Chapter 110: Fated.

Chapter 110: Fated.
Two Months Later.

Steven awoke, his eyes scanning his surroundings, his mind registering his current location. "What's today's date?" He asked, his voice hoarse.
Shane, Victoria, Denise and Desmond rushed over to his sides, looking at him with both worry and hope. "Can you remember anything? Who am I?" Victoria asked.
"Are you kidding me?" Steven replied.
"Just answer the question, please," she begged.
"Who wouldn't remember such a taunting friend like you?" He smiled at her.
"And the best brother ever," he smiled at Shane. "And two remarkable in-laws," his eyes finally landed on Denise and Desmond.
A wave of relief washed over the group, their collective breaths releasing in unison, a silent sigh of gratitude. It was a moment they had long yearned for—seeing Steven awake, a familiar spark igniting in his eyes that had flickered so perilously close to being extinguished. 
“Steven!” Shane exclaimed, a laughter filled with tears escaping his throat as he clapped a hand against his brother’s shoulder. “You scared us half to death, man. We thought… we thought we might lose you. I’m so damn glad you’re back.”
“Yeah, yeah, I should have known you wouldn’t let me off that easy,” Steven replied, his voice still strained, but the warmth behind it soothed the scars of fear they'd all been holding onto. He looked at each of them in turn, searching their faces for something more, the joy of reunion sharpened by a lingering shadow of grief that loomed just out of sight. “What… what happened? Where’s Dua?”
The moment the name left his lips, the atmosphere shifted. A heaviness settled in, choking down the light that had briefly filled the room. Denise looked away, her fists clenching in silence, while Victoria's face crumpled, the smile she had fought to maintain slipping like sand through her fingers.
“Steven…” Denise began, her voice barely above a whisper. “Dua… she...”
“She didn’t make it, did she?” His heart sank, the warmth of joy turning cold within him. He remembered fleeting images of her light laughter, the gentle way her eyes sparkled when she was happy, and the visions of a future they had dreamt of together. The void where her presence should have been felt like a chasm, deep and unfathomable. 
“No.” Shane’s voice cracked, heavy with the weight of sorrow. “We tried, Steven. We tried everything we could… but she slipped into a coma, and… the babies…” 
“I’m so sorry...” Victoria whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks as she squeezed Steven’s hand. “We didn’t want you to wake up to this. You were supposed to have a beautiful life with her. A family. I... we all miss her so much.”
"What thrash are you all saying? I'm not dead yet." Dua's cracked voice echoed from the other end of the room. The doctors had placed Steven and Dua in the same ward since they were a couple and it'd be easier for the family to look after them.
The words hung heavy in the air, disbelief and astonishment mingling with elation as Steven’s gaze swung toward the fragile figure at the far end of the room. There, lying in the neighboring bed with the sheets tangled around her, was Dua—her face pale, but her spirit unmistakably vibrant.
“Dua!” Steven’s breath hitched in his throat, and suddenly, the ache in his heart twisted into a whirlwind of hope. He tried to sit up, but the weakness of his body pulled him back into the pillows, his heart racing with the imminent rush of emotions. 
Tears brimmed in Dua’s eyes, and despite the tubes and wires tethering her to machines, she managed to smile, a fierce expression that illuminated the dim room like a beacon. “You think this ugly hospital gown gets me down? I’ve been wanting to kick this coma to the curb and come back to you!”
“I thought…” Steven swallowed hard, his voice trembling. “We thought you…We thought you were gone.” 
Denise finally broke her silence, her hands trembling as she wiped her tears with the back of her sleeve. “We didn’t know, Dua. We didn’t know if you would wake up—I’m so glad to see you.”
It took a moment for Dua to catch her breath, her chest rising and falling as she regained her composure. “Yeah, well, it’s not easy fighting for my life when I know my stubborn husband is dreaming of our future without me.” She locked eyes with Steven, her gaze unwavering. “You’re supposed to be there, holding my hand, telling me we’re going to be okay.”
The atmosphere in the room transformed into an oasis of hope. Laughter broke the weight of despair, a breath of life they all desperately needed. Steven managed to chuckle weakly, “I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. We’re going to face this together.”
There was a shared understanding in their gaze, a silent promise that no matter how dark things seemed, they would navigate this storm side by side. Victoria, Shane, Denise, and Desmond exchanged relieved glances, recognizing that this reunion marked the beginning of a hard journey, but it also heralded a return to hope.
“Two peas in a pod,” Desmond joked softly, his voice breaking through the solemnity of the moment with warmth and lightness that somehow made the air feel a bit clearer. Dua chuckled softly, the sound like music to their ears, even if it was slightly raspy. 
I can’t believe you’re awake,” Victoria said, her eyes glistening like polished gems. “It’s like a miracle… I mean, you had us all so worried.”
"What's more a miracle is how they both woke up the same day, just a few minutes interval difference... I mean..." Shane trailed off.
"That's to show that we're fated to be together forever... nothing can separate us." Steven said, holding her gaze.
"If only our kids were with us..." Dua's voice cracked, her eyes glassy with tears.
Steven felt the urge to go to Dua, but he couldn't. He was too weak to even sit up.
"Don't cry, Dua. We can always have another," he said even though the pain gnawed at him too.  
"He's right, sis...you both can always have another...the most important thing is that you're both alive and well now." Denise chirped in.
"Yeah," Dua sniffed in her tears.
A tentative smile broke through Dua's tears as she caught the glimmer of hope in her loved ones’ eyes. “I just want to hold you, Steven,” she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of longing and determination.
“Soon, I promise,” he replied, his strength slowly returning as the infusion of love and encouragement surrounded him. “Just give me a little while to heal up, and I’ll be right there beside you, holding your hand like I should have been all along.” He added holding her gaze with so much love in his eyes.