Reyona’s Revenge

“Go, we will stay” Celia said when she saw the torn look on Maxwell’s face.

He looked back at the “In operation” sign still showing over the door, then back to Reyona’s gurney and nodded, “Thank you” before he hurried after her bed.

Celia moved closer to her husband, and they held each other as they waited.

“I thought they don’t do operations in the emergency room,” she said in contemplation.

“They could, in peculiar cases,” Andrew said in a sombre tone. Urgent, peculiar cases.”

“Oh, God. Please let her be okay” she prayed as she held him tighter.

After a while, she said, “They should know.”

“Her family?”

Celia nodded and said, “They would hate themselves if they couldn’t be here for her at this moment.”

“Maxwell felt….”

“It was good that we didn’t tell them when she was still in danger, but not anymore. They need to know now.”

“Okay, I guess you are right,” Andrew said as Celia put on her phone.

“I can’t believe they are having twins. Can you believe that?” Celia asked with a pensive smile. Then her smile dimmed as she said “I wish they didn’t have to find out this way though. Reyona was looking forward to the surprise.”

“They will be fine,” Andrew said as he led her back to the bench.

“Yeah, I suppose they will.” She said before she dialled the number.

********

Maxwell was still very much numb with shock at the news the doctor casually gave him.

Just as he was filled with pain at the way Reyona was swaddled with bandages from side to side.

He wanted to hold her and beg her to forgive him for putting her in such a situation.

He wanted to curse the day he first got related to such a vicious being as Susan.

He wanted to hold her hands to feel anchored by the fact that she was still there with him.

Yet even her fingers were bandaged in places and the uncovered part was already purpling with signs of bruises.

“I am so sorry.” He muttered after the nurse, setting things up in the VIP room, left.

“I am so sorry, babe. I hope…I…I am so sorry.” He repeated in such a pained voice. “Can you please wake up? I need you to tell me that…” his voice caught in his throat and he leaned back in his seat.

Then he stood up in agitation and started pacing.

He went close to her, then moved away again.

The gentle rise and fall of her chest was doing nothing to reassure him.

He just wanted her to wake up.

He turned away from her and faced the curtain-draped window.

He could hardly see what was in front of him as his mind was more fixated on what he had seen in that room.

He had died when he saw the glint of her eyes one moment, then the next she had slumped without moving.

He held his head and dragged his hands through his hair like he wanted to yank it off its root.

Then he almost tripped on Allysyn’s body right before Andrew and the police entered the room with a flashlight.

The windows of the basement of a deserted home had been nailed shut and as much as one of the cops tried to open it, itdid not budge.

Maxwell swore as he remembered that scene again.

Susan had better rot in jail because he was going to kill her.

He had no idea how she had sustained the shot in her arm, but he wished it was more grave than it was.

He wished she suffered more damage even while she rot in hell because he was not going to forgive her.

The police had better keep her as far away from him as possible. Oh, they had better!

He turned to look at Reyona again as he said “I wish I had listened to you when you brought it up. I am so sorry.”

He leaned against the wall and shook his head in disgust.

How can a mother kidnap her daughter?

Maxwell still couldn’t believe anyone could be that despicable.

Was it just because of the money?

He shook his head as he looked at Reyona’s swaddled body.

It was more than just the money.

Just as it had nothing to do with maternal love too.

His greedy step-sister had seen the chance to make money off her daughter and to dispose of who she termed her enemy too.

The thought that he could have lost her weakened him, and he slid down the wall until he was crouching with his eyes firmly locked on the bed.

“Please, wake up, Reyona. Please.” He whispered unconsciously, then his gaze went towards the door as he heard footsteps.

It was Celia.

She had an apologetic look on her face as she held the phone in her hand.

His eyes narrowed as he heard sniffling noises from the phone.

“I am sorry about this, Max. I thought it was necessary to let her family know, you know.”

When he said nothing, she pointed at the phone while saying, “It is Toria.”

“Please, just let me see her, okay?” Toria’s teary voice came through the phone. “I promise I am calm. I just need to see her!”

Maxwell merely hung his head as shame, regret and helplessness engulfed him.

He knew the moment Celia switched the video view around because he could hear Toria’s cry.

“Rey! Rey!! It’s me, Rey! Why isn’t she saying anything?! Why is she banged up like that? What had that bitch done to you?! I told you were gonna get hurt, Rey… I…”

“Please, calm down,” Celia said as she switched the video around again.

With tears clouding her voice, Toria said “Don’t tell me to calm down. Don’t tell me…did you see what that bitch did to her? Where the hell were you, Maxwell? Where the fuck were you when my sister was getting beaten up with your kid inside her? Turn on the camera! Let me see that idiot’s face. Let me…” She broke down in tears before she could complete her statement.

As Celia soothed her, Maxwell stayed as he was while feeling even worse than Toria’s opinion of him at the moment.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

He hated himself for letting the woman he loved get hurt by the family he detested.

“Are you happy, dad?” The unchivalrous thought popped into his mind before he could stop it.

Yet at the moment, he didn’t feel guilty about that thought at all.

In a way, this was his fault.

If only he had not ingrained that ‘family above all else’ bullshit into him from childhood.

He would have stayed as far away from Susan’s situation as possible.

“And probably never meet Reyona” his mind whispered.

Fuck!