Chapter 30 CHAPTER 30: Shifting Sands
Adam
I could not believe we were going back to the hospital barely two months after Williams was involved in an accident. I turned to check on Hazel. She was breathing but unconscious.
“Please can you move a bit faster?” I asked impatiently, holding her close, and placing the back of my hand close to her breathing to make sure she had not passed out.
“Yes sir” the driver answered as Maria hovered over Hazel, touching her as panic was written all over her face.
As we finally drove into the hospital, the doctor whom I had already called was waiting for us. As he saw us approaching, he rushed forward with a nurse wheeling a wheelchair, and helped Hazel into it while I followed behind. We were ushered into one of the private wards. The only sound in the room was the rhythmic beep of a nearby heart monitor.
Hazel’s fragile form was placed on a cool bed with white sheets. The doctor went about his work with practiced efficiency, his touch surprisingly gentle as he checked her pulse, blood pressure, and breathing. My eyes followed every move, my breath hitching as a needle pricked her arm, sending a clear plastic tube snaking towards a bag of IV fluid. After the physical examinations and necessary tests were conducted, the doctor stepped outside, then came in moments later and pulled me aside.
“Mr. Adams, we’ve run some tests. It appears your wife is in shock. We’ll need to keep her for monitoring overnight, but barring any unforeseen complications, she should be fine.”
I nodded and as I cleared my throat to correct the doctor on his misinterpretation of my relationship with Hazel, but his next words stopped me cold.
“There are no lasting injuries, just some cuts and scrapes. The good news is, the baby seems perfectly healthy.”
Baby? My pulse hammered in my ears. The confusion must have been evident on my face because he chuckled softly.
“Didn’t you know, Mr. Adams? Congratulations! Your wife is five weeks pregnant. Prenatal care is crucial at this stage, so make sure she schedules an appointment if she hasn't already."
My mind reeled.
Baby.
Hazel.
Pregnant.
My head spun from assumptions. It could be mine. She hadn't been with anyone else. But then, the past few weeks with Williams… A cold dread settled in my stomach.
The doctor’s hand landed on my shoulder, a brief pat of congratulations before he excused himself.
I turned and looked at Hazel, then stepped closer to her side and reached for her warm hands as my brain whirled.
My mind was still reeling when the click of the door brought me back to reality. It was Williams, Hazel’s husband, and my ex-best friend. I immediately let go of her hand. He was still in his work outfit – a gray three-piece suit that looked like it was carved on him with a brown leather shoe. His outfit screamed luxury, but his hair was a tangled mess. When he saw me, his eyes turned to a storm, but as he approached the bed, I watched as his eyes softened. It was a softness I wouldn't have associated with him before.
As he reached the bed, his eyes softened further, the anger I had braced myself for replaced by a tenderness that made my throat clench. I scrambled to my feet and sat on a chair opposite the bed, and watched as he dropped his crutch on the floor and sank to his knees. He brushed a stray hair from Hazel’s forehead, his lips brushing hers in a kiss that spoke volume. I felt like an intruder watching the scene.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you, Hazel” he mumbled, smoothing her hair.
Then a bitter realization dawned on me - Williams had fallen for Hazel. I was torn as a primal pang of jealousy twisted in my gut. I stood up and was about to exit the room when his voice boomed.
“What were you doing at my house Adam”, William’s voice asked icily.
“I needed to see Hazel and discuss something with her” I replied, my back turned to him.
“What exactly did you want to discuss with my wife in my absence”? He shot back.
“She is your wife, Williams, but she is also my best friend, and who knows what would have happened if I wasn’t there”? A hint of defiance crept into my voice.
A tense silence stretched between us, broken only by the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor. Then, in a low growl, Williams slammed the question I'd been dreading:
"Did you push her?"
My blood ran cold. Fury welled up inside me, but I tamped it down, recognizing the raw desperation in his eyes. "I'll let that slide," I said, forcing a calmness I didn't feel, "because you're clearly not thinking straight right now."
But Williams wasn't done. "Answer my question, Adam," he pressed, his voice laced with a dangerous edge.
