Love Worth Fighting For

231 Areez’s promise

Like the advice Aldrich gave a few days ago, Suri has become more frequent at the hospital where Luna is being treated. Even though her parents had forbidden her to come often, Suri still came. She wanted to pierce through her guilt a little towards her brother who had not left the hospital for the past two weeks.

“You came again.”

Suri smiled. “Why is that? Do you also want to ban me like Mommy and Daddy?”

“It’s not like that, it’s just that it’s late. It’s not good for a girl to be out of the house this late,” Christian replies quietly, trying to come up with a plausible excuse.

“I’m not a kid who still has a curfew, Christ,” said Suri curtly. “I’m an adult.”

Christian chuckles. “Oh so my sister is an adult, huh? But why do you still often scream when you sleep, hm?

“Ahh, don’t talk about it anymore, I’m not in the mood to talk about it. Instead of continuing to talk, you better eat this, you haven’t had dinner yet, have you!” Suri tried to divert the conversation while handing Christian food.

Christian’s eyes narrowed at the box of food that Suri gave him, even though he hadn’t filled his stomach with food since this afternoon but Christian isn’t hungry at all.

“Don’t refuse, I know you haven’t had dinner,” Suri says again, forcing Christian to eat.

.....

“I’m not hungry.”

“Not hungry.” Suri repeats Christian’s words in the same tone of voice. “Your mouth may tell you you’re not hungry, but not your body. You’ve lost quite a bit of weight, Christ. Aren’t you aware?”

Christian tilts his head. “Lost quite a bit of weight?”

“Yeah, look in the mirror for yourself. You really have lost a quarter of your good looks,” replied Suri again as she opened the box of food she bought from Christian’s favorite restaurant.

Like a mother who is upset because her child is having a hard time eating, Suri arranged the box of food well on the table in front of her. As soon as she felt all the preparations were complete, Suri then grabbed Christian’s hand and forced him to hold his own fork. “Hurry up and eat while it’s still warm, the taste will change a little when it’s cold.”

Instead of starting to eat, Christian looked back at Suri who had just wiped the sweat that wet his face using a tissue.

“What? Don’t tell me you don’t like this food anymore?!”

“You’ve changed drastically, Suri,” Christian says quietly.

“What’s changed? I’m still the same as I used to be.”

Christian smiles. “I dunno I don’t know, I’m having a hard time describing it. It’s just, I feel that my spoiled little sister is no longer around.”

Suri’s heartbeat was racing very fast, even though her brother did not speak specifically but Suri knew where her brother was talking.

“Don’t keep talking, hurry up and eat your food or elseI’m going to be angry,” Suri stuttered, trying to divert the conversation. Suri didn’t like it if her brother continued to talk about the changes that had happened to her.

Because he kept being forced, Christian finally relented. Using the fork that Suri had given him earlier, Christian began to eat the food that was already served in front of him. Seeing Christian eat made Suri smile a little, she felt a little relieved, the tightness in her chest eased a little.

“Finish your food, I’ll see Luna,” Suri said quietly.

“Ok.”

Suri put her cell phone next to Christian’s cellphone, after that she walked towards Luna’s treatment room with slightly dragged steps. Back to see the condition of her nephew who still had to get intensive care in the incubator box makes Suri feel sad, her guilt comes back to haunt her every time she sees Luna’s condition, which still hasn’t shown much progress. The baby was still as she had first seen her two weeks ago, still so small and fragile. Even though her chest felt tight when she saw Luna but Suri still did it, she really wanted to help take care of Luna until she recovered. That was the least she could do to atone for the guilt she felt for the little baby who was still on the respirator.

“How long will Luna have to wear those painful tubes, nurse?” Suri asked quietly to the nurse who had just checked the condition of Luna’s incubator box.

“Until her condition stabilizes, Miss.”

“Do all premature babies have to go through all this?”

The middle-aged nurse shook her head slowly. “Not really, only babies with special conditions will get this kind of treatment.”

“Poor Luna,” said Suri hoarsely. “She must be in pain and uncomfortable with her current condition, the hoses must have made her unable to move freely.”

“Let’s just pray that Luna can get better soon, Miss,” answered the nurse gently. “Even though it looks like Luna hasn’t made any significant changes, her zest for life is so great. She’s really a special baby and...”

“And so beautiful.” Suri continued the nurse’s words unconsciously.

“That’s right, Luna is a very beautiful baby. Her mother must be a beautiful woman too,” said the nurse back unconsciously, the nurse did not notice the drastic change in Suri’s facial expression at this time.

Suri bit her lower lip hard. “Yes, her mother is a very beautiful and kind woman.”

No one knows how much pain Suri has to go through when talking about Elena, Suri who knows that this is all her fault tries to stay calm even though her chest is so tight right now. Only Areez knows how much Suri is suffering right now, only that man knows the tears of regret that Suri makes every time she leaves the hospital after visiting Luna.

With shaking hands, Suri wiped her tears. She didn’t want her brother to see her cry. Things would be even more difficult if someone saw her cry.

