HER ONE AND ONLY

CHAPTER 53

Alexander sat in one of those uncomfortable hospital chairs, legs spread in front of him, arms crossed against his chest and stiff as a rock, but heart racing like never before with hurt fear and anticipation. The last time he felt so helpless was when he came home to the lifeless bodies of his parents back when he was a kid. With red swollen eyes he glared at the wall in front of him as he tried to push away the images of a beaten, barely breathing body that he carried to the hospital. It had been seven excruciatingly hard days since Rose was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and the doctors were operating her, stitching up the skin that once covered her skull. He shut his eyes as tears threatened to rise up and grit his teeth, grinding his jaw hard against each other. He had created havoc in the hospital when they did not let him inside her room, the doctors couldn't hold him back and had to sedate him in order to keep the monster under control and when he had woken up from whatever shit they had injected into him, he broke down. He let it all go and cried in that small, empty hospital bed that he was sitting on. He decided that he would wait for her outside and would control himself from punching the doctors face if he rejected his request to get into her room.

He let go of the breath he was holding and rubbed his face with his hand. He couldn't stop blaming himself for the damage that had been created. He was so near to losing her. So damn close. That bastard had been shot by Robert and he aimed it right on his forehead, dropping him down instantly as blood oozed out from his forehead. Brian had thought he had shot Robert when he aimed the bullet at his chest but he lost his aim and the bullet got him a few inches below his shoulder. He shot him again at his right thigh before he left to get Roseanne. After Robert recovered, he immediately called Alexander and spoke just one word – Trouble, and immediately dropped the phone as he dragged himself out of the car with his gun and went in, praying that nothing had happened to Roseanne. But it was too late.

He exhaled slowly, listening to the sound of shoe clad feet of people slapping against the sterile hospital floors. He closed his eyes hoping he would not be here when he opened them but somewhere else, anywhere else with Roseanne. The silence around him was driving him insane with each and every second but then he felt a presence next to him as someone placed themselves beside him. Alexander didn't bother opening his eyes and just rested his head against the wall.

"All done, sir." He immediately recognised that voice.

"Thank you, Robert." He spoke, not able to recognise his own voice. Once Robert had recovered, he had asked him and a few other men to clean up that dreaded house. He wanted to tear Brian's body into pieces, wanted to pull his flesh and split his lifeless body. But he had to get her and Robert to the hospital before he lost all control.

"Sir, I found something in the ...house," Robert mentioned, after thinking long enough. He was doubtful about doing this now, but he knew for sure that this man beside him had every right to know what he and the beautiful lady inside the hospital room had created.

He slowly pulled out a strip from his suit jacket and held it out to his boss. When he found Alexander in the same position, he called out once again.

"Sir."

He opened his eyes and straightened himself but the strip held out in front of him stopped his motion; his entire life. It took him quite a while to assess what it was and he turned his face to Robert, all his senses on high alert by now. As realisation hit him hard, like a sharp knife being pierced into his soul, he looked back at the strip and took it from Robert's hand. His hand shook as he looked at the two red lines on the small white screen on the apparatus. Robert observed this and immediately knew he had to let him be.

"I'll be around if you need me, Sir." He said and got up walking away from Alexander.

Slumped on the chair, with that evidence in his hand, the whole world shattered around him. His body and mind filled with aggressive protectiveness, but his heart hurt. The pain was more than he could bear. He felt like this small lifeless strip had punched the air out of his lungs; his little baby. Was he going to be a father? A painful smile crept on his face as he thumbed the two lines before he broke down. Tears ran down his face and he didn't hold onto it this time. He let go. He didn't even know if the baby would survive and that thought made him weaker.

"God..." he let out a painful groan as he squeezed the strip in his palms and pressed it against his chest. For the first time, he prayed, hoping for a miracle to happen. The thought of that innocent life inside being...

"Mr Alexander." the doctor called out.

He wiped his tears and got up as he faced the doctor.

"Roseanne is awake. You can go meet her, but there..." before he could finish the sentence, Alexander questioned him.

"The baby...I think...I think she had a baby. Is the baby..?" he asked, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer by judging the doctor's facial expression.

"I'm sorry, Mr Alexander," he said, looking straight into his eyes. Just a few days back, this man had terrified the working staff and other patients on the floor and today, all he witnessed was the pain in those eyes; pain and defeat. He watched as Alexander exhaled a defeated breath and shook his head up and down slowly. He was breathing through his nostrils, taking heavy breaths to keep him standing.

"Can I go in now....please?" He asked.

"Sure. You can go see her, but there is something..."

Before the Doctor could finish what he started, Alexander had walked into the room. He had to be near her. He couldn't wait for another second and he didn't want to hear anything other than her voice, her breaths. To be near her and feel her warmth was a need for him and he felt like he wouldn't be able to survive without that. As he walked in, he found her on the bed, lying down with a blanket covering her, eyes closed and fingers weaved together on top of her breast. Her once beautiful hair was no more to be seen and he could clearly see the long line of stitched up skin marring the side of her skull. They shaved her head for safety and precautionary reasons, to protect the wound from getting infected further, but what he witnessed was too much for him to take in. He couldn't help but blame himself for the damage she had to go through. Despite all that, she was his beautiful angel.

He slowly pulled out the chair and sat beside her bed as he tucked the strip inside his pocket before he brought his empty hand and placed his right palm over hers. Roseanne slowly opened her eyes and blinked for a few seconds looking up at the ceiling when she felt an extreme warmth on her hand; a warmth so familiar. Once her vision cleared, she turned her head slowly towards her right, her vision connecting his. Her face was void of any emotion, not a single tear, not a smile, nothing, he observed. He feared to start a conversation. He feared the situation they were in, but he had to before he completely lost his sanity. They had lost their child, he nearly lost her and there was nothing that he could say to make it all better for the both of them.

After a few minutes of painful silence, he spoke.

"Hi Rose." his voice barely a whisper and his bloody eyes were already tearing up, betraying his resolution to stay strong. Even after this, he did not get a response from her. She pulled her hand from under his palm and reached out to his face, wiping his tears. It was only then that he realised that he was crying in front of her when he had to stay strong for both of them. She needed it and he needed it more. He couldn't let this consume him.

Rose had not pulled her focus away from his eyes from the time she looked into them; his beautiful green eyes that she had always loved and known would remain in her memory for a very long time. He held onto her hand and kissed her palm and her knuckles. She felt more tears drop on her fingers.

She gulped before she spoke for the first time in seven days.

"You have beautiful eyes." She said, her voice groggy and faint.

He looked up at her and smiled, happy that she spoke to him.

"They look familiar." She said and slowly pulled her hand away from him while she kept her eyes on his green ones that were now filled with pure confusion, shock and more than anything else, loss.

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Hello my loves,

I'm sorry for the late update. I submitted an assignment today and made up my mind to sit with the chapter and post it. So here it is, I hope you all like it. Let me know what you all think of it, please?

Thank you for waiting and supporting my book. I love you all more.

Until next time,

RLJ.