5 Hospital

Anne undressed carefully. She could not rush her actions as it was difficult by herself. She removed the pieces of clothing one by one until she was left bare. The over-sized clothes made it easier for her to discard them. She looked at her hand and feet as there were some prickling from the wounds. It was still bleeding but seeing the wounds were not deep, she thought little of it.

Sfx "splish splosh"

Sfx "Ripple"

The tub was filled with warm water to the brim. She used her hand to touch the surface of the water and test the temperature. Once she felt it was right, she stepped into the tub and carefully sat inside.

The warm water enveloping her body made her feel relaxed and comfortable. She laid her head on the bathtub to rest. She stared at the white walls and ceiling.

She closed her eyes to rest.

A couple minutes passed and the only sound that could be heard was the quiet stable breathing of Anne in the bathroom accompanied by the falling droplets of water from the tap.

Sfx "ring ring ring"

The phone in the living room kept ringing but no one answered.

The person who was calling was from the security downstairs as the food was delivered. The delivery boy went to the apartment number indicated by the caller but no one was answering the door. The delivery boy decided to go back, to the front desk where the security was designated.

They contacted the owner of the apartment but the same thing happened, no one picked up. The security paid for the delivery and told the delivery man that they will be handling it for now.

Once the delivery man left, the two guards started having their discussion in hushed tones.

"That's the apartment of that once famous model right?" He asked his companion.

His companion nodded and said, "I saw her from time to time and she was extremely beautiful. Before the accident, there were a lot of things being sent to her but after." He paused and looked at the takeout box and said. "As you can see, she only gets take-outs and nothing else." He felt pity for the former model.

"Have you seen her recently? Every time she went out her body is covered with baggy clothes." The other guard asked in a whisper as one of the apartment owner went past them. They stopped talking and started to act professional.

Timothy's steps were fast as he was contacted by the front desk in the apartment. He was told that hours had passed and the food that they ordered was still with them. He confirmed once more if there was no answer in the apartment and gave him an affirmative.

It did not take long for him to reach their apartment. He still had the keys, he had no problem entering. Once inside, the pungent smell of the room wafted to his face which made him grimace.

However, that did not stop him from entering and bolted through the door. He looked at the living room and then their bedroom. Still not finding Anne, he went to the bathroom.

Sfx "thud thud"

He tried opening the door. However, it was locked. He twisted, pushed and pulled to no avail which made him more worried. He tried listening from outside the door, but it was completely silent.

He looked for the keys, he was sure he placed it in a drawer in the room. He hurriedly ran for its location to look. Thankfully he didn't have a hard time looking for the keys as it was still in the same location where he left them.

Sfx "Clink Clank"

He was running back to the bathroom while the clinking of the keys can be heard with every step he took.

Sfx "Chink Chink"

The door was finally opened and what he saw surprised him. He went to Anne's side as he saw her unconscious in the bathtub. He immediately grabbed her hand to check her vitals.

"She is still breathing", he gave a sigh of relief and carefully lifted Anne out of the bathroom.

He placed Anne on the bed and took a clean towel from their cabinet. He carefully wiped Anne's body, while he was looking at her body, he felt pain. Her once perfect body was now covered with scars, her face was thin and pale and her body was thin as if there was nothing but skin and bones.

He tried his best to look away and took out some clothes for Anne to wear. Once he made sure she was fully dressed. He removed his wet clothes and change into clean ones.

He carefully lifted Anne's body.

"She's light." Is what he thought.

He once more looks at Anne's emaciated body and carried her down to bring her to the hospital. He did not know if she tried to commit suicide but he wanted Anne to be taken care of. Anne might not want to be taken care of by him, but he knew there was no one else that could take care of her.

Timothy took Anne to the hospital where she was always treated. He contacted the staff on the way to avoid causing trouble, especially the media. They might think of this as another scandal from the former model. He could already imagine what kind of headline it would make if they found out. 'A tragedy, one after another as she could not handle the pressure she decided to commit suicide.' He could just imagine the sensation this will cause once it goes out.

Timothy was glad that once he reached the underground parking space, two nurses were there waiting with a wheelchair. They approached his car once he was parked and helped him get Anne into the wheelchair.

Timothy looked at Anne's unconscious face and became more worried. She hasn't woken up even after all that commotion. Even the movement from being carried to and fro, she did not react.

They quietly went into the elevator, the two nurses did not ask anything while they accompany the two. Although they were itching to ask, they were not in the position as they were under strict orders that any information involving the patient is confidential.

They led Timothy into a private room and called for the doctor. The doctor arrived in less than 2 minutes and checked the condition of Anne. Timothy was beside the bed observing the whole situation. The doctor, once done checking with Anne told one of the nurses to put an IV and dress her wounds.

The doctor faced Timothy, "She's under-nourished. She needs rest, healthy food and some vitamins. The wounds…" The doctor gave a thoughtful expression and looked at the sleeping Anne before continuing, "I do not know if it was self-harm or an accident, but there are small wounds on her hand and feet. It will be better if she stays in the hospital for a couple of days."

"Thank you doctor," Timothy said as he went beside Anne's bed to watch over her.

The two nurses were done with their work and bid goodbye to Timothy. The gently closed the door behind them as they left.

Timothy sat beside the bed and looked around the room. This was the same room they used when Anne was still recuperating from the accident. Some of the apparatus were changed but he assumed most of the rooms looked the same from the inside.

Timothy gazed at Anne and gently touched her forehead to remove the hair that fell on her face. He was thinking about how their lives changed so much due to an accident. Months passed and everything fell apart.

Anne was broken, inside and out.

Original novel by Chuchuwachuwa.