BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS

By the time Liam arrived at the facade of the villa, Daniella’s car was already fast-speeding out of the yard.

 “God!” Liam exclaimed and then started running toward one of his cars among the numerous cars in the garage.

He reached the car and dug his hands into his pocket to fetch the car keys only then did he realize that he wasn't with any car keys.

 “Fuck you, Liam!” he cussed at himself before dashing back into the house. He sprinted out almost immediately, running back toward the car as if his ass was on fire.

‘Merciful Lord, please take over the steering, don't let anything bad happen to Ella,’ he prayed inwardly while he jumped onto the driver’s seat, turned on the ignition, and drove out of the house with velocity.

In a matter of moments, Liam had reached the highway and it didn't take long before he caught a glimpse of Daniella’s car speeding frightfully among the multiple cars on the roadway.

 He broke out in a cold sweat as he also accelerated to the same rate as Daniella.

“Oh Lord, protect Daniella,” his voice trembled with nervousness, feeling worried. He wound down the passenger’s side window while reaching close to Daniella.

 “Daniella!” he shouted when the car eventually got beside Daniella’s but Daniella didn't spare him a glance and even increased her speed.

Although, she couldn't hear Liam’s outcry because her windows were locked but she had seen him coming after her which had literally aggravated her temper. Her neck and temples all tensed with blue veins standing out. Her knuckles had become incredibly white due to the way she clutched the steering wheel tightly.

Correspondingly, her eyes were like a dark ocean, full of ferocious waves but it didn't stop the tears in her eyes from falling down her face with torrent.

The more Liam endeavored to block off Daniella, the more Daniella drifted to the other side—her pace never slowing down.

 “Jesus,” Liam murmured, terrified. He stepped hard on the acceleration, determined to block off Daniella’s intersection at all costs.

But then, a clamorous crashing noise boomed in the air.

He abruptly stepped on the brakes and with his heart beating loudly like a drum in his chest, he gazed over at the windshield and saw that Daniella’s car had collided into something he couldn't see because everywhere had become smoky.

 “Ella!!!,” he shrieked and jumped out of the car. Fear filled his lungs; fear came to be a living, breathing entity inside him the moment he got to Daniella’s car and realized that it had been locked from inside.

“Daniella, please don't do this to me, open this door!” Liam banged on the window severally but Daniella didn't budge as her head had been lowered on the steering lifelessly.

At this moment, people have now summoned to the scene, rubbernecking and coughing continuously from the influence of the intense smoke.

 One or two people among the crowd were already trying to call an ambulance while another man was also hitting the other side of the car in an attempt to revive Daniella.

Instinctively, Liam hurled his fist at the window which shattered immediately and the pieces dispersed everywhere.

 “Ella,” Liam unlocked the door through the opened window and tears instantly welled up in his eyes when he saw some of the broken glasses on Daniella’s body.

 “Ella, baby, please open your eyes. It's me,” he sobbed, bringing Daniella out of the car.

—————

Liam hadn't stopped pacing the hospital hallway since the moment he'd stepped inside.

Even though there were no serious injuries and the Doctor had assured him that Daniella would be alright; yet, he couldn't help his anxiousness.

Buzz! Buzz!

 His phone vibrated in his pocket and he quickly fetched it and saw Mandy’s name on the screen.

He was hesitant at first but picked up the call in the end.

 “Uncle Liam, please is Ella home? I need to speak with her but she's not answering my calls,” Mandy uttered, tension laced through her voice.

Liam released a heavy sigh, ran an unsteady hand through his hair. He then explained the incident to Mandy and gave her the hospital address before hanging up.

After his brief conversation with Mandy, he proceeded to sit down when his phone started ringing again.

Sighing, he produced his phone from his trouser pocket and answered the call without paying attention to the caller ID.

 “Where’s my daughter, Liam?” Jessica’s vicious voice met his ears and he swallowed to wet his throat before speaking up.

