The Daughter In the Corner

Marriage Talks

Nathan heard a crash in the bedroom as he set the freshly ground coffee beans in the filter and started up the machine. He frowned.

“Habibti?”

When silence was the only answer he received, he walked back to the bedroom slowly, afraid to be greeted by her in all her naked glory; he didn’t know how he would deal with such a tempting sight.

“Habibti?” he called again as he got closer.

Again, silence.

Frowning, he quickened his pace and walked into the room. His eyes quickly scanned around the room before he rushed into the bathroom where there was the sound of running water.

“Habibti?! Answer me!”

He turned the corner and found Jenny on the floor surrounded by a growing pool of blood. Without hesitation, he stooped down to check her vitals before he pulled out his phone and called 911. As much as he wanted to pick her up and take her to the hospital himself, he knew it could be fatal to move someone after a fall. His trembling fingers kept sliding on the screen painting it a nauseating red color. He couldn’t remember what he said but thankfully the EMT arrived in record time. Jenny was placed on a stretcher and taken out.

The apartment that was bustling with activity just mere minutes ago was deadly silent with only the smell of fresh coffee left as evidence that someone had just been here.

***

The moment Dustin received a call from his distant cousin, Chris Farley, he shot up from his seat and raced out the door.

‘Jenny is in the hospital…’

He didn’t hear the rest, but he knew the doctor would be more qualified to fill him in.

When he arrived outside her VIP ward, he saw the now familiar thobes as Nathan and his men congregated alongside the Farleys. Dustin instinctively knew where Amelia was sitting based on how the Farley men had converged on one area as if shielding someone from view. As he approached, he heard her sobs.

Peter and Dillon saw Dustin approaching and nodded in greeting. Dustin patted Peter’s shoulder wiping the tear that just rolled down his cheek.

“Be strong. She will need us now more than ever.”

Peter nodded and hugged his biological father.

What seemed like an eternity later, the doctors returned with Jenny on a patient bed. Dustin turned to the doctor that came out who was instantly swamped with questions.

“How is she doing?”

“What happened?”

The doctor coughed awkwardly and glanced at Nathan before speaking.

“She hit her head hard and the brain has swelled, so we have put her under a medicated coma to allow her body to heal.”

Amelia gasped and stumbled into Chris’ arms; her pale lips trembled as tears poured down her face.

Dustin felt his mouth going dry as he tried to form the words. “Will she recover?”

The doctor nodded. “Of course. The medicated coma will allow her brain to regenerate, and we will continue to monitor her recovery but during this time she will need a caretaker. This could take days, weeks, or maybe even months.”

Amelia gasped while the men looked grim.

The doctor cleared his throat and looked around the somber group. “Who here can sign for her?”

Dustin, Chris, and Nathan all stepped forward. There was an awkward silence as all three stared at each other.

Chris frowned. “I can see why Dustin is here, but why are you here Mr. Al Saad?”

Dustin scowled at Chris. “He’s her fiancé or didn’t you know that?”

Chris scoffed at Dustin. “Of course I know that. What I want to know is why he’s here to sign for her. They are engaged, not married.”

Nathan didn’t even bat an eyelid as he replied calmly, “I intend to marry Jenny today so I can stay by her side to care for her around the clock.”

Chris sneered at Nathan. While he respected Jenny’s decision to marry any man of her choosing, something about Nathan rubbed him the wrong way. He couldn’t quite put his thumb on it, but his instincts warned him that this man wasn’t all that he made himself out to be. He had a private investigator dig into Nathan, but nothing came out of it so all he could do was to keep an eye on Nathan.

“I don’t think you can get married to a person when they are comatose…”

Nathan beckoned to his attorney who walked up quickly. “She can be married if we can prove without a doubt that she wanted the marriage before going into a comatose state. We would also need a legal representative to agree on her behalf.”

Chris stood his ground. “What’s the rush? Just get married on the date as planned.”

Nathan lowered his head sadly. “I cannot touch her unless I am married to her, but I can’t bear to see her in this state all alone. It’s tearing me up inside. I want to stay with her and care for her around the clock.”

Amelia sobbed, obviously touched by his words but Chris was still skeptical.

“We can hire a caretaker for that, you do not need to worry.”

