Chapter 13 CHAPTER 13: Lucid Dream
Adam
The thud of the slammed door echoed in the hallway, a physical manifestation of the turmoil within me. Each pounding of my heart mirrored the frantic beat against the wood. I heard the muffled sob of Hazel behind the closed door, a constant reminder of the wreckage I'd left in my wake. Distance was the only shield I could muster – distance from Hazel, from the consequences of my impulsive decision, and the ghost of a connection we'd just shattered. But the silence that followed me, punctuated only by the echo of my own ragged breaths, felt deafeningly empty.
My head snapped up at the sound of my name, a jolt running through me. There, on the top stairs, stood Hazel with red-rimmed eyes, hair matted with sweat, eyes wild and tear stains on her face, barefoot with the duvet wrapped around her barely concealed form.
“Why? She croaked, her voice cracking with emotions, making my heart skip further.
“I’m sorry, Haze,” I croaked.
“Don’t call me that and don’t you dare apologize…please just answer my question” she pleaded.
Just as I was about to give her a reply, there was a heavy knock on the parlor door, and then it was swung open with a bang and Emily bashed in looking flushed and disheveled. Her eyes landed on the scene before her, taking in my crumpled form and Hazel’s vulnerable stance then went wild with confusion.
Hazel gasped and looked like a deer caught in the light and I squirmed from where I was standing.
“What is going on here”? She shouted. Maria emerged from her room looking disgruntled and confused. Apparently, she heard a commotion going on. Before I could react, Emily's voice ripped through the suffocating silence.
“Adam, what are you doing here at this ungodly hour?” the watch on my wrist confirmed it - 4:55 am. She did not give me time to reply when she turned to Hazel.
Before I could stammer out a reply, a frantic voice sliced through the air. "Hazel, I've been calling you non-stop!"
Hazel's face drained of color. "Did something happen?" she checked her phone and exclaimed with fear written all over her face.
“Oh my God! Is Williams okay”?
Emily's response was a short, cynical laugh. Her gaze flicked between me and Hazel, a spark of knowing igniting in her eyes. "Williams is awake," she declared, the weight of her words hanging heavy in the air.
“Oh God”! Hazel exclaimed, then choked out a sound that could have been a sob or a prayer as she bolted past us, disappearing up the stairs in a flurry of guilt and fear. The air crackled with unspoken accusations, the silence deafening. I stood frozen, my mind racing to catch up with the whirlwind that had just unfolded.
Hazel
I checked my phone to see several missed calls from the doctor, my father-in-law and Emily. My heart jumped into my throat as I hurriedly ascended the stairs back to my room. I threw the door to my room wide open, threw some clothes on my body and hurriedly descended the stairs.
My descent down the stairs was a frantic blur. At the bottom, Maria's gaze hit me like a physical blow – suspicion and something deeper burning in her eyes. Ignoring the accusation simmering in her stare, I bolted for the waiting car. On reaching the vehicle, a jolt of dread shot through me. Emily sat in the back seat, a picture of smug satisfaction. Stifling a curse, I slammed the passenger door shut and sat in the front. The engine roared to life, propelling us towards the hospital in a tense silence, thick enough to choke on. Each passing second was an eternity, fueled by the weight of secrets and a simmering storm within me.
As the hospital's automatic doors swung open, I saw Mr. Thorn hovering around. When he saw us approaching, he rushed out.
“Where were you, Hazel, Williams, have been asking about you since he woke. He has refused to talk to anyone except you”, he stated.
I turned to Emily, who had a wicked glint in her eyes.
“I’m so sorry I was not here. I was asleep when you called.”
Yea she was asleep alright! Emily retorted.
Mr. Thorn turned to look at her briefly, then ushered me in the direction of the emergency room.
As I got to the door, Mr. Thorn stood back and urged me to go in by nodding her head.
I stepped into the dimly lit room occupied by Williams and I felt a punch in my gut. Tears threatened to spill as I watched my powerful-larger-than-life husband’s still form. I went closer and knelt close to his bed and he turned to face me.
“Hazel! You are here” he whispered, then stretched forth his hand and touched mine.
“Thank God you are awake. I spoke. He looked at me and forced a smile that came out instead of a wince. He was in a loose-fitted blue polka dot hospital gown. As I got closer, I noticed he was pale, his face was covered in bandages except his eyes, nose and half of his mouth. His legs were immobilized with splints and temporary casts and placed in traction. He wore a special boot with a pulley attached to the sole while the boot was held suspended by a rope. I sighed as my heart went out to this man who looked like a shadow of himself.
“I’ve missed you so much” he whispered as he raked his eyes all over me like a hungry kitten.
I was taken aback by the comment, but I smiled and went close to him. Williams has never expressed his feelings to me before. I mean, I was not sure if he liked me as a person more or a love interest.
His forehead was covered in beads of sweat despite the cool hospital air and I dabbed it with my handkerchief. He captured my palms with his, slid them down his face, then kissed the back of my hand. I rose from my kneeling position and sat on the bed. My mind was reeling, trying to decipher the change in his attitude towards me all of a sudden. He looked at me long and hard with so many expressions that made my heart skip. I began to wonder if Emily had told him anything. Then I realized they had not had any contact since the incident that happened in the early hours of the day.
“What happened”? I asked Williams, but he furrowed his brows and looked confused before his face contorted in pain and his breath became labored. As panic clawed at my throat, a nurse dressed in powder blue scrubs, white crocs and a name tag that read “Tessa” breezed in. She used the stethoscope around her neck to examine him, then pulled out an injection.
"Visiting hours are over, dear," she said softly, her gaze meeting mine for a fleeting moment. "He needs rest." She explained.
Williams reluctantly let go of my hand as the nurse gave him a dose of the injection, and he drifted off to sleep in minutes.
The nurse turned to me again. “He is not ready to answer any questions regarding the accident just yet, so please don’t bring it up”, she advised.
I looked at the name tag “Thanks Tessa.
“You can come back in an hour’s time to see him” she offered.
I nodded and took one last look at Williams before exiting the room.
As I got out to the waiting area, I was informed by the receptionist that my father-in-law had left a message for me to call him, so I immediately dialed his number, which went straight to voicemail.
“Helo Mr. Thorn, Williams is getting better. He just needs lots of rest. The nurse advised us not to bring up the accident while coming to visit him. I will be here till he wakes up again”, I ended the voice note and hit send.
I looked around, but Emily was not in sight. I lifted my hands to the heavens in gratitude dramatically, then chuckled, the only happy sound I had made since the house incident. I checked my phone for missed calls or voice mails from Adam but was met with disappointment as none were in sight. A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I felt a gut punch. Had I just made the biggest mistake of my life? The question hung in the air, a silent echo of doubt gnawing at my insides.
The automatic doors of the hospital swung open as Adam strode in looking more handsome than usual in an all-white suit ensemble. He looked breathtakingly young and handsome. As he got close to me, he smiled at me and sat beside me.
“Haze, I’m so sorry for how I left this morning. I love you so much, and I’ll always be here for you, I promise”. Then he pulled me into his arms, cupped my face and pressed his lips against mine, right there in the hospital waiting room in front of everyone.
“You came back” I muttered against his lips and wrapped my hands around his neck. As I looked up, William’s face came into focus. His forehead was furrowed in anger, and he was throwing daggers at us with his eyes. Somewhere in the corner, Emily stood laughing sarcastically, and her laugh echoed around the hospital waiting area. Panic flooded my veins. I froze, trapped in Adam's embrace while the world around us imploded. Yet, Adam remained unfazed, his grip on me unwavering, his defiance a stark contrast to the storm brewing around us.