A R E S | N I C O L A I D E S
SONG CHOICE: NO TIME TO DIE BY BILLIE EILISH
My eyes widen in shock, they travel down to her body as she limps towards me. "Alexandra..." She is completely bruised up; her jaw looks dislocated.
I rush towards her as she falls towards the ground, my arms engulf her, and I slowly drop to the floor. "What the fuck are you doing standing there! Call the fucking ambulance! Adonis go to Adeline." My hands stroke her cheeks.
I pull open one of her eyelids and see how red and swollen her eye is, "follow my finger, Alex." I tell her, she does not listen.
I cradle her against my chest and notice blood leaking through my shirt. I glance down and see her white vest stained with blood, my finger pull the hem up and I see a shard of glass pierced through her stomach.
"Alex, Alex!" I was frozen in one place, her head falls limp in my arms. "Go check our room, bring Adeline to the hospital."
I did not think about if for a second, I lift her up in my arms and rush towards my car. I skipped steps; I noticed the colour of her skin slowly draining.
Her eyes were open, but it was as if she could not see anything, she could not hear anything. I reach my car; I settle her down into the driving seat.
I drove like a mad man; the good thing was that her eyes were open and slightly responsive. But for some reason, she was cold. Once I reach the emergency room, I see the doctors coming out. "Sir, you can't park here, this is for emergencies only!"
"This is a fucking emergency." I shout at them as I slide Alex out of the way. Their eyes widen, and they begin to request strollers and more doctors. I place her on the bed, and they begin flashing lights into her eyes. My hands were wrapped tightly around her loose one, and before I knew it, they were moving her.
"Sir, we have her. We will do everything we can, we promise." One of the doctors say before running behind Alex. I stood in the middle of the hallway.
🦋🦋🦋
It felt like i was drowning all over again.
Drowning in my thoughts.
My foot taps against the waiting room's marble floors, and my gaze is drawn to the single painting against the wall.
The beach picture.
The seashore.
The walls are a teal grey, and the chairs are comfortable, but comfort is not my priority right now. My main concern right now is how Alex is doing. It has been over six hours, and nothing has come from the doctors, Adeline was in the stroller that Aunt Coraline was pushing back and forth to soothe her.
Adonis and Atlas sat in front of me.
"It was Lucas' elder brother. He was in Spain when we-you know. She killed him though, he's as good as dead."
"Shut the fuck up Atlas." I whisper out through gritted teeth; it was not the time. Adeline's cries continue, I know she is missing her mother.
I stand up, slipping her out of the stroller and gently cradling her into my arms, she seems to have smoothened down. I graze the top of her dark brown hair, her eyes open and she looks straight into mine.
Adeline has her mother beautiful features.
Her big doe eyes and princess nose.
"Mummy is coming back soon Ade," I whisper walking around the waiting room, her little hands wrap around my pinkie, and she brings it to her mouth before sucking onto it. I release a soft chuckle, kissing the top of her head as I try to distract myself from everyone around me.
How could I have left her? How could I have left her alone with my new born baby?
I gasp as I feel her toothless bite, "biting me like that."
She begins to cry again, and now I know she is hungry.
"Did you bring formula?"
"No, fuck, I forgot." Adonis mutters.
"Useless, you're fucking useless." The anger inside of me came out before I can handle it.
"Ares, go to the reception, they should have spare baby formula there. Take a walk with Adeline for a while, I'll call you if the doctor comes by." Aunt Coraline speaks, Atlas looks down at his fidgeting fingers.
I make my way to the reception and asked them if they had formula, they told me to go to the cafeteria where they had a baby section filled with them.
And so, I did, I used this opportunity to bond with Adeline and to remove all the negative things in my head. I had no idea what formula to buy her, "you want to tell daddy which one you want?" I ask her, knowing very well she is not going to answer me. "This one? It has organic ingredients in it."
"The Kendamil one is the best; my little girl loves it." My head looks down to see a woman holding her baby girl the same way as me, I nod at her before grabbing the Kendamil formula and bringing it to the till.
Once I paid, I settle Adeline onto the stroller and sat in the corner of the cafeteria. I look at the back of the formula to figure out how to do the bottle using the instructions. I rub my hands down my face, "do you need any help?" I look up and see the same woman as before.
