Episode 11.5: While He Slept (Maria Chapter)

Maria Rodriguez has been a wife for approximately two months now. She was expecting a nice time with her husband for at least four more, but this evening, she was slapped by the most challenging thing a wife could face.

"Rush him to the OR immediately!" the doctor, a Firbolg, yelled at the nurses as they burst through the doors of the hospital.

They were rolling someone on a bed. Andrew Roberts. Barely breathing and unmoving, they aimed to keep this young man alive.

Maria, along with the entire family, followed them with Christina in her arms. She had been crying during the entire trip from the hotel to the hospital and only now managed to calm down and sleep.

"My boy! Hang in there!" Marcus Roberts, Andrew's father, gripped his son's hand as hard as he could.

He intended to follow them to the ends of the Earth, but one of the nurses pried him away from the bed and urged him to not follow them any further.

Now at the threshold of the Operating Room, the doctor stopped in his tracks and turned to the group.

"All of you, stay in the waiting room," he said. "Make sure to fill in the paperwork. I know it's not something you'd rather do, but you need to leave him with us."

"DOCTOR!" one of the nurses yelled urgently.

After a slight groan, he jogged towards them.

And now, the family was left in the hospital waiting room. Their only solace were the uncomfortable chairs, the vending machine, and the chaotic energy of the hospital.

Maria, with Christina still in her arms, sat silently and waited.

She waited. That was all she could do.

That was until, a piece of paper appeared in front of her as Marcus handed her some documents.

"Here," he said. "Since you're his wife, this is your responsibility now."

Maria looked at the paper, then back at Marcus.

Right, hospital documents. That was just one of the things she got to do as a wife right?

To free her hands, she handed Christina to Marcus and grabbed the pen on the table.

What a mess, she thought as she wrote the necessary information in the blanks.

She replayed the event in her mind multiple times.

Could she have done something different? Could she have helped in any way?

With these questions swirling in her mind, she silently worked the papers.

Then, from a distance, the sound of rushing wind rattled against the windows. Everyone in the hospital turned their attention to the bizarre phenomenon with curiosity and fear.

"GET OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY!"

Soon after the warning, the window shattered. Fragments of glass flew everywhere. A strong gust filled the halls of the hospital, blowing away sheets, clothes, and paper.

Everyone panicked. The guards immediately rushed to the scene.

"WHERE'S MY SON?"

It was Audrey. She was still wearing her border guard uniform. Her face was twisted in rage and concern.

Marcus immediately rushed to his wife to calm her down.

"He's in surgery, honey," he said in an effort to pacify her. "Please, sit down."

"Get away from me, Marcus," she said. "Who did this to him huh?" He then turned to Chakob and Han who were telling the guards to stand down. "Chakob! Han! What the hell were you two doing? Huh?"

It was at this moment that Maria stood up to face her mother-in-law squarely. Then, without saying a word, she hugged her.

"Wha-?" Audrey exclaimed in surprise. And as soon as she saw Maria, all of her emotions melted like ice. "Maria..."

Maria let go and wrote on the paper, [He'll be ok].

"Right..." Audrey sighed. "I'm... sorry."

Maria nodded in reply and sat back down again.

Chakob and Han approached the now calm Audrey with grave expressions.

"It was Mikail," Chakob started. "He was working with The Miracleworker to set a trap for us."

"The bomb would've killed everyone, Mrs. Roberts," Han added. "He used everything he had to stop it and as a result, his body gave in. Unfortunately, Mikail escaped in the chaos."

Audrey buried her face in her hands.

"That stupid son of mine..." she groaned. "How long will the surgery take?"

"As long as it takes hun," Marcus replied as he rubbed her back. "So let's just sit down."

"Make sure to find this bastard," she said to Han who promptly replied with a nod.

After the family settled down again, they waited.

The clock ticked. Uninterrupted. Supreme. The sun hid and soon, they were bathed by the white fluorescent lights of the hospital.

Seconds passed. Then minutes. Then hours. Maria stopped looking so much at the clock in hopes that if her gaze was somewhere else, then time would march faster.

People came. People went.

Marcus elected to take Christina home so she could sleep on a comfortable bed and also to get some supplies for Andrew.

Chakob and Han disappeared soon after. Probably doing what they can to track down Mikail.

Alejandro and Mateo took turns sleeping and taking guard.

Audrey paced the floors to the point that her shoes left marks on the it.

And Rosemary made sure that everyone was well-fed, caffeinated, and hydrated.

"Here's your coffee, girl," she said as she handed Maria a piping cup.

Maria smiled in thanks and took it from her. She took a sip and tasted the French Vanilla on her tongue: her favorite.

Then she waited some more.

Thinking.

Praying. To what god? She had no idea.

All she wanted was for him to live.

For them to be together again.

And when the clock ticked to 3 am, the Firbolg doctor burst out of the doors of the operating room. The nurses rolled Andrew's body out as well, along with dozens of instruments designed to keep him alive.

Everyone immediately jumped to meet him, but Audrey was the first to ask a question.

