Life Without Her Stranger 2

Rhea sprinted down the gravelled road surrounding the main house of the estate, her feet burning in the heels she had chosen with the thought of lounging in the library all day.

Said feet, well-versed in the layout of her home, guided Rhea to her destination while her mind was burdened by images of Augustus, burned to ashes or succumbing to his injuries on some hospital bed, leaving her in a manner Rhea had never once thought of.

She had refused to say goodbye to him the morning of his departure, both because of Lonan's insistence and because she had thought it was what was best for all of them.

But now, remembering their last moments together with bitter clarity, Rhea drowned in regret and horror.

She had to see him, even if all that was left to listen to her apology and plea for forgiveness was a cooling corpse.

The garage, a large barn-style build that was situated a little ways from the main house, loomed ahead, and Rhea hurried her steps, nearly tripping over the edge of her long skirt in her haste.

There were a group of technicians working on one of Lonan's cars when she raced in, the sound of her heels clicking against the floors alerting them of her arrival.

"Good morning, My Lady!" called out the man closest to her, followed by echoed greetings from his colleagues as they paused their work to attend to her. "Are you..."

"I need my car!" she yelled out as she hurried over to the cabinet on the wall containing the keys, and fished out her bright blue cat-themed keychain.

"Why don't I go get Cedric for you..."

"Never mind that," Rhea called out, her voice echoing in the hollow space as she hurried down the rows of cars to locate hers. "I will be driving myself today."

Dumbfounded, the man chased after Rhea and came to a stop by her window just as she shut the door.

"My Lady, you know I can't let you leave on your own. Lord Lonan would have our heads when he discovers," the man tried to reason with her, reaching out his gloved hand to catch her wrist before she could insert the key.

Blue eyes pinned him with a glare so fierce he yanked his hand back like it burned and cringed when he saw the dark oil staining her fair wrist.

"Apologies, My Lady," he rushed out awkwardly, unused to the delicate dance that was relating with nobles, like the domestic staff were. "But I still can't let you go out without following procedure and discussing movement with the Count, it's our job...."

"A man is dying in the hospital, right now. A wonderful man whom I owe a great deal," she interrupted, inserting the key into the slot with a hard slam, "and I refuse to let you, me, or anyone else get in the way of me seeing him. Not this time."

He pulled back from the window as the engine came to life, but his hand remained on the steering wheel. "You're going to see the Grand Duke," he guessed, his voice low as if it were some scandalous secret.

Suspicious, Rhea studied his eyes, and when all she could see was sincerity and understanding, she nodded.

He let go of the wheel. "I'll pop a couple tyres to slow Lord Lonan down. The highway will probably be a mess because of the accident, so drive slow and stay safe."

Rhea's lips curled into a thankful grin, something sweet that caused him to blush and look away.

Then she was off, speeding down the path and past the gates as they opened for her.

Riverian was one of the most peaceful and picturesque counties under Ravenholm, if not the whole of Euphoria. Its beauty and friendly people were what made little Riverain, with little to no industries or raw materials, stand out on the map, and gave the Montgomery family name its prestige.

'Tourism and Hospitality' had been their motto for the last two hundred and fifty years, ever since the then Count of Riverian had planted a thousand fruit trees and made it a spectacle people from all over the world had travelled to see.

Now, driving past the area where Augustus' convoy had been attacked, it dawned on Rhea that she had a lot more than his death to worry about.

Particularly, the political and economic ramifications it would have once news of an assassination attempt on a man so powerful and well-loved happened in small Riverian, known to be heaven on earth, and a happier home away from home.

She could already imagine the fear-mongering as rival counties tried to topple them down and take their place as the tourism center of the nation, and she made a mental note to talk to Lonan about it.

There was a bit of a hold-up as journalists and amateur bloggers, all eager to make a mark, gathered to take pictures at the site of the accident.

Bits of shrapnel from the destroyed cars littered the area, and there were small dents along the once smooth road. Worst of all were the numerous splashes of dried blood, darkened from exposure, covering the area.

Her overactive mind suddenly conjured up a picture of Augustus' mangled body drowning in a pool of his own blood, so vivid and gruesome, Rhea failed to notice the car ahead of her moving.

A series of incessant honks startled her out of her self-made nightmare, and she quickly joined the slow-moving traffic, her hands tightening around the steering wheel in a bid to control the tremble in them.

After what felt like a lifetime, she made her way out of the traffic and continued the rest of her journey down familiar, peaceful roads of Riverian, all while thoughts of the worst to ravage her mind.

The closer she got to the hospital, the quicker Rhea's confidence in her visit shriveled up until it was nothing but a shivering ball in the back of her mind when she arrived at the gigantic hospital.

