Her Last Plea✨

Chapter 48

Note: The underlined, italics section is a flashback.

............xxxxxxxxxxxxxx............

"Please. Don't pretend like you've suddenly fallen in love with me."

"Fallen in love….you infuriating, mental, lunatic of a woman! Of course I love you! I haven't had any bloody choice! You gave me a child! You're around me all the goddamn time! It was hard to avoid the natural progression of this relationship - arranged or not!"

It was another classic impasse between Mike and Delphina once Mira was tucked into her crib for the night. They never knew what started the fights, but it never mattered once they were knee deep with rage because the way to win was to see which button the other could jam in the hardest.

"You don't love me. Not the way you're supposed to!" Delphina exclaimed.

"I love you in all the ways that count!" Mike spat. "If I tried to love you any harder I swear it would kill me."

Delphina scoffed, shooting him a glare before walking out of the room. "I'm not that lucky."

"Mike?"

He felt a familiar hand lightly brace his shoulder as it lightly shook him out of his train of thought. Looking up, he saw Alexis take a seat next to him on the uncomfortably padded bench in the waiting room at the hospital, still in her pajamas.

"The children -"

"My parents have them," she explained softly. "I called Gary and we took the kids over to my parents'. Their place is closer to the hospital so I thought it'll be better for the kids to be there instead of calling Mom and Dad over to your place."

He nodded numbly, just as Garrett rounded the corner and sat on the bench opposite to them.

"The doctors aren't saying much," Mike informed them. "She'll be fine, though. She has to be."

His friends exchanged glances, and Alexis retracted her hand from his shoulder. She wasn't sure what she should do, and was trying to resist the urge to apologize for all but sleeping on him while his wife was roaming about upstairs. She could deal with her guilt later, but right now, she didn't know what to do for the man sitting beside her as he waited for someone to tell him anything.

"Have you or someone else contacted her parents or sister? Do you want me to call them?" Garrett asked after a while.

Mike gave a simple nod. "Her parents said they would come once there was news. As if the news of her being at the hospital isn't enough."

Garrett narrowed his eyes and Alexis bit her lower lip, both unsure of how to respond. Alexis was already preparing herself for the worst as they sat in the silent waiting room. She kept a small bit of space between her and Mike as they stared in every direction but each other.

They waited an hour before they heard any news. The look on Doctor Brown's face was enough, and Mike was fine without hearing the actual words.

"It was just too advanced, Mister Watson....."

Mike felt Alexis grip his hand tightly as he watched slow tears begin to roll down her cheeks. He managed to hoarsely squeak out a "yeah," and vaguely catch the details as to what to do next. Mike quietly asked Garrett to contact her parents, which he agreed to do. Mike shook his head to clear his tears before hearing himself ask if he could see her.

"Of course," Doctor Brown replied. "Please. Follow me."

Mike squeezed Alexis's hand as he let go to follow the doctor. She made no movement to follow, which didn't surprise him. Reaching the waiting room door, he turned around and looked at her. "Don't leave," he said, not even caring at how weak he must have sounded. "Please, Miller."