Reiner - Secret Desire

“Her injuries from the fire aren’t as bad as you think. The doctors also think that she will wake up soon.

She’s just suffering from shock and there shouldn’t be anything really wrong with her brain,” Zak said as he approached Natalia’s bed and stood next to it.

“I see…” Reiner murmured. He wasn’t exactly relieved.

“I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. The fire wasn’t a mere accident. Edward and I have been investigating with our teams,” Zak said solemnly.

“Arson…” Reiner whispered.

“Yup. I’m convinced that it’s arson, but I don’t have solid proof right now,” Zak said before pressing his lips into a thin line.

“I see…” Reiner said softly.

Both men stood next to each other in silence for a while as they both looked down at Natalia’s partially bandaged face. Their minds filled with their own thoughts and emotions. However, it was Reiner who spoke up first.

“Why did you send me the message?” Reiner asked.

“To save you some time. You would have come to see her sooner or later, so I thought I might as well tell you exactly where she is. Oh, I don’t need thanks,” Zak replied before smiling dazzlingly.

“What do you want, Zak?” Reiner asked, not caring for Zak’s small talk.

Zak’s turned to look straight at Reiner as his golden eyes narrowed calculatingly. As if appraising and judging the man that stood before him, Zak was silent for a few seconds before he nodded as if he had made his decision.

“I want you…to take her away with you,” Zak said simply.

“What?” Reiner exclaimed in shock.

“Can you do that? No wait, will you do that?” Zak asked, his eyes staring deep into Reiner’s.

“No, I won’t,” Reiner replied firmly after a moment of thought.

“Why not?” Zak asked, not understanding.

“Whatever life that she will have with me…won’t be a good one,” Reiner replied bluntly.

“Worst than this one?” Zak asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion before turning to look at Natalia’s unconscious body on the hospital bed.

Reiner didn’t reply as he seemed to deep in thought.

“You’re so stubborn, aren’t you?” Zak said, before chuckling softly.

Zak’s gaze lingered on Natalia’s face as he ran his fingertips along her partially bandaged arm. Reiner watched the sight of Natalia’s unconscious body from where he stood, very close to her bed.

“Her arms are so scrawny, can’t you see? Look at her face. She’s gotten so thin…” Zak said in a small and sad voice as he traced his fingers down Natalia’s arm.

“Edward told me that she hasn’t been eating well…” Reiner said flatly.

“Whose fault do you think that is?” Zak asked before he turned to stare into Reiner’s face.

“She’s the one that asked me to leave,” Reiner said defensively.

“I bet she told you why she did that with the hope that you would choose to stay…but you didn’t. How dare you betray her trust…” Zak hissed through clenched teeth.

Reiner looked at Zak in shock as his words started to sink it. He was too worried about hurting her if he stayed around her for too long but not the consequences if he left.

“Do you love her?” Zak asked suddenly.

“Why does it matter?” Reiner asked in return without replying to Zak’s question.

“I love her so much…” Zak said before lifting a strand of Natalia’s hair to his lips. He kissed her hair softly and closed his eyes as if in pain.

Reiner watched as Zak lovingly kissed Natalia’s hair. The expression of love and longing was clear on Zak’s face and that only made Reiner envy how straightforward Zak could be in his expression of love.

It was like he was proud of it and had nothing to hide.

“I told you to tell her the truth, but you never did. You kept it to yourself as you watch her slowly fall in love with you without knowing anything and then you just went ahead and left her. How convenient it all must be for you…” Zak said softly but his glare was deadly.

“That wasn’t my intention…” Reiner muttered.

“Then tell her. When she wakes up and recovers. Why don’t you go ahead and tell her? If you don’t want her anyways, there’s no point in keeping her hanging,” Zak said, not bothering to hide the malice in his voice.

“You’re right. I’ll tell her the truth when she recovers,” Reiner said, his eyes on Natalia’s face.

“You think you can end it all by telling her because you think she would probably hate you for it…but what would happen if she decides to forgive you?” Zak said, as he looked at Reiner challengingly.

“…that’s not possible,” Reiner said firmly.

“Don’t underestimate my girl…and be prepared. You don’t need to tell me what you intend to do,” Zak said with a small, amused laugh.

“What about you?” Reiner asked curiously.

“I’m always doing everything I can for her happiness. It’s that simple,” Zak stated with a passive shrug.

“I see…” Reiner muttered emotionlessly.

“Will you take her away with you? Somewhere where she can be safe…away from all this…” Zak said in a dreamy tone.

“That’s not possible, Zak” Reiner said and there was an edge to his voice.

“That wasn’t a question. You will take her away with you,” Zak said with determination.

“What are you saying?” Reiner asked, not quite following Zak’s resolution.

“I’ll make sure that you never fail like I have,” Zak said as if talking to himself.

Reiner watched as Zak glanced over at Natalia for the final time before turning sharply on his heels and walked out of the room. The conversation was clearly over; however, it’s implications would guide the lives of these two men and the unconscious girl on the bed for days to come.

…

“If that is what you have decided then we have no complaints. It is better than having you on such an extended leave of absence. Welcome back, Reiner,” an old woman’s voice spoke through the phone.

“Thank you, Madame,” Reiner replied respectfully.

The line disconnected without further discussions. The conversation with the Elder’s representative went smoothly and Reiner was allowed to take care of Natalia until she regains consciousness and fully recovers. Now that that matter had been settled, Reiner proceeded with his job of taking care of Natalia immediately.

--To be continued…