Chapter 2 – The Man Who Almost Hit
1286 Words
“You’re awake… thank God.”
It was calm, relieved, and strangely warm. A voice I didn’t recognize—but it soothed me all the same. My eyelids felt impossibly heavy, like they were weighed down by sand. But after a few tries, I managed to pry them open.
At first, everything was blurry. The world was a wash of pale colors and soft shapes. Then slowly, the haze cleared, and I saw him.
A man was sitting beside me—well-dressed in a dark shirt and charcoal gray pants, looking completely out of place in the sterile white hospital room. His posture was relaxed but attentive, leaning slightly forward in the chair like he had been waiting for this moment. He looked sophisticated, clean-shaven, with neatly combed brown hair and warm hazel eyes that lit up when I looked at him.
His face softened into a smile—gentle, almost tender.
“You’re in the hospital,” he said quickly, as if he didn’t want me to panic. “You collapsed in the street. But you’re safe now. I’ll go call the doctor.”
Before I could even form a sound, he was already on his feet and walking toward the door. His footsteps echoed softly as he vanished down the hall. The moment he was gone, I turned my head, slowly taking in the room.
Sterile white walls. The beep… beep… beep of a heart monitor to my left. The unmistakable smell of antiseptic. The thin sheet covering my legs. IV lines running into the back of my hand. It was real. I was in a hospital.
But… why?
My throat was dry. My limbs were stiff and sore, like I’d been lying here for days. My head throbbed with every breath. I tried to remember—and then it all slammed into me.
Elian.
The rejection.
The hollow echo of his voice telling me I meant nothing. The image of his lips on someone else. His arm wrapped around her waist while I stood there, falling apart. The blinding, burning pain in my chest—the kind of pain that breaks something you can’t see or fix. I had walked after that. Aimless. Barefoot. Broken.
And then… darkness.
The door opened again, and the man returned, this time with an older gentleman in a white coat. They looked alike. The same sharp cheekbones. The same determined chin. Maybe family?
“Good to see you awake,” the older man said kindly as he stepped closer. “I’m Dr. Myers. Let’s check your vitals.”
He pulled a small flashlight from his coat pocket and gently tilted my chin upward.
“Follow the light for me.”
I obeyed, though the movement made my head pound harder.
“What’s your name?”
“Vidya,” I whispered. My voice sounded far away, like it didn’t belong to me.
He nodded, glancing down at a chart. “And do you remember what happened before you collapsed?”
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to sort through the whirlwind inside me.
“I remember… walking,” I said. “The street… I think I fainted. Or maybe I was hit?”
Dr. Myers shook his head. “No, you weren’t hit. You collapsed right in front of a car. This young man—” he gestured toward the man beside me, “—was driving. He stopped just in time and brought you here immediately. He’s the reason you’re here.”
I turned my head to him again. He gave me a sheepish smile, one that tugged slightly at one corner of his mouth.
“You scared the hell out of me,” he said with a soft chuckle. “I thought I’d killed someone.”
My lips twitched into the faintest smile. “You didn’t.”
But something inside me suddenly twisted. A sharp panic bloomed in my chest, faster than thought. My hand shot down to my stomach.
“My baby,” I gasped, breath catching. “Is my baby okay?”
Dr. Myers' expression instantly shifted. He moved closer, resting a calming hand over mine.
“Your baby is fine. No signs of distress. You’re stable too,” he said gently but firmly. “You’re both going to be okay.”
A sudden rush of hot tears welled up in my eyes. Relief made my entire body feel like it could melt into the bed. I nodded slowly, blinking back the tears. My baby. My baby was still here. Still alive.
“You’re lucky,” the doctor added quietly. “Rejection is dangerous enough. But for a pregnant she-wolf? The risks are… severe.”
I looked up at him. “I felt it,” I said. “I didn’t know it would hurt that much.”
“The bond between mates is spiritual,” he explained. “When it’s torn suddenly, it damages the mind, heart, even the soul. The pain you felt—it’s not just emotional. It’s real. Physical. It can kill.”
My chest tightened, but I stayed quiet. I didn’t want to break down. Not in front of them. Not again.
Some wolves go rogue.
Some don’t survive.
But I did. Somehow.
“He said nothing,” I murmured, more to myself than them. “He didn’t even hesitate. He just… threw me away.”
A heavy silence settled in the room. I felt exposed, like my soul had been peeled open. But there was no judgment in their eyes. Just quiet compassion.
The man stepped forward then, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
“I apoligize for almost hitting you,” he said. “You just appeared, and… I swear, I hit the brakes as fast as I could.”
I looked at him closely. His eyes weren’t just warm—they were sincere. I could see the guilt written all over his face, the way he avoided holding my gaze for too long.
“It’s okay,” I said quietly. “You helped me. Maybe even saved me.”
He seemed taken aback by that. “Most people would’ve yelled at me.”
“I’m not most people,” I said, managing a tired smile.
He smiled too, wider this time. Less nervous.
Dr. Myers checked his watch. “All right, she needs rest now. You can charm her later.”
The man rolled his eyes, but his ears turned pink.
As the doctor began to gather his equipment, he paused near the door and turned back with a curious smile.
“Just one last question,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “Are you sure you two aren’t… involved?”
My eyes widened slightly. “What?”
The younger man groaned. “Uncle—”
“I’m just saying,” the doctor shrugged. “Trying to figure out if I should be expecting a wedding invite.”
I blinked, speechless. The man was visibly flustered now, practically dragging his uncle out of the room.
“Okay! Time to go,” he muttered, steering him away.
But just before he left, he paused at the door, glancing back over his shoulder.
His eyes met mine again. “Rest well, Vidya. You’re safe now.”
Then he was gone.
The room fell quiet once more. Just me, the machines, the dim light spilling in through the curtained window.
And the soft, steady rhythm of my heartbeat.
I turned my head slightly and placed both hands over my stomach, feeling the warmth beneath my palm. My baby. My hope. My anchor.
The rejection didn’t kill me.
Elian didn’t destroy me.
I was still here.
And that meant… maybe I had a second chance.
- Writer
