Cara POV
I groaned and tried to open my eyes but it felt like the bright lights were a nail that was stabbed directly into my pupils.
And my head was throbbing, it reminded me of the one time I had a hangover.
When I raised my hand to touch it, I realized it was swaddled in bandages.
I stiffened and opened my eyes despite the pain and gasped at my location. I heard footsteps approaching my bed, only then did I realize I was not alone and I was in a hospital room.
"How??" my voice, scratchy and hoarse sounded like someone else's.
"Don't say anything." The nurse gently patted my shoulder then she brought a cup with a straw which she placed in my mouth.
My mouth felt like cotton and I took a long drink of the refreshing water and felt immensely better even though my head still felt really bad.
"What happened?" I asked, "How did I get here?"
"Don't you remember?" She asked. "You tripped and fell."
The mortifying memory replayed in my head and I closed my eyes.
I could not explain why I was always tripping or falling and this time it had happened in the office which was bad enough but I had fallen right in front of my boss.
"Just a moment dear, the doctor will soon be here." The nurse intruded my thoughts then stepped out, leaving me alone.
Shortly after, the nurse returned, this time she was not alone.
A man in a lab coat and horn rimmed glasses came in after the nurse the shut the door behind him.
"It's good to see you back with the living Miss Hayes." The man said with a kind smile. "For a moment we feared that we would lose you."
I blanched at the thought that I had almost died.
I'm still so young, how can I die now? I haven't even married Edward and had cute babies with him. I dare not die.
The doctor took my vitals and scribbled on a board before looking at me.
"You took a nasty fall you might feel woozy for a while but that will go away," He explained.
"If you don't remember some things, don't try to force it. Just remember to take your drugs and rest and everything will be fine."
I tried to nod then winced as lightning seemed to strike my brain.
"I will prescribe stronger painkillers for you." The doctor nodded as he noticed my pain and scribbled on the board. "And I will leave you in the capable hands of nurse Anderson."
With that he left, I watched as the nurse injected a clear fluid into my IV line. Almost instantly, a warm, heavy blanket of calmness washed over me.
My thoughts felt like they were floating on clouds, soft and slightly blurred at the edges.
"By tomorrow your hunk of a boyfriend will be free to take you home." The nurse teased. "He was by your side all night, it was so perfect, like a romance movie. I've never seen a man look so devastated."
For a moment it seemed that the nurse would swoon and I blushed.
It seems bad situations bring the best outcomes in people. I thought to myself.
I would be the first to admit my boyfriend was a bit of a spoiled brat who did not like to be stressed and he absolutely hated hospitals, even when he was sick.
But the fact that he had actually stayed by my bedside all night filled my heart with warmth.
I had to admit, he did have his moments.
"Is he back then?" I rasped, my heart fluttering.
"He only stepped out for a moment to get coffee," she explained. "He refused to move even an inch until the doctor confirmed you were stable."
Just then, the heavy door creaked open. I turned my head slowly, the world tilting just a fraction.
A tall, broad-shouldered silhouette filled the doorway. Even through the haze of painkillers, he looked magnificent.
The nurse beamed. "See? I told you he'd be right back."
I looked at him.
The sharp jawline, the intense eyes, the expensive coat and felt a surge of pride. "You're right, Nurse," I giggled, the medication stripping away my filter. "My boyfriend really is gorgeous."
The man in the doorway froze, his coffee cup mid-air, as he stared at me with an expression I couldn't quite decipher.
* * *
Charles POV
"It's been a whole day, where are you?" I demanded over the phone. "You told me an hour ago that you were on your way, why are you not here yet?"
I was pacing in front of the little coffee kiosk where I was waiting for my coffee.
Passersby brushed past me on their way to their respective places of work this morning while I dealt with my brother's mess.
"I'm not the doctor," Edward answered nonchalantly. "It's not like I can miraculously get her to wake up can I?"
I gritted my teeth at the careless way my kid brother was treating his devoted girlfriend.
She might be a little foolish for dating someone like my brother but she was sweet, kind and loyal. She did not deserve that sort of treatment from him.
"Don't you think it's disgusting that you are frolicking about with your girlfriend's best friend while she may well be dying in the hospital."
There was silence on the other end, then.
"Fine." Edward grumbled. "This time i'm really on my way."
I stared at my phone as if i could punch Edward through it.
For the umpteeth time, I contemplated telling Cara that the person she loved was nothing but a scumbag piece of shit who did not deserve her.
But Edward was my kid brother, there was no way I could just rat him out like that.
But in my hearts of hearts, only one thing truly stopped me from telling Cara what my brother really was like.
The fact that I wanted her for myself.
It was a secret I guarded closely because of how ashamed it made me
I wanted my own brother's woman.
It meant that I could not do anything to ruin their relationship.
All I could do was suffer in silence and hope that the feelings faded or something happened without my orchestration.
Moreover, Cara made the choice to be with Edward herself. It was only right that I respect that decision.
With an annoyed groan, I turned away and walked back into the hospital.
As I got into the elevator, I thought of Cara and shook my head at her clumsiness.
I had always thought she was a cute two left legged girl until she slipped on nothing and fell down the stairs right in front of me.
I could still remember the sound of her heels on the marble and her arms flailing while I tried and failed to catch her before she went stumbling down the stairs with that sickening crunch.
At that moment my heart felt like it ceased to beat, and watching her laying helplessly pale against those white sheets in the hospital had threatened to unman me.
I'd had to escape before tears spilled out of my eyes.
On my way back to her room, I considered going straight to the doctor and demanding for answers.
They said she would soon wake up hours ago, why was she still unconscious then?
But I decided to check on her first and as I stepped into the room, I heard the tail end of the nurse's words.
She turned when she heard the door open and smiled.
"I told you your boyfriend would be back soon."
My eyes went from the nurse to Cara who looked loopy and was smiling sheepishly.
"You are right nurse," She said sheepishly. "My boyfriend is really gorgeous."