UTTERLY UNEXPECTED CHAPTER 11

A CORNERED DEER

Lucas revelled in the refreshing air which blew in his face. Although he was not driving quickly, trees and the occasional deer flew past him as he navigated the winding road with his bike at a leisurely pace, a bottle of hair rinse and a paper bag with goods he would need for dinner the next day. He didn't get to take Zachary fishing because he was still recovering from the mixed emotions he had felt earlier when his sister was venting.

Lucas now had another problem added to his ever growing list. His daughter was giving way to uncontrollable anger and his son was suffering greatly as a result of it. It's like he was made to screw up everything. The last rays of evening sun blinded his right eye and he accelerated a bit as he noticed it was getting dark and he was nowhere near the villa. Being unfamiliar to the area, staying out after dark would be stupid. Very stupid. He muttered something about not coming out earlier so he could come back earlier, but it was smothered by the howling of the wind.

Trucks and other vehicles had headlamps on although night had not completely fallen. One truck seemed to be coming so close towards him that he had to veer to the right. Then it occurred to him. The truck wasn't slowing down. His bright headlamps marred his peripheral vision. He was being assaulted by bright light on either side – the truck's and oncoming traffic's lamps on the left and the dying sun's rays on the right. He couldn't slow down because the truck was fast approaching, and he couldn't see the road to speed up. To make matters worse, the driver pressed down hard on his horn. The horrid noise reverberated through the quiet area and several animals made startled noises.

A spooked deer shot across the road. Lucas didn't see it. He slammed into the deer's legs and swerved right, just in time to avoid the truck that still bore down on him. The creature made an agonized cry and the bike turned over, freeing Lucas of his seat. Luckily, the animal's hooves missed his head as it thrashed about wildly. Unfortunately, Lucas careened off the side of the road and down a slope, picking up momentum. Rocks and other debris scraped his skin as he tumbled, guarding his head with his hands. A large boulder loomed up ahead, but in his fright, Lucas had shut his eyes. Fear had consumed him and he couldn't even cry when he felt his right shin snap into two, the lower half tearing his skin. As he rolled along, tree trunks and more rocks continued battering his body until he was brought to a halt by a tree trunk that was so conveniently placed that he crashed into it, back-first. The blow to his spinal cord was so agonizing that his voice box was shocked back to life and he let out a pained cry.

He had not the strength to move. He could feel his blood leaking into the earth below and he was sure that if he tried to move his head up, he would see one half of his tibia peeking out shyly at him. His back throbbed and he felt as if one of his arms had been dislocated from its socket. Thank god for helmets. If he hadn't had one, he surely would have been dead.

Lucas could hear the sound of voices getting closer, but his vision was starting to blur and his tongue got heavy. In a matter of seconds, he fell out of consciousness.

Alice was on the balcony chatting happily with the others. The children were in a circle roasting marshmallows over a coal fire that Billy had carefully constructed.

As she laughed at everyone's jokes and shared in their conversations, Alice couldn't get rid of this nagging concern she had. She knew that Lucas had left to purchase ingredients for tomorrow's dinner at such an odd hour because he desperately needed time for himself and he was determined to purchase the dye for Carla. More than likely he was cruising, but they had been waiting for over an hour and it only took twenty minutes to get to the nearest town at a moderate pace. He was not one to make others worry. Just as she was going to suggest that someone call him, her phone rang.

She squinted at the unfamiliar number, but her face brightened when she heard the voice.

"Hey Subaru. What's the matter?" she inquired.

"…"

Alice's face darkened and she gripped the phone, her voice going up an octave. "What do you mean?" Conversation slowly came to a halt as the panic in her voice quickly became clear.

"Over an hour ago."

"…"

"Oh no." Tears clouded Alice's vision and she got up from the table in great haste. "I'm on my way."

Joseph held her back and gave her a questioning look as she viciously wiped tears from her face.

"Lucas is in the hospital. He met in an accident and it seems pretty bad."

She turned to go, but he tugged her back. "Calm down," he said firmly. He tossed her two pills and her coat as he dragged his own from the back of the chair. Chan mimicked his actions.

