Loving The Temperamental Adonis
Chapter 204: At the hospital

Chapter 204: At the hospital

It was a gloomy evening in Mirage Mesa, the clouds looming overhead, threatening to release their tears at any moment. A light rain shower tapped against the roofs of the houses, while inside the Rodrigo estate, a young girl sat in the living room in front of a large muted television playing cartoons. She cradled a guitar in her small hands, attempting to memorize a song she had heard her sister sing, who had learned it from her best friend living three estates away.

"I’ll call out your name when I miss you..." she sang before pausing, her face falling into a disappointed pout. Glancing at her nanny, Eliza, who was tidying up the living room, she softly inquired, "Nanny, Eliza, why can’t I sing like Mariana? I want to go out and play with that boy who sings with her under the large tree but father will hit me again if I go...why does everybody hate me but mother?" She asked softly, her large brown eyes welling up with tears.

Eliza put the plates aside and cupped the little girl’s cheeks in both her hands, she wiped away her tears and tenderly said, "Nobody hates you, my child. We all love you, and as for your father, he is trying to protect you from the dangers outside. He_"

"Danger? I don’t believe that, Nanny Eliza. He caused me so much pain that day when those men in white coats hurt my stomach with their needles. If he truly wanted to protect me, what about Mariana? She goes out every day and plays with my friend. I saw them playing a guitar under the tree yesterday, and I..."

"You shouldn’t concern yourself with that boy and do what your father ask of you, my child. That boy is not your friend but your sister’s. He doesn’t even know you exist," Eliza said carefully, wanting to talk the girl out of sneaking out and going after her sister to watch her play with the gray eyed boy.

Kelvin had already warned her, if she were caught going out one more time, he wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of her. Since Mariana was the only child known officially as his, the other twin sister was not meant to be seen together with Mariana by strangers.

The little girl pouted as her tears began to roll down her plump cheeks, "I...I met him first. I promised to get him another puppy, he is my friend not Mariana’s. I want to play with him too..."

"You can’t, my dear. Stay away from him." Her nanny pulled her into her arms and gently stroked her back as she began to cry. She cried for the whole night, however despite her Nanny’s warning to stay away from the boy, the next day the little girl sneaked out of the estate and made her way to the boy’s estate through an open corner in the fence. She crawled on her hands and knees and hid behind an apple tree in the garden to watch him play with Mariana on a white swing.

Mariana was giggling and happily singing with him. The little girl’s eyes welled with tears and her tiny hands clenched on her sides as she saw how happy they looked. She began to softly sing along with the boy as he taught her sister how to sing the song, and at that moment where even Mariana could not memorize all the lyrics, the little girl did.

Every day, she ensured to come and observe them play in the garden. Then one day, when Mariana was absent because she had gone shopping with their father, the little girl snuck out again. This time, she didn’t sneak out to visit the boy’s house but to the neighboring estate nearby. She had always kept watch on that house ever since the dog there had delivered four adorable puppies. Now that the puppies were active, she peered through the holes in the fence where they played in the garden.

The little girl had been brought up devoid of emotions, but she had recently grown fond of the boy with gray eyes. Therefore, she had no fear for anything except for her father. She created a hole in the connecting fence between their house and the neighbor’s, big enough for her to pass through, and crawled into it. After wiping her muddy hands on her pink dress, she approached the puppies. She had promised the gray-eyed boy a puppy after his own had passed away, and today she would fulfill that promise.

Chasing after one of the puppies, she caught it, but upon turning around to leave, she froze in place. The mother of the puppy stood five feet away from her. She wouldn’t have been scared if she hadn’t heard and seen the sharp teeth as the dog growled menacingly at her. Taking a step back while holding the whimpering puppy to her chest, she watched as the large dog advanced towards her.

"Don’t come any closer. I just want to take one of your babies. You have enough babies, my friend will take good care of this one," she said to the dog as if it could understand her. However, the dog only growled louder, causing her young heart to pound against her ribs. Instead of dropping the puppy, she chose to run, but before she could move, the dog barked and leaped towards her. She closed her eyes and let out a piercing scream.

