The Royal Contract

Finally, she stepped forward until her body touched the bed while her hands reluctantly moved to cover his hand. It felt cold but not dead cold, just chilled by the air conditioning cooling the room.

She slightly rubbed his skin, hoping to put some colors on them, warming them up so that his blood would flow more clearly along its veins.

“I am not sure if you wanted me here after what I said to you.” She mumbled, not too loud but not too low either. She hoped it was enough for him to hear her words, not caring if the other two in the room heard her.

“After what I did, I feel I don’t deserve to stand in front of you. But I need to see you.” She paused as she felt the first tear drop on her skin. She did not even realize that she was crying as her eyes focused on his closed eyes.

If things would not work out for them, she would at least like to see his eyes, even for one last time. To hear him laugh about something even if it was not because of her jokes. She wished him to live even if it was not for her.

“If you open your eyes and tell me that you don’t love me and never want to see me, I promise I will never bother you again. But before that, there is one thing that you should know.” Her tears had come down like a waterfall, falling nonstop as she thought of not seeing him again.

.....

She could not even continue her words as her sobs increased their intensity as she stared blindly at his face. She never thought that heartbreak could be this painful.

The other time, she thought she had already broken her heart and torn it to pieces. But now, shredding it was worse as her heart squeezed the life out of her, making it so hard to breathe.

Then, she felt gentle hands on her shoulders, giving her comfort. Amelia must have noticed her situation and had come to her rescue. She was a great friend she could always depend on despite what happened to them.

For a few minutes, she allowed herself to feel the pain and the tears to flow out of her eyes. She believed she needed to release all those pent-up energies before proceeding with the rest of what she still had to say to him.

She finally stopped at some point, allowing her tears to subside. Then, she could see again, tapping her friend that she was ok. She had to say it before she lost the will to do so.

“I am sorry about that.” She began again when Amelia returned to Evan’s side. “But it is just hard to see you like this.” She said, slightly smiling, remembering the times they argued about almost everything but still enjoyed it in the end.

“Anyway, as I said earlier, there is something I wish to tell you.” Using her normal voice this time. She heard in some studies that comatose patients were aware of what was happening around them even if they had seemed to be sleeping.

She was hoping that was his case. She wanted him to know that he had something else to live for, more than ever. There was a reason why he had to fight harder to survive.

Although she had not heard him talk about kids, she knew Lance would love to have many of them. She had seen him interact with kids when they were out. He seemed to be natural around them.

She could tell that he would be a great father. Probably a better parent than her. She could already imagine the smile on his face as he stared at their little child. How she hoped she would also be a part of that.

“I need you to live because you are about to become a father.” She whispered close to his ears as she leaned forward, careful not to touch his injuries that covered almost his entire body.

She somehow felt his breath on her face when she stared at him. Then, she swore she saw his eyes twitch. But when she observed more carefully, it was gone.

Maybe she only had imagined it. Her brain wanted it so much that she conjured it in her mind, replacing reality with an illusion.

But still, she hoped that he did move his eyes.

He was finally waking up.

He woke up because she heard her voice.

His eyes would open because he wanted to see her.

But those were all wishes that might or might not happen today.

She finally straightened again but kept her hands holding his. She did not want to lose the only connection they had. She wished to remember the feeling of having his skin connected to hers.

But the warmth that radiated on his hands this time made her smile. She hoped it was an indication that he was getting better. At least, that was what her mind wanted to believe.

“I need you to get better. I love you.” She finally uttered those words, hoping they would penetrate his heart and reside in them. Then, when he woke up, he would recognize it and realize it came from her.

“More than ever, our child needs you.” She again spoke up, a bit louder this time, hoping that if he heard those words, he would finally force his eyes open.

“You are going to be a good father.” Then, she squeezed his hand tighter, hoping to get some response from him.

However, a different reaction exploded in the room. “Father? Child?” A male voice shouted by the door.

She did not even notice someone enter the room as her attention was on the man before her. She quickly turned around, seeing the angry face of the Count as his eyes focused on her.

She could also see the shocked faces of her friends, like her, who must be unaware of the Count’s sudden presence.

“What foolishness is this?” The Count continued, lowering his voice, probably not wanting the other people outside to hear his words. Then, Count Wellington strode toward her, his face still a mask of fury.

She could only assume that he heard what she said to Lance when he entered the door. She did not wish him to know about the child until Lance had decided what he wanted, but it was now out of her hands.

She thought he might have already left since nobody had seen him in the vicinity, but it seemed they were wrong. Or, he might have returned for something else. Maybe someone informed him that she was here.

Whatever the reason was, the problem was he had discovered her secret. What would happen now?

Anyway, whatever happened, she would do her best to protect this child, even from her child’s grandfather.

But the sad part was, looking into the Count’s eyes. She firmly believed that even if this child carried their blood, this man would still renounce the child’s existence.