The Stranger In Me

Chapter 12:The Distance Between Them

David's Point of View

The moment David stepped into the hospital room, the atmosphere shifted strangely.

His sharp eyes moved from Marie lying weakly on the hospital bed... to Mia clinging happily to her side... then finally to his father seated beside her.

That alone was shocking enough,but what unsettled him most,was the way Marie held onto Kelvin's hand unconsciously, even in sleep.

For days, his father had hidden behind alcohol, pride, and cold indifference,yet here he was,staying.

David narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"What's going on here?" he asked slowly.

Sir Kelvin immediately pulled his hand away from Marie's grip and stood upright.

"Nothing," he answered coldly.

David almost scoffed."Nothing?"

The room literally smelled of emotional confusion.

Mia quickly scribbled excitedly on her notepad and raised it toward David.

"Daddy stayed because Mum was sick."

David blinked,then slowly looked at his father.

"Mum?" he repeated.

Kelvin's jaw tightened visibly.

"She lost part of her memory," he explained stiffly. "The doctor advised everyone to cooperate temporarily."

David folded his arms.

"And sitting beside her holding hands is part of the cooperation?"

"Watch your tone," Kelvin warned sharply.

Before tension could escalate further, Marie stirred weakly again.Her lashes fluttered slowly,then her eyes landed directly on David.

For a moment, confusion crossed her face,but then suddenly,a soft smile appeared.

"You came back..." she whispered emotionally.

David frowned slightly.

"Marie?"

"You've grown taller," she murmured weakly, studying him carefully.

The entire room went silent.

David exchanged a confused glance with Nanny Ann.

"What is she talking about?" he whispered.

Marie looked toward Mia lovingly.

"Look at your big brother," she said softly. "He used to hide behind me whenever thunderstorms came."

David's brows furrowed deeper.Sir Kelvin looked equally disturbed.

Dr. Rafael sighed quietly from the doorway.

"It appears fragments of emotional memory are reconnecting incorrectly," he explained.

Kelvin looked irritated immediately.

"In English, Doctor."

The doctor adjusted his glasses calmly.

"She's mixing emotional attachments with imagined family structures."

David blinked slowly.

"So she thinks we're all... her family?"

The doctor nodded carefully.

"For now."

Kelvin rubbed his temple frustratingly.This situation was becoming unbearable.Marie suddenly looked around the room again.Then softly,

"Why do you all look so sad?" she asked.

Nobody answered,because none of them truly knew how to explain reality to someone trapped between memory and emotion.

•••

Sir Kelvin's Point of View

•••

By evening, the rain returned heavy,violent.The kind that made Manila's skyline disappear beneath grey mist and flashing headlights.

Kelvin stood alone near the hospital window while the others briefly stepped outside to allow Marie rest.

His hands rested inside his pockets stiffly,but his mind refused to settle.

Every word the doctor had said replayed endlessly.She could become mentally unstable...or die.

He shut his eyes briefly,damn it.How had everything spiraled this far?

A week ago, Marie was merely the stubborn nanny who irritated him with her sarcasm and impossible kindness.Now,his daughter refused to sleep without her.

His household felt empty without her presence and somehow, despite every effort to remain detached,her suffering affected him.

Deeply,the hospital room door opened quietly behind him.

Nanny Ann stepped inside carrying a flask of warm soup.

"You should go home and rest," she said softly.

"I'm fine."

"You haven't slept properly in days."

Kelvin gave a humorless laugh.

"Neither have you."

Nanny Ann placed the flask gently on the table before studying him carefully.

"You care about that girl more than you admit."

Kelvin's expression hardened instantly.

"No."

"Kelvin-"

"She worked for me," he interrupted sharply. "That's all."

Nanny Ann sighed.

"You keep lying to yourself."

Kelvin looked away toward the rain again.

Outside, thunder rolled heavily across the darkening sky.

"She reminds me too much of Maya," he whispered quietly before he could stop himself.

Nanny Ann softened immediately.

Kelvin laughed bitterly afterward.

"And I hate it."

Silence filled the room.

"Do you know what scares me most?" he continued hoarsely.

Nanny Ann remained quiet.

"I slapped her..." his voice dropped painfully. "Twice."

The guilt in his chest tightened viciously again.

"And somehow..." he swallowed hard, "she still talks about me like I'm worth loving."

Nanny Ann's eyes glistened faintly.

"Because Marie sees broken people differently."

Kelvin frowned slightly.

"She sees what they can become," Nanny Ann whispered.Before Kelvin could respond,a scream suddenly echoed from inside the hospital room.

"MIA!"

Kelvin's heart stopped instantly.He rushed toward the room immediately,Nanny Ann followed behind in panic.

The moment Kelvin entered,his blood ran cold.

Marie sat upright on the hospital bed breathing heavily, terror filling her eyes.

Mia stood crying near the corner of the room while a shattered glass cup lay scattered across the floor.

And standing near the doorway was a woman neither Kelvin nor David expected to see again.Elegant,cold,dressed in black heels and a crimson dress.

Kate.

Mia's former nanny.

The same woman responsible for losing Mia at the airport months ago,the same woman Marie was falsely accused because of.

Kate smiled slowly the moment her eyes met Kelvin's,,then her gaze shifted toward Marie and the smile deepened dangerously.

"Well..." she said softly.

"So the little maid finally woke up."