DESIRES.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

“Harry, Harry. Wake up Harry.” It was that same voice again. I felt drawn towards it. It had a soothing effect on me and I decided to find it. A bright light appeared and I moved towards it. My whole being felt alive and there was a great surge of energy within me. “Everything will be fine Harry. Just open your eyes. ” I opened them and I saw my mother. So it was her all along. I lost her some years back after she succumbed to cancer. The last words I remembered from her was that she would always be with me. She looked like an angel as she was wearing a flawless white gown. She beckoned at me to follow her into the light and I did just that. The light grew brighter and I felt a cool breeze pass by. I was then cast into the light and the voice slowly faded away.

There was a beeping sound that seemed to be far away but it was growing louder every passing second. My eyelids opened up slowly and I could make out a fan on the ceiling. The walls were painted cream and the whole place smelled like medicine. On my left were medical equipment which were connected to my body through injections on my left arm. I tried to lift myself up but a great pain surged through my body forcing me to lie back down. I was dressed in a patient’s gown and there was a huge cast on my right leg.

I then heard someone sniff and looked on my right. Seated on a seat just next to me was a woman with her head buried in her hands. I turned my head slowly to have a better look at her and felt a leap of joy in my heart. With difficulty I lifted my right hand and placed it on her lap. At first she was startled by the sudden touch but this quickly changed to a wide smile when our eyes met. She immediately pressed a buzzer at the side of my bed and called out to the doctor. I felt so happy to finally see her again. The gruesome events of that fateful night came to mind although they were not so vivid.

In about two minutes a man in a white apron with a stethoscope dangling round his neck entered the room. With him was a lady dressed in a blue uniform, obviously the nurse. He walked up towards my bed and Clarissa stood up to let him examine me. He was impressed by my quick recovery citing I was in very bad shape when I was brought in. After examining me he instructed the nurse to give me some pills that would help me deal with the pain.

The medicine relieved me of my pain and made me feel drowsy. The doctor insisted that I needed more rest though I felt rested enough. Before long I was fast asleep and woke up after about two hours. Clarissa was still there and she had my hand placed between her palms. A lively expression was on her face and she kissed my forehead. All this while I had not spoken a single word to her and every attempt I made would make my throat painful. At least I was able to see her again and this suited me for the meantime.

She never left my side for a single moment and she slept on the seat when she felt tired. I was feeling much better the next day. The pain in my throat was gone and I was able to talk to Clarissa. We talked about what happened that fateful night and I learnt that I had been unconscious for nearly a month since the incident.

Apparently the police had arrived at the scene and their help had enabled me to turn the tables. Everything that happened that night had been aired on the news for the last couple of days and had made the headlines in the daily newspapers. Leonard had attempted to escape after shooting me in the chest which explained the heavy bandage that was wrapped round my chest. However, the police caught up with him and he was taken down. The news of his arrest gave me relief for justice would now be served. He deserved whatever was coming to him. She also mentioned about a state burial in honor of the late Governor and I felt saddened as I recalled his final moment on this earth.

My eyes could not look away from Clarissa. She had been through so much already. I lifted my hand to touch her cheek and felt the warmth of her skin. We stared into each others eyes for a while. It was hard for me to imagine what would have happened if I had lost her that fateful day. Would I really be able to carry on with my life without her by my side? I was more than willing to take a bullet for her. Nothing else mattered more than keeping her safe.

Later on I received a visitor from the Criminal Investigation Department who had vital information to tell me. An investigation had been opened into the matter considering the latter was a lost cause. Fresh information had also been obtained concerning the Governor’s evil dealings with his counterpart Leonard. However this information would be hidden from the public view to avoid more scandals. “ I am happy to see you alive and well inspector. I know that this is not a good time considering what you have been through so I will try to be brief. Your secretary had contacted my office and informed me about what was going on. She then disappeared the next day and her car was found abandoned on the street. Luckily she had left us with your contacts and we managed to track down your phone. The signal was weak but it gave us a clear picture of where you were. That is how we managed to get to you. Currently we don’t know where she is and whether she is still alive.” He paused for a minute allowing me to process in all he had told me.

If it were not for me Gladys would not be missing and I felt guilty for putting her life in great danger. I remembered the pictures Leonard had shown me when he held Clarissa hostage. The thought of it made me feel even more pain.

“So far we have no more clues and our suspect in custody is not yielding much. I was hoping you could help us out in this investigation. It would really help in this case.”

“I remember he showed me some pictures of her all tied up and bruised but they were not clear enough to reveal where she was. That bastard knows where she is!” I wanted to get up from that bed and grab him with my two fists. Clarissa held me back before I did anything stupid. “Calm down sir. I understand how you feel but you need to get better first. We will do everything in our power to make sure he talks. You have my word on that.” Slowly I began to calm down as Clarissa comforted me with her sweet words. After I was cool I addressed the investigator once more.

“I will be more than willing to assist you in any way I can. You have my full cooperation. ”

“I will keep you posted incase anything new comes up.” With that he excused himself and Clarissa and I were alone once again. I was able to sit upright although I felt some pain in my chest. She moved closer to me and carefully placed her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and we embraced each other. “I will never let you go,” I muttered in her ear. That was a promise I was going to keep.