Chapter 38

Kara’s POV

*

My eyelids fluttered open slowly and I blinked twice as I stared at the familiar shapes of the chandeliers attached to my ceiling, momentarily trying to gather my thoughts together.

“Thank you God for a new day.” I muttered with a smile as I slowly trembled due to the breeze gingerly caressing my skin. My hands quickly pulled the comforter closer to my chest. I yawned with my hands stretched out then my right hand hit something soft and a groan followed. Of course Stephano had slept right beside me. I sat up with a smile.

“Good morning.” I greeted Stephano who now had his eyes settled on me and it seemed like he’d been awake for a while. I would never stop being in awe of this man’s handsomeness, it left me baffled all the time.

His eyes were still partly closed but he looked just as good looking as he usually did on every other day. He mumbled back a greeting and snuggled into me, wrapping his hands around my torso and chuckling randomly. A pleasurable shudder trailed past my body as I felt his warm breath on my neck. When I tried pulling him off me, he tightened his hold.

“Did you sleep well?” I softly asked. A part of me was doing a happy dance in my head just because he had me so close to himself like this. Stephano was such a cuddly baby sometimes and I was glad I get to see that side of him, despite the cold exterior.

“I need to go downstairs and see what’s happening Stephano. Mama must be in the kitchen by now.” I checked the time while speaking. It read six forty nine.

“Love, no.”

“Hmm?”

“Stay.”

“But I need to go. I’ll be back, okay?”

“Love, no.”

My breath hitched at his repeat of the endearment, a small smile quickly forming on my lips. His voice was thick as he spoke, husky.

“How are you feeling?”

“Hmm.” He groaned. It came out with a bit of difficulty, as if he didn’t appreciate the way I was constantly asking him questions.

Then I suddenly remembered how strange he had acted last night and a gasp hastily escaped my lips as my eyes went wide. I quickly switched into panic mode as that dreadful feeling came and rested fully at the pit of my belly.

I placed my hand on his forehead and sure enough he was burning a bit. Hissing, I swiftly unwrapped his arms from my waist before he could object and I hastily got out of bed.

Pulling my drawer open, I dug into it and heaved a sigh of relief when I found some pills there. I didn’t feel like going downstairs at the moment because I was hesitant to leave him here alone but I knew I would have done that if the drugs hadn’t been in my drawer.

“Stephano sit up and have this.”

He craned his neck and when he saw what I had in hand, shook his head instead. I came around the bed and planted my harshest glare on, tapping my foot in annoyance. He wasn’t helping right now.

“Sit up!” I commanded. He ignored me as if I was speaking an entirely different language and just stared blankly. Then, I decided that it would be best if I tried a different approach and I sat on the bed, smiling gently at him.

“Stephano, sit up okay? Please baby.” I mumbled softly and pecked his cheek repeatedly, feeling him relax into my touch. Trying to force Stephano to do anything was a big no.

An image of me being yanked to one side and breaking my neck passed like a blur before my eyes and I quickly shook off the shudder that snaked its way down my skin. Just a little push from Stephano’s muscular arm would have me reaching for the stars. It would be best if I just did everything gently with him.

“Please Stephano. You need to take these pills.”

He sat up this time when I persuaded him gently but his eyes never once left my face. He had that look of adoration on his face but he didn’t speak even a word out to me. I noticed he was scratching his palm with heated concentration so I dropped the sachet of pills and gently released the hand he had been scratching.

Immediately I got him water from my mini fridge, I assisted him in taking the pills and crawled back into bed beside him.

“You can tell me anything Stephano. I’m here.”

“Hmm.” He mumbled. I pursed my lips in irritation. This was the farthest I would probably get from him if we kept this up.

“Tell me everything.”

“Hmm?” He looked at me questioningly then slowly shut his eyes.

“What happened yesterday?”

