Chapter 37
“Don’t worry. She’ll wake up. Your mother and I have been friends since we were kids. She’s one of the strongest women I know. Don’t give up hope, sweetie. Tina Blackwood held Ruby’s hand tightly as they say next to her mother’s hospital bed. She’d been accompanying her to see her mother at least once a week for a while now. She would sit there for hours and just. talk to Ruby’s mother about their childhood memories, about Scott, Alex and her. Ruby liked to think that her mother could hear them, and that the happy memories would make her want to wake up even more.
Today, Tina had been far more quiet than usual, and Ruby knew she was worried about Alex and her. The two of them had barely spoken recently, and she could tell that it was really affecting his mom. Usually, they would have dinner with her every other night or so, and the way Alex would joke with her, the affection he would display toward her, it had always made his mom happy. But now, he didn’t even bother putting on an act for his mother anymore. He mostly ignored Ruby, and it was worrying Tina.
Her mother’s new doctor walked in, his face buried in his notes. The doctor looked surprised when he realized that her mother wasn’t alone. “Ah, Ms. Blackwood?” he asked.
“Yes,” her mother–in–law and her both answered. She looked at Tina, flustered.
The doctor looked confused and stared from Tina, to her. “Ms. Ruby Blackwood?” he clarified. She nodded and stood up to shake his hand.
He blushed as he limply shook her hand. “I–you–you’re so young,” he blurted out. She stared at him wide eyed and he shook his head apologetically. “I didn’t mean it that way. God, I’m so sorry. It’s just, because you’re the guardian-
She let out a bout of laughter and shook her head “It’s quite alright. Please call me Ruby. You’re Dr. Taylor, I assume?” He didn’t look old enough to be a doctor either, but Alex had assured her that he was a prodigy and an expert in his field. It took Alex weeks to even convince him to come work for them.
He nodded and proceeded to tell her about her mother’s condition. “I flew in a few days ago and wasn’t told anything about who I’d be treating or what the patient’s condition was. The Blackwoods have been really hush–hush about everything, so 1 didn’t really know what to expect. I’ll be your mother’s permanent physician from now on. She’ll be my only patient, and I’l provide her with round–the–clock care. For now, we’re keeping her on the same drugs the previous hospital had her on so as to not shock her system, but I noticed some anomalies in her chart and well.. it doesn’t seem right. It looks like her brain activity is really high for a patient who’s been in a coma for so long, and she certainly isn’t brain dead. I’ll be performing several tests throughout the next couple of weeks. But I really do believe there’s a chance she might wake up someday, Ruby.”
She stared at the doctor in disbelief, her eyes filling with tears. Her mother might actually wake up again one day? A relieved sob tore through her throat, and she buried her face in her hands. His words were like a lifeline to her, after years and years of disappointment. She sniffed, trying her best to keep her emotions under control, and Tina wrapped an arm around her. “That’s wonderful news, sweetheart I knew it. Your mom has always been a fighter.”
She nodded, smiling through the tears. She dropped her head against Tina’s shoulder and inhaled shakily: “Yes, she is, isn’t
she?”
The door opened behind them and she straightened, surprised to find Alex walking in. His eyes found hers and he frowned. when he realized that she was holding back tears. He walked up to them and placed his hand on her shoulder, a hint of concern visible through his cold demeanor.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice soft.
The doctor said my mom might wake up,” she whispered, trying her best to blink away her tears.
Alex’s eyes widened, and he smiled, a real stnile–the first she had seen in days, if not weeks. He brushed her hair behind her ear gently. That’s wonderful news, Ruby
She sniffed, a shaky sinile on her face. “It’s all thanks to you. If not for you, she wouldn’t be in this facility, and she wouldn’t be receiving such good care.”
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10:25 Wed, Oct 16
Chapter 37
He looked into her eyes and shook his head. “It wasn’t me,” he told her. “It was you. The faith you have, the sacrifices you ve made.”
Tina nodded in agreement and tightened her grip on Ruby, hugging her tightly, a wide smile on her own face.
Mother, Alex said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. She smiled at him, her eyes moving between the two of them. Ruby guessed it was because this was the most they had spoken in a while.
Alex walked over to his mother and grabbed her hand carefully. He pressed a delicate kiss to the back of her hand and the sweet gesture sent tears to Ruby’s eyes all over again. He then turns towards her mother’s doctor, who looked at him nervously. “I assume the research facilities are to your liking?” he asked.
Dr. Taylor nodded. “Certainly, Mr. Blackwood. I’m beyond grateful for your funding of my study.”
Tina
grabbed her hand and smiled. “Alex and I have a standing lunch date every Tuesday. He said he wanted to check in with your mother’s new doctor, so I asked him to pick me up here,” she explained.
Ruby glanced at her and shook her head. So she orchestrated this. She was trying to push Alex and her back together. “I won’t intrude,” she said, knowing Alex wouldn’t want her around. He had been going out of his way to avoid her recently. “You guys go ahead. I’ll sit here with my mom a bit longer, and then I’ll head back home. I have an appointment at three.”
Alex stared at his mother for a couple of seconds and sighed wearily. “Come on,” he said. “There’s plenty of time. I’ll drop you at home later.”
She frowned at him, but Tina nodded happily. Alex held her coat out for her, but it was his mother that he was looking at She helplessly put her arms through the sleeves and then stepped away. Before she had a chance to do the buttons up, he wrapped his hands over hers and smiled at her. He looked into her eyes, and she couldn’t help the way her heart skipped a beat. It felt like she hadn’t seen him in forever. She was pretty sure he had been waiting to come to bed until he was completely certain she was fast asleep. She had been trying to stay up and wait for him, but he never showed.. yet every morning his side of the bed was messy.
Alex stepped closer to her and slowly did her buttons up, taking his time. She could see Tina beaming from her peripheral vision, a relieved look in the woman’s eyes. She didn’t even realize that it was all an act, and part of Ruby wished that she would. She didn’t want to do this anymore. She didn’t want to pretend to be happy together when he wouldn’t even look at her in private. He grabbed her hand and entwined their fingers before wrapping his other arm around his mother. He led them to his car, and she was surprised he didn’t arrive here in his limousine. He opened the passenger door of his sports car for her and smiled apologetically.
“I’m sorry. You’ll have to squeeze in the back. If I had known you’d be here, I’d have come in a bigger car.”
She smiled and shook her head to indicate that she didn’t mind. The backseat of his Aston Martin really was tiny, but thankfully she managed to fit just fine. The restaurant they were going to wasn’t very far anyway, and Tina thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Alex lowered the roof for her so she could feel the wind blowing through her hair. He watched her with an indulgent smile every time she shook her hair out, a huge grin on her face.
He took such good care of her, and Ruby couldn’t help but lose a little bit of her heart to this version of him.
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