The convenient marriage

Chapter 16. A frail patient

Waking up dazed and confused, as a splitting headache hit him hard, Zane slowly raised his hand to massage his temple, trying to soothe the pain away. But bending his arm slightly, he realized something was constricting it, making him unable to move freely. 

It was a strange feeling, it was like something was glued to the inner part of his elbow, and the slightest shift caused his arm discomfort as though something was pricking it. Puzzled by this fact  he stopped moving, wanting to check with his eyes what the obstruction was.

'Don't! You will remove the intravenous drip.' A familiar calming voice called alarmed, evidently startled at his action. 

Hearing the melodious silky voice, his first reaction was disbelief. Had he missed Aria's presence so much this past week that he was now even dreaming about her? It was indeed true that even at night when he went back to the apartment, the last thought in his mind was her face, and the first image in his eyes in the morning was still her appearance. All of her expressions replayed inside his mind constantly, images embedded inside his brain of her since she recuperated from the coma.

Thinking back, perhaps the first time that he started to feel different about Aria was even earlier than he had first assumed. When he opened her hospital room's door more than a month ago, and saw the slender delicate woman gently cuddling her belly, that first image bewitched him.

It had left a deep impression on him since then, but he had never admitted it. Was this the reason that he also stayed away from her for the first two weeks? Was his instinct of conserving his current lifestyle and protecting his heart already acting up since way back then? Was he afraid of falling in love with the cold woman she was before, but slowly let down his guard when he came back to the mansion, and saw her singing the nursery rhyme?

It appeared as though the current Aria somehow had managed to lead him towards a cliff, and he was standing closer and closer to the edge each time he saw that delicate face. And just as he kissed her, the edge of the cliff vanished, and in the next second he could only find himself falling with no way back up. No, perhaps there was only one way up, it would have been possible if the person he had kissed then, extended their arm and helped him up. If those slender soft fingers of hers held on to his arm just slightly, he was certain he would find his ground again. Yes, just like how her touch was comforting him now.

But could one feel someone else's touch inside a dream? Zane thought as he sensed a small soft hand on top of his own, keeping his arm in place.

'Zane, do you feel unwell? Is something the matter? The doctor said you may feel groggy when you wake up. Should I call him back?' The pleasant voice continued speaking, her caring concerned undertone comforting his heart and tingling his ears.

Realizing that her presence was not an illusion, Zane finally opened his hazy eyes that slowly cleared themselves, until the beautiful woman could clearly be seen.

Dressed in what appeared casual home clothes, with a simple messy bun, and a clean lovely face without a speck of make-up on... normally, she should appear just exactly as he saw her in the past, but strangely in his eyes she seemed more dazzling than ever. Her red ringed eyes, her furrowed eyebrows, her slightly flushed cheeks, all of it did not lessen her loveliness, if anything her worried face only added to her charm.

'Zane?' Aria called once more, seeing the man was unresponsive, though she could clearly see he was already up.

Frightened that perhaps there were also other problems regarding his health, other than the anemia and the ulcer the doctor had spoken about, she immediately took the hand she had placed on his, and gently touched his forehead, then his cheek, trying to get his attention.