For Love and maybe Blood

~ > 1 < ~

~But of all these friends and lovers
  There is no one compares with you~

My eyes squeezed tightly shut as it was far too bright around me and the horrible beeping I heard was killing me. I groaned and turned my head to the side in confusion as I still couldn't open my eyes. "George?", I mumbled, trying to open my eyes with slow steps as the light wasn't quite so uncomfortable anymore. "Lilibeth," I could hear his familiar voice. It sounded so strange to hear that voice, but...
Wait, where was I anyway? "Adam, she's awake," I heard this time.
I tried to lift my left hand and grabbed my forehead, but still kept my eyes closed. My fingers felt a strange material on my forehead. Was that a bandage?
"I go to get a doctor," came from somewhere and I knew that voice too, but couldn't interpret it. "George," I mumbled again, squinting my eyes even harder as a pain formed in the back of my head. "I'm here," he said softly, squeezing my hand even tighter, "And I'll never let you go."
I squeezed his hand too and slowly turned my head towards him. Slowly I tried to open my eyes, which worked this time but was still too bright.
In front of me, I saw George, whose eyes were slightly red and I smiled. "Hey," he said softly, stroking the back of my hand. "Hey," I managed weakly and looked around. We were no longer at the farm... This was definitely not a farm. And that smell...
"Where am I?" I asked, confused, turning my head back to George.
"At the hospital," he answered. In the ... what??
How did I get to the hospital...?
I heard a dull noise and squinted my eyes again, as it was far too loud.
"Miss Ward?", I heard a male voice say. I opened my eyes again and looked next to George, where a man in a white coat was standing. He had dark hair and was older.
"I'm glad you finally woke up and that there wasn't much trouble," he said, smiling at me. "I'm Dr Sharon," he introduced himself. I just nodded because I was still completely confused.
What kind of problems?
"Miss Ward, I would like to ask you a few questions if that would be okay".
I nodded again.
"Can you tell me your full name?"
"Elizabeth Ward," I replied, squeezing George's hand tighter.
"Your date of birth?"
"04.11.1998"
"And do you know what day it is?"
I thought for a moment. Today had been the riding lesson, so...
"Thursday?" I said.
George looked at the doctor and Dr Sharon looked from his papers back to me. 
"One last question: Do you know what happened?" he asked.
I thought about it but found it difficult as there was a sharp pain in my head and I squinted my eyes.
"Dr Sharon, she's in pain," George said, upset. "It was probably far too many questions, for the  beginning."
"Mr Russell, I'm the doctor here, not you," Dr Sharon interjected.
"And I'm her boyfriend, so I know what's good for her," George said more sternly this time and let go of my hand.
"And I'm still a doctor who knows about people, so sit down again," Dr Sharon said and walked once around the bed to go to the other side. I put my head back on my side and looked at George, who started to smile again and gently clasped my hand.
His eyes lit up and I was immediately in love again. Again I tried to think why I was lying here and tried to recall my last memories. I closed my eyes and thought back...
I sat on Alice and did the normal exercises, but I was not in a good mood. George and I were arguing. When I looked at him, his eyes no longer sparkled and I just tried to ignore it. I rode on and tried to suppress my feelings and then-
"Ahh," I shrieked, wrenching my eyes open.
A sharp pain formed in my upper left arm and I turned my head to the left to see what was happening. Dr Sharon seemed to have given me something because he had a syringe in his hand. "It's painkillers, Miss Ward don't worry," he assured me but this didn't interest me at the moment. I was more interested in how I got here and why I was stuck here on equipment in the hospital with a severe headache.
"George, did I fall off the horse?" I asked slowly as I turned my head back towards him.
"Lilibeth-"
"Mr Russell, perhaps it would be better not to tell her, after all, she has only just woken up from a coma," Dr Sharon interrupted him. "This might not be good for her."
"Dr Sharon, she should probably know what happened, she's always-"
"So now you're coming back with this?"
"Stop it," I heard a third voice interject.
Confused, I looked around the room to follow the voice, because I knew it, but didn't want to believe it was the voice. When I discovered the person, my eyes widened and my breath quickened.
