The 12th Kiss

❁in your arms

❁in your arms

There was bliss in pain. Metilda had found it. In the jarring, unsettling noise of the humans wailing and screaming around her. She found bliss. Quaint bliss. Her nerves were calm, the turmoil brewing inside her heart had settled. She had done all she could. To make the last thirteen days pleasant for Louis. His last wish of having a family like James had been fulfilled.

She didn't need to cry no-more. She didn't need to stress no-more. It was all out of her control now. May the stars are fall out of the sky or may the sky bend over to steal her son, she wouldn't question it. All she could do was pray, pray for that Almighty being to be kind and to grace a five year old's life.

"I surrender" She whispered. Her lips froze when another voice joined hers.

"What's going on?"

Wild green eyes stared at her, hard.

It was sign or she thought. The instant she had given herself up, the man had drifted so far from her, stood in-front of her.

Vulnerable and baffled.

He had the right to know after all he was the father.

"Louis... he... (cough)." Her voice was ragged, each breath seemed to lag a mile behind. "(cough)...has a tumor in his brain. ..it couldn't be operated on easily. He... our son, might not make it."

John made a strangled noise as he sunk onto the hospital floor. "You've known for how long?"

"Thirteen days."

Metilda chewed down on her lower lip to stifle the sob about to erupt.

The man who had always thought logically, who never fully heeded to emotions, who hid his scars so well, broke down. A hurricane of sadness, dejection, hatred fled him. John shook under the weight, the burden of the world lay on his shoulders.

He hated himself. He despised his existence.

Blurry eyes looked at his own empty hands. "What kind of father am I? Am I so bad that you had to hide all this from me? DAMN IT! I wanted get rid of my own blood and flesh but I never wanted him to... Why? Why?"

John slammed his hands into his chest. "Why? Why? This is all my fault."

Metilda kneeled down beside John and took his shaking shoulders in her hands. Not a single word escaped her lips as she wove her hands under his arms, holding them against her fragile body.

John closed his eyes.

He was a sinking ship and she was his shore that was the kind of desperation with which he clung to her.

❁❁❁

Cool, moist air flittered in through the open window. Talihra sat beside Metilda, the warmth of her leg pressed against hers provided some comfort. Seconds had turned to minutes to hours, Metilda had lost count. John leaned against a distant wall. His eyes fixed on Metilda yet his mind wandered far away.

Jai, Talihra's husband, a short lean Indian man sat on the row chairs opposite to Metilda and Talihra. He was a kind man. The way he had reassured John was quite remarkable. He had only placed a hand on John's shoulder and said these words: "you cannot change what has happened. Accept the present and pull yourself together for your son. He could use every ounce of positivity at the moment."

For the first the time in four hours, Metilda looked up at John. He was as broken as she was. Maybe even more. He needed her. She needed him. He needed her to reassure him. She needed him to fight the demons.

She got up from her chair. The movement barely registering in her mind. John momentarily snapped out of the storm of chaotic thoughts. Before any another thought could pull her apart, she took hold of John's arm.

"I-I.." Her vision was blurred by tears. She began sobbing. "I-I'm sorry."

John wrapped his strong arms around her, holding her close to his chest. Metilda took a deep breath in, his scent lulling her mind into half-awake state.

"Our baby will be okay, right?"

John nodded, tightening his grip around her.

At the same moment, Dr. Mark came out of the operation theatre followed by his team. Metilda slipped from John's grasp as she rushed towards Mark.

Mark, his grey eyes looked more tired, his hair was more disordered than before. He gently caressed the back of Metilda's hand.

"The tumor was removed successfully."

Metilda breathed a sigh of relief. "Can I see him?"

"No, not yet. He hasn't regained consciousness..."

Mark's behavior seemed slightly off- Metilda noted.

"What's wrong?"

John stood behind Metilda. He held Mark's gaze. "Is my son okay?"

Mark glanced at his team and dismissed them before turning his attention back to the couple.

"We don't know."

In a flash, John's hands were gripping Mark's collar. He slammed Mark against the wall. All eyes in the hall were fixed upon them. The reception manager was about to call the police but Mark held up his hand, stopping her in the process.

"What do you mean by that?" John growled.

"Sir, please remove your hands."

When John's fingers didn't budge, Mark gripped his wrists and yanked his hands off. The man was strong, John had to give him that. His fist was about to collide with Mark's broody face when Metilda knocked John backward.

She held John's arm. "Let him talk. Please."

"Mark, what are talking about?"

Mark ran a hand across his jaw. "Until Louis regains consciousness, there is no telling anything. The damage caused by the removal of the tumor is unknown. The only logical guess I have is that since the tumor was so close to the motor coordination area that Louis may have difficulty in walking, maybe do doing simple things like eating. I can't say anything for sure. We have to wait till he wake up."

He patted Metilda's shoulder and walked away, leaving a broken man and a frazzled mother to fend for themselves.

❁❁❁

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Note: Sorry for the short chapter. This is the first part of this chapter. There was no-way I could have written the entire thing with the way my life is these days. In the last chapter, I had said that I like Mark not that Metilda will end up with him.

I hope you liked this chapter though.<3

You guys have no idea how much your comments mean to me. (As strange as this may sound ... sometimes your comments are the only source of joy I have)

And I promise you- No-matter how this story ends. I will use all my power to make you fall in love with John... even if it is the last thing I do