His Maid

Chapter 32

40K!!! Oh my god, I cannot thank you all enough! When I started to write this book last year I never thought it would become so popular as to get 40 thousand reads. This has made my day and to thank you all I am going to update a little earlier than I have been.

I hope you enjoy chapter 32!

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Once we landed back in London our driver was awaiting for our arrival and we rushed into the back of the car after throwing our luggage into the boot of the car. The cold air was refreshing after being on a hot island for a week and in a plane for what felt like a lifetime. "Everything is going to be alright." Damien assured me with a squeeze of my hand. I wanted to believe him but I couldn't, I couldn't believe him.

The drive to the hospital was frustrating, I couldn't hold in my nerves, I didn't even know what had actually happened just that James was in an accident, what kind of accident I'm not sure I just know that he is in a critical condition and it could be fatal. The nurse at the front desk was rude and took what felt like hours to find out where he was and in the end I just called Luke to come and take us to him.

"How is he?" I ask as we wait for the lift to reach the floor James is on.

"I won't lie, he is in a really bad condition Marley." A bigger pit grew in my stomach. I had a bad feeling about today and now I knew why.

"Will he get better?" Luke sighs loudly.

"I don't know. I really don't know."

When Luke told me James was in a bad condition I hadn't realised how bad he meant until I saw him. His face was pale, with a few scratches on his cheek and a large bandage wrapped around his head. His hair had been shaved off so the surgeons to reach where the bleeding was in his brain. His arms were bruised and his left wrist was fractured.

It was a car accident, drunk driver who was also on his phone the driver never made it but James was left with life long injuries. He would never be the same, probably wouldn't even be able to walk again. When Luke started talking about what might happen with James I couldn't stay in the room anymore. So I went down to the shop on the bottom floor of the hospital to grab a drink when I saw a shelf of pregnancy boxes and thought about what Damien and I had done in Bora Bora. I know it was early but maybe I might be able to find out now.

I picked up the box forgot about getting a drink and ran off to find the nearest toilet to find out if I can have a little bit of happiness today.

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I stared down at the stick with what felt like relief but I knew it wasn't relief. I hoped for two lines but only one showed up, I wasn't pregnant. I had felt so sick and so overwhelmed about possibly having another child with Damien that it's all been playing in my mind. It's only been a few days but I had showed signs this early with Rhys even if I hadn't found out until two weeks later.

I stand and flush the toilet to make it seem that I hadn't just been sat in the hospital toilets for no reason. I leave the cubicle and wipe my eyes to rid any evidence of the tears that had escaped my eyes. A young woman was fixing her lipstick and smiled at me through the mirror. I put the stick in my bag and smiled back, she had watched the movement and her smile. I washed my hands and wiped away the water with some tissue. "Hey, it will happen at some point. Don't force it to happen." The lady spoke as I got to the door.

"Thank you."

When I entered the James' room everyone grew silent, Luke looked at me with a half-hearted smile, Damien gave me a comforting but questioning look, Maddie looked conflicted. "Jeez, you could cut the tension with a knife in here. What did I miss?" I asked and threw my bag on the chair. "Well?" I pushed when no one made a move to talk.

"Marley, dad has bleeding to the brain he might not even wake up." Luke started.

"We established this the second I got here, Luke, what else is new?" I asked rhetorically.

"We may need to pull the plug."

"No."

"No? What do you mean no? Marley, he has bleeding to the brain if he doesn't recover he will be a vegetable why should we put him through that?"

"A vegetable? A fucking vegetable! Is that what you want to call the man that been in your life for the past thirty fucking years! A vegetable." I scoffed at his audacity. "You need to get a reality check, Luke, yes he may not be able to talk, walk, remember anything at all but that gives you no right to give up on him."

"You've known him all but two minutes, you have no right on what to decide for dads health, you probably don't even care that he's laying on that bed practically on the edge of death." A sound of disbelief left my mouth.

"Nice. Real nice." I wrapped my arms around my waist.

"Marley, I-" I hold up a hand and stop him from saying anymore.

"Save it. I finally understand what you think of me at least it finally came out." I press my tongue against the inside of my cheek and move from one foot to the other. "Can you all please leave, I would like a few minutes with James if that's alright." Luke was the first to go.

"He'll calm down, he's just upset." Maddie defended.

"I know, but it doesn't give him the right to take it out on me."

"Give him time. He'll apologise." She touched my arm and smiled before joining Luke outside.

"Do you want me to stay?" Damien asked. I shook my head.

"I'd like to be alone, please." He nodded.

"I'll be outside if you need me."

"I know. Thank you." I peck his lips and let him join the others. "Oh dad." I sigh. My footsteps echo through the hospital room as I move over towards the chair next to James' bed. I grab his hand carefully because of the cannula in his hand. His pale complexion was the only thing I could focus on, his usually tanned skin was as white as a sheet even more pale than me. His eyes were closed and unmoving, there wasn't even a twitch in his hand. If it wasn't for the heart monitor beeping I would have believed he was dead.

"You have to get better dad, you have to fight through this. Luke needs you, Rhys needs you, I need you." I choke on the lump in my throat. "You need to wake up, for me, for yourself. We haven't had enough time, we haven't had a chance to have a relationship, but I know that if you wake up I'll try harder, I'll forgive you, I promise I will. I will I promise." There was no movement or sound in the room but my choked sobs. "You promised me you wouldn't leave me. You promised! You fucking promised so don't you dare give up, you can't! I need you so wake up!" My tears were coming out in jets, an agonising sound left my throat "You can't leave me, dad, you just can't."

I hadn't even heard anyone come into the room but a familiar pair of arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me out of the room. The instant I was out, everything hit me like a ton of bricks and the warmth of Luke's hug that he had embraced me in made everything seem real. It was actually real. James might die and I haven't even had a chance to get to know him.

We haven't had enough time.