Cry For Me

Chapter 32

The waiting room of the ER has never been a happy place, and that was something the Dos Ramos family came to knew so vividly, and painfully. Last year, it had been Ximena’s fate which was left hanging in the balance for some hours, but this time around, the lives of two people were on the line. As soon as the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Andrea had been rushed into the theatre and Omar hadn’t seen or heard about her since. He sat in his own corner, exhausted from all the tears he's wept, hair unruly and his clothes crumpled, not to mention blood stained. He couldn’t be bothered about his appearance, not in such a time as this one.

Emilio had been alternating between comforting his hysteric wife and inquiring with any passing nurse or doctor about his daughter and grandchild. Much to his chagrin, the surgeons hadn’t come out of the theatre and the mystery held everyone around the neck like a hangman’s noose. Salvador could not sit still, experiencing a lot of concern and anxiety that he had to step out to get some fresh air. Adriano and Ximena sat silently on the chair, nestled in each other’s arms, as he tried to soothe his wife. Ximena was very hard hit by this, and for the sake of the child she was also expecting, she had to will herself to be strong, even though she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Santiago and Chelsea held hands, having a hushed conversation between themselves, reading the tension in the room, and exchanging glances between Omar and the family. They too were very worried about Andrea, and for what felt like years, couldn’t come to terms with what had transpired over the last few hours.

Eventually, a doctor still in his surgeon scrubs came to them with his eyes downcast and a gloomy look on his face. Emilio stood up and rushed over to him. “Doctor, is my daughter alright? How’s the baby doing?” he asked in barely masked anguish.

The doctor exhaled shakily, watching all the expectant gazes directed towards him. He shook his head slightly before mustering enough courage to speak. “Miss Dos Ramos sustained a severe blow to the head, among other muscular injuries and bone fractures. She also lost a lot of blood, and had she not been operated on immediately…she would have not made it. But the surgery was successful and she’s currently in a medically induced coma. Her vitals are growing more stable. We do have to keep her under observation until she wakes up, which could take a few days or a few weeks. Even up to a couple of months,” he spoke sullenly. Omar stood up and walked over to the doctor.

“What about the baby?” he demanded hoarsely, his voice barely above a whisper.

The doctor sighed. “Unfortunately, we could not save the child. We tried our best to save them both, but the accident was very severe, and the fetus sustained a lot of damage,” he said and slid his hands into the pocket of his coat.

The very thing Omar had dreaded would happen happened. Not bothering to listen to what the doctor or anyone else had to say, he stormed out of the waiting room and into the chilly night air. It was almost four o’clock in the morning and the cold air was biting into the skin of his face and hands. But he didn’t care about the external coldness, but about the coldness he was feeling in his veins. Conveniently, his phone started to ring, and he had half a mind to just smash it but when he saw Navid’s name flashing across the screen, he answered reluctantly.

“What the hell do you want? Wasn’t ruining my life enough so now you have to call to rub salt in my wounds? I swear, you and anyone else involved in this are going to pay,” he spat venomously, and wiped away a tear that had slid down his cheekbone.

“Omar, is she okay? Is the baby, okay?” Navid, ignoring his brother’s outburst of rage, inquired. He sounded deeply worried.

Omar chuckled humorlessly. “Andrea is a fighter; she is fine but in a coma for who knows how long. Our baby is dead. Do you hear that? Our child is f—king dead!” he screamed, attracting the attention of those passing by. “How could be a part of this, Navid? I thought you had a conscience!”

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would get this far. Hakim wanted to frame dad for leaking the information to the press, and the whole poisoning thing but the accident- I swear I had nothing to do with that. I don’t think Hakim had anything to do with it either,” Navid stuttered pathetically.

Salvador who had been around the corner, appeared before Omar, and to say that he was pissed off was an understatement. Omar removed the phone from his ear and put it on loud so that Salvador could hear as well. “Start talking. You know damn well that what you all did is evil, but if you tell me everything that happened, we can make sure Amir and Hakim pay for this.”

Navid went on to give a full account of everything that he and Hakim had planned together, and everything that their father had done as well. He also gave an account of how he’d flown to Spain just to talk to Humberto Dos Santos, and how he’d been given the original contract. He told Omar about Amir had involved two teenagers called Sydney Reale and Rhett Saunders, and how they had been the ones to release the information to the press. “And that’s all I know. If you need any evidence, I can give you that. But I can assure you that Andrea’s accident wasn’t just an accident. This has Amir Pedrad written all over it.”

Omar and Salvador shared a look. “Okay, Navid. You know what you must do now. But be as discrete as possible, because those two could easily pin the blame on you and you could take the fall. Be careful,” with that, he ended the call.

“I should have known your evil dad would have something to do with this. I saw it from the moment that he stepped into our home that he had malicious intentions. And to rope in Rhett and Sydney? That is beyond low,” Salvador muttered, disgusting coating his voice. He craned his neck to the side and rub his hands together to produce some warmth. “I hate you right now because this is also somewhat your fault, but I’m probably the only ally you have.”

Even though Salvador’s words were harsh, he was relieved to know he had someone on his side. Everybody else was against him, and they wouldn’t just believe him if he told them that it was just another one of his father’s schemes. Amir had gone too far, and because of his cruelty, Omar’s child was dead. The child he’d been anticipating cherishing and holding in his arms was no more, and it was gut-wrenching just to think about it. If he was this heartbroken, he could only imagine how Andrea would feel like once she’d woken up to any empty womb…and a deceased child.

“It’s not going to be simple,” Omar said, dreading slowly seeping into his chest. This was likely to lead to a domino effect. Amir had hit Omar where it hurt the most, and for that, he’d need to be punished severely. “It will take some time and a lot of digging needs to be done. I would also have to remove myself from the scene as well, which should be easy considering that fact that there is nothing tying both our families together anymore,” he added glumly.

Salvador nodded. “You’re right. No more child, no more marriage,” he pointed out and then sighed, placing his hand on Omar’s shoulder. “You may have had a momentary lapse in judgement, but I know that this wasn’t what you wanted. I know you love my sister, but for her sake and probably yours, you need to stay away from her. Resolve everything and give her time to heal without you. We will stay in touch, and I’m willing to help you in anyway possible,” he told him sincerely.

Omar gulped. It wouldn’t be easy to just distance himself from Andrea but if he wanted it all to be properly done, then he would have to do it. She’d already escaped death twice and dicing with it for a third time wouldn’t be in the cards. Besides, he was out to destroy his own family and that was a path of no return, even if it meant ruining everything he ever knew.

It wasn’t like his family was ever normal to begin with. His mother was never really happy with his father, and him and his siblings barely got along. Amir and Hakim needed to be detained, and only then would Omar feel a semblance of peace. But in so doing, their family’s image and business would take a major hit.

“I guess this is goodbye then. I need you to tell me about her state every single day, even after she wakes up. I trust you’ll take good care of her,” Omar mumbled as he got ready to leave.

Salvador nodded solemnly. “Take care, Pedrad.”

With that, Omar trudged to his truck and drove out of the parking lot.


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I know this chapter is a little somber. But we remain hopeful that the story will not stay gloomy forever!

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Toodles,

~Deetronite 🌹