Kissed him

When Karlos arrived at the hospital, his mother was already waiting for him. He noticed a policeman standing at the door and a man sitting beside her.

"Oh! Thank the heavens, you are finally here," Mrs. Lydia stood up when she saw her son, walked into his arms and buried her face in his chest.

He could tell she had been crying.

"Mom… Mom, is she going to be okay?" he asked, trying not to think of the worst.

His mother sighed. "I know you won't like this, but she isn't doing well. The doctor had to take her into emergency surgery because of an arm injury. She also has a mild concussion. If she doesn't wake up within twenty-five hours, there's a risk of brain damage." She wiped her tears. "I just spoke to her this morning… she was fine."

Tears she had been holding back streamed down Mrs. Lydia's eyes. Berlin was dear to her heart as much as her children were to her.

"She has been through enough, son." Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot. If there was only something she could do for that poor girl.

"Mom, don't cry. We have to stay hopeful," Karlos said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Karlos jaw ticked, "That bastard," he muttered under his breath. But his mother was too lost in grief to hear him.

Mrs. Lydia tried desperately to choke back her tears. She sniffed and wiped her runny nose on her handkerchief which had already become damp from all the crying.

He could understand the agony she was feeling at the moment, and knew she was in deep pain, but he didn't know how to console her. But he couldn't bear to see his mother in this state.

As he slipped his arm around his Mother, giving her a shoulder to cry on, the policeman approached him.

"Hello, Sir. I am Officer James" He introduced himself.

"Thank you, Officer, but I'll be sending some of my men here for extra security," Karlos said.

"Not a problem, Sir," the officer replied and returned back to his post.

Feeling Karlos's gaze on him, Jason lowered his head with a stiff expression.

It was barely a minute since he met Karlos Wayne, and Jason was already feeling pressure build in his chest. No wonder the policemen had surprised looks on their faces after taking a look at the victim's ID card.

Previously, Jason had only known rumors about Karlos Wayne. A man who had a twisted mind in handling businesses across the world and billion-dollar contracts. He had a way of making people squirm like a worm in his presence.

Seeing face-to-face in this kind of situation was very unfortunate for him.

Karlos glanced to look at Jason. From where he sat, he could sense the breathlessness from him as if he had figured out who he was.

"Who are you?" When he said this, Karlos eyes went to the man sitting at the other end.

Jason could feel the atmosphere in the room turning tense and heavy.

Right now, Jason had gotten up and made his way to stand in front of Karlos and though nothing happened yet, Jason could feel the guilt that was starting to spread in his mind.

"Umm...Jason Vicks." He replied. His voice was deep and uneasy.

"You did this?" Came Karlos s impatient taunting words.

The way, Karlos looked and spoke to him, it appeared more like he was going to strike him or something far worse.

"What are you doing here?" Karlos snapped. His dark eyes glared at him.

He hesitated for a moment. "I...I couldn't leave her in that state." For a second Jason felt his heart had stopped beating.

He worried that for the rest of his life, he would carry the guilt of how the wife of another nearly died because of him.

Before Karlos could say anything, he said,

"I am truly sorry...Mr. Wayne. Never meant for any of this to happen." He said looking at his passive expression.

"You think sorry is enough?" Karlos asked, his piercing stare making Jason's hands sweat. And his eyes trained on him and he felt the air around them turning only heavier and heavier by the minute with every passing second. But his words were truthful, and Jason gulped.

Mrs. Lydia quickly stepped in before things escalated.

"Don't be angry with him. The doctor said he saved our Berlin by calling it in, as soon as it happened. And he had not left her side since she was brought in. So, I think the pressure on him should be considerable." Mrs. Lydia was highly grateful for the young man's efforts. He went beyond as compared to others, who would have taken to their heels.

Karlos knew well enough that his mother had a soft spot, she was too kind-hearted and wouldn't want to harm, maltreat or kill someone. At least not on her watch.

At this point, Jason offered his seat to Karlos, but he waved his hand, rejecting the offer. So he sat back down on the seat with an awkward expression on his face.

After a couple of minutes in the waiting room, the doctor walked in, holding a clipboard to his chest.

"How is she?" Mrs. Lydia asked as she looked at the doctor while her Son stood beside her.

"Her heart rate is increasing. That's a good sign, she is stable" The doctor said with a smile.

"What else did you find?" Karlos s asked.

The doctor sighed and glanced down at his clipboard. "Besides the arm injury, she has a few stitches and a bruised sternum.

"How about the brain damage, you talked about?" Karlos s asked with concern.

"Let's hope it doesn't get to that. And please rest assured, She is going to come through, we are pulling for her and praying." The doctor said with a sympathetic smile and walked away.

Mrs. Lydia had never been much of a praying type of person after her husband died and now she had big doubts about a being that could control the entire world and allow some of the wickedness she had seen and felt in people. If a deity did exist, 'I guess I would try anything.'

Mrs. Lydia pressed her eyes closed. 'please if you're listening. I need help.'

So pressured in front of him, Jason quickly excused himself to get coffee.

"You should go in and see her." Mrs. Lydia said as she held onto her son.

"Yes, the doctor said it was ok." Mrs. Lydia said as she urged her son to go in.

"I will join you later. I need to use the washroom."

"Ok," Karlos said before walking into the room.

When Karlos came into the room, his gaze fell on her injured arm.

Karlos took a seat beside her.

"Ahhh" At that moment her eyes opened but it was accompanied by a splitting headache. Her whole body was aching unbearably.

And when she tried to sit up, she accidentally pulled her right hand with a cry of pain she lay back on the bed with the help of someone.

Berlin looked up and stared at him like she had seen a ghost.

Karlos frowned and was taken aback when she suddenly woke up.

Was she dreaming? There was no way he cared.

She couldn't help bursting into tears, her body shivering.

"Shhh.." he said as Berlin began to sob.

"I… I got hit… and…" she is breathing heavily, trying to remember what happened. She remembered feeling sad, tensed...

"It's okay. I'm here now," Karlos s said, pulling her into a warm embrace.

At this moment, she was certain she was dreaming.

She wanted this. To believe he was not trying to comfort her and be nice, but meant what he said. She would enjoy it while it lasted.

She buried her face in his chest.

"Don't cry," he whispered, holding her tighter.

Berlin wiped her tears, looking up at him.

Karlos looked down at her, his voice calm and deep. "If you cry, you won't look beautiful. Look at your eyes."

"Did you just say… I'm beautiful?" Berlin was in a daze.

Noticing she had stopped crying, Karlos nodded. "Yes"

Her heart skipped a beat. This had to be a dream.

She must be in a dream. Looking around. No matter how real it felt, it was still a dream. She could never believe that someday, Karlos would treat her nicely.

She smiled sadly, feeling sorry for herself.

However, since it was a dream, could she do something that she had always wanted to do but never dared to?

She bit her lip, her mind racing.

"Karlos..." Berlin held his face, it felt smooth.

"Yeah?"

Berlin looked into his eyes and kissed him on the lips.