CHAPTER 3
He opened the door and saw her lying unconsciously on a drip and an oxygen supporting machine. He came closer to her as he stood beside the bed, observing her from head to toe but she was motionless and covered in a hospital bed spread.
"When you're done playing your tricks you get up and tell me what's going on." He said to her without any sympathy towards her condition. A nurse came in to check on her. Greetings were exchanged and he was asked if she was her guardian.
"I don't get…I wasn't the one who brought her here…" He replied the nurse who was surprised.
"Then who did?" She asked him.
"There must be a mistake here…I was told she was involved in an accident and came here…" He told her.
"A man brought her here but he never came back nor paid her bills. Since then, she had no visitors, you're the first to come see her." She kindly explained to him.
"Does that mean no treatment had begun on her?" He asked the nurse.
"Yes. We just dressed her injuries and kept her on oxygen supporting machine as she can't breathe on her own.
"Okay…I'll pay the bills so treatment can commence on her right away." He told her.
"Okay sir, you can do that at the receptionist and bring us the payment receipt." The nurse said as she replaced the used drip.
"Who are you to her? Are you her relative, husband or friend?" The nurse asked him as she was injecting Haera.
".... friend." He said to her after a pause, contemplating what to say and who he was actually to her. Was he wen a friend to her? He thought within himself.
"You must be a nice person." The nurse stated.
"Thanks but…why did you say that?" He asked her, wondering why she made such a statement.
"You're the only one that visited her…you must be a true friend. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you if she wakes up hopefully." The nurse said as she went out of the ward.
Ryan sat on the only available chair in the ward as he stared at Haera. If she had been admitted for three days now, then who was it that he saw the previous day? Or was his mind playing tricks on him? Or maybe it was because he kept thinking about her that he mistook the lady as her. But he's sure it was her…the face was that of hers even when she turned to look at him. It must have been another person and not her, he was mistaken. He thought all alone, battling with his thoughts.
He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind as he reached for her hand. He held it in his but she wasn't moving. He thought about what could have caused such an accident and wondered if the person responsible for it was caught or had run away. The nurse came in again and told him that they would start treatment on her the next day as they had scheduled a time for her which was 10:45 am. He promised to be there before then. He stayed in the hospital with her for some time before he went back to work and then home.
The next day, he went to work to put one or two things in order before he left for the hospital. He filled in the papers for her treatment as she was taken into the X- Ray room where she was checked. It was discovered that she had fractured her leg, arm and the accident also affected her brain which was likely to lead to amnesia.
It was a shock to Ryan on hearing that. Haera won't be able to remember him again, they met just once before he got the bad news. He stayed by her side, visiting her frequently for two months as she recovered slowly even though it was hard for him on his part. He missed her lovely smiles and kindness as he watched her recover, holding her hands in his.
"You look pretty even when you're sick. How rude…" He whispered to her as she lay unconscious but without the support of an oxygen machine. Her finger moved in his hand and he felt it. Was his mind playing tricks on him again or did it move? He decided to ignore it as he could be imagining things due to the stress he'd faed lately when he noticed her other hand wasn't on the bed but on her stomach. He rushed out immediately to call the nurse.
She was examined by the doctor who told him that she was out of coma and she might wake up any time soon. Ryan was very happy with him as he was instructed to get something for her to take when she wakes up.
He promised to do so as he stayed by her side for a few minutes before leaving. He asked the nurse to take care of her before he arrived as he went to get her something to eat and drink.
He bought some fruit and yogurt so she could take it as an appetizer before she began to eat much.
He was about to leave when he remembered he saw a young woman entering the restaurant where he had bought the items with a flower. He remembered what the old man said concerning Haera liking flowers.