38. Awaiting the News
Awaiting the News
Electra
S itting patiently in the hall and waiting for the doctors to tell us some news was torturous.
Frederick was the calmest one. Andreas called every five minutes, Rosalind barked at everyone like she was possessed, Peter smoked so many cigarettes the entire room was full of the solid smell every time he showed up, and Mr. Thorn looked like he would have another heart attack.
I watched them from a distance, remaining silent because the words stuck in my throat.
This entire situation felt like a bad dream, but there was a possibility for a happy ending. If someone only told us something.
“Mrs. Thorn?”
I cringed when the nurse called my name, and everyone turned to me.
My heart beat in my chest so hard I found myself wondering if it could break my ribs, and when the middle-aged woman with short strawberry blonde hair handed me a pen and paper and told me something, I didn't understand her because the pounding in my ears was thunderous.
She probably considered me stupid when I stared blankly at her, but I was totally out of myself .
I’d never felt so worried, excited, and confused. My mind was shut down, only showing me images of Bastian's soft smile, and my body, exhausted because of the events of the past few weeks, was slowly giving up as well. It was just too much.
“Honey.” Mr. Thorn gently placed his wrinkled hand on my shoulder, and I looked into his concerned pale face. “You need to sign this so they can continue the treatment.”
“Of course,” I whispered, hoping he didn't notice the smell of alcohol on my breath. Maybe my shaken state was caused by the bottles of Chardonnay I drank with Zoe and not by the fact that Bastian's brain could be irreparably damaged or that this wasn't the time he would wake up.
I wrote my name on the dotted line at the end of the paper, returned the pen to the nurse, and turned my back on them.
Hugging my torso with my arms, I stood before the window and watched the city.
The view was magnificent, and even when I saw it many times, it always brought me at least some sort of comfort.
“It's going to be okay.” I closed my eyes momentarily when Fredy’s gentle voice reached my ears. He stroked a hand softly on my back, and I turned to face him, doing my best to keep myself together. “Have faith in him, Electra. He's fighting.”
“I'm scared, Fredy,” I breathed, my voice cracking with all the emotions that threatened to burst out of me. “I'm so fucking scared it's paralyzing.”
“I know, and trust me, I understand.” He cupped my face with his palms and wiped the tear from my eye. “We’ll get through this. I promise it's going to be exactly as it should be.”
An encouraging smile appeared on his lips, and small wrinkles formed in the corner of his kind brown eyes. He was the cutest and completely different than every man in his family. I was glad to have him with me in this time of desperate need.
Another few hours passed, and no one gave us anything. Just one young doctor came and announced that the entire neurological team had gathered, and they were closely watching any changes in Bastian's condition. They had to check and examine everything to exclude the possibility of brain damage .
“Andreas landed,” Peter announced early in the morning, breaking the silence in the room, and I quietly sighed in relief.
It'd been five hours since he called, and my anxiety increased with him in the air, not answering his phone.
He was the rock, not only for me but for everyone.
“I'm going to check up on Dad and go to Thorn Enterprises. Keep me posted.”
He squeezed my shoulder in a brotherly way and winked at me, quickly leaving the room, followed by Rosalind, who hadn't said a word in the past two hours.
It was weird, but I knew she was unbalanced.
Almost seven hours in this square, dimly lit room was depressing.
And after Mr. Thorn left to rest, the atmosphere was even grimmer than before.
For about the next thirty minutes, Frederick stayed quiet, reading articles on his phone while I stared at the white walls, not paying attention to anything.
My last conversation with Bastian was on repeat in my mind, complemented by the letter I read every night since I found it.
They were my favorite memories, even when followed by the horrible tragedy.
He told me he loved me, and then he asked me to marry him.
If he just did the second thing in person…
Stirring the coffee in the plastic cup, I almost threw it on me when Andreas burst through the door, crumpled. His hair was messy, and his beard needed a touch of scissors and a razor.
“What the hell is taking them so long?” he rumbled like a furious bear, but it didn’t stop my natural reaction.
I placed the cup on a tiny table and ran to him like he was the only person who could help me get through this.
His entire body tensed when I wrapped my arms around his torso, and I hid my face in his suit jacket, but he didn’t push me away.
Quite the opposite, he pulled me closer, squeezing me tighter when I burst into tears.
“It’s okay, Electra,” he whispered soothingly, stroking my back. “You can stop pretending.”
Another wave of sobs came when I heard his words. He knew it was only a facade, an act for people around me to believe I was strong enough to handle everything. But I wasn’t. I needed someone to stand by my side, and he always had my back, even when we had our differences .
“Did they tell you something?” he asked, still holding me.
I raised my head to look at him, but he directed the question at his brother.
Fredy shook his head no and then shrugged when Andreas started to bomb him like he was accused of first-degree murder.
Obviously, he thought it was easy to gain information, yet nurses and doctors were cautious about their statements.
