It wasn't long before Belinda heard excited voices coming from the hallway, and then she realized Bill had arrived at the hospital.
She opened her eyes and gently shook her sister, who woke up surprised and looked at her a little disoriented.
"Are you sick, Linda?" she asked, quickly sitting up.
"No, listen!" She pointed to the door of the room.
A few moments passed before Bill's annoyed voice reached their ears.
"I don't care about the rules. I'm going in that room, with or without your permission!"
The two girls looked at each other in disbelief, and Belinda motioned for her sister to intervene before they threw him out.
"Bill, there you are!" Naomi exclaimed, opening the door. "But please, can you keep your voice down? We're still in a hospital!"
The boy turned to look at her, very irritated, but, weighing her expression, immediately grasped what she meant. He snorted and let her speak.
"Excuse me, nurse, but you're very worried about my sister... Have you come to relieve me?"
"Yes," he grumbled. "Mark is downstairs to take you home."
"But I can't let him in!" the woman in the white coat bristled.
"I'm not moving from here, do you understand?" he declared, standing to his full height and crossing his arms.
"Leave it, Sarah," a voice intervened from behind them. "Go ahead, thank you, I'll take care of it."
The woman walked away.
"We're not used to this kind of behavior, and I don't tolerate it from anyone, but I understand your concern for Miss Taddei."
Bill relaxed a little. "I apologize for the tone," he replied with a tight smile. "So much has happened tonight that I don't understand anything anymore... But I couldn't stay home and leave Bel here alone."
"I understand. I'll only let her stay here with her girlfriend if she promises me she won't make any more scenes," she conceded, looking at him with an amused smile.
Bill nodded with a grateful smile. "Thanks, I promise she won't even notice I'm there."
The woman nodded at them and walked away, leaving the two boys alone.
"Alone? What would I be, a chandelier? Imagine that! You're a troublemaker, and I'd kick you out," Naomi snapped.
"I don't want to argue with you, too, please!" he replied annoyed. "I know you're her sister, that you have a lot more rights than me, but I'm going crazy, okay? I can't do this, Tinker Bell, I'm sorry. How's Bel?"
"If you put it that way, then you're excused. Even though with all this mess, he's definitely not going to feel better." She pushed him into the bedroom. "Go in, you pain in the ass!"
She followed Bill into the room and leaned over her sister. "Be careful not to kill him with his grumpiness... See you tomorrow morning, let me know if you need anything!" After giving her a kiss, he walked away and left.
When the door closed, Bill and Belinda stared at each other for a long time. The girl kept repeating, perplexed, the phrase she had heard from the doctor: his girlfriend. It had a strange effect on her.
"Hey," Bill whispered, coming closer.
He had tied his hair back, put on a sweatshirt, jeans, and a hat. He had a tired look that made him look much younger.
Belinda tried to prop herself up with the pillows. "Bye."
He quickly jumped up to help her.
"It's okay, I can do it," she reassured him.
Now, looking closely at him, she could see on his face, not only the tiredness, but also a hint of embarrassment and tension.
"You're completely crazy!" she blurted out, taking his hand and making him sit on the armchair next to the bed.
"I would have gone crazy if I kept staying away from you," he admitted seriously, squeezing her fingers.
Belinda smiled. "I have to be sick more often, to hear all these nice things from you."
"Don't try that! You're making me age so quickly... I'm not used to worrying about anyone; it's usually others who take care of me."
Belinda pursed her lips.
"I don't need a nanny, you could have left Naomi to keep me company," she protested.
"I didn't say I was sorry, but you're here because of me and..."
She shook her head.
"No, Bill, it's no one's fault, not the concert, nor... for that matter, if that were true. I'm just scared, I'm not ready. I still can't even take care of myself, like I would a… baby?"
Bill stroked her hand tenderly. "I don't think anyone can prepare for something like this, but you'd be a loving and attentive mother."
"Stop it! This is driving me crazy. How could this happen?" she exploded, slamming her hand on the bed.
"I have an idea..."
"Can't you be serious even now?"
Calmly, Bill got up and sat on the bed, spreading his arms and pulling her close, enveloping her in a circle of warmth and tenderness.
"Bel, when we get the test results, we'll address the issue, okay?" he reassured her, brushing his lips against her hair.
Belinda nodded and burst into tears, freeing herself from the weight crushing her chest.
They spent the rest of the night chatting in low voices, commenting on the concert. Bill made her laugh often, trying to distract her, while he stroked her hair and kissed her tenderly.
It was only when dawn broke that, stretching, the boy stood up. "Wait, I'll be right back!"
He opened the door and walked away, returning a few minutes later with a small towel, a brush, and a hair tie.
"Let me tell you, you look awful!" He chuckled.
He approached her from the side, tilting her head, and with great skill and patience, he began to gently brush her hair until he had removed all the knots and tied it with the hair tie. Finally, he went to the bathroom, where he found a container that he filled with water to wash her face and remove every trace of makeup from her eyes. When he finished, he looked at her critically and finally nodded with satisfaction. "There, now it's much better."
The girl smiled and thanked him.
A noise at the door announced that the hospital was beginning to wake up, and a nurse entered the room.
Greeting her, he approached to remove the needle from her arm; Afterwards, he took her temperature and asked her to wait a moment for breakfast, as the doctor wanted to evaluate her tests.
He walked away with the equipment, letting a young doctor who was reading her chart pass by. He studied the data for a few moments and then looked up at her.
"Well, Miss Taddei, there's nothing serious, fortunately!" he announced reassuringly. "Unfortunately, your ailments are due to a nickel allergy."
"I've never had an allergic reaction!" the girl was surprised.
"You probably ingested or touched something containing a higher dose, and that triggered the reaction. Have you had any dizziness, nausea, headaches, or a rash recently?"
"Yes, about two or three days ago." He revealed his red shoulder. "And I've had this rash for a couple of weeks."
"I see," he said, looking at the spot. "We'll give you some ointment for that, but you'll have to take medication for the whole week. If you want, you can go home today. But please, stop by the head nurse when she leaves to pick up the prescription and the follow-up tests you need to do."
He was heading for the door, nodding at her, when she called him back.
"Doctor, sorry!" She was embarrassed, but she needed to know. "So, I'm not... pregnant, am I?"
He looked at her in surprise, reopened the folder, read the data, and shook his head. "The test is negative."
He said goodbye and left, closing the door.
The two boys looked at each other, smiling, and immediately afterward Bill bent down to hug her tightly and kiss her, saying, "Did you see, little head?"
She reciprocated passionately, finally letting go.