#Chapter 72 Remorse
#Chapter 72 – Remorse
Adrian
+25 BONUS
My back aches and my neck feels so tight after sleeping by Clara’s side for the entirety of the night. I am hunched over the side of the bed, our hands connected and fingers laced together. A yawn comes from my lips as I sit up.
Clara sleeps peacefully beside me. Her blonde hair is perfectly curled and her lips lack the them, looking pale rather than being full
life.
I look down and see that I am still in my suit from the gala. I groan and stand from t from Clara’s weak one. She groans and reaches out for the air in front of me.
usual vibrant pink color they have to
the
ospital
room’s chair, releasing my hand
I smile and shrug off my jacket, slipping the tie off from around my neck, and sit back down, connecting our hands once again. My thumb grazes over her knuckles, the skin of her hands as soft and delicate as I remember. Clara’s knitted brows relax and she nestles herself further into the beg, snuggling into the blankes and pillows.
Using my free hand to pull my phone from my pocket, I turn not he screen to see a flurry of notifications from Stella.
My heart plummets in my chest. It begins to quickly beat, racing and thumping from behind my ribs. I gulp and my hands begin to shake but I quickly cover it up as best as I can so Clara does not wake up.
Stella: Adrian? Where did you go? Is the line long for drinks again?
Missed Call From: Stella
Stella: Did you go to the bathroom?
Stella: I’m still by the table waiting for you. Someone else brought me a water so you don’t have to bring one.
Missed Call From: Stella (13)
I slowly move through all of the text messages that she had sent me. She seems to be so worried and I just…left her there.
Am I a horrible person? Should I have told her what was happening? Maybe she could have been understanding of why I needed to leave instead of staying at the shareholders meeting.
Then again, it was Clara that I left her for. Her foster sister has always been a sensitive subject between us. She has caused an abundance of petty fights and arguments that have only pushed us further away from each other rather than bringing us back together.
I draw in a slow breath, allowing the stale oxygen of the hospital to fill my lungs before slowly releasing. All I want to do is lie, to cover my ass for why I left because I know that if I bring up her sister that Stella will scream at me.
Maybe she will accept it. Maybe there will be no anger behind her voice, no screaming match to be had over the phone. Maybe Stella will accept defeat and come to her own realization that Clara means more to me than she ever did.
The thought of her thinking that way sends chills down my spine.
I am about to press Stella’s name to call her when Clara’s hand squeezes mind. I look up and set the phone down, immediately inching as close to her as I can.
“Clara? Is everything okay?” I softly ask, reaching out to brush her blonde hair out of her face.
Clara moans from pain, her brows furrowing as her face scrunches up. She rolls to the side, facing me. Her blue eyes flutter open and connect with mine. A gentle and weak cough leaves her mouth
“Adrian…” she weakly says. Tears well in her eyes and they begin to silently roll down her cheeks, which are now pink in color. “ It hurts…it hurts so much.”
“Stay right here,” I stand from the chair and release her hand, “I go get a doctor.”
“Get Dr. Jones,” Clara groans. She rolls onto the other side of her body and buries her face deep inside a pillow.
#Chapter 72 Remorse
I nod and exit the hospital roogh, stepping out into the busy hallwa me until a nurse comes up and places her hand on my shoulder.
+25 BONUS
and doctors pass me by. They barely pay attention to
“Mr. Adrian? Is there something we can help you with?” her voice is gentle and soothing. It helps calm my nerves down.
“Yes,” I nod, “Clara is in pain. She asked me to get Dr. Jones for her. Can you please help her with the pain?”
gestures to Clara’s room.
to help her as best as we can,” the nurse nods and
“Of course. Please go back inside, Dr. Jones will be in there so I sit down and rest my hand on top of the lump
I turn back and enter Cara’s room once again, sighing as I rush back
of the bed, giving it a gentle rub.
“Dr. Jones will be here any moment, Clara, just hang on,” I breathe out, unable to get the tight sensation out of my chest from earlier.
Right on cue, a doctor and the same nurse from before enter the room. I help unearth Clara from under the blanket and help her sit up. She coughs and keeps her eyes closed, swaying back and forth as groans quietly leave her mouth.
“Good morning, Clara, the nurse is going to administer morphine through an IV drip for you,” Dr. Jones says.
He looks to me and nods, one that I return. He holds a clipboard in his hands and shuffles through the papers, his eyes now focused on her symptoms and other personal information.
“We ran some blood tests last night and got the results back,” Dr. Jones continues as the nurse moves around all of us, completing her task. “Your condition has gotten worse. After you informed us of the medication you were taking, and your parents were so helpful to give us one of the pills, we were able to conclude that your condition has worsened.”
Tears freely fall from Clara’s cheeks. She covers her face with her hands and quietly sobs. I lean against the side of her bed and wrap my arm around her shoulders, trying my best to be gentle and nice with her.
“This is all Stella’s fault,” Clara weeps, “she is the one who switched my medication!”
My hand falters and hesitates just for a moment before continuing to soothe Clara. The doctor sighs and lowers his clipboard, looking at Clara.
Stella…Stella would have never done something as carless and reckless like this. Sure, she does not like Clara, but I know my wife. She never would do anything to jeopardize her life over a petty sibling rivalry.
“Mr. Adrian, we are going to have to ask you to leave,” Dr. Jones informs me. “She needs to be on bed rest and get as much sleep as she can.”
“Alright, I understand,” I nod and pull away from Clara, who immediately disappears underneath the blankets once again. “I’ll be back soon, Clara, I promise.”
Without another word or response from her, I exit the room with my suit jacket draped over my arm and my phone in hand. I walk down the halls, looking into a few of the rooms as I pass by.
Some of them are filled with flowers and gifts, family members surrounding their loved ones while others are empty with a sole person in the bed.
Stella…
I pull out my phone and immediately call her, exiting the hospital as I walk back
try again just to get the same result.
to
my car. The call is declined almost instantly. I
She must have blocked me. She has every right to do so, I can’t even find fault in her choice. If she had been the one to abandon me at the gala, I would have done the same thing.
It is a choice that I know I must make up for no matter what I do.