"Yeah, I do. I don't know how to do this shit."
She chuckles, grabbing the bottle that Atlas brought but he left the fucking formula. Thankfully, he brought nappies and a change of clothes for her. "Here, let me do it for her. I have warm water in my bag." The woman had bright features, blonde and green eyes.
"Thanks." I whisper.
She puts around six ounces and gives the bottle a shake before testing it out on the palm of her hands, she then slides it to me. I take the formula and pick Adeline up, once the tip of the bottle went into her mouth, she begins drinking it. "Single dad?" I rose a brow.
"No." I answer.
"Oh, sorry, I thought because-I don't know." She continues to stand there.
"Can I help you with anything?" I ask her.
"Oh no, sorry...just trying to make conversation." She smiles, settling down next to me. I turn away from her and focus on Adeline, her bright green eyes staring into mine. As if warning me about something, "the mother is beautiful, I could tell."
"She is."
"Is she here?"
"Yes, she is."
"Oh right, good to know, well I'll leave you to it..."
"Ares."
"Manzar, nice to meet you." I nod, watching her depart with her pram. I look down at Adeline and widen my eyes.
"Your mummy needs to come back quicker than I thought." She giggles, I remove the milk for a moment so she would not choke.
Once Adeline has fallen asleep, I make my way back to the waiting room. Still no doctor it seems. "Alexandra Nicolaides." My head snaps around.
"Yes, yes here!" I shout, leaving the pram with Coraline. The doctor along with another that stood a few inches behind her smiled at me, she held the clipboard in her firm grip.
"Mr Nicolaides, I assume."
"Yes, how is she? Is she okay? Is it-"
"We had just done surgery on her because she had fractured ribs that perforated her lungs. She has temporarily lost sight in both eyes as a result of the shock, and she has also temporarily lost hearing. Her jaw was dislocated, so we had to pop it open to insert the tube, and Doctor Hakim is now fitting her with a mouth brace to help her repair her swollen mouth. She will not be able to speak or hear for two to three weeks, although her eyesight will be somewhat affected. She is in severe condition, and we must keep her here until she has fully recovered."
She pauses.
"She may not make it through the night Mr Nicolaides."
I could not hear anymore; I look back and see tears strolling down Aunt Coraline's cheeks. "Can-Can I see her?"
"Of course, you can, but only you. It may be too much for her." I nod my head and leave Adeline in the car of them before following the doctors to her room.
I open the door to find Alex on the bed. Injections, machines, and tubes. All into her. Her heartbeat is being displayed on a screen. I close the door behind me and make my way towards her, I grab the chair and push it besides her.
I settle down, my hands dragging her hair back.
"My fear of losing you is proof of my love for you, on which you can rely. The blessing is the curse, and the curse is the blessing. Love is difficult, but I'm strong enough." I whisper into her ears, my head resting besides it. "This is all my fault..."
I drag my hands and interlock it with hers, bringing them towards my lips. I have not slept all night, and I do not think I would want too. "I promised I'd protect you, and then I failed. But memories are irrelevant; what matters is the present and what me and you have...and because our love is so strong, we will always find our way back to each other. I know it is selfish of me to ask you to fight..."
Her eyes were shut tight.
I could not look at her like this. I did this to her. I slip out of the room, rushing my hands through my hair.
The hallway is as unique as the rest of the hospital. The walls are dove and the floor is slate grey. Above the ceiling, those polystyrene squares are laid on a grid-like frame.
After the darkening gloom outside, the light is too bright for my eyes, and I find it abrasive, possibly enough to trigger one of my migraines.
There are commercial prints on the wall that are tasteful in a dull way. I suppose I should take comfort in the fact that this place is not run by risk-takers. Every door I pass has a large plastic sign above it that is dark with white lettering—no fancy fonts, just bold and all-caps.
It is brand new and spotless. I have a feeling the entire structure was beam here from somewhere where dirt is illegal. I see Manzar crying in the corner, the doctor wishing her apologies for her loss before walking away.
I decide to mind my own business.
And wish for the best that I do not hear those words.
Fight Alexandra.