LOVE IS A GIFTED FLOWER | Ben X Luna ~ Fate: The Winx Saga

Chapter 11 - Getting Back On Track

At Alfea, Saul and Farah were increasingly worried about their best friend. Seeing him in such pain was hurting them so much, especially as they were helpless in the face of his distress.
The headmistress had made several calls to the clinic, but she hadn't managed to get any information about the Queen's health, and Andreas was having fun talking nonsense to cover the tracks. Stella was their last hope.
At the end of her hour-long lesson on Wednesday, the mind fairy decided to hold her in class a little longer to talk with her.

"Stella, if I'm not prying, I'd like to know how your mom is doing," she said, looking concerned.

The girl took a step back, suspicious.

"If Professor Harvey sent you, he shouldn't be under any illusions, my mom doesn't want to hear from him anymore," she replied curtly.

Her teacher stared at her, a little confused.

"Did your mom really tell you that she doesn't want to see him anymore?" she inquired, sad at the thought of telling her friend such a heartbreaking thing. "Do you use to talk about Professor Harvey when you go to the clinic?"

The student was taken aback by the question and answered uncomfortably:

"Not exactly, but she discusses it a lot with Andreas when they're alone, and he's the one who told me about this, but I suppose he's telling the truth, considering my mom's life's blown apart. Her skin grafts seem to be working, but she has a long rehabilitation ahead of her."

Farah squinted, processing what the light fairy had just told her. She seemed to be in good faith, but Andreas, less so. He was manipulating her, she was sure. Luna wasn't well, but she was so attached to Ben, even when help had arrived after the fire. When they were both in the same room, their love was more than palpable, the Queen couldn't have made a decision that would break both of their hearts, it was insane.

"All right, tell her Professor Harvey, Mr Silva and I say hello,' she acquiesced, smiling sympathetically. "We wish her a speedy recovery, and if you need to talk, I'm here."

The teenager thanked her and hurried out of the classroom, leaving Farah puzzled. With Ben still in hospital for a few days, this was not the time to put the plan into action. They had to wait.

***

At the same time, at the hospital, Ben grabbed his mobile phone. The medical staff had decided to keep him for a few days for observation, and he still had an hour to kill before his first appointment with a psychologist. Naturally, he logged on to his Instagram account and checked his inbox. Even though he knew Luna wouldn't reply, he wanted to send her a message. He wanted to tell her that he had tried to visit her on Monday afternoon, and that he loved her to bits.
He began to type the message he was going to send her, searching for the right words to say:

"Luna love, if you only knew how sorry I am for ruining your life. I miss you so much, so much so that on Monday afternoon I escaped from the hospital to come to the clinic and visit you. You're probably wondering why I was in hospital, and I won't hide the fact that, racked with guilt and worry, I got so drunk I assumed an alcoholic coma. Pathetic, isn't it?
I heard your voice, my blossom, and that's what made me enter the clinic without permission. You were there, on that bed, and we were separated by a glass. I couldn't come in without a special suit, I might have killed you, and I couldn't bear that.
When I tried to put the suit on, they stopped me. I never got to go and comfort you and kiss you, they took me to police headquarters, they separated us.
I don't know when you'll read this message, but know that I love you more than you could possibly imagine and I think of you all the time."

He wiped away some tears and sent the message. That way she would know the truth, and more importantly, that he hadn't abandoned her.
A few minutes later, a small woman in her sixties with short salt-and-pepper hair entered the room, holding a notebook.

"Good morning, Mr Harvey, I'm Eva Dean, your psychologist," she greeted him as she sat down on the seat beside the bed. "How are you today?"

"I could be better," he answered with a sigh.

"What happened to make you drink like that?" she questioned in a soft voice.

At first reluctant to tell a stranger about his life, he decided to talk about the nightmare he was living.

"I've been a widower for a number of years, my wife passed away in a car accident, and I had finally allowed myself to love again. To tell you the truth, I couldn't control my feelings towards her, and I fell in love. She is an absolutely wonderful lady and also a widow. When I invited her to my suite for a date, we couldn't have been happier. Except that before we fell asleep on the sofa, I forgot a candle, and it set the whole room on fire. My girlfriend was seriously burned and I'm not even allowed to visit her, can you believe it? The police proved it was an accident, but I still can't see her," he explained, in tears.

The lady placed her hand on his shoulder kindly, moved. She had seen many people cry, but Ben's story touched her particularly.

"You feel guilty about what happened, but I can assure you that you had nothing to do with it," she comforted him warmly. "Can you still hear from her?"

He shook his head, even more distraught.

"No, only her daughter and her best friend are allowed to see her, but they hold me responsible for the fire...and I know that this guy is interested in my partner and is extremely jealous," he admitted. "I'm afraid he'll manipulate them to get what he wants."

The psychologist continued to make notes in her notebook.

"I sense sadness, but also a lot of wrath in you when you're talking about this guy. You are very frustrated by this situation and I understand, but unfortunately I am a simple mind fairy, and I can't legally interfere in people's minds to manipulate them at the risk of losing my job."

"I know, Madam, but you're listening to me, and just that makes me feel better," he affirmed with a smile. "When my partner is out of the clinic, we'll get together, I'll go to her, and I hope she'll still love me after what happened, because I'll never stop loving her."

She closed her notebook and stared at him confidently.

"There are some things you can't control, and other people's reactions are one of them," she retorted. "The important thing is to try, to go and show her your love. Maybe she'll be angry with you, but maybe she won't hold it against you and is still in love with you."

Mixed with the tears, Ben's smile widened. He would wait as long as it could take to get to Luna, his beloved, and hug her, even if it meant dealing with Andreas and facing Stella's wrath.