"I don't like it when someone shouts at my future son-in-law," Uncle Adam said to Dr Sharon.
"Future son-in-law?", I asked confusedly noticing the stinging in my head getting stronger.
Were George and I engaged? Was I missing something? And what the hell was Uncle Adam doing here?
 Why???
"Can someone please tell me what is going on," I asked, looking at all three men.
"Well, yes," Dr Sharon conceded defeat. "As long as it's not a lot at once, you can tell her what's happened"
George squeezed my hand lightly and I turned my attention to him and to his beautiful brown eyes, which this time looked serious again. "Lilibeth" he started and his face became even more serious. "You should probably know that it's not Wednesday, but Saturday."
I turned my head to the side and screwed up my face. "How is that possible...It's just..."
I fell silent because I was completely confused.
"You've been in a coma for almost four days now" George continued, swallowing hard.
"You... you've had emergency surgery because you fell off a horse."
My head fell back in the pillows and I tried to process everything. I had been cut off from reality for a whole four days although it felt like a few hours ago I had fallen asleep and woken up in the middle of the night after a nightmare.
"Miss Ward, you had a concussion from falling on your head and severe bleeding on your abdomen and sides from being kicked by the horse. Fortunately nothing serious and it seems the concussion is not serious as you were not disoriented."
I just nodded because I didn't understand half of it anyway.
"If there is anything, call me. Miss Ward's condition currently seems fine and I don't see any damage," the doctor said but was probably not directed at me. "
Thank you, Dr Sharon," Uncle Adam thanked him before the doctor left the room again.
I raised my head again and looked back and forth between George and Uncle Adam. My head still hurt, but slowly I came to.
"Future son-in-law?" I asked confusedly, looking reproachfully at Uncle Adam. "And what are you doing here anyway?"
"Firstly, if you're asking if you're engaged, no. Secondly, I'm here to check up on you."
I opened my mouth to retort, but George beat me to it.
"He was with me and he was there for me," he said. "Besides, I wouldn't be here with you if it wasn't for him."
"Why is that?" I asked, confused.
"Well, that... well..."
"I pretended to be your father," Uncle Adam answered for George and I raised my eyebrows but lowered my head again.
"You're lucky I'm too weak to yell with you guys," I said. "But you're not serious? You both lied"
"I lied, George kept his mouth shut," Uncle Adam objected.
"It's the same thing," I interjected and closed my eyes.
In my head, there was the biggest confusion ever and I didn't know what to do. Why was all this happening? The headache was getting more and more acute and I squinted my eyes again. When I opened them again, my eyes slid to Uncle Adam, who was leaning back against the wall and looking at me. Our gazes met and sure enough, I didn't look away from him, which I expected of myself. But then I remembered again what had happened between us. We argued and it was again about the one thing that changed him and me, but only that, but also my relationship with my family.
"George, would you mind leaving me and Lilibeth alone?" Uncle Adam asked suddenly. "Just for a few minutes, I'd like to talk to her in private."
My head turned to George and I was about to tell him not to go, but he raised his eyebrows and I knew immediately what he was trying to say.
Talk to him because he deserves it. Don't be so bitchy, Lilibeth.
George let go of my hand before he got up from the chair and put his hand gently on my cheek. His face bent down and he pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, which made me smile.
"I'll never leave you again, don't worry," he assured me and gave me a smile before letting go of me, turning to Uncle Adam and nodding once before walking to the door to leave the room.
I didn't dare look at Uncle Adam, so I looked at the window and tried to catch a glimpse of the outside.
"Do you think you're ready to talk to me for a bit?" Uncle Adam started.
My head turned towards him as he came closer to the bed and sat down where George had been sitting so far.
"Do you mean in general because I just woke up from a coma or because you hurt me and didn't even think to apologise to me?"
He exhaled deeply and looked at the floor for a moment before looking at me again.
"Both."
I rolled my eyes. Of course, it was the same again. "What do you want to talk to me about?", I asked, hoping that this conversation would end soon, even if it had only just begun.
"About what we were arguing about," he replied. I turned my head back to him and raised my eyebrows. "Las Vegas?", I asked to be sure. "You're going to tell me what happened in Las Vegas?"
