Unorthodox Love

chapteR FifteEn

"... you left her alone when she needed help!" I heard a vaguely familiar voice shout. "She could've been laying there for hours! Did you see how much blood she lost?"

"I know, I'm sorry..." although the voices were slightly muffled I still heard the way my brother's voice cracked.

"You think sorry cut's it? You just came  right now!" A pause. "You only came five hours later!"

I knew I wasn't mistaken when I figured it was my brother's voice. And the fact he was late only confirmed my suspicion.

Finally finding the energy to move around I shifted a little on the bed. Slowly opening my eyes, maybe it is Axel.

But when the lights faded slightly and my vision cleared, alone with me in the grey scale room was only my teary eyed brother.

And there was no trace of Axel.

I tried to hoist myself to a sitting position. Just as I applied pressure on my left hand pain shot through my arm. I cried in pain, it was unbearable.

"Ava!" Xavier snapped from, what it seems like, a reverie. "Be careful." He walked over to me and helped me sit up.

I placed my injured arm on his shoulder and tried to push myself with the other. I grimaced in slight pain.

Once I was sat, Xavier took my hand and examined my wrist. I, too, took time to examine. Only I examined his face, not his wrist.

His eyes were lined with bags and his eyelids were slightly drooped. His skin looked lighter than usual. His hair was sticking up in different directions, messed up in an unattractive way, meaning he has run his hands through his hair several times.

"I'm so sorry." His voice was small, barely a whisper. But the emotion in it was bigger than those three words combined. Pure guilt, sorrow, and sadness were all that filled his tone. He looked so vulnerable right now, that he looks like he's going to break down.

And just as I expected a tear fell from his eye. A pang of remorse hit me in the face like a brick wall. I've never seen Xavier this sad before, in fact I never thought he was capable of feeling.

"I'm sorry." He said. "I'm sorry for leaving you all the time. I'm sorry for all the excuses I made just to make you leave me alone. I'm sorry for not being there. I'm sorry--"

Before he could say more, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him with as much power as I could put (which was very little if you ask). "It's not your fault. I understand now, you were doing it for work. Your shifts end late too so I completely get it."

He was silent for a moment, then I knew there was something wrong. "You see..." he started uneasily. "My shift actually ends" he coughed "pretty early." He rushed the last part.

But I still heard all of it loud and clear. I flinched, as if I was slapped. A wave of emotions crashed above me, and suddenly my life felt as if it was once again crumbling beneath my feet.

A knock on the door disturbed my frantic thoughts. "Good afternoon, Ava I see you're doing well." A man dressed in a doctor's attire entered the room.

Finding a hard time to find my words all I could do is nod.

"Oh, allow me to introduce myself. I am your doctor, Doctor Adam."

He reached out to shake my hand but I didn't make a move. He just nodded and clapped his hands.

"Okay, so I'm here to talk to Mr. Sage, so if you please..." he gestured over the door. Xavier stood up and walk out the door. Doctor Adam left with a salute and said "Don't worry we won't take long." He smiled.

And as that single door shut a million thoughts entered my mind.

Why did Xavier lie to me? Maybe it was for the best? But what would make it bad for me to find out? What on earth does he do after his work is over? How come he never bothered to tell me when his shift ends--

Two soft but audible knocks sounded. I didn't answer but the door opened slowly revealing a lady I've never seen before, holding a paper bag. 

"Hi." She said. "Is Xavier here?"

I cocked my head to the side, I bit my lips fighting back the laughter. "I thought people came to hospitals to visit the patients, not their siblings." A giggle escaped my lips. Eh, must be the morphine.

A shock look graced her face. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I came to visit you, but I don't really know you. But I know Xavier. And he sure as hell knows me. And I was just concerned since he left me so urgently that it kinda scared me. But I managed through even though he deserted me in the middle of our date with no means of transportation. But yeah I found out that he was here to visit you and he left his food at the restaurant so I came here and brought this." She raised the paper bag with a grin. "So here I am." She smiled sheepishly.

My jaw was slightly dropped due to this information. I didn't bother for the other part in her story but all I caught was They were on a date.

"You were on a date..." I voiced my thoughts, the sentence coming out as a statement than a question.

Her smile dissipated. "Well it's not really a da--"

"Rose?" My brother said as he entered the room.

The lady snapped her head into Xavier's direction. She opened her mouth to speak but Xavier beat her to it.

"What are you doing here?"

Rose smiled and raised the paper bag like she did earlier.

I still couldn't understand what was happening so I cleared my throat, grabbing  both of their attention.

"You have a hell load to explain."