Scarlet Rose

Chapter 39

The rush of adrenaline Christian had felt once Det. Shaw left him, had started to die down. While he waited for Rose to bring clean clothes as she said when she left in a hurry, most of the morning had passed. The clock on the room wall was saying a quarter to eleven. He worried. Their morning meeting had been hard enough for both of them. Perhaps her confusion had turned to anger. He wished he could explain to her...

The doctor had passed just after the detective left him. He noticed a higher heart rate and commented that he should rest. The visit from the police and the questioning must had been draining. Christian did nothing but nod in agreement. It had been rather an ordeal. However the doctor was happy looking at his wound. There were no signs of infection. He had been incredibly lucky. It could have been so much worse. He could have been dead even. Even when he was sort of blood, there was luck by his side.

The doctor listened to his heart and lungs with the stethoscope. Christian asked him what he meant. Miss White and Mr. Graham had volunteered for the blood transfusion. Actually Mr. Graham had been the same blood group as he. Christian had been very surprised. That day kept bringing unexpected news to him.

When the doctor left him alone, he let his stare rest on the window while the footsteps of the people passing on the corridor outside his room echoed in his ears. It was almost hypnotic. He felt bad the more time passed. Thinking about Terry. The man had been an odd one. Christian couldn't put his finger down whether he had a secret agenda but up till that point, all he did was help. And help he did in a major way. For a lot of things. To find out that he had even given his blood for him...Most of his social friends - actually no, no one had stopped by. Granted, it was the morning yet, but still, when he opened his eyes it was only Rose and Terry there. And he had snapped at him like a prissy prima donna.

There was a certain level of insecurity inside him when it came to Terry. Christian had never felt competition against any man before and neither he had felt challenged. But with Terry...he hadn't met anyone so sure for himself. Not in a cocky way, but in a way that showed that this man despite the young of his age, had passed through a lot of hardship and soul searching. It seemed that he had managed to come through the other end without looking too much damaged. At least on the surface. Of course the acting profession helped. Those thespians always looked so confident, flamboyant.

Was Rose impressed by him? There was certainly an element of something there. Christian had been so preoccupied with the dark side of his life, he realised that indeed, Rose was not entirely unaffected by Terry's presence. What was it that Alice had said to him when she had been at his place...to beware of the actor having his sights on Rose? He smiled bitterly. Perhaps now, it would have been a good thing, if it was true. He had to accept though this to himself. He had been jealous. That was the reason behind the reserved or sharp tongue of his when it came to Terry. But Christian was never an asshole, not knowingly in any case and especially not to people that helped him. Given everything he had heard today, he felt remorse. His thoughts were taking him further into a lull. His body lay heavy on the bed, his mind the same. He had closed his eyes and let the thoughts disperse.

He heard the door open. He lifted his eyelids just. As he peeked through the eyelashes, he saw a figure of a nurse. They were passing frequently to get information on the patient sheet. He let his eyes close again.

Next time they opened, a hand was over his mouth and a sharp blade was an inch away from his neck.

"Should I hear a fucking peep coming from your mouth, I won't hesitate..." The nurse said. The blade felt cold when it touched his throat. He blinked, having fixed his stare on her face. She took her hand off. Hid the blade.

"Like you didn't hesitate last night?" He asked her. He noticed the fire in her eyes. He realised why she was there.

"You just missed the copper visit..." He said.