"How is he, doctor?" she said.

The doctor motioned for them to step aside so the bed can pass by without issue. Then, he replied to Audrey's question.

However, Maria's attention was solely on Andrew.

Seeing him on that bed, barely clinging to life, sent her reeling back.

The same man who stopped the axe of their greatest general with one hand. The same man who smiled at her every time she cooked him something. The same man who always complained about Mr. Han whenever he came home.

That same man was now knocking on death's door, with nothing but medical instruments keeping him alive.

So she ran. As fast as she could. As far away as she could.

She found a washroom on her path and immediately rammed the door open.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to yell her heart out. But she couldn't. In her despair she was silent. All she could do was stare at herself on the mirror.

And she hated the girl that she saw. If only she was stronger, he wouldn't be in this situation. If only she had power.

In her rage, she drove her fist into her reflection and shattered the entire thing.

Someone.

Anyone!

"Hey, Maria, are you ok?"

It was Rosemary. She seemed to have followed her out of concern.

"Oh my gosh! You're bleeding!" she exclaimed as she took Maria's hand.

She bit her thumb until it bled and dotted the wounded hand with her blood. Then, as soon as Rosemary's blood hit the wound, it sizzled and began to heal.

"What the hell were you thinking punching a mirror like that?" she asked with a hint of anger. "Look, your poor hand-"

Before she could finish her scolding, Maria hugged her.

It was tight. Suffocating, almost. But Rosemary returned it.

"Oh honey," she said as she caressed Maria's hair. "Was it tough seeing him like that?"

Maria nodded and sobbed. Her whole body quivered with every breath and Rosemary's shoulder was damp with tears and sniffles.

The two girls stayed like that for a while. Neither of them were willing to part with the other.

"Have you calmed down a bit?" she asked when Maria seemed to have stopped crying.

Maria nodded but still wouldn't let go of her.

"Alright, I'll stay with you for a little bit more," she said. "But Maria, he needs you right now. More than ever. So cry. Despair, even. But once we get out of this washroom, you're going to stand strong and take care of him until he's better. Got that?"

Maria paused for a moment.

Strong?

Was that possible for her?

Then as soon as she asked that question, memories of Andrew started to appear one by one. Memories of their daily life. Of the many times he took care of her even though they were practically strangers. How he has always been a gentleman. How he treated her as a partner in crime instead of a damsel in distress.

As those memories filled her mind, the answer was simple: YES.

She can be strong and she will. All for his sake.

She then let go of Rosemary, splashed some cold water on her face, and slapped her cheeks in conviction.

"Good," Rosemary said with a satisfied smile. "Now go to him, girl."

Maria nodded and bolted out of the washroom.

It didn't take long for her to find Andrew's recovery room. She couldn't enter yet, as ordered by the doctor. But she watched him. Every breath he took was a testament to his strength and her reminder to do the same.

Then, the days went by. Then one month. Two months.

The quarantine room turned to a room that allowed limited visitations. Then, full visitations.

And in that time, she took care of him. From morning to night. Rain or shine. She was there.

People came. People went. But she stayed in the hospital. She wiped his body. She massaged his muscles. She communicated with the doctor.

Christina visit everyday too. She would come, picture book in hand, and tell him a story.

Some of the visitors and staff members who saw her a lot would look at her with pity. Some would even offer food along with their encouragements.

They would say things like, "It must be hard for you," or, "I can't imagine what you're going through."

Yes, it was difficult. But she had hope. She had hope that one day, her strong husband would open his eyes and give her his cheeky smile. That one day, he would crack jokes again or complain about his bosses.

Then, on one fateful day, her hopes were answered in the form of Mr. Han.

"Hello there, Mrs. Roberts," he waltzed in as she was peeling some apples beside Andrew's bed. "He asleep as usual?"

Maria gave him a slight smile and a nod.

He approached his bed and sighed.

"Why do I always find you unconscious and almost dead?" he asked. "Is it me? Am I the bad luck here?"

Of course, he didn't receive a reply.

"Well, no matter," he continued. "I came to tell you that I found a way to resurrect you."

At that, Maria jumped from her seat. Eyes, wide. Heart, rushing.

"Well, it was Gustave's idea," he said. "It'll be experimental at best, but the theory checks out."

Maria grabbed his collar and shook him for the rest of the details.

Then, Andrew's heart monitor went wild.

Mr. Han chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes," he said. And without warning, he used his nail to tear open a portal in time-space.

The rapid beeping soon attracted the attention of the nurse.

"What the hell's going on here?" the nurse exclaimed.

"Sorry, nurse," Mr. Han replied. "But we're going to have to switch to alternative medicine here."

He then snapped his fingers and they were transported into a new place.

And Maria, with Gustave and Han's help, entered a space where she could talk to him again. A peaceful meadow with a singular cottage in the middle of nowhere.

And standing like an idiot in the middle of the grass was Andrew.

She chuckled. Then, she opened her mouth for the first time in a long time.

"Hello there Andrew," she said.

Andrew slowly turned his head, eyes wide with surprise.

"Maria?"