The Curiosities Concerning Fate

∷ Chapter 32 ∷

——— 12 years ago

ADINE SAT ON the hospital bed, her feet dangling over the side as she stared at the drawn curtains in front of her. She'd been left alone for a while now and though she appreciated not having to be around strangers, it was starting to make her feel queasy.

She was just beginning to contemplate finding someone to tend to her when the curtains were pulled aside abruptly, causing her to jerk backwards in surprise.

"My apologies," the man said after having noticed her reaction.

Adine said nothing except to quietly scrutinise him. He was wearing a white lab coat, the tag pinned above the pocket spelling the name: Dr Roberto Alrik. She looked over his shoulder and noticed the nurse standing behind him. She had an equally friendly smile on her face, although hers seemed to be dampened by perceivable pity.

"Hello," the doctor said, bending slightly to get to her eye level. She noticed the way his gaze flickered to the bruising on her neck for a millisecond before he met her eyes again.

"Hi," Adine whispered, her voice hoarse.

"I'm Dr Alrik, and this is Grace," he said, gesturing to the nurse who waved at her. "What's your name?"

"Adine."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Adine," Roberto said, reaching a hand towards her as she shook it hesitantly.

"Are you here alone?" he asked.

"Mike had to deal with some admin stuff."

"And who's Mike?" Roberto continued.

"My best friend," she said.

Roberto allowed his gaze to drop to her neck where the bruising was getting more prominent by the second. He could discern the outline of the hands that had been clamped around the child's neck, the observation causing his demeanour to falter.

He could tell that she was afraid, visibly shaken by the entire ordeal, yet trying hard not to appear affected by the recent occurrences. He admired her bravery but wondered if perhaps she'd been forced into that position: to put up a brave front in the face of adversities; to suppress her real emotions for fear of unknown consequences.

"Am I going to die?" she asked, the blunt question coming from a child her age, spoken without a hint of emotion, surprised him.

He didn't want to think of how often she found herself in horrendous situations; enough of which to warrant such enquiries.

He did his best to keep smiling; to keep an air of positivity about him as he retrieved the stethoscope from around his neck. He inserted the earpieces gently into her ears before placing the chest piece over her heart. A few seconds passed, allowing him to observe the awed expression on her face as she listened to the goings-on in her chest.

"Did you hear your heartbeat?" he asked, finally retrieving the stethoscope from her.

She nodded, enthused yet slightly confused by his actions.

"You're alive, Adine," he said. "Your heartbeat is proof of that."

He leaned forward, locking eyes with her.

"And I want you to stay alive; to stay strong. Can you do that for me?"

She stared at him, keeping her gaze locked with his. And for the first time in all her years, she saw sincerity and warmth in the eyes of an adult. He was as genuine with his intentions as he was with his words.

It was a concept entirely foreign to her, the realisation of which pushed the first of her tears over the edge of her eyes and down her cheeks. She was tired of constantly pretending she was okay when she wasn't and she found herself thinking, that if it was him, it would probably be alright to finally let her guard down.