3 phone in my hand and heart in my throat

There were many witnesses to the accident, so it hadn't taken long for the ambulance to come and take Serena away. It took nearly 20 minutes to arrive at the nearest hospital, the one that she had been doing her research at. She was unconscious the whole way through.

Her body was covered in blood and cuts when she was brought into the emergency room. There was panic and chaos in the hospital as nurses and doctors were dashing around to help the oncoming patient since they got word that the car accident was severe and involved some type of box truck. Both cars collided and overturned and the two drivers were found dead on the scene. When the EMTs arrived, Serena was the only one still showing signs of life; a slow, but an existing pulse.

The nurses in charge took care of the belongings found in the car and saw her ID. Though Serena worked in the hospital, she didn't interact much with many people, so the nurses didn't know who she was from the start. Luckily, they managed to pull out her medical records and find the list of emergency contacts. They began from the top of the list, which they assumed were the parents; Isagani and Asami del Rosario.

The phone rang multiple times, and the nurse was afraid they weren't going to get an answer. About six rings later, they finally got an answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi, may I speak to Isagani or Asami please?"

"This is Isagani. Who am I talking to?"

"Hi, sir. I'm Rei and I'm a nurse at the Sacred Moon Hospital in Luna Springs and you're listed as an emergency contact for a patient who just came in. The name on the ID is Serena del Rosario and she's been brought in after a severe car accident and is currently in the emergency room. Is it okay for you to come in and sign the paperwork and talk to the doctors?"

The nurse, Rei, heard a loud thud on the other line and assumed it was a result of the shock they received from the news. She gave them a moment before she finally heard some whispering and the man, Isagani, started to speak again.

"We'll be there in about 15 minutes."

"Thank you, sir. Just come to the front and I'll be here to give you guys the papers and lead you to the room."

They didn't even say bye before they hung up.

The next on the list was a name that was familiar to the nurse, and practically everybody in Luna Springs. Orion Evangelista was listed as the husband for the patient, and as much as the nurse was shocked, there was a life on the line and she had a job to do.

She rang the phone multiple times but didn't get an answer. She tried one last time, but no luck, so she left a voicemail and hoped that he would listen to it soon.

She picked up her clipboard and made her way to the emergency room where she consulted with the doctors about the patient.

--

Orion was on the other side of Luna Springs, bordering Sol Desert City. The nightclub they were at had a private booth owned by him, so ever since he separated from his wife, he had made constant use of it. Tonight, he was with Leo, Ami and their other friends from the company.

Two months post-divorce had looked good on me. No longer was he the tired, worn-out Orion. He felt like he could finally breathe, especially now that he could be out in the open with Ami. He was finally free, and Leo helped him celebrate from the moment the divorce became official.

They had been hanging out all night, taking shots and talking business and non-business matters. Ami was sitting close to him, rubbing along his side and he felt like his life was finally complete. Leo looked at him and his lips quirked up.

"I've said this a lot these past months, but the divorce looks good on you." He said.

Orion looked up at him, somewhat feeling uncomfortable by what he said. He got married because he loved Serena, but they divorced because he fell in love with someone else. He knew from the start that Leo hated Serena and he never knew or bothered to ask why.

In response to that comment, Orion just smiled and looked at Ami, who was clinging to his arm like a koala.

"That's only because I have this girl right here." He said, giving Ami a soft kiss on the head. She smiled, knowing that she had secured her future when she seduced Orion.

However, their night was interrupted by Orion's phone suddenly ringing, which was strange because he specifically told his assistants that no one should bother him today. He let it ring until it stopped, but whoever it was kept calling and calling back. The second time around, he just rejected the call after seeing that it was a number he didn't know. After a few more times of attempted calling, it finally ceased.

Ami looked at him suspiciously. "Who was that?"

Orion looked at her and shook his head, indicating that it wasn't anything important.

"I'm not sure. The number wasn't familiar so I just rejected it." He said.

As soon as that came out of his mouth, there was a series of vibrations coming from his phone, showcasing that he had received a voicemail from that number.

Suddenly, he had a worrisome feeling about it. He felt like he had to listen to the voicemail or he would regret it.

Orion excused himself from the table and walked to the balcony where it was a little bit more private. Ami and Leo looked at each other in confusion.

The moment he stepped outside, he breathed in the air that was left behind by the heavy rain. He hated the rain.

He took out his phone and found 6 missed calls and a voicemail from the same number, so he decided to listen to the voicemail. As he brought it up to his ears, he was shocked by the introduction that he heard first.

"Hi Mr. Evangelista. My name is Rei and I'm a nurse at Sacred Moon Hospital in Luna Springs. You're listed as an emergency contact for a patient who just came in after being in a serious car accident. The name of the patient is Serena del Rosario and she is currently in the emergency room. I'm leaving this voicemail to let you know of her status at the hospital if you wanted to come and consult with the doctors and also do some paperwork. I've called the parents already and they will arrive soon to sign the necessary paperwork for the patient and the bills. However, there may be additional paperwork for you to sign in case of emergencies as you are listed as her husband. If you can make it to the hospital, please come to the reception and let us know that you're there for Serena del Rosario and we'll point you in the right direction."

Orion didn't even realize that he was holding his breath until he starting coughing and choking. He started rationalizing. He knew he had to go to the hospital, but Sacred Moon was on the other side of the city. It was more than an hour and a half drive. But it was almost one in the morning at this point and there wouldn't be that many people out on the streets. He could probably get away with going a little faster than normal. That would cut the drive about 30 minutes, but he was still an hour late. What would happen in that span of time? He didn't want to think about it. All he knew was that he had to get out there and see if she was okay. Even if they were divorced, even if he didn't love her anymore, that didn't mean that he had no love for her. They spent more than two years of their lives together. It would be impossible not to care about her. And she still had him listed as her emergency contact.

Without a moment wasted, he ran out into the booth, grabbed his jacket and his keys and bolted towards the door.

He was stopped by Ami, who pulled him by the arm and asked him where he was going.

To this, he replied "it's an emergency. I have to go. Leo will take you to your apartment," and left.

The drive there was long and excruciating. Orion couldn't handle the anxiety and the panic building up in his chest as the voicemail kept repeating in his head.

As he drove closer to the hospital, he passed by a gruesome scene where two cars had skidded and overturned. His heart was in his throat as he recognized the Rolls Royce Phantom that he gifted Serena. The car was almost completely crushed into itself and it was hard to comprehend how anyone could have survived that.

When he got to the hospital, it was much busier than it had looked outside. At the reception, he hounded a nurse who was doing work on her computer.

"Excuse me, Hi, I'm here for Serena del Rosario?" He said, taking in short and sharp breaths.

The nurse looked up at him and grabbed her clipboard.

"Name and relation to the patient please?" She asked, pushing the glasses up her nose.

"Orion Evangelista. I'm the husband." He said quickly, just wanting to go to Serena's room already. He didn't even realize his slip of the tongue.

Another nurse came by as the one at the reception was checking the list of contacts for Serena.

"Mr. Evangelista? I'm Rei, the one who left the voicemail. I'll take you to the waiting room for Mrs. Evangelista." She shook her head at the other nurse indicating that she didn't need to do the work.

Rei walked to a long, narrow hallway with a door at the end and Orion followed her eagerly. When they opened the door, there were seats against the wall and another door with a light glowing red. Sitting nearest to the door were his former in-laws.

"Here's the waiting area for Mrs. Evangelista. She is still in surgery and we won't know when the doctors will finish. Her parents have already signed the necessary paperwork for the patient and the medical bills, but they informed me that you might want to update the patient's contact information." Rei informed him.

However, he was confused. "No need to update any information. How was she when they brought her in? Was she driving?"

Rei looked at her clipboard again and shook her head.

"No, there was a driver. He was identified as Ronaldo San Miguel and he died on scene along with the driver of the other vehicle. Mrs. Evangelista was severely wounded when they brought her in, but not much information until the doctors come out. If you would like to wait until after they finish their procedure, they will let you know all of the details. Right now, all we know is that she has some broken bones and severe lacerations due to the broken glass."

Orion had to take a deep breath. He sat down, a little far from Serena's parents, and tried to compose himself. He ran his hand over his face and sighed.

"Alright, thank you. I'll go to reception later to sign the paperwork for the bills. I don't want her parents to pay for it."

At this, Isagani and Asami turned their heads but couldn't say anything.

"Okay, sir." Rei said, saying goodbye as she left.

There was a shuffling and Orion saw a pair of shoes in line with his. He looked up and it was his former father-in-law.

"You know, you don't have to be here. You're already divorced and I know exactly what caused it. I'm not sure I want you around my daughter after what you did." He snapped, stepping closing to Orion.

Orion was afraid but he didn't want to show it. He was here for Serena.

"Father, I know that what I did was wrong, but I couldn't help my feelings. I didn't want to hurt Serena anymore, so I gave her a divorce and let her have half of my assets. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I'm here because I care about her, even if I don't love her anymore." Orion tried to control his voice. He didn't want it to crack and betray his emotions.

Asami, who was standing beside Isagani, was looking at him in contempt.

"No matter how much you care for my daughter, you hurt her more than you can imagine. I will let you be here until she recovers, but I hope I won't see you anymore after that."

Orion nodded. It was the only thing he could do for them. Soon enough, they sat back in their own seats, holding each other and leaving Orion to drown in his own thoughts.

The hallway became dimmer and the blaring red light above the locked door made it seem like he was waiting for punishment from the King of Hell.