Redemption In His Arms

Stephanie's P.O.V

I slowly opened my eyes, groggily taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. The first thing that hit me was the taste - bitter bile that coated my tongue like acid. I tried to swallow, but my throat was sore, and the Dry feeling on my tongue intensified.

As I struggled to sit up, a wave of dizziness washed over me, forcing me to lie down back. That's when I heard the beeping. A steady heartbeat that echoed through the length of my body reminded me that I was alive. I didn't feel that way though, I felt like I'd been run over by a truck.

My gaze wandered around the room, taking in the sterile white walls, the beeping machines, and the antiseptic smell that cloaked the entire space like a garment.

I was in a hospital room, and I was the patient.

My breaths came out shallow as I strained my brain trying to remember how I'd ended up here. But my memories were hazy, like trying to recall a fleeting dream. I remembered fragments - an angry phone call, and a crash- but the details were fuzzy.

As I lay there, trying to piece together the events of the previous night, I felt a searing pain in my skull. The constant throbbing made each attempt of thinking feel like a brutal punishment. I lifted my arms to get a feel of my head, but they weighed as heavy as leads. It hurts all over.

My breaths came out shallow as the realization of my surrounding dawned on me, and tiny tremors ran through my body as I struggled for more oxygen. I hear hurried footsteps come into the room at the sound of the beeping machines and soon a serene feeling washed over me.

Once again, I succumbed to the darkness

******

"Can you hear me, Miss, please follow the movement of my finger" came the gentle yet distant voice.

I open my eyes in an attempt to follow her instructions but shut them close almost immediately at the intensity of the light.

I try again once more but this time with more caution and a very welcoming smile greets me.

I tried to speak, but my voice was barely a whisper. I pointed to my throat,and the doctor nodded,handing me a glass of water. I gulped it down, enjoying the way the cool liquid soothed my overly parched throat.

"What am I doing here?" I ask in confusion.

"Hello miss......?" she trails off not seeming to know my name.

What was my name again...? And almost like a dazed whisper, the memory resurfaced.

"Miss Stephanie Malloy," I offer, noticing her expression become somber.

"Yes Miss Malloy, you were rushed in here 2 years ago as a transfer patient from the U.S. You seemed to have been involved in a severe car crash that rendered you almost lifeless an-"

"Hold up did you just say 2 years ago? And I'm not in Beverly Hills? What do you mean a car crash?" I bombarded, confusion lacing my tone

"I'm afraid so Miss. Our facility here in London was the best fit for your case as you suffered a critical head injury including a fractured skull and cerebral edema" she takes in a deep breath and continues

"The force of the impact might have caused damage to your brain axons causing your two-year-long coma Miss Malloy. You also had multiple body fractures that have healed over the years. It's a miracle that you are awake." She concludes with what I assume is reassurance.

I felt like I've been punched in the guts. Two years? Coma? The two words swirled around me, refusing to sink in.

I shook my head, desperately trying to block out her words. Closing my eyes, I zoned out from her as I try to recall any distant memory. I came up blank. I look at the doctor in disbelief

"That's impossible" I whispered

"There's no way I could have possibly missed out two whole years of my life. Please where is my father, or my fiancé, or just anyone I know?" I demanded, my mind slammed shut against her pronouncements.

She lets out a sigh and picks up the remote, switching the tv on. The time and date was clearly written on the news channel and a gasp left my mouth at the sight of the date displayed.

"Miss Malloy I know it's hard for you to take in, considering you just woke up from a coma but unfortunately all I've said is nothing short of the truth. I'm truly sorry for what happened but No one has come to claim you or visit you over the years. The only things we've received regarding you are anonymous phone calls and payments from an unknown person" she delivers gently

"But I don't understand, My father and fiancé have the means to search for me in any corner of the earth and you are saying no one has reached out for me?" I ask in a broken voice. She leans forwards, her gaze filled with sympathy

"Truly Miss, no one has. But I will try searching the internet for any relative with the name Malloy in the U.S and I'll relay to you" she offers and I give her a smile that hopefully showed my appreciation.

"I'll leave you alone now, please do get some rest"she says as the door closes behind her.

I let out a deep sigh suddenly feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over me. Alone in the quiet room with my deafening thoughts, various emotions floated around me - confusion,helplessness, a crippling fear of being forgotten. But beneath it all, a sharp question pricked at me: who am I now, if no one remembers me? Who was this "unknown person?". With these heavy thoughts, I couldn't mentally afford to be awake. So I gave into it, giving up the last fight of consciousness and surrendering to sleep.

Maybe when I wake up, this would all be just a nightmare.

Waking up had become the most dreaded part of my day. Something about being in a hospital always rubbed me the wrong way and the smell-gosh the smell. A day had passed since I learned of my current status, and the weight of those two lost years threatened to crush me.

