryker's contact, my free hand clutching my purse as if it would help keep me from breaking.
He answered on the first ring. His voice washing into my ear. "Vanessa."
For a moment, I forgot why I had called. The words were at the tip of my tongue but failed to get out of my mouth. It was so ridiculous how a single word from him had such an effect on me.
"You there?" His voice snapped me out of whatever trance I fell into.
"I'm outside. Can we leave?"
"Like, right now?"
I nodded, not that he could see me. "Yeah. I need to leave."
He didn't reply immediately, letting the silence linger. My stomach coiled and then...twisted. That hurt.
A shiver ran through me, but this time, it had nothing to do with the wind.
"We just arrived, Lamb." I heard the faint sound of a chair scraping against something. Maybe a tiled floor. "You don't want to wait for another—"
"I can't wait, okay? Just come." My voice came out harder than I thought, a sharp pain shooting through my bones, quickly spreading to my legs.
I sounded like a wounded deer at the verge of death. I quickly reached for a pillar to steady myself, my legs vibrating all of a sudden.
"I'm coming. Hold on."
I thought I heard Ryker say something like that before the line went dead, my hand dropping to my side.
I slid the phone back into my purse, my fingers numb from the cold.
The pain had started earlier this evening. A low ache in my lower abdomen which I didn't pay attention to. I thought maybe it was just another bad cramp. I told myself it was just stress, tension, anger, or...something. Anything but what I knew deep down.
It couldn't be the colon cancer.
After the diagnosis, I looked it up. I researched the topic to know fully well that pains like this weren't avoidable. And this...this was probably just the beginning.
I had refused treatment when Doctor Adam proposed it. He said it would help cure my cancer but he didn't know I had lost the zeal to dare hope for survival.
Not after everything I've been through.
I forced myself to breathe through my nose and tried to blink the blurriness away.
I pressed my forehead against the rough pillar, fighting the nausea rising in my throat. My legs trembled again, growing weaker by each passing moment. My body was slowly losing its control. Piece by piece.
But I couldn't cry.
Not here.
Not until I was in the comfort of Ryker's car, with the doors shut and the world locked out. Not until I could take off these heels and peel off the invisible mask I had been wearing all night.
Until then, I remained in the dark, waiting for him. I shouldn't trust someone this much to come for me. Nothing should have convinced me that Ryker would show up. But he did.
Flashes of headlights rested on me, illuminating the corner at which I was standing like a stranded cat.
I recognized the car immediately. The car had barely pulled over when Ryker stepped out of the car, striding towards me in hurried footsteps.
His eyes were locked on me as he came near. And for the first time, I saw a genuine look of concern in his eyes. It wasn't much but it was there.
"Vanessa." His voice was rough, scanning me like he was trying to figure out what went wrong.
I tried to force out a smile, but something twisted in my guts, almost driving me nuts. The pain surged through my veins. I winced, my hand instinctively going to my lower abdomen.
He was beside me in seconds.
"What's wrong? " He asked, his brows furrowed.
"I'm fine," I muttered, letting the lie slip out freely. I slowly leaned into him, my knees unwilling to cooperate. "Just tired."
"You look like hell, Vanessa. Don't lie to me." His voice was low and commanding but still carried a hint of worry.
I didn't respond. I just allowed him to scoop me up and dropped me in the backseat of the car. His touch was gentle as if I were a priceless jade.
He sat next to me, staring at me intently. Cole took his position on the front seat, starting the car's engine.
I could feel Ryker's gaze burning into the side of my face, even though he hadn't said a word since the car pulled away from the Holland mansion.
Cole sat quietly at the front, driving us back home.
I shifted slightly, adjusting the oversized suit jacket Ryker had thrown over me. It smelled like him. A mix of lavender and cedar wood. I didn't know if that comforted me or made everything worse.
"We're going to the hospital." His voice was clipped, leaving no room for argument. He looked pissed for some reason I hoped wasn't related to me.
"I said I'm fine, no need to go there," I mumbled, not looking at him.
"You're pale, Vanessa. You could barely stand on your own back there." He said through gritted teeth. "And you think I'm just gonna drive you home like this was normal?"
"Yes, because I'm fine."
I threw a glance at him and he was staring back. His eyes were sharp, filled with an emotion I wasn't familiar with.
"Vanessa Thomas, do you know that you've said a lot of crap tonight and it's pissing the hell out of me?"