“She’s in the hospital. She got into a minor accident but you don't have anything to worry about, I’m here with__”

 “The name of the hospital, you moron!” Jessica growled, cutting him off mid-sentence.

The tears Liam had been trying to hold for minutes finally escaped his eyes in waves, down his cheeks and sprayed on his chest.

 He swallowed again and hadn't finished saying the hospital name when the disconnecting beep tone rang in his ears, meaning that Jessica had hung up.

 “Uncle Liam,” Mandy’s voice snapped Liam out of his thoughts.

He quickly wiped his face before tilting his head to one side and saw her and a guy rushing over to him.

 “What happened to Ella, Uncle Liam? What happened to my friend?” Mandy asked in a crying tone.

 Liam stood up and opened his mouth to talk when the doctor emerged from the ward. “

As I've said earlier, it's just a slight concussion. She only passed out from a shock but she's absolutely out of danger and sleeping soundly as we speak,” the Doctor explained with a warm smile on his lips.

Simultaneously, both Mandy and Michael released a very deep sigh of relief while Liam asked, “Can we go see her now?”

“Of course, but I'll advise you to let her rest well,” the Doctor said gently.

 Liam and the others nodded in affirmation and after the Doctor added a few more words, he walked away first.

An overwhelming amount of concern, guilt, and pain filled Liam as soon as he walked into Daniella’s private ward and saw her lying down there on the bed with a lot of tiny grazes all over her face.

 “Oh my goodness, Ella,” Mandy burst into tears as she scooted to Daniella’s side, holding her hand.

 Michael also felt sad as he came to stand beside Mandy, placing a comforting hand on her back.

 Liam sniffed miserably, gliding closer to the bed.

But, all of a sudden, the door swung open and disclosed a fierce Jessica with two cops in uniform.

 “You still have the guts to be around my daughter?” Jessica asked, pinning Liam with a heated glance.

 Mandy’s whimper terminated immediately and she slowly cleaned her face, looking at Jessica and the two police officers who were with her.

“That's him, officers. Take him away now,” Jessica ordered, walking wholly into the room. Mandy and Michael exchanged a glance—the shock on their faces was unmistakable.

Inhaling deeply to get enough breath on his nervous system, “I’ll go to them myself later, Jessica, but I need to speak with Ella first, please,” Liam implored, tears blurring his eyes.

He knew what he had done to Jessica had crossed her bottom line by leaps and bounds but he still needed to stay beside Daniella. He needed to watch her regain consciousness.

 “I can see you're completely insane, Liam. Now if you don't want me to have you drag out of this place, then respect the little integrity you have left and follow them,” Jessica’s expression was deathly solemn as she spoke as though she was talking to a complete stranger.

Mandy swallowed around the lump that had taken a seat at the base of her throat, and forced the words out of her mouth.

“What’s going on, Aunt Jessica? Why would you want to get Uncle Liam arrested? What has he done wrong to warrant the police?”

Jessica’s eyes softened as she gazed at Mandy warmly, “It’s nothing to worry about, sweetheart,”

Then she shifted her hard gaze back to the police, “Please take him away now,” she commanded grimly.

The officers approached Liam and attempted to grab his hands but he lifted his hands in surrender.

“I’ll come with you, officers. So please you don't have to cuff me or anything,” he said in a deep, sad, defeated voice.

 Sobbing, Mandy slapped her mouth with her hand, “What’s going on, Aunt? Why are they taking, Uncle?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“I’ll be right back, Mandy. Please stay here with Ella,”

 That was the answer Jessica gave and then she smiled and started out of the door, following behind the police.

Mandy even cried harder, cowering with Michael going down with her.

 “What could have possibly gone wrong between them, Michael? They are one of the coolest couples I’ve ever seen,” she wept bitterly.

 “It’s okay, babe. I'm sure it's nothing serious. Right now, let’s focus on Daniella regaining consciousness very soon, okay?”

 Michael articulated in a soothing voice while he wrapped her in his arms. Mandy obligingly lax into his body, whimpering softly.