“Tomorrow Doctor Margaret will conduct a routine checkup with other pediatricians, we just pray that Luna’s condition will improve so that she can get out of these hoses as soon as possible and can go home soon,” said the nurse again.

Siri nodded slowly. “Amen...may God grant all of our wishes.”

The nurse again thinned her lips hearing Suri’s words, because she already knew Suri the nurse did not ask Suri to immediately get out of Luna’s treatment room. She still let Suri be in such a sterile room to be able to reach Luna closer.

Because she was wearing special clothes, Suri was allowed to put her hands into the incubator where Luna was lying. Suri again shed tears when she touched Luna’s tiny fingers.

“Forgive Auntie, dear,” said Suri in her heart. “Forgive Aunty’s selfishness, if only Aunty didn’t talk like that at that time, maybe you are still growing comfortably in your mother’s stomach. Get well soon, Luna. Aunty will do anything for you, dear.”

Suri removed her hand from Luna’s fingers when the baby moved, although she was allowed to interact with Luna but when Luna moved she was required to remove her hand from the baby’s body so that Luna would not be disturbed.

Because it was not strong, Suri finally decided to leave Luna’s treatment room. Even though it’s only been a while, her eyes already look so puffy and Christian smiles a little when he sees that.

“Cried again?”

Suri who had just wiped the remaining tears on her cheeks turned to Christian who had just returned from the sink. “No, who’s crying?”

“Your lips can say no, but your eyes are showing another answer, Suri,” Christian says again.

Having been caught red-handed, Suri suddenly fell into Christian’s arms. Not long after, there were sobs from Suri who was hiding her face in Christian’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Christ...I’m sorry.”

Christian, who was already hugging Suri, shook his head slowly. “No, you’re innocent. Crying is everyone’s right and I don’t need you to apologize to me for crying.”

Suri shook her head. “No, that’s not what I mean, Christ. I mean I...”

Suri’s words linger in the air when Christian suddenly releases his embrace, Areez’s arrival with Aldrich is the reason why Christian does that.

“Christ...”

“I know,” Christian says quickly. “Mommy already told me about you.”

Although he doesn’t know what Christian just said to Suri, Areez is sure that Christian is in a good mood right now.

“Good night,” said Areez, friendly to Christian who was standing next to Suri who looked so nervous.

Christian smiles. “So your relationship has come this far, huh?”

Areez frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Here,” Christian replies shortly, pointing at Suri and Areez in turn. “You’ve openly dared to come to Suri like now.”

“Looks like we really can’t hide anything from you, Christ.”

Christian puts his arm around Suri’s shoulder. “Of course you can’t, just a little change in Suri, I will know quickly. So how far is your relationship?”

“We’re not as far away as you think, Chirst,” Suri replies quietly, feeling uncomfortable hearing Christian interrogate Areez.

“Is that true?”

“Right.” Areez immediately answered Christian’s question. “We’re still in the stage of getting to know each other.”

“Oh, I see,” Christian murmurs quietly, nodding his head.

“You gave me permission to approach your sister, didn’t you?” Areez asked quietly. “Despite how bad our initial acquaintance was, I really don’t have any bad intentions towards Suri, Christ. I want to have a serious relationship with Suri.”

Christian frowns. Unknowingly, he tightened his arms on Suri who looked so surprised to hear Areez’s words.

“It’s the wrong time and place, but I want you to know that I’m not playing games right now,” Arees added again, sooner or later Areez must immediately admit the progress of his relationship with Suri and now is the right time according to Areez.

“You know who I am, right?”

Arees nodded. “Of course I know you are Christian Clarke. Such a man of considerable influence in Europe.

Christian smiles, he slowly shakes his head. “That’s not what I meant.”

“What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

“I’m a very logical person, I’m never afraid of anything. I’ll protect my family to the best of my ability,” Christian says quietly, his eyes glaring at Areez without blinking. “So if in the future you make Suri cry for once then don’t blame me if I’m going to take revenge with you right away.”

Areez gulped. “I understand where you’re talking, Christ.”

“It’s good if you can know where I’m going,” Christian says back.

“So you’re letting me approach Suri?”

Christian purses his lips. “For now I can’t. give you a definite answer, I still need time to see your performance further.”

“Christ,” Suri, who had been a listener, finally joined in. “Don’t overdo it.”

Christian lowers his head, looking at Suri who is also looking at him. “I’ve made a big mistake in my life, a mistake that until now I really regret and I don’t want it to happen again. Therefore I have to make sure that the man who will approach my sister really has good intentions, intentions that can be accounted for.”

“I can confirm if I can take responsibility for every action I do, Christ,” Areez answered seriously. “I accept any consequences from you if I do evil.”

Christian smirks. “Can I hold this word of yours?”

“Very well,” Areez answered quickly, as quickly as the movement of his hand that immediately reached out to Christian.

.....

Christian did not immediately accept Areez’s outstretched hand, he looks thoughtful for a few minutes until finally Christian slowly grabs Areez’s hand and grips it tightly “I keep your promise, Areez.”