Loving Him

Chapter 33

Sophie was extremely happy, no doubt. After all, it wasn't everyday she got to hear a heart deep love confession from the man she was crazy about.

She'd been shuffling around in bed all night, giddy with excitement-- much to Ama's annoyance. She hadn't even gotten that much sleep but she felt more alive than she'd ever been. But why was she suddenly nervous at the thought of seeing him again?

Few minutes after their 'conversation,' Angel had come barreling back into the room after deciding she'd given them enough time to have their discussion, oblivious to what was going on. She didn't step out of the room until Sophie was ready to leave as well. Alex had asked her if she would be visiting today-- as if that wasn't already a given-- and she had promised that she would. Now for some reason, she was finding it hard to even move her feet out of the room.

Ama who had been watching her keenly for the past few minutes spoke, interrupting her reverie, "What's going on? You've been ready to leave for about fifteen minutes now. When you got back yesterday bai, you started acting like a child who had just tasted ice cream for the first time and your eyes have practically been glued to the clock ever since, so I'm very surprised that you're still here at all."

Sophie sighed, searching for the right way to explain her predicament to her friend. "The thing is... I'm kinda nervous."

Ama responded with an amused and disbelieving look. "And what about if I may ask?"

"I don't know," Sophie admitted. "It's just... You know how Alex is. He's hot one minute and cold the next. He's had more than half a day to change his mind." She finally voiced out what was bothering her.

Ama gave her a sympathetic smile. She had a fair idea about what was going on in Sophie's head. "Maybe. But you won't find out by sitting in your room, worrying yourself to death. You seriously need to stop over thinking things."

"I know, but..." Sophie shook her head as if to shake away the numerous thoughts clouding her head. She knew Ama was right but she really didn't want to get there only to find her doubts confirmed. That would be a blow too hard to recover from.

"Seriously, stop over thinking and just go already," Ama reaffirmed, giving her hand an encouraging squeeze.

Sophie smiled gratefully, already feeling her nerves disappearing, even if only slightly. Although Ama's words were playful most of the time, she still had a way of soothing Sophie with them and Sophie was more than grateful for that. "Thanks, Ama."

Ama shrugged off her gratitude. "Yeah, yeah. What would you do without me?"

* * *
Alex was the lightest he had been for years. Not even his prolonged stay at the hospital was enough to dampen the high mood he seemed to be floating in, a constant reminder of how much better his life seemed to have gotten in less than one day.

The previous day, Dr Andrew had eventually had to kick Sophie and Angel out, insisting it was time for him to rest. He hadn't seen Raymond the rest of the day but that didn't bother him. He was glad he had worked things out with his brother. Although he felt a bit guilty that he had been so into his own pain he had been oblivious to what Raymond had been passing through, it wasn't anything like the guilt he'd been previously carrying. It wasn't all gone, honestly but now he knew better than to let it get in the way of his happiness. It was finally like a huge weight had been lifted off him.

"Come back to earth, daddy."

The sound of hands clapping snapped Alex out of his thoughts and he turned his attention back to his grinning daughter. She had been all smiles since she arrived at the hospital in the morning. He was sitting on the edge of his hospital bed and she was sitting right in front of him, waving both hands in his face.