As I lay there, a fragile thread of hope still lingered. If I could just reach Kelvin, I knew he'd help me escape this hellhole and return me to the life I once knew. But first, I needed a phone. I needed to recall his number, I could have sworn I had it etched on my memories before.

The door creaked open, and Doctor Betty's gentle smile offered a fleeting sense of comfort. "Good day, Miss Malloy. How are you feeling today?" Her voice reassuring as ever, but I knew better than to trust it.

"My head still hurts like hell," I admitted, wincing at the memory of the pain. "But overall, I'm feeling...alive, I guess." The words tasted bitter on my tongue.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that Miss Malloy." Her voice made it hard to decipher her emotions.

I shot her a confused look before noticing Doctor Betty's shift in expression, her eyes clouding with a somber intensity. "Miss Malloy, I promised to investigate your family's status. I'm afraid I have some difficult news to share."

My heart sank, as I unconsciously started shaking my legs, anticipation threatening to eat me up.

"What is it?" I whispered, wringing my hands already bracing myself for the worst. Something about her downturned lips screamed bad news.

Doctor Betty's voice dropped down several octaves. "Your family, Miss Malloy...they're gone. From the news I read, there was a fire outbreak in your family household that took the lives of your parents and everyone in it."

The room spun around me, colors bleeding into a gray haze. I felt myself drowning in a sea of despair, unable to find a lifeline. Doctor Betty's words became a distant hum, a reminder that my world had been shattered.

"But... What if that is another Malloy family? I refuse to accept this news" I say in a hollow voice even if I knew how unlikely it was.

"I was in doubt at first Miss but as I saw the images of you and your parents, I knew it wasn't a different family" she renders in a soothing voice that did nothing to calm the storm of tears building up in my eyes.

As the tears streamed down my face, Doctor Betty's hand closed around mine, her touch warm and reassuring. "You're not alone, Miss Malloy. We'll get through this together. But for a more positive News the technical team was able to trace the anonymous person from the past two years" she lets out with a small smile.

"Doctor, I honestly don't care about anything or any news again. My parents are dead. Nothing else matters. Why didn't you just pull the plug on me when you had the chance?" I softly demand in a broken whisper.

"Miss please don't say that. You are alive for a reason and I'm sure your parents would be happy that you survived- God bless their souls. And if the anonymous person is really who they said they were, I'm positive your spirits will be lifted" She pats my hands and renders a small smile, leaving an air of suspense.

The door closed behind Doctor Betty, leaving me to confront the ruins of my life. I sobbed, the sound tearing from my throat like a wounded animal. I mourned for the loss of my family

I mourned for the years I'd lost

And I sobbed for the life I once knew.

*******************

I open my eyes, which seemed to have been swollen shut after several hours of sobbing hopelessly.

The nurses' gentle voices roused me from my grief, their words a soft murmur as they helped me sit up. My body felt like lead, my muscles screaming in protest.

As I waited for the nurses to finish their checks, a knock at the door broke the silence. "Please, can you see who that is?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

As one of the nurses stands to open up the door, the door flung open. And lo and behold, my biggest support system walks into the room. Her radiant smile caused tears to well up in my eyes.

"Bella?" I whisper shakily unable to believe my eyes. And almost immediately I was engulfed in a bone-crushing hug. Tremors wracked both our bodies and sobs broke free from me.

"I thought I'd never see you again, Steph," Bella whispered, her voice trembling. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. I know I'm a shitty best friend."

As we held each other, the world outside receded, leaving only the two of us, suspended in a sea of grief and memories. I didn't even notice the nurses had exited the room till the door shut suddenly.

"Tell me what happened to my parents," I begged, my voice cracking. "I need to know."

"They are dead Steph. I still can't believe it till this day but I'm very sure of one thing...." She trails off.

Bella's eyes locked onto mine, her gaze burning with a fierce intensity. "It wasn't an accident, Steph. I'm sure of it. Your uncle...he took everything. He erased you from existence."

My mind reeled, the implications too horrifying to contemplate. " What are you talking about? Are you saying it was all a setup up Bells? But What about Kelvin?" I whispered, already dreading the answers.

"I'm almost 100% sure that your uncle had something to do with your parent's death and maybe even your accident, " she says with so much conviction.

Bella's face contorted in a mixture of sadness and anger. "I know you'd flip Steph but.... Kelvin is married. He married your cousin Melissa."

At the mention of the last bit of news, I completely unraveled. The room imploded around me, the darkness closing in like a shroud.

I was lost, alone, and adrift in a world that seemed determined to destroy me.

"Please Bells can... can you start explaining from the day of my accident?" My cracked voice came out barely above a whisper.

Bella scooted back to the edge of my hospital bed, softly grabbing my sweaty palms and lacing them with hers.

"Okay my love, I might mix up a thing or two though seeing as it was two years ago," Bella offered gently. I only managed a nod, my spirit far too drained to speak.

