Breaking the Ice

Chapter Thirty: Keeping Secrets

Marcus's POV

Anna's fingers twitched a bit in mine as she lay in the hospital bed, asleep. I reached over to brush my fingers gently on her cheek as the sound of the monitor beeping next to her echoed in the room. A nurse walked into the room to check Anna's vitals and scribbled something on the chart before leaving.

"This is not happening again!" a voice shouted out in the corridor and I pushed to my feet to walk over to the partially open door.

As I peered out, I saw a group of people standing not too far from Anna's room while a doctor and a nurse seemed to be trying to calm one of them down.

"I will not have you accusing my daughter of anything, Richard!" a voice I knew belonging to Anna's father shouted, hands clenched at his sides.

"You think this is all a coincidence then?! I told you from the start, keep your kid away from my family!" my dad bellowed as the doctor placed himself between them.

"This is a hospital, gentlemen. This behavior will not be tolerated here."

"Dad, maybe you should go," Peter said as he tried to usher our dad away from the group, but he was awarded a death glare as our dad pointed a finger down the hall towards Anna's room.

"Go get your brother! We're all leaving!"

"Like hell I am," I said as I stepped out the room fully and closed the door behind me. Walking over to the group, my eyes caught sight of Anna's mom with her tear-streaked face while Anna's father wrapped a comforting arm around her.

I walked over to them, ignoring my dad's red-faced scowl. Anna's mom looked up at me, swiping away at tears on her cheek as she reached for my hand.

"Is she still asleep?" she asked, her bottom lip wobbling as she fought back another wave of tears.

Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, I nodded. "She's still asleep. The nurse said it's a minor concussion. She'll be fine."

Mrs Donovan let out a heavy sigh of relief as her husband looked over at me and nodded gratefully. "Thank you for bringing her, Marcus. We asked her not to go there alone, but she insisted she needed the quiet. I just can't understand the need for her to go back there after...." his words trailed off as I reached a hand to pat his shoulder gently.

"It's fine, Mr Donovan. Liam said she just passed out suddenly. She's always skipping lunch when she's focused on her art," I gave Anna's parents a reassuring smile as I turned to face my own father.

Peter and Damian shifted themselves to stand beside me as we faced our father. His face was still red with rage and his arms seemed to burst at the seams of his shirt sleeves as he crossed them across his chest.

"Dad, this incident...." I began saying but my dad cut me off.

"This INCIDENT is nothing but a sound reminder why you boys need to stay away from that girl! She has caused nothing but pain and suffering for our family! I will not tolerate you spending any more time with her! Am I clear?!"

I took a step towards my dad and Peter and Damian shadowed my movement. "No. This is all bullshit and you know it. Anna is important to me. Important to us. You can't dictate this part of our life."

I watched as the rage in my dad's eyes wavered a bit as he looked at both my brothers beside me. He then took a step towards us, nostril flaring and hands fisted again at his sides. "You listen to me...."

"That's enough, Richard," Anna's mother said suddenly as she placed herself between my dad and us. "I don't like the way you're speaking about my daughter and I definitely do not like the way you're speaking to your own children."

"Go Mrs. D!" Peter said under his breath, earning him an elbow in the side from Damian.

Anna's mother took a step closer to our dad as she gripped the edge of her sweater. "My daughter doesn't remember the incident that happened all those years ago. The doctors said she subconsciously blocked it out because of the trauma. My family and I have told you time and again how deeply sorry we are about what happened that day, but I also remember telling you that if the roles were reversed, I wouldn't have hesitated for a second if it were one of your boys!"

Mr Donovan moved to place a soothing hand at the center of Mrs Donovan's back as she continued.

"Anna is a brilliant young woman and she has a bright future ahead of her. The fact that after so many years our children have still remained good friends should be a blessing in itself. They grew up together, Richard. They spent so many years at the lake making so many wonderful memories as children. Can't we get past all of this? Why are you doing this?"

My dad wiped a hand across his face as he let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Why am I doing this? Why?!" He took a step towards the Donovans and my brothers and I moved at the same time. I didn't miss the way my dad's eyes flashed accusingly at us, as though feeling a sense of betrayal that we were moving to protect Anna's parents from him.

"You have no idea how miserable I have been since that day. How hard it was for me to watch my boys grow up without a mother because..."

"Richard, please," Mr Donovan breathed as my dad shook his head in fury.

"No! You will let me say this now, because I didn't back then! Your daughter shouldn't have been out at the water that late. She was supposed to be in her cabin like the rest of the kids. She shouldn't have wandered off, and she shouldn't have gone into the water. Because if she didn't, then she wouldn't have gotten into difficulty in that murky, dark water. And then my wife wouldn't have rushed in there after her! She would have been home, safe and alive with her family!"

I watched as my dad's shoulders shook as he sobbed but he suddenly shook his head and pointed his finger at the Donovan's once more.

"I will not allow your daughter to worm her way into my sons life. No! She has already taken the most important person in the world from me. She will not do the same with my boys. My wife died that day, saving your daughter! She will not take my children from me too!"

The sound of shattering glass pierced the hallway as everyone turned to see Anna standing at the doorway of her room, surrounded by the shattered glass she just dropped. Her eyes were wide in horror and her mouth gaped open as her hand shook. Then her eyes suddenly rolled back into her head and her body began to fall to the floor.

"Anna!" I shouted as I rushed forward, Peter and Damian rushing towards her as well.

We reached her just before her head hit the floor and I scooped her up into my arms. "Anna! Wake up!"

Her body was limp in my arms and panic overtook my body.

"Someone call the doctor!"