Shadows of Conflict

"Anna, my darling, how are you feeling now?" Wennes asked as she entered the room, taking a seat beside Anna. Taylor followed Wennes, maintaining a quiet demeanor, his concern evident on his face. Anna responded, "Yeah, I am good now."

Anna then glanced at Taylor, who stood in the corner. Their eyes locked, and Taylor spoke, "Are you okay?" Anna smiled, assuring him, "Yeah."

Porsche, who had been standing at a distance, observed Anna and then looked at Taylor.

Approaching Anna, he apologized, "I'm sorry that you guys had to hurry here."

Taylor interjected, "No, it wasn't a problem. I was already very worried for Anna." The atmosphere in the room grew more awkward for everyone, the unspoken tension hanging in the air.

As Porsche received a call from Ken, he excused himself and stepped out of the room. 

Seizing the opportunity, Wennes playfully remarked, "Everything sounds good between you two raccoons. Am I right?"

No Anna laughed, replying, "The male raccoon is the real problem." Both of them burst into laughter.

Taylor, wanting to contribute, approached Anna, suggesting, "Let me cut some fruits for you."

Anna hesitated, claiming she was full, but Taylor insisted. As he brought a slice of apple close to Anna's mouth, the door suddenly swung open—Porsche entered, looking somewhat surprised by Taylor's gesture.

A hint of jealousy flared within Porsche as he saw Taylor close to Anna.

Sensing Anna's discomfort, Porsche walked towards them with a stern look and addressed Taylor, "I think I need to talk to you." Taylor, maintaining a friendly demeanor, replied, "Yeah, sure. What is it?" Porsche, smiling back, suggested, "Can we talk outside?" The tension in the room escalated as Porsche and Taylor stepped out for a private conversation.

Seizing the opportunity, Wennes playfully remarked, "Everything sounds good between you two raccoons. Am I right?" Anna laughed, replying, "The male raccoon is the real problem." Both of them burst into laughter.

Taylor, wanting to contribute, approached Anna, suggesting, "Let me cut some fruits for you."

Anna hesitated, claiming she was full, but Taylor insisted. As he brought a slice of apple close to Anna's mouth, the door suddenly swung open—Porsche entered, looking somewhat surprised by Taylor's gesture.

A hint of jealousy flared within Porsche as he saw Taylor close to Anna.

Sensing Anna's discomfort, Porsche walked towards them with a stern look and addressed Taylor, "I think I need to talk to you."

Taylor, maintaining a friendly demeanor, replied, "Yeah, sure. What is it?" Porsche, smiling back, suggested, "Can we talk outside?"

The tension in the room escalated as Porsche and Taylor stepped out for a private conversation.

Back in the hospital room, Anna looked at Wennes with concern and questioned, "Do you think everything is alright between them?"

Wennes, offering reassurance, held Anna's hand and said, "Don't worry. Everything will be alright." Anna nodded, finding some comfort in Wennes' words.

Meanwhile, Porsche and Taylor walked outside the hospital.

As they reached the parking lot, Porsche abruptly stopped, prompting Taylor to ask, "Where are we going?" Porsche remained silent, continuing to walk until they stood still.

Breaking the silence, Taylor asked, "What is it?" Porsche turned to face Taylor, sighed, and then...

THUD.

The sound of a harsh punch resonated. Taylor, surprised, widened his eyes, shouting, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Porsche retorted, "You deserve this." He continued, "You knew she wasn't well, but instead of telling us, you took her on vacations, worsening her condition.

You were aware she couldn't take pills, yet you chose to ignore her declining health." The tension between them reached its peak.

"Hahahahahah," Taylor began laughing hysterically, leaving Porsche perplexed. Taylor's laughter continued until Porsche, fueled by frustration, delivered another punch, causing Taylor to fall to the ground. 

Porsche shouted, "Is it funny to you?" Taylor, still on the ground, retorted, "I guess you are the one who did this to her."

A heavy silence enveloped Porsche as Taylor's words sank in.

Taylor continued to shout, "You turned a blind eye to her sufferings. Do you even know how much she was going through? Yet, you complain about me taking her on vacations. I did that to make her feel good. Meanwhile, you followed her, contributing to her torment. You caused her all the pain. You are the one responsible for her condition."

The accusation hung in the air, intensifying the gravity of the situation between Porsche and Taylor.

Taylor approached Porsche, whispering in his ears, "Do you think she still loves you after all the pain you've caused her? Do you think she still trusts you after you left her all alone?"

With those words, Taylor walked away, giving Porsche a side bump. Porsche stood there, Taylor's words echoing in his mind.

A sudden ring from his phone interrupted his thoughts. As he answered the call, it was Anna on the line. She urgently said, "Porsche, come back to the room right now."

Without much thought, Porsche, feeling a bit confused, went straight back to the room. The weight of Taylor's words lingered as he moved through the hospital corridors, unsure of what awaited him in Anna's room.

He opened the door, his eyes widening as he saw Anna standing there, looking worried.

Wennes was attempting to calm her down. Porsche began to ask, "Ann-" but before he could say anything, Anna interjected, "Porsche, what happened between you and Taylor?"

She further inquired with concern, "Why did he leave without saying goodbye? Huh? I just received his message, and he said you punched him out of nowhere. What is going on? Can you please explain?"

Without addressing any of Anna's questions, Porsche approached her, took her hands in his, and politely said, "Can you please calm down for a bit? You haven't recovered yet."

"No, please, first explain to me what did he do that you had to be physical with him?" Anna demanded.

Porsche attempted to guide her to sit on the bed, with Wennes also trying to help calm her down.

However, Anna resisted and raised her voice, saying, "Porsche, I don't want you to get violent over things that can be solved by negotiating." 

Porsche, overwhelmed with frustration, shouted, "CAN YOU LISTEN TO ME FIRST?"

Anna, taken aback by Porsche raising his voice, felt a bit scared.

Quickly realizing his mistake, he apologized, saying, "I am sorry, but can you listen to me first, please?"

Anna stayed silent as Porsche continued to explain, "It is our matter. I'll explain everything to you once I sort it out myself."

Anna, despite Porsche's explanation, muttered, "B-But you shouldn't have punched him, Porsche. I know you for your kindness, not for your violence. I hate it when you get violent."

Porsche sighed as he paced around the room, then added, "Can you trust me, please?"

Anna, attempting to control her emotions, burst into tears as she replied, "I'll trust you, but first, assure me that you will apologize to him now."

Frustrated, Porsche looked away, then back at Anna, and said, "Rather than trusting me, all you want is to care about that guy?"

Anna shouted back, "No, I just don't want people to know you as a violent guy."

Porsche moved closer to Anna and said, "Can you please stop this bullshit? You know that this isn't good for your health."

Anna approached even closer, cleared her tears, and muttered, "If you know that it isn't good for my health, then why are you doing this?"

Wennes, unsure of how to calm them down, quickly called Ken as the situation seemed to be getting out of hand.