The last time Luca visited the hospital, he was twelve and in tears, watching his dear brother's life slip away in the middle of the night. The antiseptic smell revolted him back then and it still did now. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed at the autumn-haired woman.
"What were you thinking?"
Claire was unable to reply in her comatose state. He imagined her saying something half sarcastic and truthful at the same time.
"Obviously you were thinking too much."
She had been at the pedestrian crossing near her house. The lorry driver alleged he had slowed down when he noticed her, but she did not cross. As such, he had decided to speed along, only for her to suddenly step onto the road. This time, he was unable to stop. As it was an isolated hour, there were no witness and they had to wait for Claire to come out of her coma.
Luca felt a strong sting behind his eyes and blinked fiercely to keep his emotions in check. He looked at her bandaged hands on her flat stomach.
"You could have said something to me, you know."
She had been pregnant, a little over a month. They could not save the tiny life that had been growing inside of her. When the head doctor had told them the news, Rafael had slammed Luca against the hospital wall in a fit of rage, holding him up by the collar.
"Did you sleep with her?"
"Rafael, this is neither the place nor the time!" Kristine tried to step between them.
"Did you or did you not? I swear if you'd touched her, this is over!"
Luca, who was equally stunned by the revelation, held the man's arm in a firm grip.
"I did not. Now, let go."
"Rafael, I don't care if you're an official, but I'll have to ask you to leave right now," the doctor warned in a no nonsense tone.
"I can't trust you anymore." The blonde man whispered angrily before walking out on them.
He conceded things would never be the same for them after Rafael found the ink painting of Claire in his bed. He did not know if Rafael had confronted Claire on their relationship. He did not know what he would say to Claire if she had asked as well.
He patted her head gently, careful to not bump into the intravenous tubes surrounding her.
"Wake up soon, won't you?"
It was one month into the visits that Luca had an encounter with the man Claire had refused to name. He had made it a weekly habit to visit her during the early mornings of Monday. That morning, he decided to turn in earlier than usual. The sky was still dark but the guard knew him and allowed him to enter. He scribbled his name on the guest book before striding towards Claire's ward.
When he stopped in front of her door, he looked through the glass panel and felt his heart stop at the sight of a man beside her bed. The man had her hand in his, their fingers interlaced and Luca could only see the top of the man's head on the bed sheet in the limited light.
He wondered how long the man had been there and how he had managed to evade the nurses or the guards. Despite his anger, Rafael had used his influence to hush up the case, so not many had known it was Claire who had been involved in the accident.
The man stirred in his sleep and Luca took a step back, away from view. Cautious to not make any unnecessary noise, he moved to sit at a bench along the corridor a few doors away.
Half an hour before the nurses were due to make a round, the man stepped out of the room. He spotted Luca right after he closed the door.
Luca easily saw the attraction Claire had felt for the man. He was slightly taller than him and was dressed in a white dress shirt and black slacks. His crimson-coloured hair was flattened on one side and he could see the shadow on his unshaven face. But it was his eyes that caught his breath - they were a brilliant shade of amber. Unnerved by his penetrating stare, Luca flicked his gaze onto a simple gold band and a purpled-faced ring on his left hand, then back at his unsmiling face.
