Reiner - Return

“I bet you already know who’s behind this,” Edward said, his tone evidently darkened.

“I do. Unfortunately, I don’t have any solid proof,” Zak said followed by an exasperated sigh.

“This is precisely why I hate this family. Enemies are lurking all around us,” Edward hissed.

“It’s my fault. All of this is my fault,” Zak said as if he was speaking to himself and his own demons.

“Now now, don’t be too harsh on yourself. I’m sure Natalia will wake up in no time. That girl is stronger than you think,” Edward said as he tried to cheer up both Zak and himself.

“Let’s send her away…” Zak whispered so softly that Edward had trouble hearing him.

“…What?” Edward said in confusion and disbelief.

“…nothing…” Zak mumbled his reply.

Edward watched in confusion as Zak turned to leave without saying another word. He didn’t think that he misheard what Zak said but what could he have meant by sending Natalia away? Zak is a mystery and there’s no doubt about that.

…

**Later that night**

It was a peaceful night with a full moon. Natalia remained unconscious in her hospital bed with the curtains of the room’s windows parted, letting in just enough moonlight to illuminate the room. The hospital ward was dead silent at night, especially the private floor for VVIP patients that Natalia was on.

Slowly and softly, the door to her hospital room opened and a very tall man entered her room, walking expertly on silent footsteps. The door closed behind him, and they were the only ones in the tranquil hospital room.

The man made his way to her bed immediately, taking care not to make a sound that would wake her up. Even though he knew that she was unconscious he was taking extra care not to make any sounds that would disturb her. The moonlight and the light the various monitors and machines hooked up to Natalia’s body, provided enough lighting for the man to see quite clearly.

He did not make a move to turn on the lights in the room, he could see well enough. However, he didn’t like what he was seeing as he stood close to the side of Natalia’s bed. The moonlight shone on her unconscious form on the hospital bed and the sight of her body tore at his heart.

His eyes slowly scanned her body from head to toe, taking in all the damages and the state that she was in. Her body was covered in bandages in many areas as far as he could tell even with the white blanket covering the majority of her body. There was a white bandage around her head and forehead.

Both her eyes were covered with white medical eye patches which probably prevented her from seeing anything. Although that didn’t matter because she was still unconscious.

There were some white bandages on her left arm and her right hand as well. Overall, her condition was much worse than what he ever imagined. The fact that she was still unconscious was the worst part of it all.

“Natalia…” the man whispered as he stared down at her sleeping face.

Slowly, he sat down on the chair next to her bed, his eyes never leaving her face. It’s only been around a month since he’s left and so much has happened. He could see the changes in her physical appearance clearly and it broke his heart.

Reaching out a hand, he gently took her unbandaged hand into his. She did not stir at all. Her hand was dry, and her nail polish was chipped. He sighed softly as he remembered the last time, he applied nail polish for her. Gently, he took a strand of her hair in between his fingers as he thought about the last time that he combed her hair for her before tucking her in bed.

It was clear that she had lost weight and probably hasn’t been eating properly, just like Edward had said. He didn’t think that it would be this bad, though. Her face was taunt, and she looked extremely drained of energy and life in general. Her wrists and arms were thin. Her skin pale and her lips were dry.

Reiner sighed once again as he brough her hand up to his lips before placing a soft kiss on the back of her hand. Her hand felt cold to the touch. Carefully, he placed her hand on the side of his face as he leaned into the palm of her hand. He was thankful that at least she was still alive. He closed his eyes as he seemed to drown in his own regrets.

It was a grave mistake for him to leave her and he knew that now. Despite what she had said or decided, he should have sucked it up and stayed. Honestly, he thought that it would be better if he left her to move on with her life, but now, he was starting to doubt his own decision. Whatever state that she was in before was better than the almost lifeless state that she was in now.

He was convinced that the fire wasn’t an accident but a malicious attempt on Natalia’s life. There was no proof for it, but he trusted his gut feeling more than any proof or evidence. Whoever was behind this, he was going to make sure that they paid a heavy price for what they did. He closed his eyes as he leaned his face into Natalia’s hand. The next time his blue eyes reopened, they were merciless.

The soft sound of the door of the room opening, brought the man’s attention to the door. Glancing over at the door, he saw the shadow of someone entering the room. He already knew who it was and had been expecting him.

“Greetings Reiner. So, you decided to turn up after all…” Zak said as he entered the room before shutting the door behind him softly yet firmly.

“Took you long enough to enter…” Reiner said flatly as he slowly let go of Natalia’s hand.

Gently, he positioned her arm and hand back to where it had been before.

“I was being considerate, so I decided to give you two some alone time together. You knew I was around?” Zak replied, unfazed.

“Naturally...” Reiner stated.

--To be continued…