Nathan, seeing Chris being so noncompliant, decided to switch targets and appeal to Amelia’s softer nature. He knew if Amelia agreed to it, Chris would have no choice but to concede.

“Ma’am, Jenny and I are in love, and I cannot stand the thought of her suffering alone under a stranger’s care. Please give us your blessing in our union early and I will care for her for the rest of her life.”

Amelia looked at Chris who squinted and shook his head slightly. She pursed her lips.

“Nathan, give me a second to speak with my husband, please.”

Nathan smiled softly. “Of course. Take your time.”

Amelia led Chris to the side resting room meant for the patient’s family or caretaker and closed the door.

“Why are you being so rude to Nathan? He’s practically a family member.”

Chris sighed and reached down to clasp Amelia’s hands. “Call it a father’s intuition.”

Amelia chuckled and rubbed his hands with her thumbs. “Thank you, darling. You have always cared for my children as your own.”

Chris scoffed. “It’s because they are my children too.”

The door opened and Amelia and Chris looked up to see Dustin walking in. Chris scowled at his interruption.

“I believe I ought to be in on the conversation with Jenny being my daughter and all.”

Chris bristled but calmed down when Amelia gently squeezed his hands.

“Fine.”

Dustin looked to Amelia and said quietly, “I think we should give them our blessing. I can see it in Nathan’s eyes, he loves our daughter, and it would be good for him to care for her during her weakest moment. It will help solidify their relationship. Besides, she really loves him, how happy would she be to wake up to find him at her bedside?”

Chris sneered. “Are you saying this because you think so? Or are you trying to project your regrets on my daughter?”

Dustin’s nostrils flared. “She’s MY biological daughter, Chris!”

“Yeah? Well, I have been caring for her since she was six years old six days out of the week. Welcome to reality, Saturday-dad!”

“ENOUGH!” Amelia shouted. She squeezed Chris’ hands a little harder and gave him a menacing look before turning to Dustin.

“If you’re here to fight, get out. I don’t need more stress in my life. Let’s stick to the task at hand and discuss whether we should let Nathan marry Jenny while she is still comatose. I know he adheres to a stricter form of his religion and is careful not to touch women. Off-topic, I do admire his self-control.”

Chris sighed deeply. “Something about all this seems fishy. I still think we ought to get a caretaker and wait till Jenny fully recovers before we proceed with the wedding.”

Dustin glared at Chris. It seemed as if Chris was trying to act like a better father and that irked him to no end. “Why are you trying to break them up?”

Chris frowned. “I’m not. I just don’t think it is right for us to decide on their marriage without Jenny’s approval.”

Dustin sneered. “As you said, I only see my daughter one day out of the week, yet I can tell she is deeply in love with Nathan. Tells you how much you know about her even though you see her all the time!”

“Dustin!” Amelia growled, “Watch your words!”

Dustin shrugged but smiled smugly as Chris glared at him.

Amelia sighed and nibbled on her lower lip. Talking half to herself she mumbled, “There really is no rush to get married while Jenny is comatose, but Nathan looks so desperate; I don’t want to torment him either. What to do… what to do…”

Chris squeezed her hand gently and offered a soft smile. He had already voiced his opinion so he gave her time to form her own.

Dustin broke the long silence. “I say just let them get married. At first, I was ambivalent about Jenny’s choice, but Nathan proved himself today. He’s alright in my book.”

Chris shook his head, clearly annoyed with Dustin’s lackadaisical assessment of Nathan.

Amelia looked between the two then breathed out long and slow.

“I’m sorry, darling,” she whispered to Chris, “But I think I agree with Dustin on this one. We don’t know how long this medicated coma will last. If it was just days, then I would agree with you but if it takes weeks or heaven forbid, months, then Nathan would be in a living hell. If it were you in this situation,” she gazed sadly at Chris and whispered, “I don’t think I would be able to keep living being torn apart from you.”

Chris closed his eyes and tilted his head upwards towards the ceiling.

‘Am I being cruel to Nathan? If Amelia was the one in that bed and I can’t be the one to stay at her bedside to watch over her and feel the warmth of her skin, I might as well go into a coma myself.’

With another deep sigh, he yielded.

“Let’s get them married.”