"You're in no condition to drive there, and even if we get to the hospital in five minutes, that won't make him any better."

"Keep an eye on her," he whispered to Chan as he excused himself from the table.

Chan-Lee nodded then held the weeping woman in her arms. "Are you sure you don't want us to come with you guys?" Runo asked.

"We'll be okay. You couldn't go in with us anyway. Seeing the person who's involved in the accident, they'll only be letting in family and security will be pretty tight."

Runo nodded with a concerned smile and glanced at the children as the adults left. Sataka and Laney were staring over open mouthed, but the others didn't have a clue what was going on. She and Billy put their fingers to their lips and the girls nodded in understanding. Laney even started dishing out more marshmallows while Sataka began telling a bedtime story.

Three adults burst into the lobby, jogging to the main desk. There stood a black haired young man with deep purple eyes. "Subaru!" Alice called, looking at him frantically. The young man regarded his teacher's wife with sympathy. "I could try to get you in, but you might not want to see him as he is now. As a matter of fact, I recommend that you don't." Subaru shot Joseph a knowing look to which the older man nodded.

Alice nodded slowly, then retreated to the waiting area. Everything felt like a dream. She was shedding tears and she was frightened, but it still felt dreamlike to her. She curled up on a seat and covered herself with the coat. Her relatives sat on either side of her and for the millionth time, she thanked her stars that she had such a kind brother and such an equally kind in-law. She didn't have to worry about the children because the others would take care of them.

They rested in the uncomfortable lounge for the whole night and well into the morning and when the head doctor called them inside Lucas' room, their bones groaned and complained although they stretched them countless times during the night. Alice's eyes were bloodshot and several bags decorated them however, she would know no rest until her soon-to-be-divorced husband was okay.

She led the way into the room and eagerly went towards Lucas' bed. He was still unconscious. The cuts and bruises on his skin had been treated. His left arm and shoulder and his right leg were in casts and slings and his abdomen was also wrapped with a bandage. His back was being supported by a brace, but throughout it all, his chest still rose and fell regularly. His face still remained peaceful. She would have preferred if he was awake. At least that way she was a bit more certain that his face wouldn't stay peaceful eternally. The doctors had worked as hard as they could throughout the entire night, most of them having been well acquainted with Lucas and none of them having anything bad to say about him. The head doctor leaned towards her and informed her that they would be leaving and that it would be best for them to do the same so that the patient could get his rest.

Alice took one last look at him in his serene rest before following Joseph and Chan out the door. Chan-Lee hugged her as soon as they were outside.

"I'm so sorry Alice."

The redhead clutched her desperately. She couldn't shake off the fear that he would never open his eyes again, even though the doctors had assured her that his condition was stable.

"We're here for you. We'll support you no matter what."

Alice squeezed her a bit then pulled away, wiping away her tears, praying that she wouldn't shed anymore for the rest of the day. "Thank you. I appreciate it. So much has happened in the past few weeks and I just don't think I can manage it all on my own anymore."

Chan-Lee gave her a smile and led her by the hand out to the parking lot. They met Joseph on the outside, as he had just instructed Subaru to contact him as soon as Lucas woke up.

He sat down in the driver's seat of his car then drove carefully back to Cliffside Villa, sipping on black coffee the whole way.

As soon as Alice got back he shooed her to her room to get some rest. He took a seat around the counter in the lounge and ran a hand over his face. Chan set some coffee to brew then went over to him, cradling his head in her arms.

"My head is pounding," he complained.

"Well, lay off the coffee and go to sleep." She stroked his hair affectionately.

"If I do that, who's going to explain everything to Carla and Zach? Who's going to cooperate with the police and help Lucas file a report when he wakes up? Who's going to help Alice figure out where she's going from here?"

Chan-Lee's hands froze. "You know, you need to start trusting others to handle things. There are five other adults here including myself that are perfectly capable of supporting Alice and her family. As it relates to her children, the other kids are already doing a good job at averting their attention from their parents. Did you even see what Sataka and Laney did last night? I'm sure they as well as Beck and Terra are trying their best to help out in any way possible. Besides, Joseph, what do you think will happen to you if you take on all of this added stress by yourself? Do you want to end up in a hospital bed beside your brother-in-law?"

