Requiem of a Broken Heart

Chapter 40

Chapter 40:

Rachel held her silence, which prompted the nurse to reiterate her concern.

“Your condition is quite serious. You’ve had a high fever for the last two days, and it hasn’t let up. It would be safest if your boyfriend could be here with you consistently.”

Shaken from her reverie by the nurse’s words, Rachel muttered in agreement, “Okay, I’ll speak with him.”

“That’s wise. Please call him as soon as you can. I’m genuinely concerned about your wellbeing,” the nurse replied.

Once her IV was set and the nurse had exited, Rachel reached for her phone and dialed Brian.

He answered quickly, his tone revealing his fatigue. “Why are you up so late?” he asked, his voice rough with tiredness.

“Brian, are you still with Tracy Haynes?” she inquired.

“I am. She caught a nasty fever after getting caught in the rain. I’ll visit you tomorrow,” Brian responded.

Her hand clenched around the phone, loosening and then tightening again as she processed his words.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she struggled to find the right words to respond. The pause during their phone call was excruciating until he finally spoke up.

“If that’s all, try to rest.”

“Okay.” Her response was automatic, yet immediately she felt a pang of regret.

How could she just pretend everything was fine?

The place for great stories: gⱯlnσν?ℓs․com

She was about to end the call but stopped herself.

“Hold on, Brian. There’s something important,” she blurted out, her words rushing to escape. “I also developed a fever last night. The doctors were really concerned—they said I went into a deep stupor. It’s pretty serious, and I really need you here.”

Her pulse thundered in her ears as she finished speaking, waiting anxiously for his reaction.

She held her breath, awaiting his reply with a mixture of hope and dread. Unexpectedly, a soft chuckle came through from Brian’s end, leaving her startled.

His laugh, cold and tinged with skepticism, rang through the line. “Rachel, playful banter and little whims between us are one thing. I can indulge and even spoil you, but not under these circumstances. You know now isn’t the time to compete for my attention.”

At that moment, everything became painfully clear to Rachel.

What more was there to be confused about?

Brian believed she was fabricating her illness just to pull him away from Tracy. Was this how he saw her? As someone manipulative enough to fake a medical emergency?

for bothering you,” Rachel

visit her

was a constant presence, bringing her

hope lingered as

excuses

next day, she no longer

nonchalantly inquired, “Do you

“I’m sorry, he has been extremely

Busy?

bitter laugh

Yes, busy indeed.

Tracy, being by

spiked once again,

rush to find Brian, but Rachel stopped

“Don’t bother, Ronald.”

“But this is serious.”

the point? It’ll just lead to more disappointment,” she said, turning away, her face a mask of detachment. What good would

get

after disappointment wasn’t worth it. Better to have no expectations at

dangerous few hours, Rachel’s condition finally stabilized. It was well past midnight

brief moment, she thought she glimpsed Brian’s form, a faint, ghostly presence in the dim

blinked again, the

nothing

had all been

was

health improved, she made the decision to leave the

Trey were there to escort

got to her hospital room, it was

patient who was here?”

were you the last few days? Did you know she was suffering from high fevers and fainting spells? She faced

the spot, struck by the nurse’s words.

“Didn’t you know? After she fainted the first time, I urged her to contact you, to ensure you’d be with her.

sense of emptiness overwhelmed Brian as he stood

misunderstood the

genuinely suffered; she had indeed fainted and been

His reaction? Utterly inadequate.

he realized his grave

swiftly, dialing Rachel’s number, but to no

home, he found it starkly empty; she

had been out with Jeffrey and didn’t return

silence, with no lights illuminating