Chapter 58 Let Me Take Care Of You
#Chapter 58- Let Me Take Care Of You
Adrian
+25 BONUS
Stella soundly sleeps in the hospital bed. Her dark hair acts like a halo around her head, the locks a dark contrast against the white pillow that sits beneath her head. I sigh and fix her hair, making sure that it is nice and neat to the side other face instead of getting tangled and messy from its current state.
Her cheeks sink into her face, appearing as a look of malnourishment and sickness. Her body is skinnier now too, having lost much of the small amount of fat that clung to her bones.
My heart twists inside my chest. I’m unable to look away from the sight knowing that I am the reason her life looks like this now. It is because of me and my selfish reasons that Stella is forced to be weak for the rest of her
life.
I should never have made her undergo so many surgeries to try and save Clara. It is a regret that I will be forced to live with for the rest of my life.
My mother was right. I should have immediately begged for Stella’s forgiveness from the first moment I did something wrong. I should have ripped up our marital contract that stated she will become a lab rat for me to take apart, all for my misplaced heroic cause to save her sister.
Stella should have never been subjected to such a cruel fate.
The job of saving Clara’s life never should have fallen onto her shoulders. Stella did not deserve to bear the burden of saving her alone.
After countless blood transfusions, heavy plasma donations, bone marrow transplants, and even taking large sums of her leftover STEM cells, Stella’s body has been ripped apart and shattered. She is a broken shell of the strong and healthy woman that she used to be. Now, Stella is forced to face the repercussions alone.
I regret asking her to essentially donate her body to me. I regret handing her the pen that she signed our marital contract with. I regret not reassuring her that Clara will never come between us even though she so clearly has.
Stella deserves better. She deserves so much more than what life has given to her. After spending a long time in and out of hospital rooms, Stella has found herself back inside of them.
And it is all because of me and my stupid and reckless actions.
Stella groans beside me. I take her hand and lean over the edge of the bed, watching as her eyelids slowly flutter open. Her hazel eyes look around the room, an expression of shock and confusion overtaking her face.
The woman begins to move but I am quick to stand, placing my free hand on her shoulder to gently push her back down. Stella’s eyes meet mine and my heart twists inside my chest, my stomach churning as a wave of nausea crashes throughout my body.
My eyes drop to her mouth. Her bottom lip trembles. She’s scared, isn’t she?
“What…” she gulps and looks around once again, “what happened? Why am I in the hospital?”
“You passed out at the amusement park,” I breathe out, trying to keep my composure. “You coughed up a lot of blood. It was…really scary.”
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“Oh,” she nods to herself and diverts her gaze, “that.”
Yes, that,” I sigh and take my spot in the seat at her side once again. “How long has this been going on for, Stella?”
“Why do you even care?” her words are as sharp as knives.
+26 BONUS
#Chapter 58 Let Me Take Carey You
I can’t even blame her for it. It’s my fault that she’s confined to a hospital bed. I wish that there was a way for me to make it up to her.
“I care because…” my words trail off as soon as our eyes meet again.
Stella holds so much anger in her eyes. Her gaze is sharp and she slowly narrows her eyes at me. She pulls away in the bed as if she is a prey trying to make room from its predator, ready to strike to protect herself.
“I care because I’m your husband,” I push the words out of my mouth. “Stella…I am so sorry. It is because of me that you are here in this state. This is all my fault,” my voice falters and cracks.
“It’s fine,” her expression slightly softens but it still remains hard and guarded. “How were you supposed to know what the effect of all of the surgeries would have on me?”
“I should have done more research,” I lean forward and gently squeeze her hands, hoping that she can feel the remorse in my voice and words. “I should have protected you.”
“Funny,” she sighs, “you’ve been so worried about protecting me lately. I never thought you could be capable of such a thing.”
Just as I am about to respond to her, the hospital door opens. A doctor enters, looking down at the chart in his hands. I turn to look at him but don’t release Stella’s hand, unable to bring myself to separate us.
“Hello, Miss Stella, it is finally nice to be able to talk with you now that you are awake,” the doctor greets. She nods and smiles at him, barely glancing at me as she tries to move her hands away from mine. I don’t let her.
“So, your husband here told us that you were coughing up blood and passed out. He has provided us your… extensive medical history and, well, we are quite alarmed by your health,” he says, looking up from the folder.” You know you shouldn’t exert yourself like that.”
“It’s my fault,” I breathe out, ready to take the blame for her. “I wanted to relieve our first date so I took her out. I won’t do it again, I promise.”
I turn to look at Stella but she doesn’t return my gaze. I swallow the lump that forms in my throat and look away, sighing to myself.
“You are going to be on bed rest for the time being, okay? You can come visit us again at this hospital or we can share this information with your preferred medical provider. You need to stay off your feet and conserve as much energy as possible until you feel better, okay?” The doctor tells her.
Stella nods. I look between her and the doctor. A small plan begins to form inside my mind. I rise from my chair and nod at the doctor.
“I’ll be sure to take care of her,” I confirm with the doctor. I will even take time off of work to make sure that she has everything she needs.”
The doctor’s eyes move between me and her. He has a look of confusion. He’s probably wondering why Stella will barely look at me and give me the time of day.
I have to do this to make it up to Stella. She deserves the best care in the world. By doing this, I will be able to make up for all of my wrongdoings in the past.
I will help nurse her back to good health, as good as she can get, and them after that, I will set her free. She won’t have to be around me and my fucked up decisions for the rest of her life. It’s what she deserves.
