Star-crossed - Episode 10

 

Comfort:

"Hey, there you are." I drop the novel on my lap and look up to Joyce.
"I thought I'll find you here." She grins and I try not to roll my eyes at her.
"I just want to be here when he wakes up." I defend. At least I'm not in his room watching him. I'm just sitting around the area, reading a novel . Don't judge me.
"But you said he has a girlfriend." She points out to me none too nicely and I groan. Why did I tell her that anyways?
"It's been four days. Where's Stanley? I don't think I've seen him since the day you guys left me to go to the cafeteria." I change the subject and I know I've hit a spot with that one.
"Trouble in paradise?" I raise my brows at her.
"I think I prefer you when you didn't speak." She grumbles and I chuckle at her.
"You want to talk about it?" I ask her.
"I think he's cheating on me." She bites down on her lips and I eye her awkwardly. What do women do in this situation to help their cousin who has love troubles?
"You think? Why don't you ask him?" I opt to say.
"Oh, I should just ask 'stanley honey, are you cheating on me? Cause that will hurt like crazy'?" She rolls my eyes at me.
"What's wrong with asking that?"
"Well, he'll just deny it for one. And_" She sits beside me on the bench.
"And?"
"I don't know if I really want to know if he's really cheating

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/star-crossed

. What if I ask him and he says he doesn't want a relationship with me anymore? How do I deal with that?" She asks.
"You kick him to the curb then. You can't have him think he can do anything he wants in your relationship. You deserve better." I tell her. She eyes me for a moment before sighing.
"You talk and awful lot for someone who actually stayed mute for almost a year." She finally says.
"So I keep hearing." I say drily and she giggles.
"So what makes you think that he's cheating?" I ask her after a moment silence.
"The other day at the Cafeteria he__"
"Doctor! Doctor!" I shoot off my seat when the woman from days ago comes running out of Raymond's room screaming for the doctors.
"Comfort, wait!" Joyce runs after me. I stop at the edge of the wall and try to see inside ICU.
"He's up." I gasp as my eyes meet wide set shoulders and a proud head of close cut hair. My heart rate speeds up unusually and butterflies swarm my stomach.
"Yes, he is! Look, the doctors just came in." Joyce points into the room and I nod. We watch them speak with him and remove the machines from the room. His hand is put in a sling and the bandage on his head is changed.
"He got hurt pretty bad." I mutter under my breath.
"You should go see him!" Joyce says as the doctors leave the room. I push back from the wall and turn around.
"I can't. That woman is in there. If you see the way she looked at me like I'm gum under her expensive shoes days ago, you'll not advise me to do that." I say.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Joyce says, her eyes focused behind me.
"I am?" I expected her to argue with me.
"Yeah, look." She points back at the ICU and my eyes follow her finger to see Raymond wrapped in the tiny arms of the woman who has been by his side for three days. My heart drops to my feet.
"Are you okay?" Joyce asks softly. I take a deep breath and smile.
"Of course. At least, I know he's awake now. There's no need sitting close to the ICU anymore." I turn to walk away. I can't look anymore.
"Don't you want to thank him anymore?" Joyce asks as she falls into step beside me.
"I don't know anymore." I say more to myself than to her. We walk the rest of the way to my room in silence.
 Walking into my room, I'm greeted by a young looking man in uniform. I recognize him from the first day of being in the hospital when he had come to get my statement of the accident.
"Hi Miss." He says and I shake his hand softly before moving to sit down on my bed. I'm so lost in my thoughts, I forget to introduce Joyce until I see the look the police officer is giving Joyce.
"Oh, this is my cousin, Joyce. Joyce meet officer John. He's in charge of my case." I say quickly.
"Oh it's nice to meet you officer." Joyce takes his hand in a handshake that lingers more than expected. I eye the both of them with raised brows before clearing my throat. Officer John jumps a little and blushes beet red. The man is so light in complexion, I can see the blood under his skin as he blushes. Joyce gives me a secret grin before I turn back to the officer.
"So, any news?" I ask him. His business face slips on at this and he pulls a small book out of his pocket.
"Actually, I bring some good news. Mrs Ogechi Eze was arrested at one of her parent's hotel last night." He smiles at me.
"Wow! You hear that Comfort? You don't have to look over your shoulders anymore. The evil woman has been caught. Nemesis always catches up with the wicked." She comes around to pull me into a hug and I sniff back the tears that threatens to spill.
"Your Father was the one who alerted the police Miss Comfort. He also asked me to give you this." He pulls a paper out of his pocket and pushes it into my hand. I push the paper under my pillow without looking at it.
"How long will she be convicted?" I ask John.
"Your father handed a recording of her admitting to killing your mother. That coupled with the black box video of her crashing her car into yours and hurting two people in the process, I'll say a very long time." He explains.
"Wow, your father sure did redeem himself, comfort." Joyce says and my hands ball into fists. Doing all these doesn't redeem him in my eyes.
"Well, I'll take my leave now. It's already so late and I have some reports to write at the station. Oh and I should give you my number so you can call in case of any further assistance." John says to clear the awkward air. I look up at him and an idea forms in my head.
"Oh, I kind of lost my phone during the accident. Can you type your number down in Joyce's phone please? Joyce, your phone." I smile sweetly at her.
"Sure?" She hands her phone to him with a raised brow to me. Officer John puts in his number and starts to hand the phone back to Joyce when I swipe the phone from him.
"I'll just call you with her number so you can reach her__eh I mean me in case of any more news." I tell him as I call the number he has saved into Joyce's phone.
 I watch him save my cousin's number before he lifts his head up.
"Done. I really have to go now. Get better okay?" He says to me and I nod.
"Bye officer." I hear Joyce say to him as she walks after him to lock the door.
 3 2 1
"You!" Joyce yells at me as soon as I get to 1. I smile inwardly but lift a bored stare at her.
"He seemed to like you." I tell her.
"You're insufferable. I have a boyfriend. Thank you very much" She says.
"Just think of officer John as a back up plan." I tell her and she eyes me up and down.
"Who are you and what have you done to my quiet and innocent cousin?" She asks me incredulously.

Read " Set me free " by the same author ( Ameh juliet )

. I bite the insides of my cheeks to stop from laughing as I shake my head at her.
"Surviving this accident made me realize that I've had so many run ins with death for me to be wasting my life in grief and self pity. I should live this life that God is so determined on giving me various chances at, don't you think?" I ask her sincerely. I mean I've thought about this so many times. Cancer didn't kill me. Neither did this accident. Won't going back to living like I don't want to be alive really be a slap in the face of everyone who's made sure I'm alive today? My mother, Joyce and her family, Raymond? And even my father.
"Speaking of living. When do you plan on thanking Raymond? He did save you after all." Joyce says.
"Maybe he doesn't need my appreciation." I shrug as I think about how happy he was to see his girlfriend. A woman who has been diligently sitting by his side for days. Immersed in this thought, I startle when the room's door flies open suddenly.
"Who says I don't need it?" Raymond stands in the doorway looking as large as life itself.

I'm sorry for the late upload guys. My phone has some problems I still haven't fixed so I don't think upload will be as frequent as usual anymore. Bear with me guys.