After the call, Lily noticed the doctor coming out of the room. She immediately approached her.
“How is he, doctor?” Lily asked.
“He’s fine now. We’ve given him medication for sedation and the pain in his head. He should wake up in a few minutes. What is your relation to the patient?” the doctor asked.
“I’m his friend, doctor. He has retrograde amnesia, so his headaches come suddenly,” Lily explained.
“That’s normal. If he’s trying to recall something and is struggling, he might lose control of himself,” the doctor said.
“What should we do, doctor?” Lily asked again.
“His neurologist will provide more detailed advice, and I’m sure they’ll give you and the patient the necessary guidance,” the doctor replied.
“Thank you very much, doctor,” Lily said. The doctor smiled at her and excused herself.
Lily peeked inside the room and saw Arlo sleeping. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she watched him rest.
“Daughter, who is he? You seem so worried about him,” The elderly woman asked gently.
“He’s the father of my twins,” Lily said softly.
The older woman was surprised by Lily’s revelation.
“Everything will work out between the two of you, daughter. I don’t know much about your situation, but I feel that whatever issues you have, you’ll both find a way to resolve them,” the elder woman said reassuringly.
Lily, teary-eyed, spoke to the older woman, “I hope so, older woman, I really hope so, because it’s my fault he ended up like this. I hurt him so much, the older woman. For years, I’ve been holding onto the painful words I said to him. If his memories come back, I doubt he’ll forgive me that easily.”
“Don’t lose hope, my child. Talk to him. Think about your children, the both of you. It’s been five years since your children have been separated from their father,” she said encouragingly.
Lily and the older woman turned their heads simultaneously as they heard a woman’s voice. It was Arlo’s mother, her face filled with anger as she approached upon hearing what had happened to her son.
“You have the nerve to show your face here! How many times have I told you to leave my son alone and not to go near him? Are you happy now, Lily, whatever you call yourself? Are you satisfied seeing my son suffer even more? Leave this place! You’re making his life worse!” Arlo’s mother, Ella, shouted furiously and yanked Lily’s arm.
“Ella, we’re in a hospital,” Arlo’s father tried to calm her down.
“Oh, go ahead, side with the child of that woman you never forgot!” Ella snapped at her husband.
“Ma’am Ella, you’re hurting me,” Lily said, her voice strained.
“That’s nothing compared to how much you’ve hurt my son! Leave now! My son doesn’t need you; you’re just causing him more harm. Get out before I do something to you that I’ll regret!” Ella threatened Lily.
Ella shoved Lily forcefully, but one of Arlo’s friends, Gilbert, managed to catch her before she hit the floor.
“Aunt Ella, what you’re doing is wrong,” Gilbert said, trying to reason with her.
**Third Person POV**
Lily wanted to stay, but the elder woman and her sister, Violet, wouldn’t allow it.
“Lily, let’s leave. There’s nothing you can do here. They might do something worse to you, or worse, I might lose my temper and confront Arlo’s unreasonable mother,” Violet said firmly.
“I’ll just hand over Arlo’s car keys, and then we’ll go,” Lily replied, nodding as Violet guided her out of the hospital.
“I’ll get my car and drive you home,” Violet said as she went to retrieve her vehicle.
—
Inside the hospital, Ella glared at her husband. “Philip, where are you going?” she asked.
“I’m going outside to talk to Lily and apologize for what you just did. Instead of thanking her for helping our son, you humiliated her,” Philip said, his tone sharp.
“Why should I thank her, Philip? My son wouldn’t be in this condition if it weren’t for her!” Ella retorted angrily.
“Think whatever you want, Ella, but if you truly cared about our son’s well-being, Arlo would have recovered long ago. Enough is enough, Ella,” Philip said sternly before turning his back on her and leaving the hospital.
Ella called out to him, but Philip didn’t look back. He walked straight out of the hospital. Once outside, he thought he had missed Lily, but to his relief, he spotted her and called her name.
