“You’re quiet,” Neriah points out as she and Cainan make their way back from a close-by church walking.
It is a somewhat sunny Sunday and Neriah is sure that it might as well be her last and so she spends every moment like it might be her last.
 
It was a ten minutes’ walk back home, and all Cainan has said since they began walking was “No, thank you” to Shawn, who offered them a ride back home. It was unlike Cainan to be quiet, yet Neriah notices that he was and she worried about him.
“I’m sorry,” he apologises and entwines their hands.
 
She shakes her head and glances at him, “Don’t be, you’ve got every right to be blue and sad over Clara, you might not have been head over heels in love with her anymore, but you still cared.”
“I couldn’t help her,” he said, through gritted teeth, “I had everything that could have kept her and the little one safe, but yet I couldn’t.” He says his insecurities showing in his voice.
 
The news of Clara’s death was a sad one, and it was hard on Cainan because he knew he couldn’t turn back time and bring them back, but he could bring her killer to justice, he knew he could never come public about the affairs they had or the paternity of the unborn child, but he could use what he knew to get justice for her death which is all he has.
 
Hugo is a powerful man, but there’s something Cainan knows and that is you can only hide so much when you’re high in the sky.
 
She squeezes his hand which is locked in hers, “What happened was painful and sad, but if we blame ourselves for every wrong that happened in this world, we’ll live in guilt for the rest of our lives and who knows how long that’ll be?”
 
“I am no longer in love with her yet. Her death hurt so much. What if I don’t survive yours?” He asks with grave panic and remorse in his voice.
“You’ll have to, I’ll want you to.”
 
He moves closer to her and his head drops a little, bringing his face to hers and their gaze locks. “Call your family. Let them be around you these days, it is only fair.”
She exhales in defeat. “Fine, I’ll call them when I get home. But so you know you press on issues like a woman.” She grumbles loud enough so he can hear.
He smiles from cheek to cheek and wraps his arms around her for a hug before muttering, “I love you.” They pull away and she stares at him, unable to utter a word in return. “I’m sorry I said that,” he says, but she shakes her head.
 
There is a sharp piercing pain in her head, making her eyes shutters and her breath grow heavy and short. “Don’t be, but you have to warn me next time before you hug me. I’m not a fan of hugs much less when they come suddenly so for future reference. Ask first, and also I—” she stops rambling, her grip on his arms tightening and her eyes panicking.
“What’s wrong?”
 
“My head hurts so much it’s unbearable,” she gasps, her breath getting shorter and blood rushes down her nose as her head hammers harder and her breath grows shorter until her eyes shut and as much as she tries to keep them open, she can only do so much.
...
 
When her eyes open again, she finds herself on a bed, in a room with white painted walls and curtains and there is a familiar feeling as she stares up at the ceiling.
 
She knows she’s in the hospital and unlike the other times she got admitted, her face feels weird now. She raises her hand to touch it and she sees that there’s a needle inserted into the skin of her wrist and a tiny pipe fixed to it. Her eyes follow the pipe up to see the drip being administered and beside the drip, stand is a peeping machine monitoring her heart rate.
 
Her hand still finds its way to her face, and she feels the nasal cannula that goes to the back of her ear and into her nose.
Amidst her confusion and a struggle on the bed, she hits off something from the bed and the little steel falls, making a loud clanging noise on the floor, making her cuss in her mind.