The Royal Contract

It could not be happening.

It was the only thought that kept going through his mind as he drove like a madman on the street. But the more he needed to be fast enough, the more the traffic worsened and stopped him in his tracks.

He could see that he was still far from his destination, and time was of the essence. It was one of the moments in his life he knew he could never be late. Or, he might regret it for the rest of his life.

“Move!” He shouted at the top of his lungs at the other car before him as if the other driver could hear him. Then, he honked his horn hard, hoping that would make a difference.

Unfortunately, the traffic was far worse than he would like as he found himself stuck in the middle. The accident had probably created a chain effect, affecting the flow of the vehicle’s movement in other directions.

“I need to see her,” David repeated in a defeated tone as he slammed his hands on the steering wheel, unable to do but wait till the cars moved again.

.....

Finally, at the next corner, as if by some miracle, he was able to turn and discovered that the street was less congested than the main road. It was a longer route to the hospital, but at least he was moving as he stepped on the gas to speed the car as fast as it could go under the circumstances.

After almost half an hour, he pulled up at the hospital’s main entrance and jumped out of his car. The security tried to call his attention. “Sir, you can’t park your car at the front...” But he did not care. He threw his keys to the man and ran toward the main lobby.

He could care less about his car. His only priority at that moment was to find her. He needed confirmation that she was ok. That nothing serious happened to her. But was that even possible after seeing the condition of her car?

He knew right away when he saw the red car that it was hers. He remembered trying to replace that car, gifting her a new one on her last birthday.

“I don’t need it. I still have a functioning car.” She had insisted, declining adamantly to accept his surprise. No matter what he tried and said, he failed to convince her to take his gift.

Then, he immediately questioned one of the police if they had identified the driver of the pile of wreckage across from him.

“We can’t disclose any information...” The officer was not yet finished with his spiel when he interrupted him.

“I know the protocol, but I believe that is my fiance’s car, Rosella Sheldon. I only need to know where they had taken her.” He calmly informed the police, even if his entire being seemed to be exploding internally in all directions.

The face of the man and what he said next confirmed his fear. “I am sorry, but they have taken her to the nearest hospital.” Then, the police officer gave him the details, but the officer could not give him any idea of her condition.

Now, he crossed the lobby, looking for their information desk. “I am looking for a victim of a car accident. Ms. Rosella Sheldon.” He called the attention of the woman behind the desk, who was busy looking at some monitor.

He could hear the panic in his voice, although he tried hard not to shout and stay calm. Still, he could feel his body shaking from fear, anxiety, and the thought that he might lose the one woman he loved.

“Can you wait for a second as I check?” The woman informed him as she saw her type her name. All he could think about during that moment was how wonderful she was.

He had always known that Rosella was a hardworking woman. She was the primary breadwinner of her family. Although her father and mother worked hard, it was never enough to provide for all their needs.

She still had three younger siblings she helped send to school. Then she was still paying the mortgage of the newly bought house she gifted her parents. He offered to buy it for her, but again she would not have it.

Thankfully, one of her sisters graduated this year and started working as a nurse in this hospital. She was now helping the family and her sister provide for their needs.

“Damn! I need to call her.” David suddenly remembered her. He could not help but wonder if she had heard the news about her sister. Or was she still clueless like him about her condition?

He grabbed his phone from his pocket and searched for her number. He knew Rosella saved it somewhere in his contacts, although he had never talked to her family that much.

“I am sorry, but I forgot to ask if you are a family member of the patient.” The woman spoke up as he waited for someone to answer his call.

“Hello, Roseann!” He ignored the woman at the counter, signaling to excuse him for a second as he talked to the woman on the other line. “This is David.”

“Hi, David.” He could hear the surprise in her tone, probably not expecting that he would call her. That was not unusual since he had never tried to call her before. “What can I do for you?”

It was clear to him that she had no idea of the accident, judging from the calmness of her voice. She appeared more surprised to hear from him than if she had heard the shocking news.

“Are you working at the hospital now? Can we meet? I am in the lobby. I will wait for you.” He offered to see her instead of breaking the news on the phone.

Besides, he needed to deal with the information first before confronting her fiance’s sister. Then, he ended the call agreeing to meet her at his current spot.

“I am his fiance.” He finally confronted the woman at the desk, trembling to hear what she had to say.

There were three possible scenarios he could come up with at that moment. One, his fiance was in the emergency room, being treated for minor wounds. Two, she was undergoing surgery for the injuries she incurred. The worse scenario he could think of was something he still did not want to consider.

He wanted her to fight for every last breath.