Chapter 97: you could have told me
No... no... no, you’re lying!" Lena woke up screaming, her voice raw with terror. She looked around frantically, her eyes wide and unseeing, clearly not registering where she was or what was happening.
The panic in her gaze was enough to send a sharp jolt through me. I stood up immediately, the newspaper I had been reading slipping from my fingers and falling forgotten to the floor.
"My baby, my baby!" she cried out, her voice breaking as fear consumed her. "Please don’t hurt my child!"
I crossed the distance between us in seconds, grabbing her and pulling her into my arms. She struggled wildly at first, her hands pushing against me as though I were her enemy, but I held on, one hand cradling the back of her head while the other gently patted her back in a soothing rhythm.
"It’s okay, Lena. I’m here. You’re safe now, calm down," I whispered softly, trying to steady both her and myself.
She kept struggling, her body tense and trembling, as if she were still trapped in whatever nightmare she had just escaped from. It felt like an eternity before her movements began to slow, her strength giving way to exhaustion. Gradually, she stopped fighting and went still in my arms, her breathing uneven but no longer frantic.
When I was sure she had calmed down, I carefully loosened my hold on her and gently moved her away from me so I could look at her face. I sat down beside her on the bed, studying her closely.
The moment she settled back, her eyes began to wander, everywhere except me.
"How did I get here?" she asked, her voice hoarse and dry.
Before I could answer, she started coughing, her body shaking slightly with the effort. I stood up quickly, poured a glass of water, and handed it to her. She took it with slightly trembling hands and drank eagerly.
"Thank you," she said quietly after a moment.
"It’s nothing," I replied, forcing a small nod. "Let me call the doctor to come check on you."
She nodded faintly and leaned back against the bed, her body sinking into the mattress as if all her strength had drained away again. I didn’t wait any longer. I turned and left the room.
I could have easily paged Damon, but I needed the walk. I needed the air. The image of her face, cold, distant, empty, kept replaying in my mind. The silence in her eyes had unsettled me more than her screams.
By the time I reached Damon’s office, I felt no better.
"Lena is awake," I said.
Damon immediately looked up. "Why didn’t you call me? You know you don’t have to walk all the way here."
I only hummed in response, my mind elsewhere. I couldn’t explain what I had just seen in her eyes.
Without pressing further, Damon picked up his medical kit, and we both headed back to her room.
When we got there, Damon began his
examination, checking her vitals and asking her a series of questions. Lena responded, but her answers were flat, detached, halfhearted at best.
"I’m glad you’re okay," Damon said after a while. "We’ll keep you here for a few more days for observation. After that, you’ll be free to go."
"How many days have I been out?" Lena asked quietly.
Damon paused, making a thoughtful sound.
"Since the day we brought you back from the island... I’d say about three days, max."
She nodded slowly, absorbing the information.
Then, after a brief silence, she asked the question I had been dreading.
"Damon... tell me the truth. Did my child make it?"
My chest tightened painfully. The air suddenly felt heavier.
Damon glanced at me, silently asking for permission. I gave a small nod. She deserved the truth, and I knew I was the last person she would want to hear it from.
"I’m sorry, Lena," Damon began gently. "When we found you on the island, you had lost a lot of blood. By the time we got you here... the baby was already gone. We did everything we could to save you."
Silence followed.
I kept my eyes fixed on Lena, watching, waiting, for some kind of reaction.
But she simply nodded.
Then she turned her back to us.
"I want to rest now," she said flatly. "I’d like both of you to leave."
Her tone left no room for argument.
I exchanged a glance with Damon, and without saying a word, we both walked out of the room.
Outside, I couldn’t bring myself to leave.
My legs gave out, and I sank down to the floor right in front of the door, my back resting against the wall. Sullivan and Eric, who had been standing nearby, quietly stepped back, giving us space.
"Raymond," Damon said, his voice calm but firm,
"you don’t have to be so hard on yourself. You did your best. She’ll come around... just give her time."
I let out a hollow laugh.
