Adaline felt a surge of pain in her chest.
"Altezza?"
The name echoed in her mind.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" her mother asked, worried. Her forehead creased as she looked at her daughter's expression.
"I'm fine, Mom," she replied, hoping her smile would reassure her mother. "I'm okay." She repeated. Physically, she was fine, more than fine. But her heart wasn't.
"Are you sure? Your face looks pale." Her mother stared at her intensely. Adaline glanced at her mother, pinched and patted her cheeks to bring some color back.
"It's because of my anemia, Mom. So it's normal for my face to look pale. Pregnant women usually look pale too," she joked. Her mother still looked at her with an unbelieving gaze.
Their attention shifted when someone urgently pressed the doorbell. Mother and daughter exchanged glances.
"Let me get it." Her mother replied. Adaline nodded.
Gian appeared at the door with a pale face. His expression was panicked, and his appearance was disheveled.
"Gian. Come in." Her mother invited, opening the way for Gian to enter the house, but he shook his head.
His eyes searched inside the house. "Aunt. Is Adaline here? I need to take her away," he said urgently.
Violet Scott frowned, sensing something wrong with Gian's demeanor this time. "What's going on?" Violet asked with a worried expression.
Gian ran his hand through his hair. "Altezza. She had an accident on her way here," he replied, still in a panic.
Adaline, who happened to be nearby, heard it. Instantly, she felt her body weaken. Her hand grasped the wall for support. "Al..." She whispered. Gian quickly walked over, swiftly wrapping his arms around Adaline.
"Ada, you have to stay strong. We don't know how she's doing," he said, then quickly he assisted Adaline in walking out of the house and into the car.
Gian indeed didn't know Altezza's actual condition. Their family was gathered when they suddenly received a call from the police saying that Altezza had an accident on the highway while traveling to Kansas.
Everyone was clearly shocked to hear it. Because no one expected Altezza to come to Kansas. Usually, if he was coming, he would always contact his family members first to make sure who was in Kansas because he was afraid they were traveling. But this time he came without notice.
Gian had also contacted Altezza's parents, and now both of them were on their way to Kansas. Meanwhile, Antony and Claire were already at the hospital to take care of Altezza.
Gian himself was initially unsure whether he should take Adaline to the hospital or not. But he just wanted to be cautious. Preparing for the worst-case scenario even though he didn't want it.
The car sped towards the hospital where Altezza was being treated. Everyone fell silent. No questions or statements were made. Adaline was still in her mother's embrace, crying incessantly, calling out Altezza's name. Whispering every mistake and apologizing to him.
Upon arriving at the hospital parking lot, they went straight to the reception area and inquired about the accident victim. The receptionist gave them directions to the surgery waiting area. Antony was leaning against the wall beside the operating room door. Meanwhile, Arthur Quirino and Claire were hugging Brianna, trying to comfort her from her tears.
"How is she?" Gian asked anyone who could answer. The four of them looked up. Claire and Brianna simply walked over to Adaline and hugged her.
"She's in surgery. The doctor said there's bleeding in her head. Some parts of her body are fractured due to the severe impact. And her right leg is also broken," Adaline collapsed instantly onto the floor. Her tears fell again. There were no sobs, just suppressed cries that sounded even more painful.
"Ada, you have to stay calm. Pray," her mother commanded. She embraced her daughter, stroking her head and back while continuously seeking forgiveness.
Adaline turned to her mother. "Mom..." she whispered softly. Her hand reached out, asking her mother to hug her. "Why, Mom? Why like this? Why does it have to be like this?" She murmured all those questions in her mother's embrace before her consciousness faded away.
Gian and Antony moved quickly to support her body. Gian managed to lift Adaline's body. Now they walked towards the Emergency Department, asking whoever was on duty to check Adaline's condition.
A young doctor approached them to examine her. "Is her husband present?" He asked, looking at the group of people who were difficult to remove from the Emergency Department. They all froze. "If her husband isn't here, please leave this area," the doctor patiently ordered.
"Her husband is in the operating room, Doctor," Gian replied on behalf of his family. The doctor seemed momentarily surprised before returning to a neutral demeanor.
"In that case, one of you should wait for him," he ordered again.
"I'll do it," Claire volunteered.
Claire asked Gian to take Mother Violet out of the Emergency Department. Meanwhile, Antony led his parents out.
"I'll call you when she wakes up," she said to her husband. Antony nodded, though his face still showed worry.
The doctor examined Adaline, and Claire explained her health condition that she knew of. Afterward, the doctor focused on Claire and spoke formally. "The patient is only in shock. Let her rest for a while. If her condition remains weak, we will proceed with further treatment later. For now, I'll just give her some vitamins." Claire simply nodded in response.
After the doctor left, she chose to sit by Adaline's bedside. Her hand tightly held Adaline's cold hand, hoping that by doing so, she could channel her strength to her friend.
"Be patient, Darling. Right now, you're being tested by God. I pray that Altezza will be okay," her prayer was sincere.
An hour later, Adaline woke up coinciding with the arrival of Delila and Benjamin. Delila looked hysterical, especially seeing Adaline's weakened state. Her fear grew.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Delila took over Claire's position waiting for Adaline.
"Mamma..." Adaline reached out her hand, asking the woman to hug her. Her feelings were so fragile, she cried again in her mother-in-law's embrace. "Mamma.. Altezza, he.. Mamma..." she whispered.
"Forgive me. Everything happened because of me. If only I didn't go, maybe Altezza wouldn't be like this," she said amidst her sobs.
"No, Darling. None of this is your fault. You're not to blame. You didn't do anything wrong. Whether you or Altezza. Neither of you did anything wrong. You both were just fighting for what you should fight for.
"You just calm down. Altezza is a strong man. I believe he will endure. He will endure for you and for your children.
"Trust me. Just pray for Altezza. That's what he needs right now. Not tears. Not excessive sadness," her mother-in-law said with a calmer tone. Adaline just nodded.
Delila laid Adaline's body back down. "Rest. You have to stay calm, and remember the babies in your womb.
"If Altezza wakes up and finds out something happened to you, he'll be angry and blame me. Do you want him to scold me again?" Adaline shook her head. "Then go to sleep. I'll wake you up later," Adaline tried to close her eyes again.