Gael cradled Angela in the backseat of the car, careful that he didn't hurt her back. He had already removed the bound around her wrists and began gently wiping her face with his handkerchief. She was still unconscious from the heavy blow that she got from the chain whip.
The scene replayed over and over in his head. The urge to break Evan limb by limb was strong. His grip on her arm tightened that she winced, and his hand relaxed.
"I'm sorry," he whispered above her head. This was all his fault. If he hadn't left her side, Evan wouldn't have gotten to her.
Gael didn't care that he was on the receiving end of that psycho's outrage. He would sacrifice himself for Angela in a heartbeat—no questions asked. He knew how much each strike hurt even though he had high pain tolerance, but for Angela to take that last one for him… His heart bled like a dam. He prayed that she would be okay.
When Rick asked if they should go to a hospital, Gael's initial reaction was to refuse as it was instinct to avoid the hospital for people like them. However, he couldn't risk Angela's condition, so he told Rick to hurry to the hospital.
Spring Grove was the leading hospital in Mayne City. The building was massive, taking up an entire block. When the car ca to a full stop in front of the ER entrance, Rick quickly opened the backseat and helped Gael climb down the vehicle. Despite the pain in his back, he refused to let go of her and marched towards the doors.
"Mr. De Luca?" a man in a white lab coat called from the side. "What happened?"
Gael turned his head and saw a familiar-looking man. He narrowed his eyes and recognized that it was the doctor who patched him up a few years ago. He was Samantha Cho's ex-boyfriend.
Without delay, Gael said, "She needs help."
In the next breath, the doctor nodded and raced towards the ER to get a team of nurses and doctors. They laid Angela on a bed and wheeled her deeper into the room, behind double doors. A nurse, who was keen enough to notice Gael's appearance, saw the bruises on his face, so she attended to him, but he waved her off. "I'm okay. Just fix her first."
Gael slumped on a chair. He didn't know how long he waited, his knees bouncing up and down in anxiousness. But the mont the doors opened and out ca the doctor, he was on his feet. "How is she?"
"She's stable. In pain, but she'll be okay."
Gael released a long sigh of relief, nodding as his shoulders sagged, only noticing the doctor's na plate that showed his na: Nathan Yun.
"What happened? You have bruises, too. You should get yourself checked." Dr. Yun lowered his voice. "Should I call the cops?"
Gael knew this doctor probably rembered who Gael was. He shook his head. "I'm… I…" His vision started to fade, his body swayed, and then his knees buckled under him. Shit. Gael's eyes closed, and all he heard was the doctor asking for assistance from his colleagues while holding him up with his arms beneath Gael's underarms. Gael grunted when they touched his back, and all of a sudden, he lost consciousness.
***
When Gael ca to, his eyes slowly opened. He was so dizzy and loopy as he scanned his surroundings, noticing that he was in a dimly lit room—like a hotel. He groaned when he tried to move as he was lying on his side. That's when he noticed he was in a hospital bed.
"Don't move. The doctors said you need to be off your back. You can lie on your side, turn every two to four hours."
Gael dragged his gaze towards the owner of the voice and Daniel Cho's face ca into view. 'What is he doing here?' he thought. And then Samantha sauntered towards his bed, her voice soft and low when she spoke, "Hey… How are you feeling?"
"Like a fucking champ." His voice was hoarse. He pushed himself up into a sitting position. Daniel was on his aid right away. As if electricity sparked in his head, he imdiately snapped his attention. "Where's Angela?"
Samantha stepped away from his view so he could see behind her. "She's right here. We managed to get you two in the sa room. Angela's okay. She woke up a couple of hours ago, but she fell asleep as soon as she saw that you were okay."
There she was. His Angel. She seed peaceful in her sleep as she lay on her side facing him with an IV attached to her arm. Gael was evidently relieved to see her safe. But there was this dull ache in his chest that wouldn't seem to go away no matter what. And he was sure it wasn't because he was beaten up badly.
"Nathan called and told us what happened when you arrived in the ER," said Samantha.
"What the hell happened?" Daniel demanded, pulling his focus back to them. "And none of that it's-none-of-your-business crap. So you better tell what happened."
Gael let out a soft chuckle. When he looked into his friends' eyes and saw the seriousness in their expressions, he decided to tell them part of the truth. Only a part of it because even though the Chos had good intentions, this was Angela's business. It would be her decision to tell other people. He guessed that Angela must not have told them everything when she woke up earlier if they had to ask him now.
So he left out the part where Angela had probably gotten pregnant and the video content that Evan was desperate to get from her. The story he told seed so vague, but if the Chos knew he was holding back information, they didn't push him. Gael checked his phone and read the updates he got from Santiago who was currently watching Evan outside his house. Rick was there with him to help keep an eye on the man they intended to pay for everything that happened that day.
Daniel told Gael that he called Angela's family but their phones were turned off. Charlie and Oliver were supposed to be on their way to France after attending the engagent party, so Gael thought they must be on the plane. Even though Angela might not want her family to know what happened today, Gael considered that if Charlie was involved, he deserved to know. He didn't want to doubt the older man. There must be an explanation.
When Daniel asked if he could help with anything, Gael assured him that everything would be taken care of. He appreciated his friend's offer, but Daniel—despite his past—was a good man with a family he had to protect. This wasn't their battle.
Daniel nodded. "If you change your mind, just call ."
Gael took a deep breath. Whatever dicine they gave him was damn effective. His eyes were getting droopy again. Then a sudden thought crossed his mind. "Actually… I need to et with the Parks' current family head."
"The Parks? In Harbor?" Daniel cocked his brow. "What for?"
"There's sothing I need to do. They have to be involved in it…for assurance. Will you help contact them? I an, I could…but I thought they would consider if they knew you're on my side. Your families are friends with them, right?"
Daniel ran his tongue in the inside of his cheek as he contemplated. "Yeah… I can do that. Frederick is the current head of the family, but I'm friends with his nephew, Damien. It was his engagent party last night, but they'll have another one for a closer circle in a few weeks and we're invited. I'll be eting him then, but I can get in touch with him sooner. When do you want to et?"
"I'll let you know. I have to talk to my father first."
Gael's lids were heavy, and he had to lay down again. He turned on his side, facing Angela, wishing she wasn't so far from him. If only he could lie next to her… But with their current state, he wouldn't want to put pressure on her back.
As if reading his thoughts, Samantha suggested, "Why don't we move their beds closer? I'm sure that's okay, right?"
Without questions, Daniel readily helped his wife. They wheeled Gael's bed next to Angela's, dropping their side rails to lessen the obstacles between them.
"Thank you," Gael mouthed at the couple, his lids slowly fluttering against his cheeks. And then the two bid goodbye as they quietly left the private room to let him rest.
Gael lay on his left while Angela lay on her right, the two facing each other. He reached for her hand and gently took it in his, stroking his thumb against her skin. Subconsciously, she held onto him. There were so many things he wanted to ask her, so many things they needed to talk about. But that would have to wait until she woke up.
As he watched her gentle breathing, he wished that she'd trust him with the truth.. Then Gael finally succumbed to sleep.
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