#THE_BLIND_GIRL
©Sir Zach
EPISODE 62
*°°°°° IDAHO °°°°°*
*♦ SANDERS MANSION ♦*
*AUTHOR POV*
“Vivian! Vivian!” Serena called out to her after receiving a call from a close friend. She rushed into the sitting room. Bay and Vivian looked at her with confused looks.
“Mom..what’s wrong?” Bay asked as she rubs her baby bump.
Serena picked the remote and tuned in to a news Chanel.
“Vivian you should watch the news” She looked troubled
Then they gasped few seconds after watching the news.
The Headline was…
“FREDERICK ROBERT DECLARED WANTED”
His picture was at the top right side of the TV. “WANTED” In red letters.
“Mom that’s the man that came around -” bay pointed to a man on Tv talking to some reporters. It was Derrick.
“Yes he is the one” Serena replied
Vivian was silent. Her mind was spinning dizzyingly.. Her world upside down. She could hardly believe what Derrick was saying to the press.
“Mr Frederick Robert is the suspect of a case from six years ago. But We have enough evidences to charge Mr Robert to court for the murder of His step Brother and his wife Nathan and Madison Robert…..”
“Oh no..” She muttered and placed her hand on her forehead
“What’s all this mom?” She arched her brows
“I don’t know…Vivian I’ll just call -”
She stopped when she noticed that Vivian wasn’t moving on the couch.
“Vivian -” She called at her but she didn’t respond. She shook her but she was already unconscious.
“What’s wrong mom?” Bay managed to get up from the couch.
“Bay.. Call 911!”
She screamed at her startling Bay in the process. But she rushed to the home line to call 911.
♣
°°°°
*♦ CHICAGO ♦*
*°°°° AINSLEY HOSPITAL°°°°*
*IAN POV*
Darkness.. Complete darkness that’s all I see. I tried opening my eyes but they wouldn’t listen. My arms were doing the same, remaining limp by my sides. I opened my eyes slowly, observing my surrounding through my blurred vision. My eyes adjusted to the light in the room.
“Where am I?”
Realization hit me when i heard the beeping sound of machine next to me and the white walls.
“I am in the hospital”
I groaned at the slight pain in my head. How did I get to the hospital?
“Ian -” a soft voice called me. I turned and saw my mom
“Mom”
She sat down at the edge of the bed and held my hand gently
“What happened Mom?”
“You collapsed in the fire”
“What fire?”
“At the textile factory”
I closed my eyes
Memories flooded my mind.
“Ian how did you get caught in the fire?..and why didn’t you take your inhaler with you?” She looked concerned
“What about Ria?” I said in a tight whisper ignoring her questions.
My mom stared at me
“Is she okay?” I asked shakily
“Yes…she just stepped out a while ago to get coffee for me” She replied
“For how long have I been at the hospital?”
“You were out for 24hours”
A whole day!
Now what have I missed?!
The door opened and I looked away from my mom to the door
Ria was there with a coffee pack in her hands.
“Ian -” she whispered
A smile formed on my lips.
She came to the bed and gave my mom the coffee.
“Thank you” mom said to her.
Then she moved to the other side of the bed.
“How are you feeling?” She asked.
“I’m fine..” I reached out to her and she held my left hand.
She nodded slowly but she didn’t smile.
“Mom..can you excuse us? I want to talk to Ria alone”
“Sure..I was about leaving too -” she stood up
“I will inform Doctor Hawn that you are awake”
“Thanks Mom”
She exited the room
“Relax..lemme adjust the bed” she adjusted the bed rails and it came higher. And I sat comfortably on the bed. Ria settled on the bed too facing me directly.
“Ian I was worried when you didn’t show up for coffee and I called you but you weren’t picking up..until I watched the news”
I noticed the tears at the corners of her eyes.
“I was so scared..and I thought I was going to lose -” her voice trailed
Oh! She thought she was going to lose me!
“Ria..I told you that I’m not going to leave you” I assured her
Then she came closer and hugged me
“I can’t live without Ian..so please stay with me”
She sobbed
I pat her back slightly
“Yes Ria..I’m going to stay with you”
“And why didn’t you tell me..about your health problems?” She came out of the embrace and stared at me.
“Ria -”
“I never knew that you have asthma and you didn’t tell me about it”
“I’m sorry” I apologized
I didn’t tell her about my health problems because I didn’t want her to worry about me. And I noticed that I haven’t had an attack since I met Ria. I was doing fine.
“And why didn’t you take it with you..I mean the inhaler?”
“I always leave the inhaler in the car..And i didn’t expect the fire outbreak -”
She nodded and held my hands in hers.
She sniffed
“Well about the fire..Chad and Derrick came around last night”
“So what did they say?”
“Frederick is In Chicago”
“Really?”
“Yes..and we all suspected that he might be involved -”
“Like he set the factory on fire? She nodded and explained things to me. Reason for suspecting Frederick and Drake too. She told me everything I needed to know!
“and Chad wanted to hear your side of the story too”
She completed
I nodded
“Do I have to wait for them to come around before saying anything?”
“Yes Ian..and you need to rest” she said
“Well is mom aware about Frederick?”
“Yes I told her about it when she saw the news too. Actually Ian I admitted to her that I was related to him”
“Ria you shouldn’t have -”
“You don’t have to worry..i didn’t tell her about Lucas”
“Is that possible?… Ria there is no way you will share your story without involving him”
“Yes..but I only told her that Frederick ordered the killings of my parents just to take over my dad’s inheritance”
“And she didn’t ask you how you survived?”
