I awoke, sitting upright in an unfamiliar setting. The fluorescent white lights and the sterile scent that only hospitals could acquire, however, brought me back into reality. Catherine had been brought to the hospital, in order to give birth to her child… our child. The thought didn't warm me like it should have. I didn't harbor any feelings for the child, only for Catherine. Thinking about her long blonde hair and delicate face only made me want to see her immediately.
I walked down the empty hallway, glancing at a clock mounted on the wall as I passed: 2:04 am. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes before opening the door to Catherine's room.
A nurse was standing beside her bed, dressed in plain light blue scrubs, checking her vitals. As I entered she finished what she was doing she walked out of the room, nodding politely to me as she passed. Catherine stared at me, I was the first to break the silence, and coming closer to the bed I noticed a small bundle in her arms, our child.
"Why wasn't I woken?" I was the father after all, someone should have informed me that the baby was born and Catherine was healthy?
"I haven't a clue" she responded with shifty eyes. "It's a boy" she continued, smiling lovingly at the bundle in her arms before pushing the blanket away from its face.
He was asleep, curled against his mother chest and I couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight.
"Don't you wish to go back to sleep?" She asked. Glancing, back toward the door, then to my face.
"I have gotten enough sleep, I'd rather see you"
"But don't you-" she was cut off by the sound of a door opening, accompanied by footsteps. A man entered the room. He was dressed in a military uniform, British. I recognized his rank by the patches on his arm: Sergeant. "Who are you?" He asked, genuinely confused as I was. His voice was heavily accented.
"Are you Catherine's brother?" I questioned, though they looked nothing alike. His hair was a deep auburn and his eyes were an icy blue that were, at the moment, narrowed in suspicion. I could feel that my expression mirrored his. I tried to deny the thoughts that were trying to make their way into my head; he must be her cousin, some distant relative. But the words that came from his mouth only solidified my fears, leaving me stunned.
"I am her fiancée". Those words seemed to tear at my chest. I hated the emotion that welled up inside me, and I hated him. And I spun to face Catherine, knowing that the hatred was shining in my eyes.
"You said he had been killed" I said though clenched teeth.
"It was all part of that terrible game Henry, I never would have continued if I had known this would happen."
I couldn't speak. I hadn't planned on loving her; I hadn't planned any of this. But somehow Catherine had become what I lived for. Thinking of her, of coming home to her was what had kept me alive in battle and now it was all shattered.
She tried to reason with me. "When you were gone, he came back and… I wasn't sure if you were ever going to return. I-I heard about the retreat, how officers were being executed and I thought…" her voice faded. Her eyes pleading for understanding, for forgiveness… I had none to offer.
"And you hoped that I was dead" I continued for her. "So you wouldn't need to lie and pretend that thing in your arms was mine so that you could live a happy life with your true husband, hoping he'd never find out about me." My voice grew louder with each word and I grew angrier. I stormed out of the room. I was angry, I knew I would feel sad later but right now all I felt was blinding rage. I heard arguing coming from Catherine's room, I heard the door slam as her fiancée stormed out like I had, and I heard Catherine's sobs. I went through the lobby and out into the cool dark night, and walked, to no where in particular because… I had no where left to go.