Day Forty-Two…
~~*****~~
Last night, Abigail was rushed to the hospital by Nathan and Dave. The doctor examined her but she didn't find anything. Her results were all normal but she was not waking up. She had been unconscious for ten hours now.
Nathan put her in a VIP Ward. Dave also stayed with them in the hospital. Two men had been watching over her, waiting for her to wake up. The doctor said the patient must be exhausted. She might suffer from over-fatigued.
Nathan asked them to run another test since he wanted to make sure that Abigail was just fine. He felt like he was somehow responsible for this. He thought Abigail must have felt tired from participating in the different games during the family day event.
He decided to keep this from Ethan, otherwise, the young boy would blame himself for this incident.
"Coffee," Dave offered Nathan a cup of coffee as he sat down next to him. He was now sober.
Nathan accepted the cup and took a sip. There was a moment of awkward silence between them.
Though Dave was drunk last night, he could still remember what he did. He confronted Nathan. After sobering up, he realized how embarrassing it was to beg Nathan desperately.
Nathan didn't say anything to him. His attention was focused on Abigail and her health condition. He hadn't slept yet. He was waiting for Abigail to wake up.
A few minutes later, Dave spoke up again to break the silence.
"Abigail and I had known each other for a long time. We came from the same orphanage." A subtle smile appeared on Dave's lips as he reminisced about the past. Nathan just looked at him silently, listening to his story.
Deep inside, he wanted to know more about Abigail's childhood. He was curious about her. He couldn't remember when did he start getting interested in her.
"If I have to describe our relationship in one sentence… I could say that… It's us against the world." Dave tossed a look at Abigail's sickbed. He watched her with eyes filled with love.
"I won't call it puppy love… For me… It was true love since the start." Dave was confiding his feelings to Nathan, his rival.
"Why are you saying this to me?" Nathan finally spoke up.
Dave let out a soft chuckle, shifting his gaze to the cup of coffee he was holding.
"Honestly, I am so embarrassed to face you after what I've done last night. I was so desperate just because I was afraid to lose her. But here I am, telling you this because I want you to understand why I acted like a loser last night. Abigail is my life. My only love. My dream is to create a family with her. A complete family which we failed to have when we were young."
Nathan didn't want to be rude toward Dave. He was trying to understand why Dave was venting this out to him. All he could do was listen to him. He set aside the jealousy for the moment.
"I feel so insecure in your presence. I feel threatened… I feel like my Abigail is being taken away from me. You and your son… are stealing her from me. With you and your son… you can fulfill her dream of having a complete family…"
Nathan furrowed his eyebrows when he heard that. "Are you telling me she likes me because I have a son?"
Dave chuckled and bobbed his head, "Yes. because you have a very cute son. Even I, myself, like your son."
The crease on Nathan's forehead deepened further when he heard that.
"I'm just kidding," Dave mumbled, letting out a soft chuckle.
"Just get to the point," Nathan hissed at him.
"Alright. What I am saying is that… I won't give up. I will no longer beg you to stay away from Abigail. I will fight you fairly. Abigail and I spent half of our lives together. She might have forgotten those memories… but I believe that time will come and… she will remember me. Abigail will still choose me. I am betting my all on this!" Dave declared to Nathan confidently. He had gotten over his insecurity.
Nathan was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say. Compared to him, Dave was so determined to win Abigail back. But how about him? He was still confused about his feelings for her. He was still in denial. Something was still hindering him from figuring out his true feelings for Abigail.
'How can I fight this man fairly… if even I, myself, isn't sure if I want to fight for her?' Nathan thought to himself, glancing at Abigail.
Meanwhile, Dave presumed that Nathan's silence was an acceptance of his challenge. Dave put down the cup of coffee on the table and extended his right hand to Nathan for a handshake.
"May the best man win!" Dave said to Nathan with a friendly smile on his face.
Nathan just stared at his hand, contemplating whether to accept it or not. But in the end, Nathan still shook Dave's hand as if he was accepting his challenge.
"By the way, thank you for keeping Abigail safe for the past month. I am investigating her case. There is no doubt that there was foul play in her suicide attempt. I heard that you also took care of a man named Jun Shen, sending him to prison because of Abigail. I owe you this." Dave was sincere when he expressed his gratitude to Nathan.
"No need to mention it." Nathan was just cool about it.
"Anyway. Can you tell me if you found another clue? I bet your men have been investigating this case for the past few weeks. Can we exchange information? Let's work together to protect Abigail and catch the culprit." Dave didn't care if Nathan was his love rival. He was willing to swallow his pride and bow down just to solve Abigail's case. Nathan and his resources would be a great help in solving this case.
"Do you want to hear the truth?" Nathan asked him, lifting his eyebrow.
"Yes, tell me. What have you found out? Do you have a suspect in mind?" Dave asked him curiously.
"Yes. I have. And YOU are one of them." Nathan said matter-of-factly.
Dave: "..."
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