For The Longest Time

Chapter Twenty-Three: Guilty Conscience

Lionel held his head in his hands as he waited for someone to tell him how his wife was, he knew that this was because of all the stress that had been caused by the stripper and he wished that there was a way to make things easier.

“Senor Messi?” the doctor asked making Lionel look at him, he feared for his family and he wished that there was something that he could do to make it better; his brown eyes looked at the doctor hoping that they hadn’t lost the baby.

“Everything is fine… your wife has very high blood pressure,” the doctor said looking at Lionel, he could see how worried he was about his wife and he knew that with everything going on right now that this couldn’t be easy on either of the couple.

“We’d like to keep an eye on her for tonight then we’ll release her on bed rest for a week,” the doctor said as Lionel nodded his head, he was suddenly relieved that everything had turned out okay; he just hoped that this could all be sorted out and soon.

Lionel smiled as he was finally allowed to see his wife, he had a lot to make up for since he had worried her; he was going to do whatever it took to make this up to her.

Stepping into the private hospital room where his wife was, Lionel missed a lingering figure of Maria Alonso who had been watching from a distance; the brunette had a hood pulled over her head as she watched the footballer from down the corridor.

“How are you feeling?” Lionel asked concerned hurrying over to his wife, he took her head as she smiled at him; the children were being watched by Gerard while the couple were at the hospital and they were grateful for what he was doing.

“I’m fine,” Rosalie said smiling at her husband, she was more than relieved that their baby was okay especially after what they had been though; she just hoped that her parents weren’t going to use this against them when they found out.

“I’m sorry,” Lionel said kissing her softly, he knew that there was nothing that he could do that could make up for him being stupid only for the fact that he was here now when she needed him most.

Rosalie shook her head as she squeezed his hand, she didn’t want anything happening to them and she knew that she had to be strong for him now.

“Why don’t you head home? I’m sure that Peyton is worried,” Rosalie said gently knowing that they needed to think of their children; their daughter had been shocked and had cried when she had been taken away in the ambulance.

Lionel shook his head, he had every intention to remain in the hospital with Rosalie until she was allowed him; however he would call home if it made her feel better.

***

Maria watched as Lionel walked out of the hospital room and down the corridor, she took a deep breath before she hurried forward; she hadn’t been able to ignore the guilt when she had heard what had happened to Rosalie.

The stripper had never meant for anyone to get hurt, she just wanted more money than she had ever got before and it was a wrong time for her to get a conscience about what she had done.

Stepping into the hospital room, Maria swallowed at the sight of Rosalie that lay in the hospital bed; she cleared her throat making Rosalie look at her confused before she recognised the brunette.

“I know I’m the last person that you want to see but I want to apologise,” Maria said allowing the door to close behind her, she brushed some hair from her face as she stared at the woman whose marriage she had messed with; she was glad that Rosalie couldn’t get out of the bed and come after her.

“I don’t want your apology… there is nothing you can say that will take back what you have done to my marriage or the trouble you have caused for my children,” Rosalie said calmly knowing that she couldn’t let herself get worked up; she had to think of her unborn baby and she couldn’t wait for Lionel to come back.

“I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” Maria whispered thinking about the cheque she had gotten for selling her story, it had bought her so many new things and she had loved her new life but she had never expected this sort of guilt for what she had done.

“Well you did,” Lionel said stepping into the hospital room, he glared at Maria wondering why she thought that it would be okay for her to come here while Rosalie wasn’t well; he clutched his fists as he stared at the woman that had caused all of this.

Maria looked at him alarmed, she had thought that he would be heading home to their children but clearly he hadn’t; she shifted nervously as she watched him wondering what he would do.

“Get out… you’ll be hearing from my lawyer,” Lionel spat furiously knowing that if she went to the press about this so that she could make more money; Maria stared at him horrified as she realised that if this went to court she would be in a lot of trouble.

“Por favor don’t… I’ll lose everything,” Maria pleaded with him, she looked at Rosalie wondering if the blonde would help her in any way especially since she hadn’t meant any real harm; however it quickly became clear that she was alone in this.

***

“Now remember senora Messi… you are on bed rest for a week now,” the doctor said the following morning as he checked Rosalie out; her husband was loyally by her side as she sat in the wheelchair and nodded her head as she listened to what he was telling her.

Rosalie was glad that she could go home, she knew that her children needed her even if she was on bed rest; she didn’t want them to suffer because of what the stripper had done to their family.

“You look happy,” Lionel noted wheeling his wife out to the car, he had noticed the smile on her face as soon as the doctor had appeared; he loved her smile and knew that the sooner that they were home the better.

The news had broken overnight about Rosalie being rushed to hospital and already there had been phone calls from Argentina demanding to know what was going on; Rosalie’s parents were making it clear that they wanted her away from him.

“I hate hospitals,” Rosalie said as Lionel helped her out of the wheelchair and into the Audi Q7; she was thirty one weeks pregnant and he was thrilled that there was nothing wrong with their baby.

Lionel chuckled as he looked at her, he didn’t know what he had been thinking earlier when he thought about leaving her.

“I know… but you’ll have to go back when the baby is born,” Lionel teased kissing her softly before he closed the door and headed around to the other side of the car and climbed in; he didn’t care what it took now, he wanted to make Maria pay for what she had done to them.

Rosalie looked at her husband, she could sense that there was something going on and she didn’t know what he would do to the stripper that had caused this.

Rosalie just hoped that once he had sued the brunette that this would all come to an end, she needed her husband and she didn’t think that she could cope if something were to take her husband away from her.