Second chances

Chapter Forty Eight: Who Are You?

I approached the scene with a thudding heart, a dark liquid which I suspected was Charles' blood pooled around the two figures. I couldn't tell who had groaned and my hands were filled with tremors.

My husband and Grace had landed almost the same time and I couldn't bear losing Charles. Standing at that position made me wonder if I had told him I love you enough. So many things ran through my mind as tears stung my eyes.

Mrs Victoria he's alive"

I heard one of the men call out to me and I quickly dove to where he lay and grabbed his bloodied hand.

He let out another groan and I cradled his head.

"You're going to be alright Charles, you're going to be fine"

"The tree cushioned his fall, that's why he is still alive. Your husband is one lucky man. Guys get the vehicle, we're taking him to the hospital"

The other men only marked Grace's corpse and I fought the urge to look at the reason for all my troubles.

Charles groaned was more and I yelled. "How long does it take to bring a car here! My husband is dying!"

"They'll be here ma'am"

My fingers never left Charles' as we waited for the vehicles to arrive.

I kept muttering prayers to God, pleading for another second chance for my husband. We had made many mistakes in our marriage but we were going to make things better. We had already planned to.

Losing my father and my baby put things in perspective for me. Only the living had the chance to make things right.

The cars finally arrived and Charles was carried in. An officer sat beside him in while I sat at the other end, impatient with how slow the car was moving. I wanted them to drive like racers at this point.

Charles began to mumble before he turned to face me.

"I'm so sorry Vicky, I did not mean to hurt you. I just did it to protect you"

I only nodded fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

"I'm sorry for hitting you.... On the right side... My favorite side"

He shook his and shut his eyes momentarily before turning to the officer.

"Do you think she'll peel the onions with me again?"

"Of course she will sir" The man promptly replied while I was amused with his ignorance about the situation.

Charles shut his eyes once more before the man turned to me.

"I think he hit his head somewhere"

I nodded still terrified with the situation.

We finally got to the hospital and Charles was taken to the intensive care unit. I was instructed to wait and I almost ran mad with curiosity. This must have been how Charles felt while I was in that same situation.

It took a while before he was wheeled. Thankfully he only dealt with broken hands and no major serious injury. That much they  had observed before wheeling him to a different room where I was allowed to wait.

Some anesthetics had been administered to him and he slept through the night while I watched him like a hawk.

After a momentary dozing, I woke up to see Charles staring at the ceiling.

I rushed to his bed and wrapped my hands around him, but he didn't speak. He felt stiff in my arms while I muttered thanks to God.

"Honey, you're okay"

He only stared at me before throwing out the words that broke my spirit.

"Who are you?"

  
Was that a joke? How was I to begin?

Tears had already welled up in my eyes before I cleared my throat to speak.

"I am Victoria Chinedu, your wife"

He seemed lost and only stared at me in confusion.

De ja vu

"I am the mother of your only daughter Christine, who loves and adores you so much. I am a pain in the ass, an overbearing wife who's plagued you with memory loss for a year.

I hardly know how to show my emotions and hence you termed me cold"  I chuckled

"I am all that, but I am also the woman who loves you more than anything in the world. Charles I love you so much and I am so sorry for everything." I sniffed as he offered me a smile

"I don't have any eye tricks to convince you but, I just want you to know that I'm not going anywhere without you. I'm not going to give up, we'll find a way to help you remember. Be.... Because we promised each other that we would always... Always come back to each other. You are my husband and I love you that's the truth "

Terrified, I waited for a response and he only inhaled deeply before wrapping his hands around me.

" This is the first time you've told me that you love me ever since the accident "

He chuckled while I wiped my tears before joining him.

" I am so sorry for not saying it often, I promise to always tell you how much I love you Charles, I promise"

"Would it be as often as we Peel the onion?" He enquired with a smile

"Even more" I whispered with my hands wrapped around him once more.

"You did know I was faking the amnesia right?"

I nodded and it only threw him into a fit of laughter.

"Victoria I love you so much, you horrible liar. Your welcome back speech is definitely better than mine was "

We pulled apart and I gave him a very deep kiss which ended in a groan as I somehow touched his wounded arm.

I didn't know how long we kissed and hugged but I felt like never leaving my husband again. He had been my hero and he had stayed alive. I only hoped that things would get better from that day.

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Hey everyone!

I am so glad that our Charles didn't leave us. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Marriage is not an easy thing but with love, forgiveness, patience, understanding and compassion.

It could be the most beautiful thing in the world.

😂😂What do you think of Charles' prank?