SILENCE 2

    The next morning, Ethan and Nora left the hospital to go back to his apartment and prepare a meal. Axel and his girlfriend Camelia had come to stay with Faith. Faith was still unconscious but Ethan never gave up hope. He urged Nora to go home with him and take some clothing and food for Faith. He hoped that she was going to wake up soon. Charlie had gone to the hospital to fill up for Nora since he wasn't on duty that day. 

     Before he left, Douglas had gotten the hospital's address and Faith's room number. Danny had gone to invest and revive his business. 

    While Nora packed Faith's clothes, Ethan made jambalaya in the kitchen. He tasted the meal, savoured it and nodded. It was perfect, just the way Faith would like it. He took out a food flask to dish the potion they would take to the hospital. 

      Nora came into the kitchen when he was dishing the phone.  "Are you still cooking?" she asked. 

      "I'm done, I'm just dishing the food. Do you want to taste it?" 

      "I wouldn't mind." 

   Ethan took a plate from the rack and dished a little amount for her and handed her a spoon. Nora took one spoon and savoured it. She nodded her head. 

      "This is nice, where did you learn to cook like this?" 

       "Half of it was from my mom while Faith taught me the rest." He fastened the cover of the cap.  "Since this is her favourite dish I think it's only reasonable that I learnt how to cook it." 

        "That's very thoughtful of you though," Nora said and looked like she wanted to say something else but changed her mind. 

      Ethan noticed her reaction.  "Out with it already," he said removing his apron. 

        "Huh?" Nora feigned ignorance. 

     Ethan rolled his eyes at her.  "Stop that, Nora. You know I know what you want to ask me." 

        "No, you don't." 

        "Yes, I do. You want to know why I'm disguising." 

       "Well, since you have brought it up, maybe you should answer it. I couldn't help but get curious." 

       Ethan smiled lopsidedly and started leaving the kitchen, Nora followed him to the living room. He grabbed his coat from the sofa.  "You are sure you have picked everything she would need?" 

       "Yes, we are good to go." Nora grabbed the bag she had packed Faith's clothes in. 

      Ethan moved towards the entrance door and held it open for Nora to pass. He closed the door and started to lock it while Nora stood behind him. After locking the door, he turned to Nora with a smile. "The reason I am disguising is my little secret."

     Nora shrugged without saying anything else. She followed him down the hallway to the elevator. 

        In a few minutes, they were pulling into the hospital premises. Ethan drove into the parking lot and killed the ignition, but he froze when he saw a car driving into the hospital's parking lot. Nora looked at him confused. It was the car of the stalker who had been stalking them. 

     "Are you alright?" Nora asked.

     Ethan remained silent for a few minutes, watching the car. Nora followed his gaze and saw the car but she didn't understand why he was looking at the car like that.  Ethan quickly went out of the car when the car door opened and Nora who was confused watched him from his car. 

      When the man came out, she recognised him. He was Douglas, Faith's brother.  "Shit!" she exclaimed and unstrapped her seat belt when she realised what Ethan was about to do. 

      Ethan tapped Douglas on the shoulder and Douglas turned to find out who tapped him, but a heavy punch landed on his nose and he staggered back holding his bleeding nose. 

       "What the hell man!" Douglas yelled. 

   Ethan rushed up to him and grabbed his collars.  "I warned you to stay away from Faith right? I said I don't ever want to see you anywhere around me or Faith. What are you doing here?" 

     Nora tried to push Ethan away from Douglas.  "What the hell is wrong with you, Ethan?! Do you know who you are beating up right now?!" 

       "Does it look like I care who he is?!" Ethan fired back. 

        "Yes, you care! He is Joshua, Faith's brother!" 

  Ethan's eyes widened in surprise and he left Douglas' collar and took a few steps back. Douglas wiped the blood on his nose, staring hard at Ethan. 

       "I am so sorry, Sir, he didn't mean to do that. It was a mistake,"  Nora started apologizing on Ethan's behalf.

       Douglas moved closer to Ethan who looked dumbfounded and unable to look at him. He dared him to look at him by bringing his face closer to Ethan and raising his chin. 

      "Be rest assured that you won't date my sister," he said.

       "My intentions for your sister are pure." 