He fluttered his eyelids open and stared at me. A smile curved its way up his lips. He had a really beautiful smile, but Stephano would never smile so much like this when I asked him a question so simple and that could only help me confirm that indeed, something was wrong somewhere. Stephano wouldn’t even display half the emotions he’d displayed this morning and last night.

“Kara.” He mumbled with a cheeky smile that stole my breath away. I recollected myself and shook my head.

“Stephano, what happened yesterday?”

“Hmm?”

“At the office.”

I felt his entire form tense beside me. He grew pale immediately, his hands slowly beginning to tremble of their own accord. The cover was still draped over him, so he couldn’t be shivering due to the cold. I went into full on panic mode as I wondered why he was suddenly so pale.

His breath intake turned heavy, and then he shut his eyes tightly and started mumbling to himself, his lips now joining to move of their own accord. He was talking so fast I could barely get a single word out.

“St-stephano, what’s wrong?” I swiftly knelt beside him.

He shook his head frantically, as if he suddenly didn’t want the head to stay connected to his body. He wanted a release or freedom; an escape of some sort. From what though, I had absolutely no idea. I pulled the covers off him quickly and scrambled away, not knowing what to do next. This sudden reaction of his frightened me to the core.

“Stephano!” I screamed.

“I didn’t…no, not me. I didn’t...” He kept mumbling, his voice now louder. Jumping out of bed, I went for the door when he suddenly let out a deep groan.

I turned around and felt my eyes sting as he groaned and stretched out his hands for me to come back to him. “Stephano, you’re frightening me.”

“Kara...” He looked at me with his usual blank face.

But that expression suddenly contorted into one of severe pain, like he was struggling with something but that thing was having its way instead. My Stephano was left to suffer, to battle with what I had no idea and the sight was too painful to watch. My lips trembled as I watched him stare at me with pain in his eyes.

He stretched his left hand out for me again but my head, as if having a mind of its own, shook frantically. I couldn’t go to him because, what if he decided to strangle me? No. He wouldn’t. Not with the affection that was still very much evident in those blue eyes whenever he looked down at me. Still, he needed help.

“I’ll get help Stephano.”

“Kara...Kara.”

My hand flew over to cover my sobs. Stephano was scaring me. A tear escaped his eyes and that was when I lost it. He hadn’t said much since last night and even this morning, only mentioning my name on most occasions or humming. I opened the door and dashed for my Madre’s room. There was no sign of her anywhere in her room or en-suite, so I hurried my way down the stairs.

The unavoidable aroma that wafted through my nostrils confirmed my suspicions that she was probably in the kitchen, if that wasn’t Mimi. Preeti had gone back to India where she was now staying with her fiancé and they would be getting wedded soon. If I was chanced, I would go. If not, then I’d send my greetings.

“Mama!” I screamed, alighting the stairs in a hurry.

“Gesu! You scared me Kara. I’m over here!” she called back just as I was entering the kitchen. I shook my head and made to drag her when she turned around with a scolding expression casted over her face.

Taking in my form, she left what she was doing and planted her both hands on my face in obvious alarm. Her eyes were wide. “What’s wrong Kara, what happened?”

“Stephano mama. He is acting weird.” I wheezed out of breath as I tried to calm my erratic heartbeat.

“Calm down Kara.” She said with furrowed brows and bit on her lower lip. She  hurriedly turned off the cooker and cleaned her hands on a napkin.

“I can’t. Come upstairs, he is really scaring me and...I don’t know what to do.”

“Where exactly is he?”

Her voice was thick with panic and I could see the fear in her eyes though she tried to mask it as she calmly asked me questions.  She probably thought he was sick but Stephano wasn’t sick. He hadn’t been sick since I was in elementary, if I remembered correctly. Stephano was never one to even get sick, that was just him. He was acting weird though.

“He’s in my room. He came in last night and hasn’t stopped mumbling ‘I didn’t do it...not me...” I mimicked Stephano’s voice. “I don’t understand mama.” I ranted as I followed her into the sitting room and up the stairs. My legs felt like jelly but I carried them up the stairs regardless.

