Waking Up

[Present time]

Prince and Bryce stood beside Aria's bed. She's sleeping peacefully, breathing right on the nose mask, and sighed. Prince couldn't help but to see Avery's bloody face right on hers, so whenever she appeared on his vision, he shook his head. He doesn't know how he can eradicate it.

It just been a day after he killed Avery, and she's putting him on this kind of situation already.

Bryce sat down on the foot of the bed, looking at Aria, and sighed. Prince was aware that if they exchange words today, Aria would hear it. It's better to talk outside of her bed than here. Their secrets might get revealed in no time.

Prince let Bryce to have a moment with Aria first. He came out, closing the door gently, and sighed.

If Bryce fell in love with Aria, did Prince do the same thing?

"I don't," Prince whispered. Avery was a beautiful sweetheart, a grateful lawyer, a diligent one, and take care of her clients well enough than Prince could have been. She's different from him, because he was that cold, uneasy prosecutor who charged defendants as if they did something heinous.

Prince turned to the railings of the window and look out to the city lights of Vasteria. It was just 4 in the morning, but the highway got busy once again. Some people rushed to their work, and some people will sell food down the blocks. Prince was glad he didn't experience that kind of life at all.

The spring is about to finish. Avery De Leon's face plastered all over the news. They wouldn't stop talking about the disappearance of a diligent lawyer the Executive Law Firm has cherished on. Avery was the number one lawyer the client wanted. She got the highest number of clients in a single year.

Prince looked up at the sky, seeing the stars, wondering if Avery was one of them now.

"Your sister is still alive, Avery. You just wait and she'll join you after a while," Prince threatened.

Just as he was about to say something else, Bryce opened up the door, and went out. Prince turned to him.

"Done having a little chit-chat with your lover?" Prince retorted. Bryce smirked annoyingly. He took a seat down the bench while Prince settled there also. Bryce checked his watch, and it's already dawn.

"I never said anything to her. She might hear it. It's enough for me to just stay by her side without her knowing." Prince threw him a sharp look. Based on his words, he must have fall in love with her literally. Bryce gladly said it, nothing more and nothing less.

"Will you stay here for a while? I think I need to go first. I still had to take care of my case for today" Bryce is going to work without sleep? He must be crazy. Prince doesn't have the right to dictate him at all. He nodded, letting Bryce stand up, and walk away.

Prince was left alone outside Aria's room.

…

"We still have to continue monitoring him, Mr. Gomez. The baby's safe, but she has a weak uterus. It might rupture on the later part of the pregnancy, and we are afraid she'll suffer another round of miscarriage. Don't worry. We'll be able to mend that before it happen." The doctor was talking gibberish about medicine, but Prince, somehow, understood it. He nodded, and even bowed down his head to the OB-GYN.

"We'll check on her once she wakes up." The doctor walked away with her nurses.

Prince turned to the hospital room, and went inside, looking at her sleeping body. She's still unconscious.

"I wish you to wake up today so I can…"

Prince was hopeless of the plan. The target date of their death should be the day before yesterday. Bryce asked him for a favor to hide her, but how? He was recovering from Avery's death, and now, Bryce was asking him about a woman who had the same face as her? It's too unconvincing this isn't fate.

Prince adjusted his position by the stool, and frowned. He observed Aria's face.

"Wake up, Aria," Prince ordered. But she wouldn't even nudge. Prince sighed, and felt woozy for a while. He laid down his head on the side of her bed, and let his arm be the pillow.

The exhaustion sank in to him. Aria's cardiac monitor beeps was the only thing he heard until he fell asleep.

…

"Kill me and your child!" Aria's mind recalled the last night's happenings. She was running away, and the next thing she knew there was a gunshot. Before she even realize, she's shaking her head vigorously, and grunting in pain. Aria opened her eyes right away, gasping for breath.

Her eyes tuned upon the ceiling, and she gaped. Gritting her teeth, a sting of her head radiated all throughout her face. Aria tried to raise her hand, but she felt a stab of a needle in there. Aria wanted to sit down, but she got surprised when a lump of a head rested upon the side of her leg.

Her heart pounded louder, and Aria tried to get a glimpse of who it was.

She only saw the half part of his body, and he's a guy. Aria sighed, cleared her throat, and managed to croak out, "Excuse me…"

It was too soft to even hear. Aria moved her legs knowingly. It did the trick.

Prince sniffed, slowly opening his eyes, and realized his arms and neck have gone stiff.

Aria sighed once again. "Excuse me…"

Prince perked up on his seat right away when he heard her voice. He massaged the base of his skull, turning to the woman on the bed, and saw Aria's eyes.

She raised her eyebrows. Aria doesn't remember anything while coming in here.

"You're awake!" Prince's face got too delighted. He bolted out of the seat right away and run to the door.

"Doctor! Doctor, the patient is awake!" Prince yelled by the hallway. Aria furrowed her eyebrows.

She doesn't know who that man was. Aria waited for him to come back.

Prince did so, and showed up at her side. Aria sighed, asking, "Who…"

"Don't talk for a while. You might overexert yourself. Just be cool and stay there on the bed."