She sucks in a deep breath and begins " The day you got into an accident, You called me when you left the office. You sounded so upset in the call.." she trails off. I vaguely remember being annoyed and frustrated at Kelvin that day for canceling our dinner plans.

"Anyways you called me and you were complaining about Kelvin's behavior, then suddenly you let out a loud scream and I heard a crash. Luckily, I remembered we always share our locations so I tracked you down and when I got to you, there was so much blood and smoke. I thought you died Steph, Your blood was all over my body" Bella's voice came out hitched, her gaze unfocused as if she was transported back to that moment. My face scrunched at the mere thought of it.

"I called the ambulance and also tried calling your Mother but she never answered, soon after the ambulance arrived and we rushed you and the driver to the hospital. Unfortunately, he didn't make it but you did. But you were losing a lot of blood so they had to fly you out to London" she recounted. I furrow my eyebrows trying to recall all she's saying but only bits of it are clear.

"And that was the last time I saw you, well until now" she concludes with a small sniff, wiping away a few stray tears from her face.

I sit there staring into blank space, trying to wrap my head around this whole situation. Yup this definitely confirms things, But does this mean that Kelvin never loved me? How can my uncle kill his own brother? I felt like I was losing my Goddamn mind- too many unanswered questions. My head throbs faintly as different thoughts swirl inside it.

"I still don't get it though," I say in a calm voice

"Why didn't you ever attempt to visit me, Isabella? Did you even tell Kelvin I was here..? I'm very certain you didn't because if you did he would never have married Melissa" I let out strongly while staring straight at her. She just stares at me sadly and that made me deflect a bit.

"I did tell Kelvin about it, but he said you were dead to him,"she whispers sadly. I inhale sharply at that. "You don't how badly I wanted to fly over to London every single day and stay by your side and hell even conjure up your soul or something but I couldn't. The past two years were hell for me without you. But I needed to put your safety first. I couldn't risk putting your life on the line again" she explains calmly.

"Do you mean my Uncle is a threat? I highly doubt he was responsible for my parent's death much less wanting to kill me" I diss out with an eye roll.

"I will prove that he's evil then. He was literally the one that Killed your parents and you are placing him on a pedestal? Are you for real right now? Or are you forgetting that he took reigns over your father's empire and married Melissa to Kelvin? You must surely still be on meds" she says sarcastically.

I take a pause and contemplate her theory. I Can't seem to picture Uncle Mike being a murderer. I will give him the benefit of doubt until I confirm for sure, I finally decided.

"But Why would Uncle Mike want to kill My daddy? He was Daddy's most trusted confidant and Daddy always treated him fairly. Was it the money?" I let out, scrunching my eyebrows and mulling over everything.

"I can't say for sure why exactly he did it. I always thought him to be a greedy man so I wouldn't put it past jealousy. All I know is that he definitely had something to do with their death. And he probably even engineered Melissa and Kelvin's wedding too" she says strongly. I feel a small pang in my heart at the mention of Kelvin.

"I will find out the truth no matter what. And if he did Kill my parents, I'll kill his whole damn bloodline if it's the last thing I do," I spit out in anger, my hands silently shaking.

"Slow down there babes, we will do it together. I got your back bestie! But first off you need to be discharged and get back to Beverly Hills" she points out lightly. The anger in me reduces a bit as I let out a deep groan at the remembrance of my current state.

"I need to be discharged like yesterday," I said sarcastically, letting out a light chuckle.

"I'll go see the doctor about your discharge babes," she says as she stands to leave. I take hold of her hands and pull her into a deep embrace.

"Thank you so much, Bella. You don't know how much you mean to me. I love you to pieces" I say as I let out a deep sigh.

She deepened the hug and soon lets go of me as she headed to the doctor's office.

Ugh! I'm alone in this damn room again.

******

"Sooooo good news Steph" came the jovial voice that belonged to Bella.

"I can get discharged today?" I say hopefully, my eyes wide open. This causes Bella to let out a laugh and I drop my shoulders down In disappointment. No discharging for me today I guess.

"No silly, buttt.... the pretty Doctor said if everything goes well then they should be able to release you in a week," she says excitedly.

"A whole week?" My voice rose in disbelief, a small shudder leaving me at the sight of the sterile walls I've grown accustomed to.

"Well I mean it can't be as bad as staying in a coma for two years I'm guessing" she jokingly says and we both laugh at that.

"Nice one, I see what you did there. At least you are here to keep me company so I'll survive" I say dramatically.

"Aren't I a delight to be with?"

"You wish chica, you wish. So I guess operation Find out the truth starts in a week?" I ask

"Yes operation Find out the Truth is a go" she plays along. I let out a small smile feeling so light and I almost forgot everything that going on in my life

I let out the most content sigh I've ever released since I woke up. Being around Bella just makes breathing less labored. Maybe I'll be fine after all.