[Alice]
"You can't stay here, and you can't marry that beast either." Agnes said to me in whispers even though it was just the two of us in the ward, and our mother unconscious. Her eyes were unnaturally wide with fear but her tone was defiant, and almost fearless. I was sure she was imagining my life as the seventh Mafia queen. We had gone quiet after she disclosed the patient's identity, with each of us thinking about the exact same thing.
"I know, but what about you?" I could not bear the thought of running away and leaving Agnes behind when I know how heartless and weak father and mother were respectively. I could as well stay back, and be damned.
"Stop worrying about me, I can take care of myself," Agnes assured me in a firm voice but I shook my head in disbelief. It was my responsibility to look after her, and even if she was able to take care of herself, the Mafia is not a place where women are regarded, and woe betide you if you're a wonan that is strong, resilient and dogged. These monsters of men would do everything possible to break such woman, and I didn't want that for Agnes. I didn't want her to be an easy prey either.
"Will you be okay?" I asked, and pulled her closer to myself, enjoying the way she rested on me. She didn't say anything but I felt as she nodded.
It was a hard decision for me, leaving her alone with the tyrant we call our father and the muted prey that was supposed to be our mother, not sure if she would remain the same after this incident or if she would come out of this at all. She seemed in a pretty bad state, and there was strangely no medical personnel available to have her checked.
She was back to being motionless on the bed, and I wasn't sure whether or not to be relieved about it. The more time she had to stay in the hospital, the more time we needed to stay in with her, and the easier my plan to elope would become. Only Agnes would have to leave because of school but with the way she was acting, I was pretty sure she had no intention to go to school tomorrow or the day after that, until the day mother would be discharged from the hospital.
"When are you leaving?" Agnes asked me suddenly, and for a few seconds, I couldn't answer. I couldn't even understand what she was talking about. I understood after a few seconds and looked away from Agnes. I didn't feel like talking about my elopement plan as all the excitement that had accompanied it before now had disappeared.
"In four days," I said in a voice that was far too sad to be indifference, and Agnes raised an eyebrow.
"That's close, I'm already missing you," she said in a sad voice. Once again, I thought eloping was a bad idea.
"I can delay for a few more days to spend more time with you." I suggested but Agnes would not hear of it.
"You don't have to do that because of me," Agnes replied, and I shook my head. She sure did not understand how dangerously the Mafia works.
"I want to," I replied but Agnes was shaking her head in disagreement. What now? I asked in my head.
"You will keep moving the date forward until the wedding is upon us. You have made the necessary arrangements to leave in four days time, stick to it." Agnes advised in hushed tones. She was right, and I hated it. I hated that running away was the only way to protect myself. I hated that I had to leave Agnes behind.
"You should come with me," I said without giving the words much thought.
"You know as well as I do that going with you is one bad idea," Agnes replied but I didn't say anything so that an awkward silence followed.
It was a few minutes shy of one hour since our mother had stirred, and no doctor or nurse had arrived since then to check on her. I was tempted to go to the emergency ward, at least to see for myself but I was scared of what I might find.
"How bad is it?" I asked after long minutes had passed, I was facing Agnes who stared back at me with confusion written on her face.
"What?" She asked. She obviously did not understand what I was talking about.
"The Mafia queen," I replied, and she frowned. It was almost as if I shouldn't be asking about her. But I wanted to, not because I thought it could have been me on that hospital bed but because she was a woman, and deserved to be pitied. Did the Mafia King not marry her less than a year ago?
"Bad enough to demand the attention of every medical personnel in the hospital," Agnes answered as if she would rather not answer. "Don't change the topic," she added quickly before I could say anything else.
It was only then that I remembered that we were talking about my plan to elope before I let my mind drift away.
"Where were we?" I asked instead, and rolled my eyes at Agnes when she smiled with so much interest. Funny how my elopement would interest her when the thought of leaving her behind was making me have second thoughts.
"I said you should leave in four days time as you have..." Agnes stopped talking at once when a shadow was suddenly casted on us to indicate the presence of someone.
It was father. His large physique covered the door as he stood there comfortably as though he was not obstructing the way. He was staring down at us with angry eyes. I realized I didn't know how long he had stood there, and panicked, but only for a brief moment as I was sure that he didn't hear a thing. It explains why he was staring down at us instead of tearing the building apart as that would have been his reaction if he had overheard Agnes.
He stepped into the already tensed room, and somehow managed to make it even more tensed. I heard Agnes exhale loudly in fear as he walked past us, towards the bed where mother laid. His movement was deliberately slow, as if he would rather not do this. I had expected him to rain abuses and threats on us for bringing mother to the hospital without his consent but he didn't, he was acting cool, too cool, and knowing my father, it could be really dangerous.
I followed his movement as he headed for the bed, and at the figure laying lifelessly. There was not an iota of shame or remorse or regret in his expression as he looked at her as if she was not worthy of his gaze in the first place. He turned sharply and faced Agnes, scaring the wits out of her. I heard her breath hitch suddenly as she stiffened a whimper.
What were you two talking about in hushed voices?" He asked and Agnes shot me a stare. Her eyes were filled with fear but I wasn't worried that she would tell him of my plan to elope. I was worried that he already heard but she wouldn't tell him which would drag her into a deeper trouble.