Oh mu god... Paloma!

Oh mu god... Paloma!
Aria's POV

The sun rays hit my eyes with force, forcing me to open them.

But my eyelids felt so heavy... I felt weak. I couldn't open them... Or could I?
There was all this dull ache in my chest... One I couldn't understand, but I ignored it.

I struggled for a while trying to open my eyes, and eventually... It worked. But I had to close them back almost immediately because of how bright everything was.

I stayed still for a few seconds, then attempted to open my eyelids again, this time blinking my eyes fast to adjust to how bright my surroundings were.

It had been a while since I had seen this much brightness.

This was the second time I was waking up at a place like this... A hospital.

Memories of what happened to me a few days before I became unconscious flooded back.

Luca returned from his six-week trip with Viola... And she had a ring on her finger.

But then he released me and assured me that he was going to try to believe me.

But then... Then I found out that he has just a month left to live.

I paused at that memory, tears burning my eyes.

'Wait... What day was it today?' I thought to myself all of a sudden, trying to sit up on the bed.

There was a small calendar by the side of the bed, and I reached out to check... Today's date was marked on it.

The day I got out of that dungeon... I wasn't too sure about the date... But judging by today's date and the first marking on the calendar... It had already been a week.

I had been unconscious for a week.

Which meant Luca had just about 20 days left.
How did I manage to gain food poisoning at such a sensitive time? I cursed at myself.

I wanted to spend as much time as I could with Luca before he...

My eyes shut and I squeezed them tight. It was still so hard to believe that he would be gone soon.

I was still so lost in my thoughts when a man dressed in a white doctor's coat walked in with a clipboard in his hands.

"Ms Aria Bellani..." He muttered my name and I looked up. "Yes?"

The man stared back at me wide-eyed as though he hadn't been expecting an answer. "You're awake?" His question confirmed my thoughts.

"We need to run a few tests." He said in a hurry and left the room.

The man came back with a few lab specialists, and they took a couple of blood samples. Then they helped me to the lab to take several tests, CT, MRI, and a few others.

It was exhausting... But I didn't say anything. They were doing their job, and I was too busy thinking of what to do when Luca arrived.

I wanted to make the most out of the time I had left with Luca.

After a few hours, the doctor came back again holding a couple of papers in his hands. Probably the test results.

"This is a miracle." He began without looking up at me. "The poison did not affect your baby and you're..."

I wasn't listening anymore... I couldn't believe the word I had just heard him use.

"Baby?" I repeated in surprise. "What baby?"

I didn't have any children... Not that I remembered, and I wasn't pregnant.

The doctor lifted his face from the papers in his hands. "Oh, don't you know?" He asked as though surprised that I didn't get him. "You're almost seven weeks pregnant."

Seven?

Seven weeks?!

My mouth hung open in shock. "What? This is..."

This was Luca's baby!

I was carrying...

Tears filled my eyes and a smile threatened to form on my lips. "Where is Luca?" I quickly asked the doctor. "Does he know?"

Does he know that he would be a father? That I was carrying his child?

That explains it all.

The nausea and vomiting, the constant tiredness, and lack of appetite.

I was pregnant all this time.

"Where is he?" I urged the doctor. Unable to control my joy. "He has to know."

He has to know that he wasn't leaving this world alone. That he had a child... That I was carrying his baby.

The doctor didn't answer... He just stared at me like a crazy woman.

He was finally about to say something, when someone walked into the room.

"Hey Aria, you're awake... Finally."

I practically froze as soon as I saw her.

She had a small smile on her face as she stared back at me. Her hair was shorter, and she now had bangs around her forehead. She looked even prettier than the last time we met.

I thought it would be the last time we were ever going to see each other.

A tear slid from my cheeks as she stepped closer.

"Tell me this isn't a hallucination. I'm not dreaming, am I?" I asked, more tears rolling down my cheeks.

She shook her head, her eyes also becoming teary. "You're not my dear friend. I'm actually here."

"Oh my God... Paloma..." She rushed to hug me, and a cracked sob left my lips.

The doctor cleared his throat with a li
ght cough and then uttered. "I would leave you two." Before leaving the room, he closed the door behind him.