Unexpected Rendezvous

Time Flies

*Gallert Alistair Hammond's POV*

I had lost the sense of time, dates, or even days. Everything felt like to be moving in a slow motion and all the noises had turned into an incomprehensible sounds. I refused to leave Alexander's side, knowing that he was fighting for his life; while I couldn't do anything at all. I felt helpless. A feeling that I had tried to neglect for a long time. A feeling that I felt when my wife passed away.

The only thing I could recall was, that the doctor said the operation had worked out and they managed to stop the internal bleeding; however, it didn't mean that Alexander was out of danger just yet. He hadn't woken up ever since he had that cardiac arrest.

Both Rowena and Lucius had been going back and forth between the hospital and the Hammond's mansion. Rowena had changed drastically. She was now very quiet and she looked exhausted. I suspected that she couldn't even get a proper rest, even when I told her to. Meanwhile, Lucius had been bringing me fresh clothes and other things that I needed during my stay at the hospital.

"Alistair? Alistair... are you alright?" A voice was calling out to me, but at first, all I could hear was a high pitch ringing on my ears.
"Hmh?" I looked up to the person who was calling out to me.
"I said... are you alright?" Her green eyes were locked on mine as she put her hand on my arm.
"Oh yes... I'm quite alright," I replied with a tired smile.
"You haven't been sleeping, have you? You look extremely exhausted... Maybe you should go back to the mansion and tried to get some rest. I'll be here with Alex. And if anything happens, I'll call you right away," said Rowena.
"I... can't..." I said in an exasperated sigh. "I can't leave Alexander. Not now. I abandoned my role as a father then, I surely won't do it again now."
Rowena shook her head and she gave me another tired smile, a genuine one though, "I understand, but you can't fulfill your role as a father if you got sick from not having enough rest. Alex will be fine, he's a survivor. He'll wake up... soon enough..." tears started to pool in her eyes, and I knew that she was not only trying to convinced me, but she was trying to convinced herself even more.

Rowena was right. I barely had enough sleep or food. I started to get lightheaded and I couldn't keep my focus at all. I hated to admit it, but I did need that so called 'rest'. I sighed heavily and threw my arms up in defeat, "fine... you're right. I'll go back home to get some rest. But please, if anything happens to Alex, please call me. Alright, dear?" I said while trying to get up from the seat. My knees felt weak, my whole body felt heavier than it should be. Perhaps it was because of the lack of sleep or nutritions. It was an odd feeling... to be feeling that discoordinated.

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Damian my driver had been outside with the car ready to take me back to the mansion. Lucius had greeted me in the hallway. And as I was walking towards the main lobby, I could see reporters were still swarming up in front of the lobby. All the cameras and mics were on standby. They were looking inside the hospital anxiously and when they spotted me, I instantly stopped my pace.
"Lucius, could you please be so kind to find me a sunglasses?" I said to Lucius.
Lucius had stopped his pace right next to me and he reached into his coat's pocket and handed me a wooden box, "Here you are, sir. I came prepared"
I nodded to thank him and put on the sunglasses.

Even though it was a cloudy afternoon, I needed to put on the sunglasses to hid my lifeless and pale face. I couldn't worry less about what the journalists wrote about me or how I looked on the newspaper or television, but the sunglasses felt like it was an important item for me to hide the despair that I had been feeling lately. An item that would hide the pain from my eyes.