Day Forty-Two...
~~*****~~
After visiting Phantomflake at Stephen's place, Nathan returned to the hospital where Abigail was admitted. When he arrived, Dave was nowhere to be found. He immediately checked on Abigail. She was already awake.
Nathan heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Abigail sitting on her sickbed. She turned around when she heard Nathan's footsteps.
"How are you?" Nathan softly asked her.
Abigail glanced at him with complicated expressions on her face. Her guilty conscience was still bothering her. How could she possibly interact with Nathan if she knew that a poor guy was hurting?
'Should I avoid him for Dave's sake?' Abigail asked her own self. She couldn't decide what to do.
"I'm fine. Where have you been?" Abigail asked him.
"I visited Phantomflake. There was a great improvement in her health condition. Her fingers moved last night. She might wake up soon." Nathan informed Abigail.
Abigail was dumbfounded when she heard that. 'No way! Don't tell me I wasn't dreaming last night. Did my soul return to my body for several seconds?'
Abigail had mixed emotions about this. She still had a lot of unfinished things to do. But returning to her original body might reduce the complicated things.
Nathan walked closer to her. "Where is Dave?"
"He went out to buy some food." Abigail simply responded. Her mood changed at the mention of dave's name. She couldn't help it. She felt sorry for him.
"Abi, about last nighta�"" Nathan wanted to talk to her about last night's confession but Abigail cut him off immediately.
"Nate, can you process my discharge papers? I don't want to stay here in the hospital," Abigail requested him. She changed the topic right away. She wanted to avoid talking about last night's incident.
A chilly glint flashed through Nathan's eyes. He could tell that Abigail was avoiding his question. "Okay," Nathan said coldly before turning around to leave.
Abigail sighed helplessly when Nathan left. She decided to take a quick bath and changed her clothes. She was getting ready to leave the hospital. A few minutes later, Dave returned, holding a paper bag containing food and drinks.
"Abi! Let's eat!" Dave flashed his gentle smile upon seeing Abigail come out of the bathroom. She was done taking a shower and she already wore a new set of clothes.
Abigail stood there silently. She admired Dave for putting up a brave front in front of her. He could even smile at her while concealing his pain.
'He is a great guy. I don't want to hurt him.' Abigail thought to herself.
She smiled back and traced her steps toward him. Dave prepared the food on the table while Abigail sat down on the couch. Dave made sure to buy her favorite food.
They started eating when Nathan entered the VIP ward. He was done processing her discharge papers. Abigail could leave the hospital after eating.
"Mr. Sparks. Come here. Join us and eat," Dave invited Nathan.
Nathan just nodded his head before joining them on the couch. Abigail remained silent. She felt uncomfortable facing the two men like this. She felt like she was cheating on both of them. The awkward atmosphere intensified further when no one talked among them. The three of them didn't finish their food. They didn't have an appetite.
"Mr. Sparks, thank you for taking care of my hospital bill. I promise to pay this once I get my salary. I truly appreciate your help. You can now go back to your office. Dave will be the one to send me home." Abigail was urging Nathan to leave. She could no longer bear the heavy tension surrounding them.
Nathan was upset because Abigail was sending him away. "Fine. I'll leave." Nathan quickly stood up. Without looking back, Nathan marched out of the room. Abigail could only watch his back.
Meanwhile, Dave poked Abigail's cheek and said, "Abi, what's wrong with you? That was rude. You were impolite to the person who took care of you. That was not the right way to treat your sponsor."
Abigail: "..."
Dave lectured her. She couldn't believe that Dave sided with Nathan. She just did it for Dave. But little did she know, Dave was aware that Abigail was trying to act rudely toward Nathan because of his presence. She didn't have to do it. He already knew the fact she liked Nathan.
"Dave..." Abigail softly mumbled his name.
"Yes?" Dave began cleaning the table.
"I have something to tell you. Can you hear me out?"
Dave stopped what he was doing when he heard Abigail's request. For some unknown reason, his heart pounded rapidly inside his chest. He was nervous.
'Is she going to break up with me? Should I hear her out or should I make some excuses?' Dave contemplated for a moment. Deep inside, he was afraid to hear something from her.
"Dave?"
Abigail's voice snapped him out of his stupor.
"I'm sorry. My mind wandered off somewhere." Dave apologized. He took a deep breath, calming himself down. "O-Okay. Let's talk." He forced a smile despite his heart being filled with anxiety.
Abigail faced Dave, holding his hands. She looked him in the eyes.
"Dave... do you trust Abigail?" She asked him.
"Of course, I trust you."
But she shook her head. "No. Not me. I mean the real Abigail you know. The woman you love... the Abigail who doesn't have amnesia."
Dave looked confused. He didn't know why Abigail was talking like this.
"Yes... I trust her..."
She nodded her head and reached out to caress Dave's face.
"Dave. I'm sorry for hurting you. It wasn't my intention. I'm Not the real Abigail. I mean... I'm not the Abigail you used to know." Phantomflake began explaining to him.
"I don't care if you have amnesia. In my eyes, you are still Abigail whom I love the most." Dave placed his hand over her palm. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it.
Phantomflake heaved a deep sigh. "Dave... please bear with this for a moment. But can you give me a maximum of fifty-eight days? I assure you... the Abigail you used to know will come back to you. She will still love you."
Dave became more confused. "Abi. What do you mean by this?"
Phantomflake bit her lower lip. She didn't know if she was doing it right.
"I am asking for your permission, Dave. Just give me fifty-eight days to do what I have to do. After that, I will come back to you... the Abigail you used to know will come back to you. I promise."
Dave remained silent. He still couldn't understand her. But Phantomflake felt so desperate.
"Please, Dave. Just turn a blind eye to my selfish actions for fifty-eight days. Please don't give up on me... please continue to love Abigail."
Dave could see the helplessness in her eyes. He knew that Abigail had a reason for asking him for this favor.
Not able to control himself, Dave pulled Abigail into a tight embrace. "Of course. I will not give up on you. I will not stop loving you. I will do as you say... just don't leave me."
"I promise... No matter what you hear or what you see for the next few days... within fifty-eight days... just always remember that Abigail's heart always belongs to you."
Dave didn't say another word. He just tightened his grip on her body. He wanted to believe her.
Visit freewe𝑏nove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience