Chapter 9
1095 Words
"Water..." Gav groaned. His mouth and throat were dry.
A damp cotton ball was pressed to his lips immediately.
He blinked his eyes. His vision was blurred. A pair of spectacles greeted him. He closed his eyes again.
"I said... water...!" His voice was stronger. His cracked lips were moistened. He could speak clearly.
"Sip slowly," a female voice told him softly.
The cold water bathed his parched tongue soothingly. He sighed when he swallowed the coolness.
"Thanks!" he croaked. His throat was rusty from lack of use.
Dara waited with bated breath. She wished his eyes to open once more. The pair of green eyes were more spectacular in person than in pictures!
She traced his bony features with her own eyes. She sat on her hands to prevent herself from touching the high nose and the compressed masculine mouth.
"Did Gav see you, Dara?" Grandpa Ackers asked eagerly.
"I don't know... He asked for water though," Dara replied dazedly. "I gave him this..." She showed the glass of water with a straw in it.
"I left it on the side table because the patient always asked for water whenever he woke up," the nurse explained steadily.
"Is it normal? I mean, Gav waking up for a short period of time?" Grandpa Ackers was concerned.
"I called his doctor, sir. He should be here by now." The nurse glanced at her wristwatch.
"Okay, okay." Grandpa Ackers pulled Dara. "You must be hungry. Let's go to the dining room. We'll wait for the doctor while we're eating dinner!"
"I'm not hungry, Grandpa Ackers." Dara could not touch her food. She was restless.
'What's happening to me?' she asked herself.
"Have some tea," Grandpa Ackers offered a small cup of a hot light brew. "It will help stimulate your appetite!"
Dara sipped dutifully. She did not taste the beverage.
"Dr. Cosher is here!" A maid announced the doctor's arrival.
Dara stood up when the white-coated man appeared on the doorway.
"Good evening, Dr. Cosher! Gav has regained his consciousness about three times this afternoon." Grandpa shook hands with the elderly doctor. "I want to know what's the problem!"
"Let me examine Gav," the doctor uttered calmly.
"Good, good!" They went to Gav's room. Dara followed them silently.
Grandpa Ackers and Dara watched while the doctor checked the patient. The nurse assisted him.
Gav moaned when the doctor peered into his eyes with a penlight.
"Gav! Do you hear me?" the doctor asked.
"Yes!"
"Can you open your eyes?"
"Of course!" Gav spoke much clearer now. He looked at the doctor ferociously.
"Do you know who I am?" The doctor was unperturbed. He held Gav's wrist.
Gav tried to get up. "I remember now. I had an accident. The helicopter I'm flying crashed!" he recounted irritably.
"Wait! You're still weak--" Dr. Cosher supported him.
"I'm not! Oh!" Gav groaned aloud when he fell flat on his back.
"You were unconscious for almost a month, grandson! Give yourself some time!" Grandpa Ackers was wringing his hands with concern.
Dara touched his arm lightly to offer her mute agreement.
"A month! Your birthday had passed me by!"
"It didn't matter, grandson," Grandpa Ackers comforted him.
Gav was crestfallen. "Your last will..." he muttered dejectedly.
"Don't worry, Gav. I changed the one week to two months," Grandpa Ackers replied quickly.
"Ah! You're giving me time to look for a bride?" Gav brightened. His green eyes sparkled mischievously.
"Well, I've taken care of that, grandson! But you have to rest now."
Dara was scared for the first time. How could he accept her as his bride?
Grandpa Ackers held her hand reassuringly.
"What do you mean?" Gav questioned in a muffled voice. His eyes were getting drowsy.
"I'll explain tomorrow. Go to sleep, Gav," Grandpa Ackers urged serenely.
"K..." The emerald eyes closed once again.
The doctor continued his examination of the sleeping patient.
"Gav is still weak but he was on the way to recovery. He will have to use the wheelchair to get around," Doctor Cosher said authoritatively. "Nurse Fe, you will see to it that Gav gets the morning sun for fifteen minutes. Okay?"
"Okay." The nurse was writing on the record tab busily.
"Have you finished, Dr. Cosher? I'd like to invite you to dinner," Grandpa Ackers uttered seriously. "Let's discuss Gav's condition now. He is conscious but there are precautions--surely!"
"Of course! You must refrain from giving shocking news to Gav!" the doctor stated warningly. "His trauma might get worse!"
"Of course, I won't do anything that will shock him!" Grandpa Ackers looked sheepish while he glanced at Dara.
Dara took the chance. She mumbled an excuse.
The old man nodded silently.
When she was inside the designated room for her, her hands covered her chest. Her heart had been beating thunderously for the past fifteen minutes. Her pulses were everywhere!
That deep, husky voice... Those sea green eyes...
Dara's face grew dreamy. 'Am I falling in love with Gav?'
'No! Just a crush! An infatuation!' She shook her head. Straightening from the door, she marched toward the bathroom.
When she looked at her reflection, her face was flushed. Her eyes were bluer than blue. They looked like a pair of sapphire stones.
Dara did not find any beauty on her appearance. The shape of her eyes was that of a feline cat. They were pointed upwards at the corners.
Her nose was too short. Her mouth was too wide. She thanked her stars for having a clear skin and a rounded chin. At least, she just used soap and water for skin maintenance!
Before she disrobed, she switched off the light. Dara did not want to look at her skinny figure!
She thought of her family. Her Mama Nena did not chat today. Maybe, her foster mother was busy rearranging their lives.
'I should be busy, too! I must prepare my mind to conceive Gav's children. That's the bargain between me and Grandpa Ackers!'
Dara swallowed when she thought the intimacy that would happen between them. Gav was virile and suave--but to the women of the elite society. Those beautiful women who had pampered soft skin and attractively slim bodies...
What if Gav suddenly turned into brute swine when he learned that they married?
'Ohh, Grandpa Ackers was a crazy old man!' Dara exclaimed to herself. 'He created this crazy marriage--he could undo it!'
But what about her family?
Dara stared blankly at the ceiling of the darkened bedroom. She tossed and turned on the rumpled bed until dawn. She could not sleep with worry!
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