005 - From the ashes

"Dr Speck?"

Evelyn saw the doctor who she had met a few nights ago beside the bed of Damien.

She couldn't see what he was doing with the hand on the other side, but what really stunned her was the fact that he was not the doctor in charge of Damien, so he should not be there. Even more so with his specialization.

"Oh, Evelyn. You are early today."

"Yes." Evelyn didn't explain anything, asking instead: "What are you doing here, Dr Speck?"

Dr Speck smile gently:

"I heard that you have been coming to see a patient lately, and I wanted to take a look. Since you are here, I won't bother you and take away your time with your relative. I have been waiting for the right time to ask you out for dinner, but you might not have the energy to focus on something else at the moment. I hope your relative will get better soon."

With a charming and breezy smile, Dr Speck left the room and disappeared in the corridor.

Evelyn frowned and went to check on Damien. Seeing no change, she left the room to go to the reception desk.

"Excuse me."

"Good evening, madam. Do you need something?"

It was the same nurse Evelyn met when she came to the hospital for Damien for the first time.

"I just want some information. Is Dr Speck still in the pediatric department? He was the one who treated my son the last time he was sick, so I was surprised to see him with my relative who is in a coma when I arrived."

The nurse eyes flashed with interest:

'Isn't this the ex-girlfriend of the patient? So she has a child. Is the comatose ex-boyfriend the father of the child? Is that why the ex-girlfriend is coming to accompany him? Is Dr Speck trying to pursue the single mother? Whoa, it feels like a romance novel in the making, a love triangle that will unfold when the ex-boyfriend wakes up.'

Already signing-up as a fan of the upcoming story, the nurse almost screamed inwardly.

Outwardly though, the nurse kept a professional appearance and replied:

"Dr Speck has not been sent to any other department, so he is still working in the pediatric department."

"Thank you. I just wanted a confirmation."

"Don't worry. Maybe he wanted to take a look at your relative since he knows you. Despite being a pediatrician, he is very qualified. I heard that it is only because he loves children that he chose that department."

"Alright, thank you. I will be going."

After a smile to convey her gratitude, Evelyn left to return to the room.

The new routine she adopted continued for longer than she had thought. The days turned into weeks, which then turned into months.

By the third one, she was unable to keep her smile untainted, and her mood lost some brightness.

At night, after she was done, when she arrived at the hospital, she only sat at the side and looked at the half-covered left side of Damien's face. Some time in the last period, the doctor had seen no need to cover the whole face, as the wounded half of the face was healing nicely.

Unlike in the beginning, Evelyn was not saying anything. Most had already been said, and she was a little sad with the time that had passed with Damien showing no sign of waking up.

That dwindling hope added some burden to her already weary heart. She couldn't even keep the small bit of resentment she had in her heart.

After losing her fight against the sleepiness at some point, she woke up and she found her head on the arm of Damien. She was stunned by the liquid on the arm, and raised her hand to feel the tears on her face.

She smile mirthlessly and spoke to the man that might not hear anything:

"You said that while I look gentle, I'm actually strong and stubborn. But only you have managed to make me cry. What is taking you so long to wake up?"

She stood up and leaned forward to place her forehead against Damien's.

"Come back, please. I beg you. At least, you need to see your son."

She left a soft kiss on his forehead, and turned to leave. What she missed, however, was the finger on the wallet that twitched.

Evelyn took her bag and left the room. She tried to hide the depression in her heart with a strong front, and left to take a taxi.

Once home, she changed into her slippers and went to look at Jason.

She let out a soundless sigh and went to take a shower. The water falling on her reminded her of the gentle touches of Damien that had always felt like he was worshiping her, placing her on a pedestal, whether in his heart or in reality, and holding her like a fragile vase.

She left the bathroom, and was drying her hair when her phone rang.

"Yes?"

The person on the other side could feel the palpable lack of energy in the response, but she still did her job:

"Mrs Evelyn Softsnow?"

"That's me."

"Mr Damien Peak woke up."

"..."

*Clack*

The phone slipped out of her soft hand, and time seemed to stop.

"Hello? Mrs Softsnow?"

The voice from the receiver of the phone pulled her out of her daze. She bent down to pick the phone up with haste, and responded:

"I will be there immediately."

She hung up and couldn't be bothered to finish drying her hair.

She wore the first set of clothes she got her hands on, and locked the door before hurrying down the stairs.

She could only order a taxi online after struggling to find one on the road. And after an agonizing wait, followed by a traject that took too long in her perception, she arrived at the hospital.

She hurried to the room she had been visiting for the last few months, and she saw the door left ajar as if to welcome her.

She was about to push it open when she froze, along with the smile of hope and anticipation on her face. Her heart seemed to break once again, just like it did years ago, left hanging only by a tether. It took the last trace of stubbornness in her to restrain herself and turn around.

She didn't know how she got home. Maybe a mechanical reflex she had developed in the last few months?

When she locked the door of her apartment after getting inside, she leaned against it and lost all of her strength, sliding all the way down.

She hid her face in her hands, and finally let out the bitterness she was feeling.

The world seemed to darken, and she lost track of time, waiting for it to end.

When she had been called to the hospital months ago, when she had seen the wallet he had kept, she had seen hope. But the scene she witnessed earlier made her aware of how she had been creating an illusion for herself. It made her feel the pain that had been suppressed with the years once again.

"Mum?"

She didn't know how long she cried for, but the voice of her son pulled her back. He must have woken up and seen that she was not beside him.

She replied as she wiped her tears, and straightened herself:

"I'm here. I'm coming, sweetie."