Chapter 42: Chapter 42
Waking up felt like a chore. He didn't want to. Owen wanted to lie there and just continue sailing on his surfboard. The world was a gentle sea and he rested on the board, staring at the sky. The sky above was an endless expanse of blue, dotted with fluffy clouds that drifted lazily by. As Owen lay adrift on the gentle waves of his dream, the sound of lapping water and seagulls filling his ears. He got up, sighing, and prepared to ride a wave.
The sea in front of him was eerily calm. Then came a voice.
"You didn't beat me just to die like this."
Owen froze. It was deep and hint of menace in its tone, like the low rumble of distant thunder before a storm. Slowly, he turned. The figure was dark and without a face. He was adorned in a meticulously tailored army uniform, every detail crafted to convey his status and authority and obsession. His jacket was adorned with rows of gleaming medals and insignia and a row of six golden stars adorned his shoulders.
"Wake up. The only one who can kill you…is me."
His chest tightened and Owen woke up. He smelled the blood and the distinctive odour of the hospital. Dr. Belle popped into his vision. "Already up?"
Owen grit his teeth and forced himself up. He was still at the operating table.
"All wounds have been stapled shut. The laceration repair was a success," Dr. Belle said. "I suggest rest. Did you contact your family before this?"
"...yes. They'll be here." Inhaling, he looked up at her and said with a small smile, "We always seem to run into each other."
"So it seems."
***
Owen let out a breath. Time went by fast. It was midnight and he was going to have to work in six hours—
"Owen!"
The door burst open and blue fell upon him. A hundred different emotions crossed through them, ending with fear. Without hesitation, Ophelia ran over and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a warm and comforting embrace. "Owen! You're okay! You're okay!"
Owen smiled through the embrace and lightly patted her back. Admittedly, it hurt but he could push through the pain. Ophelia pulled back, her eyes searching his face with concern. "How are you feeling?" she asked softly.
"Sore," he admitted, wincing as he shifted in the bed. "But I'll be okay."
"You're not! You're…" Ophelia bit her bottom lip, tears welling up. "What happened? How did it happen? Did you fight?"
"It's…complicated."
"We're here to listen." Blinking blearily, he looked over to see Isabella standing a little ways away, her eyes baggy and her arms crossed.
He glanced back at Ophelia. It was his first in a while that he had seen her in something other than her golden retriever onesie. A long black skirt that tipped to her ankles and a white long-sleeve cotton shirt.
"Right. I owe it to you." Owen smiled and Isabella's fingers tightened on her arm. Seeing the pain in his smile hurt, no matter how hard she tried to be nonchalant. So he told her everything. Work, the sudden invitation to Senor Big's mansion, Masafumi, the demon known as the Hodag, and their injuries. His fists clenched as he thought about Masafumi's surgery.
"Masafumi, huh?" Isabella muttered.
"Is he awake?" Ophelia asked. She was seated while Isabella was standing.
"I don't know. The surgery should be done soon."
"Hey," Isabella said softly, her voice tinged with emotion as she reached out to brush a stray lock of hair from his forehead. "He'll be okay."
Ophelia nodded, her expression filled with understanding. "I'm just glad you're okay," she said earnestly, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I was so worried about you." Ophelia reached out and took his hand in hers, squeezing it gently. "When I got the call, I-I…we called a taxi as fast as we could."
"More spending?" Owen joked.
"It was an emergency," Isabella said.
The door suddenly opened. Click-clack, click-clack, heels tapped the floor and a woman with her hands in a white lab coat fluttered in. Ophelia and Isabella fell silent. Her attention was on Owen, her expression gloomy as she examined him with a keen eye. "How are you feeling, Owen?"
Owen offered her a weak smile. "Better, thanks to you, Doctor," he replied earnestly.
Dr. Belle nodded, her gaze flickering briefly to the bandages that covered the deep gashes on Owen's chest. "The wounds were quite deep, just like last time."
"Last time?" Ophelia glanced between them. "You know her?"
"Dr. Belle helped me when I got injured from the crane," Owen explained. "If it wasn't for her, I would have been waiting for hours."
"I'm obligated to say that's not true but I won't," Dr. Belle said dully.
"Ohh." Still, there was a strange emotion in her blue eyes. Not just in Ophelia but Isabella too, who eyed Dr. Belle like an inhumane creature.
The doctor proceeded to ask, "You're always getting hurt, aren't you? Did this happen because of work?"
Dr. Belle was skeptical. She was implying that, "Otherwise, injuries not related to work fall outside the company's insurance."
She was right too. This did fall outside his company's jurisdiction. He was going to have to pay this out of his own pocket. All of it, including Masafumi's surgery. The evidence was stacked against him too. No witnesses and no way to explain the claw-like marks. It wasn't like the mansion was surrounded by a forest full of wolves. It was secluded and well-maintained.
"Yeah," Owen said, "it happened in my own time."
His girlfriends looked at him. At some level, it did have happen at work; to be more accurate, it happened during work while working for his CEO's wife. Unfortunately, Owen didn't want to explain to Boss Mike, Senora Big or the CEO how he got injured in their mansion nor did he want to tell them that they had to pay for his injuries even though it was a basic task.
Dr. Belle was unreadable. "Hm."
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