The Royal Contract

“Serena, tell me where you are, and I will come and get you,” David said, trying to convince his sister as he held the phone in his hand. “Whatever the problem is, I will help you fix it.”

This time, instead of letting her go, he took what he thought would be Rosella’s advice. He should never neglect his family. And he believed Serena needed him more than ever.

“I appreciate what you are trying to do. For the first time, I truly feel that I have a family.” Serena said on the other line. “But for the first time, I feel like I am doing something right. So, don’t worry. I am ok.”

His sister sounded much better than before, convincing him that maybe she was telling the truth. “Ok, if you are sure. Still, call me if you need any help. Any time you are in trouble or need any help.” He reiterated.

“Yes, brother. I will. I promise.” She said. “I will call you again. And I am praying that Rosella recovers soon. I think she is good for you.” He could see her smile as she giggled on the phone. “I love you, David.”

He was surprised because it was the first time she had said that to him. It was not like they were throwing the L word at home. Truthfully, they were not that kind of people.

But it was nice to hear that from her. “I love you, too, Serena.” He answered back, this time, without hesitation.

He believed that Rosella was good for him. She had taught him many things about life that he would not have given a damn about if not for her. That included saying his feelings without feeling awkward about it.

.....

“As I said, Rosella is a God send,” Serena said before finally terminating the call.

He finally looked at his watch and realized it was almost time to leave. He still had a few minutes to finish his work. Then, he could go and visit Rosella at the hospital.

A father from the other room asked him if he would ever get tired of waiting for her to wake up. It would seem his son was also in a coma for three days.

He only had one answer for him. “Never.” That was the truth. He could live in the hospital forever if that meant being with her for as long as possible. He would wait for her until there was hope.

An hour later, he greeted all the nurses that had taken great care of Rosella. As a thank you, he brought with him two boxes of donuts for whoever wanted them and left them at the nurse station.

“How is she today?” David asked the nurse who was in charge to check on her tonight.

He quickly moved toward her side, holding her hand to make her feel his presence. “Hi, baby. Did you miss me?” He teased her, hoping she could hear him.

“She is doing quite well. The doctor said that her brain activity continued to increase.” The nurse told her instead since he did not have time to come in the morning to see the doctors.

Besides, once he saw Roseann, she would fill him with all the details. But for now, he would settle for the information the nurse could give him. “Thanks. That is great news.” He told her as she left, giving him some privacy.

He pulled up the chair and moved it closer to her bed. He wanted to be constantly near her just in case she could sense his presence. He read in a scientific journal that it helped coma patients to recover faster when they were around the people they loved.

He knew that her family also visited her during the day. Therefore, he took nightshifts and weekends when he did not have to work. But it was nice when they were all together, talking and bonding.

He was beginning to learn more about her family. Truthfully, he loved each of them, especially her mother, who was such a sweetheart. Her father was a kindhearted soul who had been down on his luck since they migrated to this country.

Her father tried his best to provide for their needs, but it was just not enough. But David had never seen a father who boasted that his wealth was not the material things money could buy, but her three daughters and his youngest son who continued to make him proud.

“Hey, I told you I could take this night since I am not busy.” Roseann appeared by the doorway, checking on her sister.

She quickly moved inside and started looking at the monitors as if double-checking everything the nurses and other doctors had repeatedly done.

“I also told you I have nothing better to do at home.” He said to the young doctor, who settled on the sofa not far from the bed.

“I am sure that you can do something else with your time. Like, go out with your friends. Go to the bar. Or clean your house, take a long bath, watch baseball with a bottle of beer.” She pointed out, remembering that it was the baseball championship finals.

“I can say the same thing with you,” David said as he looked at her. “Until now, I have not seen you with a man. Are you into girls or something?” He teased her.

“I just had a fantastic night the other day at a bar. And I was out with my friends. But I still had to clean my apartment. Yeah! It is a mess.” She answered him.

Truthfully, they had grown close, as if they came from the same mother. He considered himself part of the family, so that would make her his younger sister.

“And...” He asked her to keep going, knowing there was more.

“I am not into girls. I like a man, at least a responsible man. He did not have to be handsome, but if he is, then maybe it is ok. Tall is good too.” She said as if she was describing someone.

“And who is this man? Is he working in this hospital?” If he was, he could easily find out from her co-workers. It seemed that hospital gossip easily spread in this place like wildfire.