Being a Colton.

031.

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Frederick POV.

THE PRESENT.

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I dragged myself back to the waiting room, to find a chaotic scene in front of me. Francesca was crying and Irene's mom was yelling at me.

"Are you happy? Was this your plan? To kill my daughter?"

"Mandy, please..." Gabe, my father-in-law tried to plead for his wife to stop.

"No!" She wiped her tears away. "How dare you come here?! How fucking dare you?! The only reason my daughter is in there is because of you! She begged! Begged you!" She cried out. Mandy fell into Gabe's arms, she wept bitterly, which made it all the more hard for me. My parents stood on the other side of the room, staring at them with concern.

"Get the hell out! Get out!" She screamed at Francesca, who jumped.

"I... I am so sorry... I am..." She stuttered.

"I don't want to hear it! You had all this time to tell the truth! To free my daughter from the pain you put her in and you decided not to. How do you expect that I forgive you?! Your presence here is mocking her condition, so I want you to leave and never come back."

Maria walked toward Francesca, this time with a hard expression on her face. She clenched her jaw as if holding herself back.

"Leave, nobody wants you here." She stated calmly.

More tears started leaking from Francesca's eyes. I felt something twisted in me but I didn't approach or console her. Before I would have given anything to stop her crying, I would have demanded to know who hurt her but now, how could I? How could I? When I knew that it was another form of manipulation tactics. Another one I would have fallen for if I didn't know the truth.

"What exactly did you think come here would do huh? Francesca? Did you think all of us would hold hands and jolly away?" Maria asked her.

"I am... I am sorry... I just wanted to know... To know if she is fine..." She stuttered.

"If she is fine? Irene is in there, dying! Because of you and your best friend! You are disgusting and insensitive for all of these things!"

"I am sorry..." She blinked. "I will leave now..." She started back to the entrance where I was. She stopped when she saw me, standing there. She blinked and swallowed.

"Fe... Frederick..." She stuttered.

I looked down and walked toward Maria, ignoring her I could still feel her gaze behind my back. I didn't know what to say to her. I didn't know what she thought would happen when she was coming here but I didn't want to see her.

I could hear sobbing from behind me. I clenched my jaw, getting very irritated. I didn't want to hear her. I turned to Julius, who was standing not far from me.

"Get her out of here," I commanded.

"Fred... Frederick please..." She stammered. I sighed, I wasn't even in the headspace to talk to anyone, especially not her.

My mother walked toward me and pulled me into her arms. I didn't need comfort, from anyone, I just needed my wife to be okay, I needed her to come back to me.

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Two hours later, I was sat across three doctors, who didn't have good expressions on their faces.

"We are not sure that Mrs Irene Colton can survive of the fall. The trauma on her body is..." I knew how bad it was. I held her. I knew everything.

I had no tears left to cry, I had been here for about four hours and I had cried and prayed throughout but my future was looking more and more bleak. A future without Irene was not something I wanted to picture or imagine but it was looking like it was going to be my reality.