Chapter Forty.

Lina eventually gave in to Lisa's pleas. 

'Thank you so much. I'm so grateful.' She heard Lisa thanking her as she walked back to the ER.

'Are you coming?' Lisa called out halfway.

'I'd be there in a minute.' Lina voiced, trying to prevent her anxiety from being visible, while Lisa nodded.

Then she turned to Christopher and was about to say something after contemplating for a while, when Lisa showed up again.

She returned to the reception with both her sons, said a brief see-you-soons to Lina and Christopher, while they made their way out of the hospital. 

'Okay!!' Lina spewed out a frustrated breath, like a reluctant acceptance of what was to come.

'Let's go, Christopher.' She said to her brother.

'I will be here if you need me.' Christopher retorted, well aware of what Lina was trying to do.

She wanted him there so as to avoid any awkwardness that may ensue with Arnold.

'Why don't you want to come with me?' Lina's jaw clenched, betraying her growing unease.

'I really do not think it is proper for me to be there with you both.' Christopher muttered, and Lina furrowed her eyebrows. 

'I'd suggest you go first and you both address the elephant in the room before I come in to see how he is doing.' He added, detecting the unsettling look Lina threw at him.

'Please, Christopher.' Lina moved closer, her eyes pleading.

'I really don't want to be there alone with him.' She rejoined.

'You can not keep running away from your problems, sis. You are not a coward.' Christopher stated.

'By the way, I needed to call Vivienne to let her know where I am anyway. So, if we need any while Arnold's family are gone, she can come to our rescue.' He added.

'I would have called mom, but I don't want them to worry.' He went on, making sure Lina had no chance to protest.

'Chris...' She said his name, but he made sure to interrupt her.

'I'd be right back.' He concluded and walked past her, heading for a more secluded part of the waiting room to make a call.

It then dawned on her that no one was coming to save her this time.

She grumbled and turned her feet towards the ER.

Slowly dragging her legs to Arnold's ward, hoping her brother changed his mind.

She soon arrived at the glass-partitioned corridor, and Arnold eyes caught her figure approaching the door. 

Lina pushed the knob and made her way in quietly.

Her gaze met Arnold's and she muttered "hey".

'Hey.' Arnold whispered back in response. 

Lina stood awkwardly by the hospital window, her eyes fixed on the sterile floor. The fluorescent lights overhead cast an unforgiving glare, highlighting the tension etched on her face.

Arnold's gaze followed her, his eyes questioning, as if trying to piece together the fragments of their complicated reality.

The beeping machines and muted conversations in the hallway seemed to amplify the silence between them, making it feel oppressive. "How are you here?" Arnold's voice was weak but laced with a mix of surprise and wariness, like he was bracing himself for bad news.

Lina's shoulders shifted slightly, her eyes darting toward him before returning to the floor. "Your mom asked me to stay until she gets back," she replied, her voice measured, surprised that Lisa didn't inform him she would be staying.

'She told me that.' Arnold shot.

'But that isn't what... I meant.' He spoke incoherently, his words jumbled in pain.

Lina leaned forward as though she was expecting him to repeat his unclear words, but when he said nothing, she resorted back to her position.

Arnold's gaze drifted away, his expression unreadable. The elephant in the room – their argument, his drunken state, the accident – hung heavy in the air, unspoken. It was as if both of them were tiptoeing around the truth, afraid to shatter the fragile peace.

Lina broke the silence, her voice soft. "How are you feeling?" She took a step closer, her eyes locked on his face, searching for signs of pain or discomfort.

Arnold's eyes returned to hers, a hint of irony in their depths. "I'm fine. Just peachy," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. The words were laced with a mixture of frustration and vulnerability, like he was daring her to call him out on his lie.

The sarcasm wasn't lost on Lina. She nodded, her eyes dropping to the floor again, unsure how to respond. The tension between them was palpable, like a living thing, pulsing with unspoken emotions.

'Look, Lina...' Arnold's voice trailed off, and he cleared his throat, wincing in pain. "Never mind."

His eyes flashed with a mix of anger and hurt, like he was struggling to keep his emotions in check.

Lina's gaze snapped back to his, a question in her eyes. But Arnold just shook his head, his expression closed off, like he was shutting down the conversation.

'You could say what you want to say to me.' Lina blurted. 

'You don't have to be here if you don't want to.' Arnold wasted no time.

'I want to... be here.' Lina stuttered. 

'Indeed.' Arnold winced, but his voice still held a sarcastic edge.

'Except if you're uncomfortable with my presence here.' She added, but Arnold didn't say a word. He just looked away.

'Arnold please, I don't want to fight with you.' She retorted.

'I just want to do all I can to help you get better.' She declared but Arnold only nodded in acknowledgement.

The silence stretched out again, thick and uncomfortable. Lina shifted her weight, feeling like she was stuck in limbo, unsure how to navigate the awkwardness between them.

She glanced around the hospital room, taking in the sterile surroundings, the machines beeping softly in the background, and the faint smell of disinfectant. It was a place where people came to heal, but for them, it felt like a battleground.

As the silence continued, Lina felt the weight of Arnold's gaze on her, like he was waiting for her to make the next move.

But she didn't know what that move was, or if she was even ready to make it, and somehow she began to resent the moment she agreed to help watch him.