Chapter 6 A Complete Jerk

"It's nothing serious, just a slight stomach upset."

Orion followed the doctor out of the emergency ward, still curious. "Well, she shouldn't have an upset stomach just out of the blue. Something must have triggered it."

The doctor stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him. "Have you both been drinking?" When he saw Orion's hesitation, he added, "you don't have to lie. I could smell it on her, you know. She reeked badly."

The doctor resumed his steps towards his office, and Orion still followed. "So?"

"We ran some tests already, and found nothing. That's why I told you it was a slight stomach upset. She probably drank on an empty stomach, and I strongly advise against it. It could get complicated if she keeps up with that."

The doctor stopped in front of his office and turned to look at Orion. "That will be all, Sir. Pay the bills at the reception, and wait for her to wake up, then she'll be discharged." The doctor went into his office and quickly slammed the door in Orion's face, leaving him to wonder about his rudeness.

He started to walk back to the ward, then remembered he had to pay the bills. Just as he turned in the direction of the reception, the purse he held in his hand vibrated. Lyra's purse. He let out a frustrated sigh as the phone kept vibrating, wondering why anyone would call her so much. He was sure it wasn't Zander calling. He definitely could not have a sudden change of heart.

Orion had ignored the calls, as he couldn't invade her privacy. But the caller was persistent. The vibration stopped, and he heaved a sigh of relief.

"Hi, I'd like to pay the hospital bills for Lyra Raven," he said to the nurse at the reception.

As the nurse looked through the computed records for the ward Lyra was admitted to, the phone started to vibrate again. The urge to answer the call and tell off whoever it was, weighed heavy on Orion's mind. But he couldn't do that. He wouldn't do it.

He couldn't resist the urge the next time the phone vibrated. He opened the purse and grabbed the phone, and just as the nurse was about to speak, he signaled to her, "one moment," he mouthed, moving away from the reception.

He glanced at the caller ID and scoffed. "Love of my life?" he mumbled under his breath as he picked up the call.

Who was he to judge?

"Lyra, where did you leave your phone this time?"

The voice on the other end belonged to a female. Orion relaxed a little at the discovery.

"Oh, don't tell you've been sleeping, else I'd be dragging you to the hospital to have you checked," the voice added when Orion didn't say anything.

He flinched. It was a strangely familiar voice. A strangely familiar humor.

"I'm sorry, but Lyra can't come to the phone right now," he replied and made to end the call.

"And who would you be?" the voice shot back without missing a beat.

And Orion knew. It was unmistakably her. How had he missed it?

"Elsa?" he said into the phone, his voice laced with disbelief.

It took Elsa a nanosecond, from the other end of the line, to realize who had picked up her best friend's call. "Orion? What the hell?"

.

.

The Porsche screeched to a stop in front of the hospital, and Elsa jumped out, barely locking the car door before dashing into the lobby.

As she raced past the reception, she had only one thought in mind. Lyra.

A thousand thoughts had run through her head when Orion had told her that Mia was in the hospital. Her initial surprise at the realization that it was Orion that had picked up her best friend's call, disappeared, and was replaced with worry.

Lyra in the hospital? She'd thought about so many things on her way to the hospital, and she still couldn't figure out why Lyra would be in a hospital. Lyra had hardly been ill all the years she'd known her.

She'd never had to take Lyra to the hospital, or visit her in one. The reverse was the case, instead. She was always the sick one, and Lyra always made sure to tease her about it.

Remembering that she didn't know what ward Lyra was in, she raced back to the reception. "Hi, I'm here for Lyra. Lyra Raven."

The nurse looked up at her and adjusted her glasses. "Family or friend?"

"Does that really matter right now? Please let me know where I can find her," Elsa shot back at the nurse, who didn't even flinch at her tone.

"I'm sorry I can't let you in on that information if I don't know who you are. I hope you understand."

"I'm her friend, alright? More like her family, too."

The nurse nodded and looked through the records on the computer. "She's in emergency ward three, but I'm not su-"

Elsa dashed off before the nurse could finish her sentence. She wasn't waiting to hear her spew her medical jargon.

She pushed the door to the ward open and dashed in. She paused mid-track when she saw who was sitting on the chair beside the bed.

It was really him. Orion Blackwood.

She wanted to punch him so badly, but that was not the reason she was there. She'd come to the hospital for Lyra. She rushed to the bedside and threw herself on the sleeping fairy.

"Easy, Elsa. You might wake her," Orion warned.

"And what's it to you if I do?"

Orion shrugged and looked away, trying to brace himself for the wrath that was Elsa.

"What happened? Why's she in the hospital?"

"Nothing serious. She drank on an empty stomach."

"Really? Lyra hardly drinks, so what did you do?"

"And what makes you think it's my fault?"

"Because you were with her? Look, what's even going on?"

Orion sighed and shook his head. Argument with her was inevitable. He knew it.

"Elsa, I really don't want to argue right now."

"Don't Elsa me, Orion. Why were you with her?"

"We had some business to discuss."

Elsa scoffed, "business, huh?" She eyed him and, after a while, looked away from his face, back to Lyra's sleeping face. "Aww, my poor baby. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help you. You had to get help from a total stranger, who happens to be a complete jerk."

"Alright Elsa, stop. Okay?"

Elsa carefully stood up and walked around the bed, pausing in front of Orion and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Now, we're going to do this my way. I have some questions for you, and you have to answer them truthfully. You know I can always tell when you're lying, so don't even think about it."

Orion sighed and nodded resignedly. "Whatever."

"When did you get back from Europe?"

"About a month ago."

He saw the pain cross her face, but she continued like it didn't matter. She'd gotten strong.

"Where have you been staying? What have you been up to?"

"Just around... nothing much," Orion replied nonchalantly, although he knew the effect his attitude would have on her.

It was then Elsa gave in. She closed the distance between them in the twinkle of an eye and threw her arms around him, to Orion's surprise.

"You're so mean!" she cried, sniffing. "How could you not tell me you were back? Is that how to treat someone that loves you so much?" she added.

"Don't tell me you're crying, Elsa," Orion said, rubbing her back.

"Of course I'd cry. You're always so mean to me."

"I'm sorry, okay. I meant to tell you but-"

"What's going on here?"

Both Orion and Elsa whirled to see a drowsy-eyed Lyra staring at them in confusion.