Aliya's Shoes-Chapter 408: Rumour (1)

Rocky’s heart raced, his pulse thrumming in his ears as the doctor’s words echoed in his mind. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

’She’s alive. Ava’s alive!’ That was all that mattered. He’d heard those words, and it was as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. His breathing unconsciously became lighter. His hands, once trembling with panic, now hung limp at his sides.

This was the best news he’d ever received in his life. Ava was alive! They could figure out the rest later! Rocky could vaguely feel someone hugging him and excited voices around him, but he was numb, especially when the doctor’s next words hit him like a cold wave. "She is comatose."

The air in the hallway seemed to thicken. Rocky’s joy faltered as the weight of reality crashed back into him.

’Comatose!’

Even without his medical knowledge, he understood what that meant. His stomach twisted painfully. There was so much he wanted to say and do, but for now, all he could do was feel the heaviness of the news settle into his bones.

His mind raced.

’Is she going to wake up? Is she going to be okay?’ The answer wasn’t clear, and that uncertainty gnawed at him relentlessly. His gaze locked with the doctor’s, seeing the sympathy and sadness in his eyes.

Besides, Rocky and his two friends were in their practical medical scrubs, so the doctor could deduce that they were medical students. The doctor had been there, seen the worst of it in his line of work, things that he wished that he could unsee or inexperience, and knew that surviving was just the beginning.

"It’s indeed a miracle that she survived," he had said. Even though he knew that he needed to give that small piece of hope, he still also wanted to let the family know of the reality,

"The miracle is more so...." Unknowingly, his voice had faltered because even he did not understand how this was so,

’How can this be? The fetus is still intact. The blood loss, the severity of the injuries... How? How had the child survived?’ The doctor’s mind couldn’t fully grasp it.

Unknowingly, Rocky was thinking the same, especially after the doctor had briefly Ava’s state

’A new life, a part of Ava and me, growing amidst the chaos.’ The contradiction was overwhelming: a fragile hope wrapped in an uncertain future.

Nicholas and Matt stood quietly and retreated to the side. The day was just getting as bizarre as it could be!

"C-an I s-ee her?" Rocky asked, his voice hoarse, barely above a whisper.

The doctor nodded,

"She has already been sent to the..."

He followed the doctor mechanically as he was led down the sterile hallway. But even as his legs moved, his mind was still stuck in a web of conflicting emotions. Alex, Geneva and the rest were speaking in hushed tones, but he barely registered the words. The weight of his own thoughts drowned them out. His sister was still missing—his sister—the one who had been with Ava during the accident.

’Will Ava know where sissy is?’ Rocky thought as the guilt churned in his stomach. He imagined Shelby trapped, injured, or worse.... Rocky did not even want to think of the worst. He had no answers, no way of knowing if she was still alive. How could he be happy with this news? How could he feel joy when she could be out there, suffering? Did he have the right?

His hands gripped the hospital door handle, the cold metal biting into his skin. Inside, the room was dim, filled with the soft beep of machines and the sterile scent of antiseptic. He was used to such scenes, but it felt different when the person was the love of his life!

His gaze first sought Ava—her fragile, pale face, so still and lifeless. Her usually radiant ebony skin was now drained, almost grey under the artificial light. He stood there for a moment, unsure if he should move, unsure if he even had the right to approach her. The rest of the family gave Rocky the time that he needed to gather himself and step in before they also filed in one after the other.

Rocky slowly walked toward her bed, the machines that hooked into her chest sending rhythmic, mechanical sounds into the quiet. He knew the meaning behind each beep, each pulse—the data, the vital signs.

As a medical student, he understood more than he wanted to. His fingers trembled as he reached for her hand, delicate and cold in his grasp. He could feel the faintest warmth radiating from her skin, but it did nothing to ease the deep, agonizing ache in his chest.

Rocky’s mind raced again, torn between the miracle of her survival and the suffocating guilt of Shelby’s absence. Rocky was happy that Ava had survived but would it be okay at the expense of Shelby’s life? And then another thought occurred, making raw panic rush through him.

’What if Ava didn’t make it? What if I lose her too?’ The thought sent another wave of shock through him, but as he stared down at her, his feelings shifted—love, fear, and sadness all tangled together. Rocky had unknowingly created life with her, something so pure and beautiful in the midst of all this tragedy. And yet, here she lay, fighting for her life.