   Douglas scoffed.  "Pure my foot." He held his bleeding nose and walked away. 

    Ethan made to follow him but stopped and said.  "Can I at least explain?!" 

       Douglas gave him the middle finger without turning back and walked into the hospital hall. Ethan huffed in exasperation.  Nora walked up to him in surprise and looked at his face. 

       "What is going on here?" 

       "I think I just blew my chances." 

       "What chances? Do you know this man?" 

      "He has been stalking us for a few days now. Why didn't he just tell me he was her brother?" Ethan asked in frustration. 

       "He was stalking? Well...this is..." Nora seemed short of words.  "Let's go upstairs first." She pushed Ethan forward. 

      When they got to the room, Axel and Camelia were staring at Douglas who was beside Faith's bed looking at her in bewilderment. Once Axel saw Ethan, he rushed up to him and whispered in his ear. 

       "It's a relief that you are here, I don't know but this man just walked in here claiming that he was her relative. He has blood on his nose and hands." 

      "He is her brother," Ethan replied and went over to the couch in the room and sat down, putting his elbows on his knees for support and placing his face in his hands. 

      Nora and Camelia exchanged pleasantries. After that, no one else said anything in the room until Douglas left a few minutes later. 

      For days it was touch and go for Faith. She remained in the intensive care unit and on the critical list. Nobody knew if she would pull through but the doctors said it was a miracle that she was still alive after losing so much blood. Ethan was always beside her bed, holding her hand and talking to her, he rarely left her bedside. 

     His mother called him every day to ask after her and would always assure him that she was always praying for her with the women from her church and that Faith would be alright.  Douglas visited now and then but nothing changed between him and Ethan, they avoided each other. 

      Charlie and Nora were there with Ethan most of the time. Although Ethan had self-acclaimed himself as Nora's bestie and was enjoying his newly found friendship, he never got along with Charlie as anyone would have expected. 

      They never fought, never bantered words, never quarrelled with each other, but they don't talk. They seem to have a natural dislike for each other. Ethan's dislike was partly borne out of what Noah had said about Charlie and Faith. He trusted Faith, it was Charlie he didn't trust. He doubted if Charlie was completely gay or bisexual although he had not seen anything to hold his doubts. He just hated that Charlie was always there, even more than Douglas, Faith's brother. He felt that the only male that should be all around Faith was him. 

       Charlie on the other hand disliked Ethan because he thought Ethan was arrogant and always acts before he thinks and he told Nora about that, but Nora had simply disagreed with him. To her, Ethan was a kind and generous fellow, although, she kept wondering why he was disguising himself and had been tempted on different occasions to confine in Charlie, but she couldn't betray Danny's trust. If she tell Charlie he was likely to tell Douglas and Douglas might tell someone and so it would spread. So she had simply kept it to herself. 

       A lot of things went on during those long days that Faith was completely unaware of. Visitors came and went. Visitors like Noah came when Ethan was not around and had pleaded with Nora to see Faith. Nora had given him only five minutes to do that. 

       The last time Ethan had seen Douglas in the hospital, he had initiated a conversation between them that didn't end well. As usual, Douglas had come to see his sister and he had ignored Ethan who sat on the sofa behind him. 

       "Why were you stalking her instead of coming to see her?" Ethan had asked after a while. 

     Douglas had turned his head but not fully to Ethan.  "It is none of your business, stay in your business." 

      "It's not completely none of my business. I live with Faith and I registered as her guardian here." 

        "Is that why you are meddling in her life?" 

        "I'm not meddling," Ethan had defended himself. 

        "I have never fancied the idea of her living in with a man." 

         "Don't be ridiculous." 

       Douglas kept talking like he didn't hear Ethan.  "So I will get her her own place and she would return there when she wakes." 

         "You can't do that. Faith is a grown woman and can make decisions for herself." 

      Douglas turned to face him fully now.  "You are missing the whole point.  No matter how grown she is, she is still my little sister and it is my responsibility to protect her." 

    Ethan scoffed.  "Little sister, you say? Where were you all these years when she grew up alone? If she didn't need your protection then, what makes you think she would need it now? I think th e only person she needs protection from here is you." 

      Douglas had just stared at him without saying a word.