"I knew this was going to happen! I even warned her, but she just won't listen to me and now look what's happened. She's been unconscious for twenty hours straight! Do you realise what this means, Isabelle? Do you realise what this means?"
Dad. It was her father who said that. He used her full name too, which meant he was agitated.
Nova could hear his voice; she could hear another voice telling him to calm down.
"It's alcohol poisoning, Victor, you need to calm down. She'll be alright, the doctors said she'll be fine and might even wake up anytime now. If you keep screaming she's going to have a terrible headache."
Mom. Her mother was here too. But where was she?
"Calm down? You're asking me to calm-bloody hell, Isabelle, do you hear yourself? Nova is down on alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning! Our daughter!"
"Sir, please, if you could just-"
Derek. Where even was she? And why was her head starting to hurt?
"You! You don't speak. How are you even here? Why is he here? Get out! It was your fault this happened! What did you do to her, you-you-you murderer!"
"What is happening in here? Can't you see a patient is resting? Who even are you guys? Where are the nurses-why are you standing there? Tell them to go out!"
*
When Nova finally opened her eyes all she could see was darkness. It seemed as though she was in an open room but somewhere dark. After a few minutes when her eyes got used to the room, she noticed that it wasn't entirely dark. There were machines on her right side and the side of her room seemed to be lit as well because of the white-curtained window.
She could now also hear voices from that room; they were of three different people. Nova soon realised that two of those people were actually her parents.
Her parents. Where was she? Why was it cold here? Why did her head hurt? She should try to get up, perhaps then the heaviness in her head would subdue?
When she moved her hands in order to sit up, something shuffled beside her. The sound was soft, but something was attached to her wrist. Just as she went to lift her hand and look as to what it was, she saw a silhouette of a person. Someone was here. The person seemed to be tall, and he stood a few feet away from where she lay on... on a bed...?
"Ms. Newton."
It was a whisper. Just a soft whisper that could've gone unheard, except, Nova heard it. She heard it over any other sound and her heart started picking up its pace. But she didn't say anything, she had a feeling as to who this person might be, but she had to be sure. Something told her to be sure.
When the feeling of being alert came, so did a light pain on the side of her hand. She'd hit someone. Something was nagging at her brain, she just had to concentrate. Her head seemed to be in a mist, with just a few noises to be heard and a shadow to be seen and a few feelings to be felt.
But when the person took a step ahead and the light from the joint window fell upon his eyes and those crystal blues of his could be seen, all feelings left her and everything came rushing back.
The party, Abby, Mark, drinks, Lee, parking lot, a phone call, Nova hitting him on the side of his neck, him falling unconscious and after hearing her name, her passing out too.
"Derek."
Nova had no idea why she was whispering but when she heard him take in a sharp breath, she knew she was doing it right.
"Ms. Newton," he said again. This time a little bit louder but still as a whisper.
"Am I in a hospital, right now, Derek?" she decided to ask him because he seemed to be in some kind of a trance.
It took him a few seconds to respond but he did. "Yes."
"Where's Lee?" she asked him further.
Another sharp breath and he seemed to be having some kind of internal battle with himself. His eyes were crystal blue and opened widely a few seconds ago, but now they'd turned darker, and narrowed. And when he answered her this time, his voice wasn't soft anymore, nor were the words spoken carefully. This time, his voice was stern and so was his tone.
"Where he should be."
*
Her parents came in minutes after Derek left after giving her that vogue answer. She made a note to ask him about it later because right now she had to clear a misunderstanding.
"Oh, Nova dear. We're so glad you're finally awake. You were gone for almost twenty-two hours! And that's never happened before! How are you feeling, Nov?" her mother asked her as she sat beside her bed after giving her a kiss on her forehead.
Giving a reassuring smile to both her parents, Nova said, "Much better. The headache is almost gone now."
