SHE

Chapter Twenty-four

The loud squeak of the tires driving into the hospital compound announced the arrival of the car, Liam who had once again left a conference hall during a meeting behind the wheel and Knox strapped unto the passenger's side as the other had refused to give up the keys. He rushed out of the car, not bothering to close the door behind himself before running straight into the hospital.

Knox, who came out after him, helped in parking the car before joining him inside.

He caught up with the other, both of them meeting Emily standing in front of Amelia's private room, looking miserable as her eyes were swollen with the amount of tears she'd shed, blood stains on her now ruined dress.

"Liam!" She called out in a shaky voice, when she saw her son, approaching Liam with open arms, more tears streaming down her face as he pulled her into a tight hug.

Liam would be telling a big lie if he said he wasn't surprised at the state of his mother. Was she really crying this much because of Amelia?. He remembered the last time he'd seen his mother look this broken, it was when she'd lost her husband, his father. Seeing her cry like this for someone else, Amelia, whom she'd always been at odds with left him utterly surprised. At least that was proof that his mother was human after all.

As she sobbed unconsolably in Liam's arms, the door to the room opened, the doctor stepping out with two nurses behind him, drawing their attention.

"Doctor, how's she" Emily asked impatiently, pulling out of the hug but staying in Liam's hold.

"You don't have to worry Mrs Walker, she's out of danger" The doctor informed them with an assuring smile. She's asleep right now and it's not advisable to disturb her"

"Can we see her? Just to see how she's doing, please Doctor, we promise to be quiet" Liam asked calmly, even though he was anything but calm on the inside.

The Doctor looked like he was giving it a thought for a moment before he finally smiled and said; "Alright then, but a single person is enough and please, be as quiet as possible, Mr Walker"

"I- I'll be the one to see her" Emily spoke, taking small, sharp breaths, Knox who had been watching wordlessly shook his head at that, the older was way too unstable for that.

"Mum, I don't think you can go in right now, you're still shaken up. Why don't you wait till she wakes up? You need to rest too" Liam suggested softly, Emily looked conflicted, shifting her gaze from Liam to the doctor who nodded in agreement.

"Okay....okay, I'll see her when she wakes up" Emily nodded, sniffling.

"Thank you very much Doctor" Liam spoke appreciatively.

"No need to thank me Sir, just doing my job. And you're one of our biggest donors, It's not exactly a good occasion but I had to do my best. We treat but God heals" He finished with a smile, taking Liam's outstretched hand in a handshake before excusing himself, the nurses following behind him.

"Mum, I'll go check on her now, you can take a seat, I'll be out soon and we'll all see her tomorrow, good?" He spoke softly, Emily wordlessly nodded.

"Knox" Liam called, the other knowing what it means, guided Emily to a seat, which she sat quietly in.

She still couldn't wrap her head around it. Amelia ate poison in her stead, that was the last thing she'd expected from her. Now, memories of how she treated her kept flooding back, the unwelcoming exchange they had on the first day which she started, the slap on the dinning and her mean words when Amelia asked why she hated her.

'Do I even deserve her forgiveness?' she thought to herself, head falling onto her knees as she sighed heavily.

Knox who stood a few steps away just took a glance at her before diverting his attention back to the busy hallways that had nurses and doctors walking about.

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Liam gently approached the bed, where Amelia laid. The continuous beeping sounds of machines being the only sound in the room, drips connected to Amelia with an oxygen mask over her nose to aid her breathing as her chest rose and fell steadily.

Liam swallowed, taking a seat next to the bed and having an inner battle with himself before finally deciding to take Amelia's hand as gently as possible, holding it in his. He felt apologetic towards her, but selfishly, he was thankful for her in his life.

He wondered how things would've been if he'd never met her at the supermarket on that fateful day.

Looking at her pale, emotionless face, he couldn't help but think about how beautifully she smiled, her laughter lighting up her whole face whenever she said or heard something she considered funny. He couldn't stop the small smile that spread on his face when the memory of her kicking him after he kissed her played in his mind, carressing her fingers softly. It was one of the things he adored about her amongst other things, how she doesn't shy away from speaking up both for herself and for others. He could stare at her all night but he'd never thought he'd be doing it in this kind of a situation.

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"How's she? Is she okay?" Emily asked, rushing to get on her feet and walking up to Liam the moment he stepped out of the room, Knox behind her.

"She's fine Mum, now, we can go home, we'll be back to check on her tomorrow"

"No! I'm not going anywhere" Emily protested. Both men look at her with confusion written on their faces.

"Mum, You've had a stressful day too, you need to rest! Think about your knees"

"I'm not stressed, I'm fine! And if you think I'm stressed, then let me get a room here and pay for it. I'm not going anywhere tonight, I'm staying here until she wakes up"  The older stated firmly, Liam swallowed his words as she showed no signs of taking back her words. This side of his mother was very new to him.

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Eyes peeling open slowly, Amelia let out a small 'Ah' as she felt a sharp pain in her hand which she'd tried to move, causing the needle to tug at the sensitive skin.

"Amelia?" A voice called out to her softly. It was a voice she recognized, but not the one she expected. Her lids felt too heavy to stay open as she blinked tiredly, thinking she was having some sort of hallucination.

She opened her eyes again to someone very unexpected. She didn't expect it because of course looking back at their history, Emily would be the last person she'd expected, looking down at her with wide eyes, repeating her name over and over again. Leo, Audrey or even Liam would've been more believable and understandably so.

"Mum?!"

"Yes, yes, I'm here. How do you feel? Are you okay? Do you feel pain anywhere? Do you need me to call the doctor?" Emily asked, looking all over her face and Amelia blinked again at how unreal the situation felt.

Emily looked a mix of relieved and slightly panicked, it was hard to believe, not only was she here, awaiting the moment Amelia woke up, she also looked genuinely concerned. It felt like a dream.

Finally Amelia, you tamed Mrs Walker.