"But I can’t stop blaming myself," I admitted, my voice low. "Did you see her eyes? The spark is gone. What have I done, Damon? How do I fix this?"
Damon sighed softly. "Time. That’s all I can say. Time heals wounds, at least, most of them. I don’t know how you’ll fix this, but I do know this: you need to stay. Be there for her. Be patient. Eventually, she’ll see how sincere you are."
I stayed quiet, trying to process his words.
Then suddenly..
Crash!
The sharp sound of something shattering inside the room froze all of us.
A second later, sobs followed.
My eyes widened, and I shot to my feet without hesitation. I glanced briefly at Damon before rushing back into the room.
What I saw made my heart stop.
Lena stood on the bed, her body shaking, a shard of broken glass clenched tightly in her hand. Tears streamed down her face as she dragged the sharp edge across her wrist.
"What are you doing?!" I shouted, moving closer instinctively. "Lena, put that down! You don’t know what you’re doing!"
"Oh, I don’t?" she shot back, her voice trembling with rage and pain. "Then tell me, what am I doing, Raymond? Since you seem to know everything!"
She pointed the glass at me, her hand unsteady but dangerous.
"You’re not making sense, Lena," I said carefully, raising my hands slightly. "Just put the glass down, and we can talk.."
"Oh, I’m not making sense?" she laughed bitterly. "Is that what I am to you? A senseless girl you can deceive whenever you want? Lie to? Use and discard?"
She jumped down from the bed, still holding the shard toward me.
"Why are you here, anyway?" she continued, her voice rising. "Do you feel sorry for me? Because my father had a hand in my kidnapping? The same father you knew was also Ashley’s father?"
Whoa whoa, I think we need to calm down, Damon said.
Sullivan and Eric had stepped into the room, but I quickly raised my hand, signaling them to stay back.
"Stay out of this damon," she warned.
"What do you take me for?" Lena shouted, ignoring them completely. "A fool? Someone you pity? I asked you to investigate my father, and you did, but you kept it to yourself. Why, Raymond? Why?!"
"I was trying to protect you," I said, my voice breaking slightly. "You were already going through so much. I didn’t want to hurt you more, "
"So you lied instead?!" she snapped. "You kept the truth from me for what? So I could fit perfectly into your stupid contract?"
Her voice cracked as tears fell harder.
"I lost my child because of this, Raymond!" she cried. "If I had known the truth, maybe I would have been more careful. Maybe I wouldn’t have trusted him. Maybe my baby would still be alive!"
Her body shook violently as she bent forward, clutching her knees.
"Oh God... my baby is gone," she sobbed. "I hate you... I hate you... I hate you, Raymond Black. You ruined my life!"
The words hit harder than anything else.
I stepped forward, unable to stop myself, trying to reach for her, but she reacted instantly, pressing the shard against my neck.
I froze.
Slowly, I raised my hands again, signaling everyone not to move.
"I know I messed up," I said quietly. "I’m sorry. Truly. Just... tell me what to do. I’ll do anything to fix this. Anything."
My voice softened further.
"I love you, Lena. I realize that now. I can’t lose you too. Please... let me be here for you."
She stared at me for a long moment, her expression unreadable.
Then, suddenly, the shard slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor.
Before I could even react, she stepped back, putting distance between us. She wiped her tears roughly and turned her back on me.
"I don’t want anything to do with you," she said coldly. "We have no relationship. No connection."
Her words were final.
"Doctor Damon," she continued, "I want this
hospital to ensure that this man is never allowed into my room again. Otherwise, I will sue for negligence and endangerment."
Damon looked stunned. He glanced at me briefly before nodding.
"There won’t be any need for that," he said. "Raymond will leave immediately."
I stood there for a moment, staring at her back, hoping, foolishly, that she would turn around.
She didn’t.
And that hurt more than anything else.
Finally, I turned and walked out, my shoulders heavy, my chest tight. Damon, Sullivan, and Eric followed behind me in silence.
