Page 12 of Wanted

Last night she refused to go home, and she was drinking coffee until she couldn’t handle it anymore and fell asleep.

What she didn’t count on was that the time zones were in my favor, by the time she woke up a couple of hours later, I already had double my normal dose of caffeine, and already pestered the nurses for information.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Stella Kral, Lionel’s wife.”

The doctor raises his eyebrows. He opens his mouth to talk, but he stops himself.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Dr. Wong. Mr. Kral is stable, breathing on his own. Although his pressure has been fluctuating, we’re optimistic,” he begins. “As I was saying yesterday to Mrs. Kral, to Mr. Kral’s mother, the first hours are critical. In medicine, nothing can be taken for granted, but we’re hopeful he will recover.”

Those words are like a weight has been lifted and relief flows through my veins.

He’s going to be just fine.

“Today we will keep him sedated, his body needs time to rest. We are also giving him intravenous medication to avoid any infections, which is one of the leading post-op risks. If everything continues according to plan, tomorrow we will reduce the sedatives. This morning they did a CT scan. The reports show no bleeding, just a slight swelling on the right side of his head.”

God, I thought he was just shot. Whoever attacked him was determined to end his life. I need to talk with Jackson again, there is so much I don’t know.

“Are you sure, doctor?” Those words come out of my mouth before I can stop them, this whole situation is terrifying.

“We don’t know for sure, Mrs. Kral,” he says. “But the medical team in charge has made a good prognosis. The neurologist working with me is a world-renowned doctor. Dr. Cifuentes is very experienced. He’s getting the best ca—”

This time it’s Lionel’s mother who stops the doctor. “What about the wounds on the chest and abdomen?”

The doctor makes a face that to some may seem like a smile. “Your son was very lucky, he has no organ damage. We were surprised. If one of the bullets were a bit to the left…”

Just imagining it makes my skin crawl. A few inches could have meant that the mystics with the proverbial scissors would have cut his silver thread.

“Today is important. We’re going to monitor him closely. He isn’t going to wake up anytime soon so we advise you to go home and get some rest. You will need it.”

Why did he say that?

“We’re going to need it? What do you mean, doctor?” I can’t help wanting to know, since those words sounded so ominous.

“Although we hope he will overcome the danger, the recovery will be slow. The shoulder wound is going to need PT.”

After finishing his report, the doctor leaves, promising he’ll come back later. He’d told us he’s an internist, but in addition, Lionel is being attended by a neurologist, a cardiothoracic surgeon, an orthopedist, and a general surgeon.

A chill runs through me. His injuries must have been really severe to need so many people.

I make myself as comfortable as I can in a waiting room chair. It doesn’t matter if Lionel spends the whole day sleeping, I’m not moving from here. I want to see him as soon as the nurse finishes the morning rounds. I heard what the doctor said, but I need to see with my own eyes that he’s still here, touch his warm skin, and listen to the monitor that marks the rhythm of his heart beating, the same heart he once told me is mine.

That it would always be with me, wherever I went.

“You would have liked that, right?” Mrs. Kral tells me in a very low voice, but it sounds really threatening. At first, I have a hard time understanding what the hell she’s talking about. “If my son hadn’t been so lucky, you would be a very wealthy widow.”

This woman is totally clueless. Why is it so difficult for her to understand I really fell in love with Lionel?

Could that be the reason why Lionel never revealed his true identity to me? Because people usually see him for what he represents and not for who he really is?

Maybe he wanted to see my true feelings for him.

“Mrs. Kral, I had no idea your son was the owner of an empire until yesterday. I thought I was marrying the employee of a winery.”

She lets out a bitter laugh.

“Like anyone could believe that old tale…”

I jump up, she has been insulting me since the moment we met. And I haven’t done anything to deserve it.

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