The flower all the bees prefer.

Chapter 10 : Time heals all wounds

"This night has been pretty quite don't you think Thomas. For a Saturday at least." One nurse says to the other in the waiting area of a local hospital. Suddenly the doors burst open with paramedics  wheeling a man in on a stretcher. They are followed closely by a brunette woman who's focus was only on the man in the stretcher. He was a man of color and had a medium to large build and his hair was cut short. His shirt was mostly covered in blood and  there were only clean patches here and there that showed that he was wearing a blue shirt. He had a chain around his neck with what seemed like a large tooth . He was also neatly dressed much like the woman. The two were most probably dating or married . However their circumstances could change a great deal if we don't get to work on treating him.
The nurse turned and followed the commotion of paramedics handing the patient over to the other nurses.
Genevieve runs up to Henry's side . He isn't conscious. "I'm sorry ma'am but your going to have to wait here." Before Henry is out of arms reach Genevieve reaches out and snaps the chain off his neck. She stops running along side the stretcher and the nurses together with their equipment and Henry on the stretcher all vanish through the door .
She looks down in her hands at the bush pig tusk. She thinks how just an hour ago they were discussing this very item in the comfort of  The moonflower. Tears begin to form and soon she falls to the floor with her back against the wall sobbing bitterly.

She met Henry in a hospital after his father died. Must she really watch him die in a hospital as well ? A nurse picked her up and handed her a paper with a number on it. " Go home Miss, you've been through so much. You need to rest." One of the paramedics who assisted bringing Henry in guided Genevieve to the ambulance and escorted her home.

Being back home Genevieve could not rest. Her eyes fixed on the ceiling of her apartment above the flower store she owned.  Tears continued to fall down the sides of her face as she lay on the couch replaying the details of the mugging in her head.  The flower store would be closed for the next three days before she got word back from the hospital about Henry.

For now she was her worst enemy . She took sleeping tablets and continued staring at the ceiling waiting for the drugs to kick in and cause her to pass out on the couch.

She is unsure how much time has passed before she is woken up by her phone ringing. She doesn't answer  immediately instead taking the time to gather herself before asking who was on the line.
"Hello I'm Barbra , I'm calling from Saint  Michael's hospital . Are you Genevieve?"
"Yes...yes I am." Genevieve did not recall giving her details out at the hospital , the nurse sent her home after all.
"Henry has been stabilized, we woke up last night and you were the first person he wanted to see."
With tears falling down her face , unable to hide her emotions , Genevieve thanks the nurse . Once the phone has been put down she immediately gets ready to leave.

***

Soon the taxi has pulled up in front of the hospital. Genevieve raced towards reception to get the relevant information from the receptionists. Once in the elevator she cannot wait for it to reach the right floor. From her perspective, which was an eternity later, the doors open and she makes her way to the ward she was directed to by the receptionists. Walking into the room Henry is laying on the bed with his head tilted facing the window. He is watching kids play soccer on a rooftop adjacent to the hospital.
Genevieve's entry breaks his gaze , as he turns to look at her an immediate sense of relief comes over him . In that moment no words are spoken. He tries to sit up however Genevieve quickly rushes over and stops him. " You really don't have to , you must be in a lot of pain ."
"I was so worried, the nurses said you were fine but I still didn't see you for myself. The last thing I remember was the look on your face before everything went dark."
" I'm alright Henry , I'm perfectly fine and it's all thanks to you." She grabs his hand and looks at him with great admiration and appreciation.  " What happened afterwards ?" She fills him in on everything he missed and another silence ensues.  Both take a while to appreciate how they are still alive. " I owe my life to you."
"That's not true if it weren't for your protection then I would be in your place right now." "That may be true Genevieve but if it were not for your decisive action I would have bled out on that street."
In all the ways she played out the events of that night , not once did she ever consider herself to be the heroine, yet here was her protector thanking her for saving his life. She leans over and embraces Henry. "Not too tight woman , I have been shot you know." The two share a laugh before Henry continues. " My only regret is that I can't seem to find my fathers tusk."
Genevieve simply smiles and moves her shirt out the way to reveal Henry's fathers tusk around her neck.
His eyes light up as though looking directly into a fire. Genevieve can tell how much it means to him, she reaches behind her neck to untie it but he stops her. "No , you hold on to it for a while, you've taken good care of it. I'll get it from you later." She smiles and places her hands back on her lap. The two would talk for hours despite the visiting hours. This time between Genevieve and Henry served as a relief from the horrible events of that night.

Four days later Henry is sent home to continue his recovery . Without anyone to care for him Genevieve would make  frequent visits tending to him. It is only natural then , that after a significant amount of time spent together as well as a great admiration and respect for one another . They begin to draw closer to each other .

Well doesn't that sound like the perfect recipe for love ?