Chapter 5. Home

Lea’s POV

I had no idea how long I had been out. I was a little baffled, being surrounded by so many people and lying on a hospital bed. But it gradually dawned on me the level of my stupidity.

I was so embarrassed that I didn’t even clarify when the nurses told me that my handsome boyfriend had brought me in.

After a few minutes, I could hear a scuffle outside. It turned out to be Jake. He was having a heated argument with the doctors and the nurses about being sent away last night.

Apparently, he was so exhausted that he had overslept and missed the call from the hospital when they were taking me to the operation theater when I was going into cardiac arrest.

Luckily, they were able to revive me just in time, but Jake still needed some reassurance. He was so overwhelmed by everything that I put him through, from the moment I landed, that I was feeling guilty.

I knew how overworked he was. How could I put him through so much more with my petty jealousy?

“Hi...”

I could hardly look at him when he finally got in. He was wearing that visitor’s uniform and had a protective mask on as well.

He didn’t answer back. He came straight at me and shook me by the shoulder.

“What the heck, Lea! What were you thinking? Were you trying to kill yourself? What were you doing at the beach at that time? Why did you not receive my calls? Do you have any idea how much I worry about you?” and he went on and on, completely breathless, nonstop.

“I’m sorry...” I murmured, too shy to even counter.

He paused immediately. He bent over and cupped my face between his palms.

“Don’t you dare, Lea. I am warning you. Don’t you dare make me worry like this ever again. I’m telling you.” His eyes were glistening with moisture as his breath fell on my nose.

I tried lifting my arms to hold him, but I was strapped with plenty of wires and needles.

“Careful, Lea. Don’t you go bleeding on me now.” He immediately put my hands gently down and then kissed me on the forehead.

Just then, somebody came into the room and cleared their throat aloud.

“Ahem... ahem! I am afraid the visiting time is up.” They declared.

The next few days went very slowly because I was kept under observation. Jake wasn’t allowed to visit very often, and that made it a hundred times worse.

Finally, it was time for me to leave, and the doctor came in with my discharge papers.

It was the same doctor whom I had seen that day when I opened my eyes in the operation theater. He hadn’t been around since then and had completely slipped my mind as well.

“How are you feeling today, Lea?” He began by flashing a smile that was identical to Jake’s.

“I am alright. Thank you.” I said, trying to sit up.

I guess I wasn’t yet strong enough because my eyes immediately blacked out for a moment, and I had to grab the pillow for support.

“Careful. No sudden movements. You have a bad crack in your skull, and your pneumonia doesn’t help either. Your body is very weak. Even though you are being discharged, you still need to take proper care of yourself. That is, if you don’t mind running back here again. We wouldn’t be particularly delighted to see you again.”

I knew he was joking, but the fact that he was holding me by my wrist wasn’t helping.

Somehow, everything about him kept reminding me of Jake, and it was very uncomfortable in a very peculiar way.

“Lea...” Jake’s voice made me sit up again, and the doctor slowly let my hand go. Jake stared at him with unease and subtle hostility in his eyes.

“Time to go home.” Jake announced before scooping me up in his arms and carrying me like that to his car, even though the wheelchair and the ward boy were waiting.

He helped me like a baby as we made our way inside the house.

He made me sit down, gave me a warm cup of tea, and then sat down beside me with another cup in his hand.

“Would you now like to tell me what was going on in your head, Lea?” He asked with a little smirk on his face.

It was not a normal smirk; he had something unholy in his intention.

“Nothing. I guess I got lost when I went to take a small walk.” I tried to normalize the situation, not wanting to get trolled for my silly behavior for the rest of my life.

“Were you jealous of Rosa?” He finally asked the question that I dreaded the most.

I should have denied it or laughed it away, but instead I went inside my shell. I turned away and tucked my face inside the armrest.

“Don’t tell me, Lea. You were jealous. I knew it. Look at me now. Come on, here. Look at my face.”

I was trying very hard not to blush and give myself away, but I could feel the blood rushing to my facial blood vessels.

“Jake No, you have it all wrong. Why would I be jealous? I have... I don’t have any feelings. I mean, I have, but it’s not like that. Jake, it’s not…”

“I knew it!” Jake jumped so hard that he ended up on the floor.

“I always knew there was something wrong with you, Lea.” He was laughing like a maniac.

“Why else would you be hanging around with boys? I knew it, Lea. I knew it.”

I was flabbergasted. “What is it all about, Jake? What are you going on all about?”

He was flashing that sinister smile once again. “I knew it, Lea. I knew when you were hanging around with that tomboy. I always wondered why you were never interested in all those boys.”

“Jake enough…”

I was sitting up at this moment, really affected at what Jake was blabbering to my annoyance.

“That is it, Lea. I knew. I knew you were interested in girls.”