St. Lilliana Rei Hospital was notorious for its depressive air, like death itself had laid each of the brown bricks until completion, and the tall black roofs, almost piercing the clouds in their loftiness, did nothing to relieve the weight that had settled in her chest.

The last time Rhea had been there was to see a world-renowned fertility doctor whose magic had been unable to touch her due to Lonan's intervention.

She remembered with painful clarity the tears that had spilled down her cheeks as Lonan dragged her out of the doctor's office -who had desperately tried to reason with him- all while ranting about Rhea conceiving 'naturally' like his mother and all the women before her had.

But Rhea was on a mission so she stiffened her spine and drove down the courtyard of the hospital, the buzz of people growing into a deafening roar when she got close enough to see the state of the hospital's main entrance.

Gathered there was what appeared to be over three dozen people, many holding flashing cameras and microphones, and screaming questions at the armed men who had set up a barricade to keep them away from the hospital.

Rhea's face fell, and she quickly swerved to the left before she was spotted by the vultures that made up the press who would be more than eager to dub her Augustus' affair partner, as they tended to do whenever Rhea was seen within breathing distance of a man who was not their Count.

Soon enough, she found the second entrance, tucked away from public view for persons of Importance and the occasional emergency when the hospital was particularly busy.

The two nurses hanging around by the entrance spotted her before she did them, her signature car giving her away.

Eagerly, they hurried over to attend to her, and while one insisted on helping her park her car, the other escorted her to Augustus' room. As payment, Rhea tolerated the concerned glances she gave to her rough appearance and the bandage wrapped around her neck, all while praying that she would not ask questions.

The young nurse -who was overly excited to take her to the Grand Duke's room, in Rhea's opinion- led her to the right wing of the hospital, where the VIP rooms were located.

They came to a stop in front of the large doors leading to the wing, where two guards were stationed.

"This is as far as I am authorized to go, Countess," she revealed apologetically.

"You did more than you had to, thank you...."

"Lola," the young woman offered with a large grin, her hands shyly playing with the hem of her scrubs.

"Thank you, Lola," Rhea said as patiently as she could manage when all she wanted to do was go running to Augustus. "Until we meet...."

"He was calling out your name," Lola rushed out, nearly bouncing in place in her excitement. "Rhea, that is. He kept saying it over and over again when he was first brought in, like some prayer."

"Oh," was all Rhea could say, whatever joy she would have felt at the thought of being on his mind in his worst moment crushed by the reminder that she had all but severed ties with him by refusing to say goodbye, and that had probably hurt him.

Sensing the change in her Countess' countenance, Lola wished her goodbye with a small curtsy and hurried off to work, leaving Rhea to turn to the door and debate whether or not to see him, even as she had come so far.

Knowing Lonan, he was probably on his way to the hospital, if not in it already, and it may be her last chance to see if Augustus was alright and wish him a proper goodbye.

It was the least he deserved after everything he had done for her.

Squaring her shoulders, Rhea raised her head high, and one of the guards, in turn, opened the doors for her.

The right wing of the hospital was quiet, due to the reduced traffic. It was easy to find Augustus' room, six doors down from the entrance of the wing with two guards stationed at the entrance and two more at the large window at the end of the hallway.

When Rhea came to a stop at the door, the guard on the left gave her a suspicious look and reached for his belt, his jacket pushed aside to reveal a gun, but was quickly stopped by his companion.

"Forgive him, Countess Montgomery," the man began with an emphasis on her title and a warning glare thrown at the younger guard, then turned to Rhea with an open smile. "Victor is a little rattled after the attack, and it appears it has made him trigger happy."

"Understandably," she sympathized, casting a wary glance at the embarrassed guard.

"Is he..." it was hard to put into words without sounding as desperate as she felt, and Rhea, in truth, did not know what she was going to ask.

'Is he hurt too badly?' 'Who was behind the attack?' 'Why was he in Riverian so long after leaving the Manor?'

And most importantly, 'will he want to see me?'

"My Lord is awake and while not currently taking visitors, I'm positive he will make an exception for you," the guard supplied, awfully knowing of her inner turmoil for someone who had just met her.

Like Augustus.

Perhaps it was a trait that all people of Ravenholm possessed, Rhea thought to herself as she gave him a thankful smile.

With a smile of his own, he opened the door for her, and Rhea took small, quiet steps into the large room.

Bright, warm colors, unlike the hallways and the outside of the castle, greeted her, the room decorated in a way that screamed modern luxury, but Rhea's eyes were too busy to appreciate the decor.

There, lying upright in the small bed was Augustus in all his glory, staring at her with wide, stunned eyes.

"Rhea," he called out, softly, as if he could not tell if she was real or a figment of his imagination.

Everything she had felt, the fear, sadness, rage at her own stupidity, came rushing back like a tidal wave, and Rhea's eyes watered as she ran over to the bed and flung herself into his waiting arms, with a cry of his name.