****

"No!" Mia let out a soft exclamation as her eyes fluttered open, her heart thumping loudly in her chest as if it might burst out of her chest. Struggling to focus in her groggy state, her surroundings appeared blurry, leaving her feeling half-asleep and half-awake. Through the haze, she spotted a figure looming over her, unable to discern the person’s features but she knew the person was a woman by her long hair. Motionless, the woman gazed down at her, prompting Mia’s desire to fully open her eyes and identify her, yet she was held back by a fog of weariness, and soon she was pulled back into unconsciousness.

When she woke up again, she sensed a comforting touch running through her hair, causing her to furrow her brow as she slowly lifted her heavy eyelids. Initially met with a white environment and the distinct scent of a hospital, despite the room’s luxurious furnishings that initially confused her, Mia recognized from the odor that she was in a medical facility - likely a VVIP room. Attempting to shift her hand, a deep voice beside her cautioned, "Be careful, you might dislodge the IV drip in your hand."

Recognizing the voice, she slowly turned to her right side and saw Neil seating on a sofa beside her bed with one of his hands clasping hers and the other stroking her hair soothingly. Her heart skipped a thousand beats as she met his weary grey eyes that were filled with warmth and tenderness for her, she didn’t know how she ended up in a hospital but waking up to him was the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to her in the past month. He looked like he hadn’t slept in ages from the heavy bags under his eyes and the dullness of his face, yet he smiled in relief when she glanced at him, and his smile did crazy things to her heartbeat.

She wanted to lift her hand and lay it against his hard jaw and trace the lines of those sensual lips. His shirt collar was opened at the throat, and she wanted to touch and trace her fingers over the familar outlines of his tattoo, she wanted to nestle his head against her chest and coax him to sleep, but she couldn’t do any of that from how weak she felt. She turned her hand and clasped his hand instead to make certain she wasn’t dreaming and that he was really here with her.

"Neil..." She whispered his name despite the dryness in her throat, and when he hummed in response she smiled in relief. She saw that he was about to get up and pull his hand away from hers, and she acted instinctively by quickly grabbing his shirt. "Don’t go!"

He looked down at her hands, clutching tightly to his shirt, he then smiled faintly and reached out to gently unclench her fingers from his shirt as he said, "I’m not going anywhere. I didn’t leave your side for two days you were unconscious, and I won’t now that you are awake. I just want to get you some water, now lay still and be a good girl." He patted her head and then walked around the bed to pour her water.

Mia watched him walk to the water dispenser. Quietly she watched his swift movement as he took up a glass down from the shelf and pushed the button for warm water. He wasn’t wearing a jacket on his casual black shirt, and with each movement of his arm, the thin fabric of his shirt tautened, emphasizing his broad, muscular shoulders and tapered back. Mia let her gaze drift down the clean line of his narrow hips and long legs, outlined by the comfortable trouser he wore.

He looked so perfect she couldn’t believe he was finally here with her, and as she watched him, memories of that night’s incident at the banquet, her trying to Jump off a cliff and then Neil arriving to stop her flashed through her head, making her feel a sense of shame and guilt wash over her. She’d been unconscious for two days, Mia realized with a sicking feeling in her heart as she recalled her drastic decision to end her life because of how miserable she’d felt.

Slipping his hand under her head, Neil helped her up and gently placed the glass of water against her lips. Mia didn’t realize how thirsty she was until the water touched her mouth, she emptied the entire glass and still requested for more. After she’d quenched her thirst, Neil returned the glass and came back to her bedside. Before he even sat down, she’d reached out and pulled back his hand and placed it on her stomach where it had been when she woke up.

Neil didn’t mind for one second that she was acting clingy and gladly clasped her hands into his after he pressed a button on the wall to summon a doctor to come and check on her. For the two days she’d been unconscious, he’d not gone home to even change. He’d been sleeping in the bed he’d ordered to be placed next to hers, and he’d only left her side to either shower or to answer a few important calls outside as to not to disturb her. He’d been so worried at first when she didn’t wake up the first day, but the doctor had told him to relax, and that her body was finally getting the rest she’d lacked for the past days.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked after a few moments of silence while lazily using his thumb to caress her hand that clasped his.

"I feel okay..."she whispered softly, looking into the depth of his grey eyes that bored into hers. She’d lost so much weight Neil couldn’t help but want to take her home and nurse her back to health, her hand felt so fragile in his he felt like she’d break if he were to add even little pressure.