Begin Again

Chapter 25

"I apologise for the long wait. The operation went very well. He's been taken to a room to rest," Dr Knight said. "And he's awake."

I let go of my breath. I thought something went wrong during the surgery. Tears welled up in my eyes. He's okay. He's awake and alive. I rested my hand on my palpitating heart, urging it to calm down. Matteo is fine.

"That wasn't funny," Mrs Knight scoffed.

"I wasn't trying to be funny," he replied, raising an eyebrow.

She shook his head and said, "Take us to his room. I want to see him right now. I want to see for myself that he's okay. After that stunt you pulled, I can't trust your words."

Dr Knight rolled his eyes. "You can't see him yet. He asked to see Alexia first."

He glanced at me and my mouth opened in surprise. Mrs Knight scowled, folding her arms. I nodded and followed him. I gasped when I saw him in bed, "Holy shit, you're alive. How are you feeling?"

"Great," he replied and winced a little. "Now, I understand what it feels like to be a patient. I think this incident will make me a better doctor."

"Then I guess this incident allows me to know how the relatives of the patient feel," I replied. I held his hand and heaved a deep sigh. "I'm so grateful that you're okay. Everyone is worried about you. Do you want to see them?"

"No," he muttered, closing his eyes.

I shook my head. "Matteo."

He chuckled, "Okay, fine. Ouch!"

I laughed and invited everyone else in. Mrs Knight rushed to his side and gasped, "Oh, my boy, you're okay! I'm so relieved. Does it still hurt? Say something, Son. Don't scare your mother like that! Say something!"

I glanced at Luca and Alfred who rolled their eyes and shook their head. I stifled a laugh. Matteo cleared his throat and replied, "Yes, I'm okay. Stop crowding around me. You didn't even give me a chance to speak."

Mrs Knight moved backwards and patted her dress. "Good. I'll have you know that our lawyer is handling your case. That man is screwed." She glared at me and I looked away. When will she stop thinking that I'm involved in this?

After that, she left. Dr Knight muttered, "Well, she's finally gone." Everyone burst into laughter and Matteo yelped in pain again. "No, please don't move too much and reopen your wound. That includes laughing."

Matteo shrugged, pouting his lips.

"I'll talk to Dr Holt about this later. You and Alexia will get a few days off of school since this must've been quite a traumatic experience for both of you, plus Matteo is obviously too injured to attend school," Dr Knight declared. "No, don't laugh."

A smile formed on Matteo's face as he tried his best not to laugh. "Thanks, Uncle Philip."

Luca whistled, "And I thought my little brother hates pulling strings."

"Shut up, Luca," Alfred said. "Can't you see that he just survived a terrible ordeal? Give your little brother a break! Besides, it's rather late now. We should let him rest."

"I agree," I replied.

"Drive Alexia home safely, Luca. Don't complain. It's nearby. Do your sickly brother a favour even though it's your birthday. I've never asked you for a single favour even though you ask a lot from me," Matteo requested.

Luca rolled his eyes. "Anything you want, Matteo."

Everyone eventually left the room. Soon, it was just Matteo and me. "Go home, Alexia. You need to rest," he insisted.

"Then you'll be alone," I argued.

"I won't be alone. This is Devon Grey. It's your family's hospital. I'm safe here. Derek can't possibly come back and finish his job, can he? Remember. He can't even land a punch on me. That's why he needed a gun to kill me," he chuckled.

"That's not funny, Matteo. Stop joking about your near-death experience."

He smiled. "Good night, Alexia. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

I nodded in agreement. I have to listen to the man who got shot for my sake after all. Heaving a deep sigh, I left the room. Luca was waiting outside. He drove me home. "I'm sorry for ruining your birthday," I said.

"Don't apologise. If anything, that crazy man should be the one apologising, not you. You didn't do anything wrong. You tried to help him. You tried to stop the bleeding before Uncle Philip arrived. I should thank you," Luca replied.

"I didn't do much," I muttered.

"It's good enough. What matters now is my brother is alive and well, and the shooter is going to be put behind bars. I reckon he'll only be in there for four years, though. I assume it's his first offence," he replied.

I grinned awkwardly. "It is," I replied. "I have no idea where he got that gun. I didn't even know he had a gun or a gun licence, to begin with."

"Perhaps he stole it," he suggested.

"Another thing to add to his crimes," I remarked.

We soon reached Devon Heights and Luca dropped me off. He told me to stop thinking about it and wished me a good night. I waved him goodbye and went upstairs. Today has been a wild day. I never thought I'd be in a shooting situation ever.

What the hell is wrong with Derek?

God, what are his parents going to think? They're going to be so devastated to know that their only son is going to jail. How am I supposed to face them when I go back home? Unlike their son, Mr and Mrs Sherwood are very nice.

I groaned as I plopped myself on the couch. I feel bad for them for having a son like Derek. He's an asshole, a cheater and a criminal. His reputation has been utterly ruined, not that he had a good one in the first place.

I called my mum to tell her about what happened with Derek just now. To think that it occurred soon after she informed me about his disappearance. Needless to say, she was shocked. Who could believe that one would have the heart to kill someone?

She told me to get a good rest and visit her sometime soon. I agreed and ended the call. I'm going to visit her once summer vacation starts! Maybe I can bring Matteo along once he's fully recovered. He's going to love it there.

Or not.

I wonder how Linda will react to seeing me with a new boyfriend. Will she badmouth me? I'm not worried about that. I believe Matteo won't believe in what she says, knowing very well that she's the one Derek cheated on me with.

I looked at the text messages between Matteo and me. That's when it hit me that I haven't taken a photo with him. What if he died tonight? Not having a single photo with him would be the greatest regret in my life.

I stripped off my black dress which had been stained with Matteo's blood. I threw it aside and stepped into the shower. As the warm water ran from my head down to my toes, I closed my eyes and recalled the earlier incident.

You never know what tomorrow may bring. One moment, he was fit and strong. The next, he was shot in the chest by my crazy ex-boyfriend. This taught me that you had to make every moment with your loved ones count.

Lying in bed, I pictured Matteo's smiling face in my head. That's the smile I want to see for the rest of my life. No one, not Derek or Mrs Knight, can stop me. I finally found the right person to love, and I will hold him tight and not let go.