A few days later, Adeira received a call from Nelson.
" Rick has been shot! Rick has been shot! "
" Where is he? " Adeira asked.
" Hope Hospital Room thirteen."
" I will meet you there in a few," she replied.
Adeira left her room in a rush and headed to the hospital. She met this grey haired woman at the entrance of the hospital. She went to the reception and they are both lead to Rick's ward. She had never met Rick's immediate family.
"And who are you?" asked the woman.
"I am Adeira, Rick's girlfriend."
"Okay I am his mother, Lynn."
"Nice to meet you," replied Adeira.
They found doctors in his ward and Lynn signed a consent form to enable the doctors perform his surgery. Rick had been shot at the back of his head. The bullet had been dislodged in his head. Everyone was panicking as they waited. The doctors were preparing to start the surgery. Rick was wheeled into the operating room.
The doctors informed them that Rick would be operated on for four hours at least and he would take few more hours to regain consciousness. Adeira decided to call Nelson as they were to meet in the hospital.
Rick's father then arrived together with his relatives. Adeira could not reach Nelson and decided to ask Lynn.
"I have tried reaching out to Nelson but can't find him. He is the one who informed me about the shooting."
"I don't know where he is," she replied.
"Could you please try calling him?" asked Adeira.
"All I care about right now is my so…"
Before she could finish her statement, they heard tires screeching outside the hospital. They were on the sixth floor. They looked down through the window and saw someone being wheeled into the hospital. They rushed to the ground floor only to be informed that the victim of the accident was Nelson. He had been hit by a truck. The emergency team were trying everything possible to revive him.
Adeira could not help but shed tears. This was just too much. Nelson was the only member of Rick's family that she knew. All the others were strangers. The doctors tried everything possible but unfortunately Nelson succumbed.
The family was devastated. All they could hope for is that Rick could survive the surgery. Adeira said a silent prayer. After Rick's surgery, the relatives started leaking the hospital. It was already dark. He was then taken to the Intensive Care Unit for monitoring. Rick's mother remained with Adeira at the waiting room. She decided to break the ice.
" When did you meet me son?" Lynn asked.
"Over one year ago," she replied.
"How comes I have never met or seen you," said Lynn.
"He was actually planning to introduce me to you after the Christmas holidays," said Adeira.
"All we can do now is hope and pray that my son wakes up," said Lynn.
"I really pray so."
The next morning, Rick had still not woken up. The doctor informed them that he had gone into a coma. They had worried looks as they entered his ward. Lynn held her son's hand. He had a big bandage covering the upper part of his head. He had an oxygen mask on and the heart monitor kept beating by his side.
Rick's father came in a few minutes later and enveloped Lynn in a hug.
" Our only child," she sobbed.
Just then, a lady came rushing through the door. She was panting and crying as she moved next to Rick and held his hand. Shocked by this intruder, Lynn asked.
" And who are you?"
" I am Rick's girlfriend, Adeline," she replied.
"Rick's girlfriend is already here, Adeira."
Adeira could not stop herself from engaging in the conversation.
"I am actually engaged to him, he proposed," said Adeira showcasing her ring.
"We have been together for four months now," Adeline responded.
"That is impossible we have been dating for over an year," Adeira replied.
"I don't care, he is mine now," said Adeline.
Adeira felt her blood boil. She kept her lips shut to control her anger. Everyone in the ward was confused. The only person who had all the answers was lying there ,motionless. Lynn had to tell both of them to step outside as they were causing commotion. She looked at her husband and shook her head. This was not new to them. It was so obvious the two ladies outside did not realize what they had gotten into.
Adeira felt so heart broken. How could Rick do this to her. She really loved him. It had become an obsession. She could not live without him. She decided to be strong. She was not going to give up because another stranger claimed to be Rick's girlfriend. All she could do was patiently wait for him to wake up. She needed a whole paragraph of an explanation.
Rick woke up after two days. Lynn, Adeline and Adeira were all in the room that night. They notified the doctor to come and examine him. After a thorough examination, it was confirmed that all had gone well and he was recovering. The only thing that they were not sure is if he had regained all his memory. He told the three women to go in one by one to see if he could recognize any of them.
His mom was the first to enter the room. He looked at her intently. He could not remember her well though she looked familiar. She held his hands as she cried tears of joy. She was glad his son was alive. That was all that mattered. She stayed with him for a while. She asked the doctor if she could stay with him through the night. She did not want the two ladies outside to confuse him. The two ladies sat on the waiting lounge till morning.
Rick felt into a deep slumber. Lynn went to meet the ladies outside. She told them that they would go one after the other to see if he could recognize any of them. Adeline was first to enter after Rick had woken up. He looked at her as if she was a stranger. He did not even allow her to touch him. Adeline tried to convince him that she was her girlfriend and that she loved him. He only looked at her and did not respond. He could not even remember her. Adeline left the room crying.
Adeira decided to go in. Some part of her doubted that he will recognize her. She was skeptical but her love for him was enough to convince her to see him. She saw him and smiled. She was holding onto the hope that he would recognize her smile at least. She sat next to the hospital bed. He looked at her with a blank face. He could not recognize her. He did not smile back. This took Adeira down memory lane.
She was only ten years old. She was playing with her dolls in her room. Suddenly, she started hearing screams. It was her mom. She ran out of the room and saw her father. She started screaming too. This was the cause of her nightmares. The unfortunate turn of events of that day haunted her. She began shaking and sobbed silently. She had to control herself as she came back to reality. She hurriedly left the ward, took a taxi and went home.
She found her mother sitting at the backyard. She went and hugged her tightly.
"What's wrong my daughter? What happened?" she asked.
"I am okay mom, I just needed a hug," replied Adeira.
"How is Rick?" she asked.
"Rick is out of coma but…" she begun to sob again.
Her mother prepared her a cup of hot coffee. She sipped the coffee as she calmed down. She started explaining how Nelson was hit by a truck and how he died a few minutes afterwards. She then told her mother about Adeline. How Rick lost his memory and could not recognize her. The only member of Rick's family who knew her is no more. Her mother comforted her but she still felt so heartbroken. She went to bed feeling so weak and exhausted.