CHAPTER 43: GONE
Leonard is ready to go to the hotel. Suddenly someone knocks on his door. “Come in,” he commanded, but still didn’t stop knocking. He felt irritated, so he approached the one who knocks on his door to open it, and when he opens it, a smiling man appeared in front of him who marks the deep dimples on his cheeks.
Leonard smiled back at it. “When did you back?” Leonard asked the man.
“Hmm, six months ago,” the man said.
“Six months ago?” Leonard wrinkled his forehead. “But why did you show up just now? You are something.” Leonard smirks at it.
“Won’t you even let me into your office first, before you will interrogate me?” the man asked.
Leonard cleared the way. The man he was talking to immediately entered his office. It was James Torres, the acquaintance of Alyssa. It turned out to be Leonard’s best friend. “I’ve heard that you’re already married? Who’s this unfortunate girl? I want to see her, in case she will change her mind for the revelation I will tell her about you.” He teased Leonard.
Leonard just shook his head because of the craziness of his best friend. “You haven’t at all changed. You’re still crazy.”
“Of course I won’t.” He replied.
“Ring, ring, ring…!” Leonard’s cellphone rang.
James took a pause.
“Hold on,” he said to his friend.
James nods his head as an answer. Leonard answered the call. “Hello,” he said. It was Ethan on the other line. It was saying something to him when suddenly Leonard’s eyes widened out of shock and drop his phone.
“Clank…!!!” The phone broke.
Leonard’s friend wondered what had happened to him and why he was suddenly stunned, so he immediately approached Leonard and rest his both hands on his broad shoulder. “Leonard, what’s wrong? Tell me?” he asked.
Leonard’s tears suddenly flowed that never in his best friend’s whole life had he seen Leonard cry. “M-My wife, James, she had rushed to the hospital right now. A car!!! Boohoo, boohoo, boohoo… hit her!”
“Leonard please calm down, okay, Let us go to the hospital,” James said to Leonard.
Leonard nodded to his best friend. They immediately went to the hospital.
*****
—At the hospital—
Ethan was uneasy about what had happened. They immediately rushed Alyssa to the operating room for surgery. Ethan was waiting, standing outside the operating room when one of the doctors approached him.
“What’s the matter doc.?” he asked the doctor.
“She needs a blood transfusion. Her blood type was O positive, but we were out of stock and we needed at least one donor. She lost a lot of blood.” The doctor explained,
“Me doc., I’ll volunteer. I’m a type O positive.” He offered.
“Okay, let’s go,” the doctor replied.
Ethan replied by nodding.
The nurse assesses Ethan to put on the hospital gown and then he went inside in the operating room. As he entered the operating room, he saw Alyssa lying there with her eyes closed, as if lifeless. Tears welled up in his eyes when he saw many tubes attached to her body.
They lay Ethan on the vacant bed next to Alyssa’s bed to begin the blood transfusion.
*****
Exactly when Ethan enters the operating room, was also the time Leonard arrived in the hospital. They were outside the operating room, waiting for the news of Alyssa’s situation.
Leonard was restless while waiting. He stands up and then sits down again. About a few minutes, he stands up again and walks back and forth. He even bit his fingernails because of the nervousness he felt.
James, his best friend, left for a while to buy bottles of water. After an hour, one of the doctors of Alyssa comes out into the operating room. Leonard immediately approached the doctor, tense. “Doc., the patient is my wife, how was she? The baby, how’s the baby?” Leonard asked, sequentially.
“Your wife was already safe, but I’m so sorry to tell you that the baby died. We did everything we can, but the baby hasn’t survived.” The doctor said.
Leonard seemed to be drenched by cold water at the news. Their baby, whom they expect will come into their life soon, is gone and he will never see it again for the rest of his life.
He punched the wall because of the annoyance he felt. It’s an annoyance that mixes with remorse. He didn’t care about the pain it would cause in his hand and he didn't seem to notice that it was bleeding. For him, he was a careless husband.
A husband that never gives importance to his wife. He had big shortcomings. If only he had to accompany her, everything that is happening now, might not have happened at all. His tears flowed like an extensive flood.
His best friend returned holding a bottle of water. James saw Leonard sobbing. He felt sorry for him. He approached him and tapped his right shoulder.
James didn’t say a word to him anymore, instead; he let Leonard’s tears flow so that he could at least temporarily relieve the pain he was feeling. He didn’t know what happened the entire story in it, why his best friend was crying so much all he knew was that his best friend was hurting and he needed sympathy.
Ethan came out of the operating room, still weak because he had just drawn blood. Leonard saw him. He was furious when he saw Ethan. Leonard blames him for the accident.
Leonard immediately near to him and punched him in the face. Ethan, who was still very weak, fell to the floor. The events shocked James. He was too late to chase Leonard.
James reached for Ethan’s hand to lift it. “Leonard please, enough!!!” he suppressed Leonard.
“Let him punch me, James,” Ethan said. Then he near to his brother grabbed his brother's hand and placed it in his chest. “Go ahead; pour all your anger on me until I die!!! Yes, that’s right, I should be the one who had the accident and died!!! If only I could!!! I wish I was!!! Boohoo, boohoo, boohoo…!” Ethan sobbed.
Leonard suddenly realized what his brother had said. He thought to himself, ‘What is happening to me? Why am I blaming everyone for my negligence and for my brother, who has done nothing but fill my shortcomings?’ He seems to go crazy! He placed both hands on his head and pulled his hair and shouted. “Ahhhhh…!!!”