Light in the Dark

Chapter 37: I hate you, I'm sorry

"Hi Doc Tricia, here to see Mr Rivera?" The nurse in charge of Jayden's ward greeted.

"He hasn't been giving you any trouble, has he?" Tricia joked.

"Other than the fact that he has all the nurses swooning over him, all is well." The nurse chuckled.

"That's not very good news for me, is it.." Tricia laughed as she headed towards Jayden's bed.

"How...Jayden? Jayden? Are you in the washroom?" Tricia looked around the one-room ward. Jayden was neither in bed or in the washroom.

"Sorry but was Jayden scheduled for anything? He isn't in his ward." Tricia ran out to the nurse.

"Mr Rivera doesn't have anything scheduled...the last time I checked, he was in bed..." The nurse was equally surprised.

"Where on earth could he have gone..." Tricia tried calling Jayden but he wasn't answering.

"Let me ask the other nurses." The station nurse paged her colleagues.

"You're looking for the patient in bed 3? I saw him take the lift upstairs..." A cleaning staff informed.

"Alone? Gosh...thank you!" Tricia muttered a word of thanks before running off.

"Doc Tricia, do you need help?" The nurse called out, only to get a wave back.

"Jayden!" Tricia called as she pulled open the doors to the rooftop and scanned the area.

"Trish? I'm over here!" Jayden's voice was coming from a corner. Tricia's secret corner.

"Jayden Rivera....What..." Tricia was about to nag at Jayden for coming up himself when she noticed how the secret spot she'd had visited in months.

"I heard from the security guard that you haven't been coming up here...so I thought I'll clean it up. So you can have your breaks here again." Jayden needed to move around after lying on bed for so long.

"You could have informed the nurse or me before disappearing..." Tricia pouted.

"Sorry, sinta. The nurse was busy and I didn't want to bother her...I was going to call you when I was done cleaning up." Jayden felt guilty for making Tricia worry.

"What if something happened to you alone?" Tricia frowned.

"I promise I won't do it again..." Jayden knew Tricia was worried.

"Hmmph..." Tricia crossed her arms.

"Trish...Sinta?" Jayden approached Tricia.

"I'm still angry." Tricia didn't look at Jayden.

"5 months, Jayden. You left for 5 months." Tricia sighed. Jayden kept silent, allowing Tricia to express herself.

"5 months. I didn't even know if you were alive. I didn't know if you'd ever come back. I didn't know what I was ever going to do if you never came back. I cried myself to sleep, prayed desperately for you to come back safe and...and was this close to giving up." Tricia got emotional.

"I'm sorry, Trish. I'm sorry for hurting you like this..." Jayden hated that Tricia was crying because of him.

"I hate you, Jayden. I love you but I hate you so much..." Tricia started hitting Jayden's chest. Jayden stood there and let Tricia hit him.

"I hate you...I really do..." Tricia was losing strength after hitting Jayden for a good while.

"I know. I know that no amount of sorry will ever make up for the hurt I caused. I know how much you cried over me. I know that you were always waiting patiently for me. Will you give me the chance to make it up to you slowly?" Jayden held Tricia's hands gently and rubbed on the areas that had become red from hitting him.