If this was really happening right now, then I was unprepared, apart from having just woken up from a coma - which I still find hard to believe - this was weird. Now, where did this decision come from? But I was just far too weak to think about it.
"Well, I... well... No"Of course, he didn't, it was obvious again.
"And what do you want to tell me about Las Vegas then?" I asked, shaking my head.
"Lilibeth, understand that I'm not ready for that", he said. "I just can't tell you."
"And why not?", I asked, confused. "What happened that was so bad? You were in the room and suddenly you weren't you anymore."
"I just can't tell you, not now," he repeated. I rolled my eyes and dropped into the pillow.
"Did you lose too much money at the casino?", I guessed. "Did you gamble against someone when you were drunk? Or did you play against the wrong people? Or were you on the slot machine too much? Say something," I urged. "I need answers, now. You've been keeping it from me long enough now."
He didn't say anything for a while and I waited anxiously for an answer - or rather for the next lie. "You didn't say anything about it for years after that evening and now you're interested in him," he said. "But you have to trust me when I tell you that it's just not good if you know what happened".
"You do realise that this sounds like one of the latest crime series?" I asked with raised eyebrows.
"Fine, you don't have to believe me if it is," he said with a biting undertone. I wanted to shout at him, but I didn't because I wasn't sure about my own condition. "I have to go back to Las Vegas," he continued, making me look at him again.
"You want to go to Las Vegas?" I asked. "You swore you'd never go back there, "I remembered clearly our conversation when we were both on the plane, on our way to Hungary and swore to each other never to set foot in that city again, If he didn't do it, I didn't either. Besides, I couldn't go and play poker without Uncle Adam.
"I know, Princess," he said, and my heart warmed right back when he called me that, like before. "But I have to go there. I need to raise money as fast as possible because the company is going broke and the casino is the fastest option."
Uncle Adam was one of the bosses in a company in Hungary where they built houses. Business was always good, which is why I was puzzled that they had financial problems. "Then go to Budapest, it doesn't have to be Las Vegas."
"It does because I'll give you half a million in one go"
"Half a million?" I repeated in shock and my eyes widened.
How could a company have so much debt???
"It's a lot of money, I know. That's why I have to go to Vegas, it's quick".
"What do you mean fast?", I asked confused.
"But playing for half a million in Vegas still takes a long time, even if it's you" I interjected.
"But still, that's not the main thing. You swore you wouldn't go there again. That town has made you-"
"Made you crazy?" he finished my sentence. "No it hasn't, Lilibeth," he contradicted me. "But that's important."
I took a deep breath and tried to find something to keep him from leaving. He was not allowed to do this under any circumstances. "I will try to come back in a month."
"You can't leave," I interjected. "This is not good, we can find another solution-"
"There isn't one," he said.
"What about the bank?", I asked confused. "Surely they must be underpinning you..."
"Lilibeth, this is not Germany, it's Hungary"
Uncle Adam stood up from his chair and gently grabbed my hands. "I'll go in a minute."
"But-"
"No, Lilibeth"
"You swore," I repeated desperately. "Please don't go Uncle Adam, please."
I felt the tears slowly flowing down my cheek. I knew I couldn't let him go back to Las Vegas, he would go even crazier...
"I have to"
"You don't have to do anything"
His cold hands gently brushed my cheek and wiped away the tears. I always remembered Uncle Adam's cold hands and his warm ones.
"I'm sorry, Princess, but I have to do it. It will be all right," he assured me. He looked at me for a while without saying anything before continuing. "I'm sorry, Lilibeth. For what I said to you, for disowning you from our family because of me, for not being able to tell you the truth and for not always being able to protect you," he said and the tears came even more.
Lately, I never wanted more than an apology and now it was here.
And I didn't want to hear it - I wanted to hear him change his mind and stay with me.
"Uncle Adam, please stay, I need you," I pleaded.
"I love you, Princess," he said, stroking my cheek one last time before letting go of me and turning around.
"No," I sobbed, falling more and more silent. "Please come back"
The tears became more and I couldn't cry out for him to come back or for someone to take him back. I fell silent in my own crying more and more and I didn't know what to do because I was weak in this hospital bed and I couldn't stop him.