’How could I focus on this joy when I don’t know if my sister is alive?’

At that time, Rocky could not even afford to think of the foetus that had yet to be because all its fate depended on his mother, who did not even know of its existence!

Rocky’s throat constricted. He wanted to cry, to scream, but instead, he squeezed her hand gently, pressing his forehead to the cool metal of the hospital bed.

’P-lease, just wake up, he whispered to her in his mind. Please... wake up for me. For ... for.... O-ur baby.’

However, the questions still lingered, unanswered. The silent torment of uncertainty held Rocky captive in that sterile room, and he wondered how long he could stay there, trapped between the fragile promise of new life and the harrowing fear that he could lose everything: Ava, the new life and Shelby!!!

For once, Geneva, the almighty and the ever-composed Alex had no idea of how they were to handle themselves in the face of all this. They stood quietly behind Rocky, seeing the tears seep out of his eyes but helpless to add any comfort, for they did not understand how all this had happened.

On one side, their eldest son, Ian, was lying comatose, his wife and their daughter-in-law were missing, and they had no idea what was happening to Shelby. In as much as the older couple wanted to take their anger out on Currey for how he had handled things so far till that time, they knew and had witnessed things firsthand from how capable he was.

It was indeed overwhelming for anyone, but that did not excuse anything. The accident was still being investigated, and the current status was still the same.

To add up, the accident had been so bad that two people had died from it. This was also another thing that needed to be handled; however, in all that bleakness, a ray of hope came in! A baby!

Geneva’s eyes fleeted over Ava and then just as suddenly reverted to Shelby.

How could this be happening? The thought repeated in Geneva’s mind like a drumbeat she couldn’t escape.

’My daughter-in-law... missing? Gone? Her heart twisted with a sharp, unbearable pain, each breath a struggle. She’d always been so full of life, so full of promise. How could she just disappear like this?’

But the reality was as clear as day!

’No, no, it can’t be. It can’t be true.’

The thought clung to Geneva, but her mind was already unravelling.

’Maybe Shelby’s just lost. Maybe they’ll find her; they’ll bring her home.’ Geneva clutched at the fabric of hope, desperate to hold onto anything that could pull her away from the suffocating grip of fear.

’Please...’

But as the cold reality settled in, so did the dread and just like Rocky, Geneva couldn’t help it but think,

’W-hat i-f she’s... What if she’s gone?’

"Don’t worry, our Shelby is not that fragile," Alex comforted, placing his hand on Geneva’s. It was then that Geneva noticed that she had spoken out loud instead of to herself.

Despite this, the sharpness of the words cut through both her and Alex’s chest like a knife, leaving a hollow, empty ache.

They did not even want to think of what would happen to Ian. In short, it was chaotic in their minds! As a mother, Geneva had always assumed that her son would bury her, but what was with the fates? She was supposed to be there for him, for our family. She had so much more to give...

Geneva nodded at Alex and then walked up to Ava.

Geneva shut her eyes tightly, trying to force the tears back, but they were already spilling over, hot and relentless.

’Please, don’t take her away from us. Don’t take her from him. He’s suffered enough.’ Her hands trembled as she pressed them to her face, the reality crashing down harder with each passing second. She was not even sure if the tears were for Ian, Shelby or Ava who was hooked to so many tubes.

Shelby’s smile appeared in her mind’s eye, and Geneva found herself smiling through the tears.

’Will I ever see that precious charming smile again?’

As if finding her determination, she wiped her tears and then stepped out of the room. Then, a series of instructions were given. In no time, a team of dedicated staff were assigned to Ava, and Ian as well.

’We’ll have to leave Shelby and the rest to Currey,’ Geneva thought, but she knew that she did not have to do anything in that space because Alex also had extra staff deployed to help.

Even Brad, had volunteered to take on some of the tasks to help, which was unusual. At the least, they all understood the gravity of the situation at hand.

Geneva suddenly felt tired, and Alex helped her get to a seat. At their age, there was no need for too many words as they understood each other’s gestures.

"Are you okay, dear?" Alex asked as he sat by Geneva in the hallways. This drew surprised glances as the two would have usually used the VIP waiting room. However, the two were too spent, and there was a lot to be done.

In all these, they had no idea of the news brewing out there, but that would evoke unknown emotions that the older couple thought they had buried for years.

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