CHAPTER 45: After Two Years

Atilla's POV.

As soon as the plane landed, I quickly ran to the exit and, luckily there was a taxi that happened to drop a passenger, so I immediately got inside with my belongings.

I asked to be taken to the hospital where Henry was being treated. I couldn't stop worrying about Henry's situation during the journey. Elaine's story of what happened to her husband was unclear, so I was even more worried because I didn't know what was waiting for me.

"Relax, Atilla, nothing will happen if you let fear envelop your chest," I whispered to myself, trying to calm my nerves.

I tried to focus my attention on other things so that I wouldn't think about anything else.

I focused my attention on the window of the taxi, noticing how much had changed since I left the Philippines.

Just like the changes I saw, there have been many changes in me over the past two years.

While looking outside the window, an image crossed my mind, the face of the man who would always have a space in my heart.

"How is he doing?" I thought to myself but quickly pushed the thought away.

I shouldn't be concerned about him anymore. Although there was the possibility that I'd run into him again in the Philippines, I felt I could face him without sentiment.

Isn't it one of the main things I did—forget about Ram and remember that he was just one of the things in the past that I had forgotten?

Despite the fact that the ride had helped to settle me down, my anxiety reappeared when we got to the hospital.

After paying, I hurriedly rushed inside, but I noticed the reporters waiting outside the hospital. I tried to enter without being seen, but one of the reporters recognized me and instantly called his cameraman, who approached me.

"Ms. Cervantes, what's the most recent news on your brother Henry Cervantes?" Asked by the reporter, whose name I couldn't recall.

Other reporters followed, like bees, after they learned that Henry was my brother.

"Please let me pass, I just want to see my brother," I pleaded, but they were too insistent.

Fortunately, hospital security personnel rushed to my aid and assisted me in getting in while the reporters were barred.

"Ms. Atilla, Ma'am Elaine is waiting for you," Samantha, Henry's secretary, greeted me.

I forced a smile, knowing she understood what I was going through.

We were quiet as we approached the operating room, and I could feel that Henry's situation was not good.

"Thank God, Atilla!" Elaine greeted me and hugged me tightly as if reaching out for strength.

I could feel how her body trembled from the stress and fear she felt because of what happened to her husband.

Honestly, I felt rattled as well and was not in the position to comfort anyone, but seeing Elaine's status, I had to be strong for both of us.

I let her pour out her emotions, and after she had calmed down, I asked her what had happened to Henry.

"I'm still confused about what happened. What I remember is that he was coming home from a charity event he had organized, and I was supposed to be with him. But I had an episode of dizziness, so he went alone. Then I received a call that his car had hit a post. He should have been with me..." she started to cry again.

"Be strong, Ellaine. Henry needs us now, and it's good you weren't with him. Otherwise, you might have been in danger too," I comforted her, trying to be strong for her.

I learned from her that Henry had to undergo surgery due to the damages he sustained in the accident.

I forced myself to be strong for Elaine and me because I knew that one of us had to be resilient. Perhaps due to stress, she fell asleep in the emergency room chair, so I let her rest and asked Samantha to keep an eye on her.

I decided to buy coffee because I needed it to stay awake, especially since I wanted to know how Henry was doing. To be honest, I felt dizzy, probably because of jet lag, but despite that, I decided to take a walk instead of sleeping because of everything that had happened.

Who would have thought that this would happen to Henry, especially since I knew how my brother drives? Shockingly, he had an accident, but, as they say, accidents usually happen when you least expect them.

After finishing my coffee, I immediately returned to the ER, but nothing had changed because Elaine was still sleeping, and Henry's operation was still ongoing.

"Samantha, you can go home now. I know you're tired because of everything that happened," I said with a smile.

The coffee had helped calm my nerves a bit, and somehow, my mind was a bit clearer.

"You don't have to worry about me, Ms. Atilla. I'm okay," she replied with a smile, and even though she had known me for a long time now, she still couldn't bring herself to call me by my first name.

"Take care, Samantha... and thank you for sticking with my brother," I thanked her.

"It's nothing, Atilla," she replied, and even though she was smiling, I saw something strange in her eyes that she quickly hid.

It piqued my curiosity, but it disappeared from my mind when the doctor suddenly appeared, and Elaine woke up as if she felt his presence.

"How is my husband, doc?" Elaine asked with concern.

"The operation was successful, and we were able to remove the blood clot in the patient's brain. We just need to wait for three days for him to wake up," the doctor explained.

"Will he wake up for sure, doc?" Elaine asked again.

"Let's hope he wakes up within three days... because if he doesn't, he may need another operation, and I recommend you bring him to the US because the operation will be more critical," the doctor advised before leaving.

Henry was taken to the ICU, and I tried to hold back the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes when I saw how he looked after the operation. He was bald, and the stitched part of his head was visible.

My heart was about to burst from worry and pity for him, but as I said earlier, I had to be strong for Elaine and me, who had passed out after seeing her husband.

We put her in one of the vacant rooms so she could rest; fortunately, one of Henry's friends owned this hospital.

"What will I do if Henry doesn't recover?" Elaine cried the next day when she woke up and went to see her husband.

I hadn't slept yet, waiting for Henry to wake up, but he remained unconscious.

"Don't think about anything else, Elaine. Henry is fighting, and he will come back to us," I couldn't help but get angry at what I was hearing from her because I knew that Henry wouldn't give up easily, even in the face of death.

"But I'm scared, Atilla; I don't know what to do," she said in a confused tone, which I understood.

"What you should do is be strong, Ellaine. Henry needs us now more than ever," I tried to encourage her, because I couldn't do it alone, and Henry needed the support of his wife.

Fortunately, I convinced her to go home first to rest. I promised her that I would call her right away once Henry woke up.

So I stayed with Henry the whole day, and even though I didn't get much sleep, I managed to watch over him.

The following day, around eight in the morning, I received a call from Ellaine saying that she was coming back to the hospital. I decided to go home for a while to rest since I hadn't had a proper sleep in more than two days and I couldn't neglect myself either.

Around nine, I heard Ellaine's voice, so I decided to meet her. But I suddenly stopped when I heard her talking to someone while walking towards the ICU. My heart started beating fast, and I didn't know whether to hide or face her.

Fortunately, I remembered that I had prepared myself in case we met again, so I tried to hide my nervousness while waiting for the door to open and for the two newcomers to come in.

"You need to be strong for your husband, Ellaine," I heard him say to her.

"Thank you, Ram," I heard Elaine reply before the door finally opened and the two newcomers came in.

Ram's eyes briefly landed on the bed where Henry was lying, but he quickly noticed that there was someone else in the room, and I could see how surprised he looked when he saw me.

"Hi Ram, long time no see," I said with a smile. Thankfully, I didn't stutter while saying that, and I was also grateful for the things I had experienced in the past two years because I could hide my true feelings.

I could see the surprise on his face as he looked at me, and I tried not to pay attention to the whisper of my other self who wanted to run to him, wrap myself in his arms, and tell him how much I missed him.

"Atilla..."