The door burst open and she rushed in, with me following behind. Stephano was now in a corner on the other side of my bed. He was on his knees like someone praying but he was more in a crouched position than a kneeling one.

“Young master dear, what’s wrong?’ She asked him softly as she walked around the bed and stood beside him. She observed him with furrowed brows and consecutively looked from me to him without stating a single word.

“Do you have stomach ache?” We both stared at him. No response.

When her fingers touched his shoulder blade, he flinched and looked up at her with suddenly cold and calculative eyes, as if she was a specimen he needed to use for experiment. It was like he didn’t know who she was or what she was doing around him. He definitely looked like he didn’t appreciate her presence around him.

When she tried touching him again, he glared at her. She quickly retracted her hand and swallowed. Stephano groaned aloud and dipped his nose into the bed.

“Kara.” His muffled voice floated through my ears as listened to him mentioning my name for the nth time this morning. I shook my head.

“He wants you Kara.” My mama stated, as if going to him would solve the problem at hand. An exasperated sigh flew past my lips as perspiration clamped down on my shoulders despite the chilly weather.

“You know I can’t go to him mama. Look at him....” I trailed off with a frail voice, gesturing at the crouched man who was subtly stealing glances at me. My hands reached my cheeks as I wiped fresh tears away.

Seeing Stephano so vulnerable and hearing him utter only a few words wasn’t what I was mentally prepared for and even after witnessing it last night, I still wasn’t in terms with it.

“He needs you. Keep him calm while I call the hospital.” She lovingly told me.

Her whole stance seemed to be more calculative and relaxed and I was glad she was here. Seeing her calmer than I definitely was helped me, even though it was a bit.

“Alright.” I swallowed the invisible stones in my throat.

I walked to him slowly as she walked out to go call the hospital. “Stephano.”

“Kara.”

A frustrated sob flew past my lips. That was the only thing he had been repeating constantly.

Kara. Kara. Kara.

“I’m here.” I slowly placed a hand on his back. He pulled his face from the bed spread where his nose was still dug and upon seeing me, he instantly leaned into my touch. That relaxed me a little. He wasn’t shying away from me.

“What’s wrong Stephano? Talk to me.” I pleaded.

He didn’t respond, choosing to snuggle into me. I wrapped my hands around him and moved him closer to me with all my strength as I sat on the edge of the bed. I had never done a more strenuous job all year. Stephano was far weightier than a drawer filled with all mechanic supplies one could think of.

He dug his nose into my stomach without the slightest hesitancy and I planted my hand on his head, gingerly moving the pads of my fingers over his soft scalp.

“Get up.”

A thick groan ripped off his throat but he still ignored me.

“You need to take your bath.” I stated softly. When he tightened his arms further around my waist, I gave up trying to persuade him and stuck to just rubbing his soft scalp.

“I don’t know what’s happening to you Stephano but I assure you that you’ll be well again. You need to be. This isn’t fair.”

And it was the truth. Because Stephano wasn’t normal at the moment, he wasn’t well. This wasn’t the way a normal person behaved. My door slowly creaked open. I didn’t turn around because I knew it would either be mama or someone I couldn’t attend to at the moment.

“Kara, he will be here any minute. However, he insists on taking young master with him when I explained the symptoms. He is coming with a few nurses, in case young master puts up a fight.” She told me carefully from the entrance, looking from Stephano to me and back again.

The fight word made me pause for a nanosecond. But then she had also just mentioned ‘symptoms’.

“What symptoms?” I questioned with wide eyes.

My heart beat skyrocketed as I anticipated her response and every second felt like a year. Pity lurked somewhere in her eyes as she stared at me for long seconds, wanting to surface, but she pushed it back and straightened her stance. Her eyes were wary as she chose her words carefully.

“He...he may be having a mental imbalance Kara....”

*

You heard Natalia!! What do you think she means? What do you think happened to Stephano?