"Oh that's lovely-"
"What happened?" her dad asked of her, his voice stern, just like it got when he expected a full answer which left nothing kept from him.
"Victor, we talked about this, why don't we-"
"No, Belle, I need to know what caused her to drink so much that she had to end up in a hospital. I'm only asking, I'm not going say anything, I only wish to know. What did that-that-"
Just a look from her mother was enough for her father to go through what he had to say first. Because of which he ended up saying: "person. What did that person do that caused her to drink so much? We already know Nova isn't much of a drinker, then why is she here? How did this happen? Because if it has anything to do with that guy outside, then I will make sure to-"
"It wasn't his fault, Dad."
"And if you're defending that guy, Nov..." he was giving her one of his dad looks which always worked on Nova. And it was working now as well.
"You know I don't lie, Dad. I never have and trust me, I never will. I'm telling the truth, it wasn't his fault."
Perhaps it was the fact that she was currently sitting on a hospital bed with glucose dripping into her system whereas she'd never been admitted in a hospital ever before that made her father sigh and let her continue indicating so with a flick of his hand.
"We trust you." Her mother offered a smile.
So she then told them all about what happened the night before, not leaving a single thing that lead her to where she was right now. Her parents' expressions never really changed except for that minute wrinkle on their forehead when they lifted their eyebrows at something she said that surprised them. Or when a small frown formed between their eyebrows. Other than that, both her parents listened to what she said intently and when she was done, they released a sigh.
"So what about that Lee guy then? Don't tell he got away because I'll have to run some errands and get him caught," her father asked her and she smiled at him. Half of the reason of her smile was because her father didn't ask her the question to which Nova didn't have any answer. Why did she drink that much in first place.
"No he didn't get away. I don't know much yet but Adam arrived there on time. He wouldn't have let him get away. It's his case after all."
"About that..."
When her father trailed off after that, Nova realised what he was intending and then she made a decision. A decision to let them know the truth. That part of it that they had to know.
"Yes, about him, Dad, I need to tell you the truth and you have to believe me when I tell you that."
Nova hoped what she was doing would have the same effect as that of what she wanted it to. It wasn't nice; her parents hating a guy she will have to spend all hours of the day with. It was becoming problematic as of now; she could only hope it wouldn't get any worse in the future. And to make sure of it, she had to resolve the issue while she still could. So she told them about Derek and the rumour. All the while using his alias instead of his name.
She couldn't really go in full detail and she made sure to tell them that too, and because her parents had always been understanding, they understood what she was talking about.
She told them about the rumours, how he had to be taken away to a hospital in London because he was too young to have witnessed a man die in his own house, told them how he never really returned. She left out the details, only telling them the outline of the whole story-at least all of what she knew.
The ball was now in her parents' court, it would depend on them; if they decided to believe her or if they decided to conclude that Nova was lying-which she obviously wasn't.
A few moments passed after Nova was done speaking, her father was looking at her bed sheet and her mother was looking at her. Something from her mother's face told Nova that she believed her, but Nova couldn't let that sigh of relief that she wanted to because the way her father's face remained stoic told her that she should wait before she celebrates.
Sharing a look with her mother and after he mother gave an encouraging smile, Nova called her father, "Dad?"
He didn't move for a second, but then he lifted his face up at Nova but she still couldn't determine much from that. Only that he was in a deep thought.
"How can we believe him?"
Now that was a question that Nova was expecting from her father, and looking at her mother she got to know that while her mother wasn't the one to ask that, she would highly prefer if she could hear the answer to it too. It was a legit question, no doubts in that. A question that Nova would've wanted an answer to as well, had she not given the answer in a silver platter, even before she could ask too.
"One of my senior officers told me something relating very much to what Adam told me. Even before he opened up to me about it. And Adam's father had a word with me as well, so, it'd only make sense if we believe it. Three people can't lie to an intern, not to the one who's also assisting a case with the person in question. That's highly unlikely, don't you think?"
