Chapter 44

Someone was crying.

Am I dead?

Rebecca’s twitched and all of a sudden, she felt a pair of cold hands clamping onto hers.

“She’s awake!” a voice squealed.

I know that voice.

“Rebecca! Honey!” another voice.

Mom?

She finally opened her eyes with great difficulty and was greeted to her delight, she was greeted by the faces of her loved ones – her mom, John, Jean, and Sam. There was even a bouquet of bougainvillaea on the overbed table.

Oh, so I’m not dead.

On her left, holding tightly onto her free hand was her mother, sobbing uncontrollably. She smiled weakly at her mother, feeling her lips crack in the process. She needed a drink. Her throat hurt. Come to think of it, her whole body and head hurt.

“Where am I?” she managed to croak out. Her mother cried even louder. The wailing was driving her nuts.

John stepped up from behind Rebecca’s mother, his expression was unreadable, “You’re in the hospital. You’re safe now.”

Safe? Oh… then it all came back to her. A huge wave of relief washed over her. She was safe now. ‘Safe’ was her new favorite word.

She pointed to her lips, “Water…” and John sprang into action, quickly and lightly pressing a ball of damp cotton wool to her mouth. There was a glass of water and come cotton on the table next to her bed. Apparently, he had been wetting her lips.

“How long was I out?”

“One night. But you gave us a scare!” Jean chipped in, leaning against the bed’s railing, a look of concern on her face. “You look like shit by the way.” That was her best friend’s way of telling her that she was fine. Sam gave her an apologetic smile and pulled his fiancé by the earlobe to shush her up.

Her mother wailed some more and slapped her free hand, “You ungrateful child! You don’t call me for weeks and the first news I get is you getting hurt and hospitalized! Do you know how much I worried about you?!”

Rebecca took a deep sigh, ready for non-stop nagging from her mother.

“I’m fine mom, I really am…”

“No, you’re not! Just look at you! The doctor said you have a concussion and three of your ribs were broken. Three!” her mother continued, holding up her hand and waggling three fingers for emphasis. John placed a hand on Rebecca’s mother’s shoulder and this managed to quieten her. That was John, for you. He had a way with women. Rebecca used to joke that if her mother had been decades younger, she would have gone after John herself.

“Mrs. Grey, why don’t you step outside for a moment? There’s something I need to talk to Rebecca about.”

The older woman blew her nose into a tissue and nodded her head. She got up and kissed Rebecca on her head, whispering, “I love you.”

Rebecca had to smile, as nagging as her mother was, she was still the best mother in the world.

“Love you too mom.”

Sam went to open the door for Rebecca’s mother, pulling Jean along. “You better get well soon! You’re going to be my bridesmaid you know!” her friend shouted as her fiancé dragged her out.

The swing door finally closed, and Rebecca was left alone with John in the private hospital room. She had a feeling William had paid for all of this.

John sat down on the chair where Rebecca’s mother had preciously sat, “How are you feeling?”

Rebecca chuckled a little, only to stop short. Darn, her cracked lips hurt. Wordlessly, John wetted her lips some more.

“Never better,” she said with a wry smile.

An awkward silence ensued, with only the sound of her heart monitor beeping. Outside the rectangular glass window, the sky turned black as the last remaining rays of the sun dipped below the horizon. There were things she wanted to ask but did not know how to. But she needn't have asked. John knew what it was that she wanted to ask.

“He’s with his mother,” John finally broke the silence, staring out the window. “The nerves in her spinal cord were severed in her fall. She’ll most likely be paralyzed for life.”

Rebecca nodded, her hand tightening against the blanket covering her.

“Am I being mean for thinking she deserves it?” she whispered, following John’s gaze. The sun had fully set by now and they were both looking at their own reflections in the glass window. She thought of the older woman who had tried to help her off the ground. But it did not justify Mrs. Silverman’s horrific acts towards her son. “I would have died if it were not for her,” Rebecca continued.

John shook his head and shrugged, “It’s not for us to judge. The law states that..”

“I know what the law states,” Rebecca cutting him off. John fell silent before turning his gaze back to her. A strand of her unruly hair had fallen over her eye. Carefully, he rose from his chair to tuck it behind her ear.

“He’ll be acquitted for hiding his brother’s murder cases, ” he said quietly, referring to William Silverman.

Rebecca sucked in her breath; She had anticipated this but did not realize how much it would affect her emotions. She wondered how William felt about this, Was he regretful? Was he scared?

“He’s hired a lawyer for his mother, but none for himself. Charges against him will likely be lighter since he turned himself in to help locate Thomas Silverman.”

He did? So that’s why he sent me the message. He was going to confess! Her heart soared a little, there was hope in William after all.

“It wasn’t easy for him growing up,” John continued, having heard William’s side of the story. “But abetting his brother’s murders by remaining silent is by no means the right thing to do, regardless of how guilty he felt towards Thomas’s miserable life.”

Rebecca nodded again before asking softly, “Can you let me know that I’d like to see him?”

A knock came at the door and a nurse came in, “Visiting time’s over.”

John stood up and tucked Rebecca under her blanket.

“I’ll let him know,” he said and started to head towards the door. But just before John stepped out of the room, he suddenly stopped and turned around, he looked at Rebecca and their eyes locked. For a moment, it seemed as if he had something to say to her but then thought better of it. He gave her a little nod and with that, he left.