When he awoke again, the hospital room was full.
Allison’s face was blotchy and droopy, but she still looked adorable. He tried to smile and found that it hurt.
Eddie was watching him with a strange expression.
“I’m sorry man,” he said, but Nicholas wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Was he sorry Nicholas had been beaten to within an inch of his life? Sorry he had set him up to lose his inheritance? Sorry he wasn’t there earlier? Sorry he had lost Sydney?
Nicholas looked further around the room.
Sydney was standing near the entrance, away from his siblings, biting her nails. He had never seen her bite her nails.
Maria stood next to her.
“Darling, you’ll be all right,” he heard Evelyn say.
Suddenly she was there with Eddie and Allison, and Nicholas was no longer sure he wasn’t dreaming. Had she been hiding somewhere behind them?
Eddie and Allison parted, and Evelyn got up from a chair and came toward him. She leaned close to him.
“Don’t worry about money darling. I still have access to funds and I’ve put some aside for you. No son of mine’s going to be a pauper.” She lowered her voice further, whispering: “Your name’s on my will; you needn’t worry about anything.”
It was a small comfort to Nicholas. He felt a pang of regret that his mother didn’t have much time left. He wished she had remained a bitch to the end so he wouldn’t have to care at all that she was going to die, that he didn’t have to feel sad when she actually passed away. Now, he knew he would, even if just a little.
He looked toward Sydney again, and he could see other heads turn toward her out of the corner of his eye.
Suddenly, their bodies crossed his vision and headed for the door.
Maria followed them.
Sydney didn’t move from her position, and looked everywhere but at him for a few seconds. Then she looked directly at him, and her face was suddenly covered by her hands as she burst into tears. She stayed where she was, sobbing and heaving. Nicholas wished he could have gotten up to comfort her.
“He...he...” She had difficulty getting words out, unable to get them past the sobs. “He almost killed you!” she finally said. She slid down the wall, her knees bending, her head bending toward them as she continued to cry.
He wished she was closer.
He waited.
When she had calmed herself a bit, she wiped her face and sat there cradling her knees.
“Come over here,” he said to her.
She shook her head, sniffing.
“Come over here Sydney. Please.”
She looked like she was going to shake her head again but she slowly propped herself up against the wall. She looked at him without moving for a second, then she started walking. She stopped when she reached the foot of the bed. Her hand reached out and touched it, her fingers trailing along the side of it as she walked slowly up to him, stopping when she was level with his chest. He tried to reach for her, and felt his fingers move, but his arm didn’t make it. Her hand went to his, as if she saw the movement.
“You’ll be okay,” she said. “The doctor said it will take a while, but you’ll be all right.”
Nicholas said nothing, just watched her face.
“It’ll be fine. You’ll be fine,” she said again. Nicholas squeezed her hand—at least, he thought he did. He felt her squeeze his hand back, gently.
“They sure kicked my ass,” he said at last. “I don’t blame him, I don’t blame your brother at all. To be honest, it was like kicking a dead horse,” he said, trying to smile.
“Sh, don’t talk.”
She pulled his hand up to her cheek, caressing it with the back of his hand.
“How can I not? I’m so happy to see you—although I hate for you to see me like this.”
Her face seemed to quiver and she looked like she was about to cry again.
Nicholas didn’t expect her to take everything back right then, didn’t expect her to say the words he was waiting to hear just because he was lying broken in a hospital bed, just because he could have died.
He could wait patiently to hear that she still loved him, and they would work through everything together.
The words might not come right now, but they would; he knew it.
***
The butterfly
Even when pursued
Never appears in a hurry—Garaku
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rose Francis likes reading—and writing—psychological fiction, and particularly stories addressing difficult topics.
She has been writing from a very early age and is thrilled to have a platform that allows her to bring her tales to the public.
She is considering writing a follow-up to Chrysalis.
She has also written a novella, the first in the Dangerous Secrets series: A Tangled Web.
About A Tangled Web: Kimberly Jordan never meant to hurt anyone.
But once a DNA test reveals her long-time boyfriend Damien is her half-brother, plus she finds out she’s pregnant, she will go to any length to hide her horrible secret. Unfortunately for Kent Davenport, her ex-boyfriend’s best friend, he’s the perfect fall guy for her plan having recently revealed his love for her. But unfortunately for Kimberly, dirty little secrets always come out.
CONTACT
To find out about upcoming releases or giveaways, sign up for her newsletter here.
E-mail author here.
Chrysalis (Dangerous Secrets) Page 28
