Taming the Bitch (COMPLETED)

Chapter LIX - THE AWAKENING

"Dada..."

Another day had passed, leading to yet another painful week. Vincent's condition had remained largely unchanged for several weeks; now he had been comatose for over a month. Gabrielle visited his hospital room daily, speaking to him, pleading with him to stay strong.

She would tell him about the company, updating him on every development while he lay motionless on the bed.

"We can only be safe if you stay strong, Vince... I can't do this alone. I need you... Veronica and I need you..." she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks as she worried about the investigation into Vincent's accident, which seemed to point toward a hideous scheme orchestrated by those she had once considered her father's allies. The same people who had wanted her out of their way...

Gabrielle glanced at Veronica, who now sat on the bed beside her father. Vincent's face was no longer bruised, his handsome features gradually recognisable, no longer masked by oxygen apparatus. His life support had been removed days ago; he could breathe unaided. Though a good sign, his continued unconsciousness still gnawed at Gabrielle. She knew he needed rest and recovery after the head surgeries, but what terrified her most was the uncertainty of what would happen if he awoke...

The sterile gauze still wrapped his head, and the feeding tube remained inserted through his nose to his stomach. He had lost a tremendous amount of weight over the past month. While his face had returned to near normal, his body told a different story. The tall, muscular man he had always been now lay frail and weakened in the hospital bed.

"Dada, I'm here again... do you want to hear a story? I can read now." Nic lay down beside him, opening the book she had brought today.

Gabrielle had waited until Vincent had begun to recover from his initial injuries before allowing Nic to see him. She could not bear for her daughter to be traumatised by the sight of him in the ICU during the first week. Now, Nic spent each day with her father, reading to him, telling him stories, sometimes even singing herself to sleep for her nap when Gabrielle was away managing the company. Early each morning, Gabrielle would drop Nic into Vincent's private hospital room, heavily monitored by security, ensuring his safety and that of their daughter. Adrijan and his mother would also look after Nic while Gabrielle attended to her husband.

At night, before returning to their London home, Gabrielle would go back to the hospital to tend to Vincent—turning him to prevent bedsores, cleaning his surgical wounds—before fetching their daughter. She would watch painfully as Nic kissed her father's cheeks goodbye, wrapping his still form in a warm embrace.

Now, Gabrielle could focus solely on Vincent and Veronica, away from the turmoil of the company.

"Be careful with Dada's head and knees..." she whispered softly to Nic, reminding her of her father's delicate condition. She kissed the top of her daughter's head and took a seat beside the bed. Nic responded with a smile, even now referring to Vincent as "Dada" rather than just "him" or "he."

She watched as Nic read slowly, glancing up at her father intermittently, hoping for some sign that he could hear her.

"Dada...?" Nic closed the book and sat up beside him, abandoning the story. Her eyes, filled with sadness, stared at him.

"Dada, when are you waking up...?" she sniffled, making Gabrielle squeeze her eyes shut and look away.

"Nic missed you, Dada... please wake up." She gently touched his cheeks.

"You promised to play with me again. You said you would teach me how to swim..." She sniffled again, tears spilling freely.

"Mom is still crying because of you... please wake up, Dada, so that Mom and I won't cry anymore." She hugged him tightly.

Vincent's body ached as if he had not moved for a year. His first movement was a finger; next, his throat. A groan escaped him as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Hhhhm..." A soft moan, then a growl, as the pain in his head forced him to cup his forehead.

"Aaah!" he screamed, eyes squeezed shut, when a soft, startled voice called his name.

"Vince...! Oh God...! Vince!"

The voice swiftly pulled his hand away from his head, and he groaned. Slowly opening his eyes to the blurred surroundings, he focused on the woman with long, curly brunette hair reaching for something on the headboard.

"Relax..." she said softly, voice shaky, holding his hand.

"Oh God..." she repeated, tears in her eyes.

Vincent frowned and flinched, trying to reach for his head again.

"You've had brain surgery, Vince. You can't just press on your head. It's normal to feel pain... it'll pass..." She kissed his knuckles, holding them against her lips.

"Thank God you're awake..." she whispered, placing his palm against her warm, flushed cheek.

"W-who...are you...?" he rasped, voice husky and unclear.

The woman frowned, thick brows drawing together, and gasped. Her brown eyes brimmed with grief as she stared back at him.

"W-where am... I...?" he continued, pressing his hand to her cheek again as his head throbbed.

"Vince...?" she asked softly, guiding his hand down. Before they could speak further, the door swung open.

"Gabrielle...!"

The doctor and two nurses rushed in. The doctor gently moved her aside to examine Vincent.

"Mr Walton... you were in a tragic accident a month and a week ago," he began. "You underwent head surgery and have been in a comatose state since the day of the accident. Tell me... how do you feel now?"

Vincent shifted on the bed as the elderly doctor approached, checking his pulse.

"I'll just check your heartbeat..." the doctor said, looking at Gabrielle. Her eyes met his, simultaneously worried and relieved.

"Can you remember your name?" the doctor asked, fingers on Vincent's wrist. He looked from the doctor to Gabrielle, tears streaking her face as she covered her mouth.

"V-Vince..." he managed, uncertain.

"Your full name? And your age?"

"V-Vince..." he breathed hard, trying to search his memory. Who was he? What had happened? Why was he here? And why was this woman crying over him?

"I... I don't know... w-where am I?! W-what happened to me?!"

"V-Vincent... relax... it's normal to feel disoriented after the surgery. You'll be fine... I'm your doctor. Your wife is here too."

"D-Doctor...? W-Wife...?" He looked at her again, pressing his hand to his head. She quickly stopped him.

"Aaaaargh!" he screamed, throwing his hands away.

"What happened to me?!" Pain in his right arm made him flinch, while the other hand still reached for his head.

"Vince, please..." she leaned forward, enfolding him in her embrace, shielding him from hurting himself further.

"Please relax..." she whispered, burying her face against his shoulder and jaw.

"You'll be fine..." she murmured, as his hand instinctively embraced her back, recognising her warmth and finding some comfort in it.