It wasn't a lie. Technically Mr. Penton who was also Mr. Watson was Derek's father and he did have a word with her-back when she'd just gotten selected.
Though he only warned her on a thing or two such as: "Ms. Newton, since you're going to be working with Mr. Adams, I'd suggest if you don't give him a hard time. Now I know how I might be sounding but I cannot let you in on everything, it's not my place to tell. But what I mean is - just try to understand him better; it'll do well for the ruse as well as your personal relationship. Don't pressure him into things you think he's not yet willing to do. We all have a past, Ms. Newton, and Mr. Adams just didn't have a normal one. I hope you're on the same page as me, you're a smart girl, I believe you'll do great. Congratulations on getting selected and welcome."
Of course she couldn't tell them his exact words, which was why she only just mentioned the happening of such a thing. But the way the corners of her father's lips tilted the slightest bit upwards and his eyebrows raised up for just a millisecond was enough to tell her that she didn't disappoint her father this time.
"I know I can always trust you, Nov," he said and Nova felt as if a weight was lifted off her chest.
*
A murmuring sound was the reason of her awakening for the third time that day. After the much needed talk with her parents, Nova fell asleep again after throwing up the night before's toxins.
Apparently, Nova's liver could not handle strong alcohol in that much dose in such a short amount of time which caused her the instant headache. She didn't throw up excessively, as many patients of alcohol poisoning did, because she fell unconscious instead. And in her state of unconsciousness, her body took it upon itself to try and absorb as much alcohol as it could, which made her headache even worse when she woke up again.
Then after that eventful night, after getting to the hospital, apparently Nova had thrown up a good amount of alcohol - which she did not quite remember - and then she was getting glucose into her system which then helped her hydrate. It scared her for a moment there, how made endangered she had been just because of one night's happenings. It also made her want to pull her hair because she never thought she'd do something as stupid as this.
But then after talking to her parents, she fell asleep again because her body was still healing and it needed rest. Though she wondered where she was right now because she was to get discharged within an hour when she was still talking to her parents back in the hospital. And the window in this room indicated that it was close to dawn already.
Judging by the room, she also realised that she wasn't in the hospital anymore. She was in a room in which she had been before. It wasn't her room that she had in her house back in Cambridge. It also wasn't her room from the penthouse. And it definitely wasn't her room from her parent's house. Then where was she and how had she been here before?
As she sat up she heard the murmuring had just now stopped. Looking at her side she saw the bedside and just like that she remembered that time when she'd come here with a cup of cappuccino.
It was Derek's room. She was in Derek's room.
How did she come here? When did she come here? And why here? Why not her own room? So many questions and an empty room to turn to.
Shifting under the blankets, she felt weirdly comfortable so she looked under them. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt. One that she knew wasn't hers. The way that his smell surrounded her concluded that the shirt was his too.
She felt the flutter again in her stomach and her heart skipped its usual beats again. She felt as if she could melt. She'd been feeling this way for a while now and perhaps it was now time to finally acknowledge it.
A small smile made a little effort to replace the light frown of confusion she had, when the she felt eyes on her and the smile was again replaced with an on-guard look.
Only for it to change to a look of surprise.
Surprise because Derek was standing on the door of his own room in the clothes that he had on the last time she'd seen him in the hospital, looking at her with his eyebrows knitted in a frown, jaw clenched, looking like he was very angry.
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A/N:
Aaaaa would you look at that? Another update? And aaaa did you hear? Z has already began writing the next one! Whoo she's on a roll!
Hehe yeah thank you thank you. About damn time, no? Anywaysss here you have it, hope you enjoy. Nothing much this time, everything is just going as it was lol a few changes here and there but nothing major. Ah, the rona is here to stay it seems. Hope you and your loved ones are doing fine, hoping the very best for everyone!
Now bye-bye you guys! Read, vote, comment, share, add, follow, enjoy!!!
-Z.