My jaw clenched. "Where were you when Hazel needed you, huh, husband?" I countered, my voice sharp with a mix of anger and hurt. "Maybe you should be thanking me for being there. But fine," I sighed, throwing my hands up in exasperation, "I'll leave. We'll talk when you're ready to have a rational conversation."
With a final, withering glance at Williams, I walked to the door, forced myself to close the door softly behind me when all I wanted was to slam it to release the torrent of anger swirling inside me. The sterile air of the hospital room felt suffocating as I stepped out of the waiting area.
Hazel
As I awoke from my unconsciousness with a start, I wondered where I was. Then I was hit with a searing pain emanating from my head. I tried to stand up, but it felt like a weight was put on my shoulders. I looked around the sterile wall. As I turned, I saw a figure facing down beside me. As he lifted his face, I realized it was my husband, Williams. My brows furrowed as I tried to make sense of why I was in a hospital with a needle poking out of my veins. Then Williams stirred from his sleep and looked at me smiling.
“Hey baby, thank God you are awake” he smiled and reached out his hands and touched my face while drawing me close for a hug.
“Why am I at the hospital”? I asked, the confusion evident in my features.
His brows furrowed “You can’t remember”? He asked, concern etched in his face.
“Remember what” I asked, trying to make sense of the whole situation.
“Baby, you fell from the stairs in the house and Adam found you at the bottom of the stairs and called 911. Then you were rushed to the hospital. You’ve been here since morning” he explained with a panicked look on his face.
“I remember trying to return Adam’s call before I saw Emily on the stairs. We had an argument but from there on out, it was a blur”, I replied,
Williams had a shocked look on her face. “Okay, maybe we need to call the doctor”. He stood up abruptly and left the room as a searing pain went through my head and the force knocked me down.
Williams went into the room with the doctor. It was my first time seeing the doctor, although he looked very familiar.
“Mrs. Hazel, welcome back,” he said.
‘I believe Mr. Williams here has explained how you fell from the stairs in your room.”
“I don’t remember anything, doctor, I just need this searing pain to stop.” I groaned.
Pulling out a small telescope-like device, the doctor shone a light into my eyes, the momentary brightness a pinprick against the dull ache behind them. Satisfied, he reached for a vial filled with a clear liquid and plunged the needle into the bag of fluid hanging by my bedside, the cool liquid seeping into my veins.
“We will have to keep you here for a while, Mrs. Hazel until your husband returns”
“My husband”? This is my husband”, I said, pointing to Williams.
“I’m so sorry, but who was the one who brought you in”? He asked.
“That’s Adam”, Williams replied.
My bad, I mistook Mr. Adam for your husband. I’m so sorry Mr. Williams, it wasn’t intentional” he replied, looking flustered.
I glanced towards Williams, his jaw clenched, his eyes narrowed into twin storms brewing beneath dark brows.
As we were discussing, the door creaked open and Adam stood framed in the doorway, his posture stiff, hesitant. Then his gaze swept the room before finally landing on me. A ghost of a smile tugged at my lips. With his eyes pinned on mine, he began to walk close but with a nervous smile.
As he got to my bed, his eyes darted towards Williams as if seeking permission before he sank to his knees beside me, the scent of his familiar cologne enveloped me as he reached out and took my hands in his. His touch sent a jolt through me.
“Haze, you got us worried,” he said, squeezing my hands.
“I’m okay now Adam”, I replied, giving a half smile. He gulped and nodded.
“My husband told me you saw me on the stairs and rescued me. Thank you”, I added, then gently withdrew my hands from his grip before turning to stare at Williams who had a small smile on his lips.
Adam’s eyes flickered between us; his expression unreadable for a beat too long. Then, a flicker of something crossed his face, a flicker I couldn't decipher. Without a word, he rose to his feet, the air around him crackling with an unspoken question.
"I just thought I'd wait until you woke up," he said finally, his voice strained. "I'll, uh, check on you later."
He didn't wait for my response, his retreat hurried, almost desperate. The door slammed shut behind him.
Awkwardness settled in the wake of his departure. I stole a glance at Williams, his jaw clenched tight, a muscle ticking in his temple. His silence was a storm brewing, the air thick with unspoken accusations and a tension that crackled like static electricity.