(18+) The Guest (Complete)

Ch. 79: Hi

It felt like someone had parked a truck on my head. I heard some sounds around me, but I refused open my eyes, because I knew it would hurt. But then I heard Ana sniffle. Was she sad?

"Baby?" I groaned. I felt a bit nauseous because of how dry my throat was, and when I finally managed to see, I noticed that I was lying in a bed that wasn't mine and that Ana wasn't in it with me. Then I squeezed my eyes shut again.

"Ana? Are you there?" I asked again, a bit scared that she wasn't.

"Yes," she answered and it was clear that she'd been crying. I groaned again and tried to massage my head. It didn't help much, so I rubbed my face instead and tried by best to wake up and focus. I wanted to know why she was sad.

"What's wrong?" I asked and squinted out into the room. Sophia and Ana's dad were there as well, both with worried looks on their faces. But Ana was standing with her back toward me, and was rocking Lilly in her arms.

"Ana?" I asked again, but she refused to look at me.

"You were drugged, Michael," Sophia said with a sigh.

"Drugged?"

I tried to remember what brought me here, to what I assumed was a hospital, but I came out blank. All I remembered was that I took care of Lilly while Ana went to work, then came over when Lilly started to get hungry. There were lots of people, journalists maybe? Then... I think I followed someone. Was it Ana?

"Sarah drugged you."

I closed my eyes and tried to think.

"Sarah... Who was that again?"

"The terrible woman who published the picture of Ana and Kazu."

I definitely followed someone. But when I noticed it wasn't Ana, I'd stopped and started searching for her. Ahh. It was that woman. She didn't tell me her name. She just offered me something to drink while I waited for Ana to return. And when she didn't, I was told to go down to the spa department and ask for Andrea. Maybe she knew something. But this lady...

"I remember a woman, but she didn't tell me her name."

"You didn't recognize her?"

"How could I recognize someone I've never seen before?" I asked confused, and I saw Ana glance at Sophia.

"You never showed him what she look like?" she asked, and Ana shook her head, still facing the other direction. I wanted to tell her to come over or at least make her look at me, but there was something about her that made me hesitate. Then Sophia walked over to take Lilly and nodded to Peter, who followed her to the door.

"I think you two need to talk."

I watched their backs when they left, and I felt a little sting in my heart for not being allowed to hold my daughter. I just reminded myself that I would do that soon enough. Right now I needed to find out why Ana was behaving so strange.

"Your mother's on the way," she said silently.

"Why? How long have I been out?"

"Several hours."

Her arms were wrapped tightly around her waist as if she was cold, or as if she didn't know where to put them now that she didn't hold Lilly.