No one knew how severe Bastian's condition was and what would happen in the following hours.
“You need some sleep, Electra,” Andreas pointed out when he led me to the couch and studied my face closely. “Go home, and I’ll call you when something changes.”
“I’ll lose my mind there,” I objected, shaking my head to express my disapproval.
“You’re losing your mind here,” he stated, frowning at me, and I had to say he didn’t look better. He often gave the impression of an exhausted and overworked person, but it was even worse this time. We all needed a break.
“At least I am close to him,” I whispered, and he cast me a stern stare but said no more.
I curled into a ball, hugging my knees in the corner of the couch while he spread papers and files on the coffee table and began working.
He clearly couldn’t waste any time. Fredy tried to persuade him to stop for a minute, but he had two significant cases and another one on hold because the judge was sick.
I couldn’t imagine the pressure he must feel with everything that was happening around us.
However, only his presence helped me calm down, and I didn’t know how, but I fell asleep. I woke up to Fredy’s gentle voice telling me to open my eyes.
I followed his words and felt disoriented for a moment but then deciphered his smiling face.
“Bastian woke up,” he said, his grin widening when I kicked the blanket off and quickly stood, ready to run to his room.
“Wait a second,” he stopped me, taking me by my elbow. I bounced on my feet, prompting him to tell me what he had to say. “Doctors confirmed his brain is okay. No damage, nothing.”
I hid my face behind my palms, relief washing over me like a wave, taking away all worries and anxiety .
“There are some things he will need our help with,” Fredrick continued, taking my wrists and moving my hands away from my face. “He will need rehabilitation, exercises, and much more.”
“I don’t care,” I whispered, happiness overtaking every cell in my body. “No matter what he needs, he’ll get it.”
“Okay, there is more of it, but you’re not paying attention,” he sighed, faking annoyance, but his mask cracked when I smiled at him. “Go to him. He can’t wait to see you.”
I stood on my tiptoes, smooching his cheek, and then I ran to the other side of the hall to the room where I spent the most challenging days and nights of my life. But this time, it was a place of joy and love.
Bastian was half-sitting, half-laying on the bed, supported by pillows, and listening to the conversation between Andreas and a doctor in charge of the neurological team.
I noticed the tray with an empty plate, a jug filled with water, and a small bowl with green jello.
The beeping machines were turned off, and the sun shone through opened curtains.
It was a beautiful day outside, as if the entire world celebrated the great news about him waking up. My heart danced with happiness, and it literally made a backflip when our eyes met, and he acknowledged my presence with a small smile.
I inhaled a deep, shaky breath, ignoring the glances from Andreas and the doctor, and I walked towards the bed.
Tears were streaming down my face, my entire body trembled, and all I felt was relief and gratitude.
He was awake. He didn't lose his memory, and he wasn't paralyzed or worse.
Anything else didn't matter. We would go through it together.
“Hello, baby,” I whispered, sitting on the bed and leaning closer. I cupped his pale, sunken cheeks with my palms, and I placed a loving kiss on his forehead.
“Princess,” he muttered in a raspy, weak voice. His arm reached forward, but he didn't have the strength to lift it to my face. I gently took it and brushed it against my flushed cheek, enjoying the warmth of his touch .
“We’ll give you some privacy,” Andreas muttered somewhere from my left side, but I didn't pay attention to him. My eyes were glued to Bastian’s, savoring our closeness and a familiar sensation of pure love exchanging in only our glances.
“I missed you so much,” I breathed, unable to stop myself from weeping. Freeing sobs were leaving my mouth, and the rope around my chest finally loosened its grip on me.
“I-I’m...here,” he tried to reassure me, but I needed this cleansing cry to unchain my soul from fear and desperation. His presence and calming touch allowed me to let go of all the bad feelings that had been gnawing me since our accident.
“I know, sir.” I kissed the back of his hand, my eyes landing on the golden ring on his finger, and a smile appeared on my face.
“We are married,” I announced cheerfully, showing him the overpriced jewelry, and he frowned, staring blankly at me. My heart skipped a beat, and I gulped, thinking that maybe I said it too soon, but then his face lit up with a realization.
“Golddigger,” he whispered, and my jaw almost hit the floor.
“That's not nice, Sebastian,” I groaned, faking anger, but when he raised an eyebrow at me, I burst into laughter.
Carefully, so I didn't hurt him, I lay next to him and hid my face in his neck, breathing him in. His arm rested around my waist, and he moved his fingers slowly while I pecked his jaw and neck.
“This golddigger is so sucked on your bank account, she's not gonna leave your side,” I muttered, confirming it with a kiss in the corner of his mouth.
“Okay,” he breathed, rested his cheek against my forehead, and closed his eyes. I let him sleep, listening to his heart beating inside his weakened body.
It would take time and patience to get him on his feet, and with his bossy nature, it would be tough, but I was prepared for anything. If I survived these past few weeks, nothing could break us.