“She didn’t Ian. Your mom was so troubled after i told what Frederick did to me ..and she was even more concerned about how to get him to pay for his crimes”
“So how did she find out?”
“The news.. Frederick is all over the news now”
“Where are your bodyguards?”
“They are at the store”
“Why the store? They should be here guiding you -”
I paid them to protect her and not sitting at the store!
“Calm down Ian..I told them not to follow me around”
“Why?” She was silent
“Ria tell me what’s wrong?..are they giving any problems?”
She nodded negatively
Ava sent a note to the institution authority and explained that Ria would be coming around with her bodyguards. She isn’t safe with Frederick finding out that she’s alive!
“Or is any of your lectures against bring your bodyguards to classes?”
“No”
“Then what?..tell me Ria”
She avoided my gaze
“Ian it’s just that I don’t want anyone risking their lives to protect me..look if Frederick comes around he would take my bodyguards first before taking me. They would get hurt for my sake..and I don’t want that. So the only way to stop it and avoid losing them is to just..stop them from following me around”
I closed my eyes
“Look at you now – Ian you are also in this state because of me” she said soberly
And we go again! Putting all the blame on herself!
Ria thinks everything that happened was her fault!
“Don’t think like that Ria…I don’t want you to blame yourself. And we are not sure if Frederick or Drake set the factory on fire..and even if its one of them..don’t ever blame yourself for it”
I believed she would take comfort from being assured that it wasn’t her fault even if Frederick or Drake was involved In it.
“Is that clear?” She nodded
“But..what about the factory now?”
“What’s the condition? Did everything get burnt?”
“No just the storage room and part of the main factory..the firemen were quick to quench the fire”
I swallowed hard
“Don’t be concerned about it. Last month mom and I discussed it that we would renovate the textile Factory..so we will do it now”
“Well Ian I’m just happy that no workers died in the fire. Though some sustained minor injuries and they were all quick to get out of the building”
“We will compensate those that sustained injuries”
She nodded in agreement
“Your mom said the same thing too”
She stopped
“Oh Ian i don’t know if I should be the one telling you this -”
” tell me what happened?”
“Actually, yesterday your mom agreed to the shareholders request”
“What request?”
“They want Piper to stepped down as the chairlady. It wasn’t her fault but your mom also thinks Piper is incompetent of running the factory -”
“Yeah she’s right..they are all right about Piper. The truth was that she was the reason why I went to the factory. You see Ria,Piper doesn’t like the idea of sitting at the desk all day. She had always wanted to be model but our parents didn’t agree to her choice. And so she was only trying to run the factory somehow..with my help”
“Okay”
“Is that all?” I asked..
And she nodded but I felt she still has something to say.
“Yes”
“Okay..can I get a smile now?”
She gave me a half smile
“Ian this is not the appropriate -”
“Time to smile right?” I completed her statement
“Ria I’m alive and we are back together isn’t that enough reason to smile?”
She stared at me
“Yeah you’re right”
She muttered
“I’m sorry I didn’t think about it”
“It okay”
I rubbed her arm gently
“You know Ian – you can move in with us for the main time” she said
And I thought I didn’t t hear her say that…
“Move in with you?”
“Yes after your discharge. You can stay with us till you get better. I want to take care of you”
“No Ria ..Mr Griffin is at home and I can take care of myself”
The truth was I don’t want to be a burden to Ria.
“You don’t want me to take care of you properly?”
“I don’t think it a good idea”
“Why?”
“Ria you have too many work at hand. You have to take care of your kids,prepare them for school before their nanny arrives and as well as preparing yourself for the work at the store and for classes too. And offering to take care of me would only add to the work. And I don’t want to be a burden -”
“Ian you are not going to be a burden to me” she cuts In
“And stop making it sound like I do thousands of work a day”
“Ria you don’t have to inconvenient yourself just to take care of me” I said
She stared at me for a second and nodded slowly
“I understand..it fine if you don’t want to – ”
Her voice trailed
And she stood up
“You should rest now”
She said sharply as she adjusted the bed.
I studied her expression
Ria wasn’t happy that I turned her down
I’d like to move in with her!
I want her to take care of me!
I want to wake up to see her first thing in the morning!
But wanting all these makes me selfish.
I have to think of the fact that she has many things to do
But at the same time Ria won’t be happy if i don’t say yes.
I want her to be happy!
I caught her hand before she step away from the bed to sit on the couch.
“Ria are you sure? I mean about me moving in with you for sometime?”
“Yes Ian..100% sure..but it seems you don’t want me to take care you just like how you did to me” she stopped
And continued after few seconds
“When I found out about your health problem i felt like I don’t know you the way I should – and that I didn’t care about you the way you care about me. And I’m sorry I didn’t take such steps..I had no idea how to start a relationship or how to maintain one. I know nothing about it -”
She paused
“I’m sorry” she apologized
I gestured to her To sit back on the bed and she did.
“So we can use this chance of staying together to get to know each other..better. Huh? And remember I said I was going to court you properly -”
She nodded
And I would have proposed to Ria the moment I confessed to her.
I couldn’t because i didn’t have a Ring and it was too early to propose without going to a relationship first.
And I felt that we can make that decision after we end Frederick.
Then She leaned close and pressed her lips on mine.
I wiped the tears that rolled down her cheeks amidst kisses when she pulled away.
“I love you” she muttered
“I love you too”
I smoothened strands of hair from her face.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 63