The Transient Wife

Chapter 24

 "That's a very nice welcome," Cassandra said as coldly as she could. She looked down at Sheena's small stature before her. Her enemy's five foot four height was nothing to her five foot eight. But Cassandra could not easily beat her because the woman was stronger than she looked—especially when it came to Cassandra.

"How dare you—" Sheena's hand went up for another attack but Philip was fast to catch it with his hand this time. Sheena's eyes flew toward him in fury.

"Sheena, right?" he asked, and Cassandra was taken aback. How did he know about Sheena? "Don't touch my wife again, please," she heard him say coldly, his blue eyes seriously serious.

Sheena roughly pulled her hand away with a menacing laugh. "Look here. You found a husband? So Beth was telling the truth?" Her gray eyes transferred to Philip, "How unlucky of you. You better hold on tight though. She might get you in another car wreck and I say you'll be lucky to be dead."

"We did not come here to see you, Sheena, so cut the speech. It's getting really old," Cassandra told her.

"Get out. You're not welcome here."

"Says who?" she raised one eyebrow at the blond lady standing between her and the room. She took one step inside and circled around her forever nemesis. Her ever supportive husband followed behind.

"I'll call security," Sheena cried out.

"Go ahead," Cassandra turned around to face her with a sly smile. "It would be my pleasure to tell them you slap everyone who visits Dennis. That would be assault, right?"

"I don't know why you're here, bitch, but make sure that you're gone when I get back." Sheena whirled around, her short blond hair cutting through air as she did so. The door slammed behind her as she left, leaving Cassandra alone with Philip—and of course, Dennis.

Cassandra slowly turned around to face the hospital bed where Dennis's comatose body lay and she gasped. The feeling of seeing him lying on that bed powerless and almost lifeless broke her composure. Seeing the man who had been haunting her dreams for almost two years in such state hurt more than a hundred slaps from Sheena. God, it hurt to know that the man who had been so full hope for his future was lying there motionless, oblivious of the time passing by, and it was all her fault.

She felt that same clenching feeling in her chest every time she remembered the car crash. The pain she thought had stopped was just sleeping after all. It was still there, the feeling of so much guilt. Once again, like two years ago, she was bombarded of too many 'if only' thoughts.

Her tears broke free as she slowly walked toward him, her feet wobbling.

Philip never uttered a word which was what she needed from him at the moment. She didn't need his touch for now because she felt she would crumble on the floor if anything as much brushed her skin. That was how weak she felt right now.

The whimper that escaped her lips was brought by the look on Dennis's face. It was still as she remembered it. But it was also different. His black hair was still dark, but his face was different, almost lifeless. He looked pale and dry.

He missed a lot of sun, she thought.

The tubing that was attached to his mouth a long time ago was gone. But those machines monitoring his vital signs were still there. So was the emergency cart she once drew on. Slowly, she willed her hand to touch his sleeping face and it felt so familiar. His face, his skin, and she knew his brown eyes would still be as what they were when they looked at her back then. Her shoulders began to shake once more.