Bab 53: The last thought

As soon as Sabrina left the room, a few minutes later, Melissa arrived completely worried, leaving him no time to mull over Sabrina's earlier presence in the room.

"Raf, how's Xavier?" Melissa asked panic-stricken, showing on her expression. She immediately went to Xavier's bedside to check on his condition. She could not stop her tears from falling, seeing his baby boy in a weakened state.

Although this was not the first time that Xavier had an allergic episode, so far, this was the worse case he had been since the day he was diagnosed.

He strode to her side and placed his arms around her. "He's gonna be fine, Melissa." He assured her, stroking her hair to comfort her.

"Thanks, Raf. For always being present in his life." Melissa took the tissue Raf offered and wiped the tears on her face. She seldom cried, not particularly a fan of showing weakness, but when it came to Xavier, she easily succumbed to fear.

Not a minute longer, Dr. Brown entered the room to update them of his condition. "So far, we did not see any complications from the test results we did earlier."

"Why is he still sleeping and with an oxygen mask?" Melissa probed, anxiously anticipating the doctor's response.

"There was slight swelling in his air passage, so we had to facilitate his breathing. But, we'll remove it as soon as he wakes up." Dr. Brown explained. "We suggest that we just let him rest, so he can fully recover from the shock his body went through."

"When will he wake up?" He asked the doctor as he continued to hold Melissa's hand, which was still shaking from worry.

"In a few hours. By tomorrow, if he responds well to the medication, you can take him home." Dr. Brown smiled, reassuring them that Xavier was out of critical condition before leaving the room to visit his other patients.

"You need to relax. You heard the doctor. Xavier's just resting." He started to rub her back to calm her down.

She never felt more helpless in her life. Losing Oliver was painful enough, but to lose her son too, she believed she might not make it anymore. If there was a way that she could always be by his side. To make sure that he was always safe, she would.

"This is my fault. I should not have pursued my career and just stayed by his side." She could not help but blame herself for Xavier's current condition.

"Stop that. This is not your fault. This was an accident." He grabbed her by the shoulder and forced her to look at him. "You are a great mom. He is lucky to have you."

Despite what he said, he was sure that his words did not mean a thing to Melissa. Not until she could see with her two eyes that Xavier was finally awake and out of the hospital. She would not stop worrying about him.

He understood her situation, watching her since his brother died. She took care of Xavier on her own. It could not have been easy, especially in Xavier's situation.

"Why don't you rest for a while? I'll watch him." He guided her to the sofa on the other side of the room and let her laid down on it.

He sat on the armchair on the other side and decided to turn on the television. He needed something to keep him from falling asleep. He was tired, but he wanted to make sure that one of them was awake when Xavier woke up.

He was watching a basketball match when it went to half break. He started changing the channel to look for another show that would interest him when he stumbled on a movie. Without realizing it, his attention focuses on the woman on the screen.

He was now familiar with her because of the two recent occasions they met. With Sophia and earlier. Her name was Sabrina Sanders, Sophia's friend. He also remembered that she was the movie star who he had an unusual encounter at the resort because of Xavier and Baxter.

"Excuse me." A man at the door knocked lightly not wanting to disturb Xavier and Melissa who were still both sleeping.

"Ashton, come in." He welcomed their visitor. Turning the tv off and shifting his attention to their guest.

"I know it is beyond visiting hours, but I bribed the nurse to let me in. How is Xavier?" Ashton asked, putting down the balloons and a ball he was carrying on the side of the bed.

"He's stable now. The doctor told us that he would be fine." He offered Ashton a seat opposite him.

"What about her? Is she ok? I came as soon as I heard." Ashton looked at Melissa's form with so much concern in his eyes.

He suddenly felt happy that Melissa finally found someone who could share her happiness and burdens with. After his brother died, he tried to help out as much as he could, but he knew it was never enough.

"She's hanging in there. She has always been strong." He told him.

He always admired Melissa ever since Oliver introduced her to them. She used to be a spoiled brat that always got her way, but she changed drastically for Oliver and Xavier. Turning into this responsible and caring mother.

She was the best wife according to Oliver. He never doubted his brother's words. If only he could also find someone like her.

"Is Xavier awake?" Melissa rubbed her eyes, upon hearing voices around her.

"He's still asleep." He informed her. "Look who's here."

"What time is it?" Melissa suddenly shifted on the sofa into a seating position. "Ashton, what are you doing here?" Noticing him at the adjacent chair to her.

"It's almost nine. He just arrived a few minutes ago." He answered her. "Why don't you two go home and rest. I'll take this night to watch him."

"That's a good idea." Ashton agreed with him. "I think you need a night of proper sleep. We could come back early tomorrow morning to replace Raf."

Ashton was thankful that Raf was there to support Melissa. He was a bit disappointed that her sister, Sophia and Raf did not work out. Based on the way he saw it, they were perfect for each other, just like he and Melissa were. However, he knew that he could not force Sophia on her choice in life.

"I don't know. I want to be here when he wakes up." Melissa was reluctant to leave, not wanting to be away from his son.

In the end, Ashton and Melissa opted to stay and watched Xavier, leaving him with no choice but to go home.

"Hi, Baxter. Did you miss me?" He patted the dog on the head. Baxter instantly was alert and jumped on his side as he sat on the sofa of his living room. He played with him for a little while, but he did felt exhausted. It had been a long day.

He laid down on the soft cushion, staring at the ceiling above him while Baxter moved to the floor beside him. "I met your old friend today." He talked to Baxter who only growled in response.

He found himself pondering if he misjudged her unfairly because of his involvement with Brad and the media scandal. Seeing her with Xavier today made him realized that maybe there was more to her than what the press was saying. After all, not everything the news showed could be reliable.

Then again, this might be just another ploy of her to catch media attention. However, when he arrived at Xavier's room, he only saw her with no one else to film or take a picture of her. She looked genuinely concerned with Xavier's condition.

Maybe she did get attached to Xavier in the short time that they spent time together on the island. He suddenly felt guilty for his harsh reaction to her friendliness to Xavier and even to Baxter, who seemed to take a liking to her.

He continued to stare at the white ceiling, but his consciousness had already drifted somewhere else. His vision blurred with another image that was beyond his control. After a few more minutes, he found himself dozing off with Sabrina Sanders as the last thought on his mind.