Joseph pouted. He didn't like it when Chan got practical. She was always right. With an indignant snort, he rose from his seat and was in the process of snapping his head around like a peacock when Chan reminded him of his headache. Her reminder was unnecessary, however because as soon as he turned his neck, a sharp pain in the top of his head elicited an agonized cry from him.

Tears sprung to his eyes and he had to reach out to his cackling wife for support. She turned off the coffee pot before leading him to their room where both slept soundly till the sun set.

Alice staggered out of bed and stumbled towards her telephone. It was 7:15 in the evening. Subaru had sent her a text message to avoid waking her, as he suspected that she would be asleep. It said:

'Mr. Grendahay has been conscious for about an hour now, but he is very tired. It took him about fifteen minutes to recognize us, but we think that's just a result of stress he's been under recently. He was very eager to see his family and friends, so we will allow small groups of visitors in as of midday tomorrow. Rest well Mrs. Grendahay and tell the Doctor's children I say hi.'

A small smile crept upon her lips. He's okay. Thank goodness. There's nothing for me to worry about for now. At least I hope not… Alice shook her head violently to rid herself of the negative thoughts and the 'what ifs' that were fast approaching. Get a grip Alice. He's a doctor. Besides, his students know what they're doing.

She couldn't hold it back anymore. The very next day she would take her children with her to Lucas' room and come clean. She was done pretending that she didn't care about him. His accident reminded her of how precious life was…how precious his life was.

Hands slightly trembling from anxiety, she took up her phone and scrolled down to her lawyer's number. Hopefully, she was making the right decision.

Julie dished out hearty helpings of macaroni and cheese, roast beef and Lucas' apple sauce at 7:30 pm. Runo and Chan sat on bar stools around the counter, stuffing their faces. Terra had a full plate and Beck was coming back for seconds. Julie, in her anxiety, paid no attention to the looming enemy that was ever seeking to devour them – weight gain. She piled even more food onto Beck's plate before retiring to a corner to stand and eat. Daniel was eating out of a huge Pyrex dish right before Runo, who was a sucker for table manners and Billy followed suit. Joe lay stretched out on a sofa which had been dragged into the kitchen, fast asleep.

Beck returned with his trophy to the circle of children that sat on the floor. Laney sat with crossed legs, reading out of a huge story book. Sataka had Zachary in her lap and whenever he began to fuss and fidget, she stilled him with a gentle kiss on the cheek. Terra took her position in Carla's lap and poked her forehead whenever she looked far off.

Alice stepped inside in all her messy haired, oversized T-shirted glory. She rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn. For a second, she looked just like a five-year-old, waking up from a long night's rest.

She trudged over to the counter to retrieve her late night meal and was very generous in her portions. "Why so down?" she asked, leaning against the counter and shoving a forkful of macaroni into her mouth.

Dan's head snapped up and he shot her a questioning look. "All is well," she said. "Now if you guys want to mope like zombies all night, I suggest you do that elsewhere."

Chan-Lee smiled at her cheeriness and instantly remembered her promise. So much for us lightening the mood. "Anyone up for a movie?"

Everyone except for the sleeping Joe and the moping Carla and Zachary shot up their hands. Terra frowned. "Carla, Zach, don't you guys wanna come too? Aunt Chan always chooses the bestest movies!" she exclaimed, trying to get her usually contagious enthusiasm to work its magic.

Carla sighed and Zach turned his head away. Alice saw this and walked over with a smile. "Thanks a lot everyone. You were a great help. Go enjoy yourselves with Aunt Chan, okay. Mommy will take over from here."

Terra smiled gratefully before retreating to the living room with all haste. The other adults followed as Alice sat down on the floor beside her children and put her food to the side. Zachary climbed onto her lap and buried his face into her chest. Carla leaned her head against her blouse and stared at the carpet with sadness in her eyes.

"Where iths Daddy? What happened to him?" he wailed.

"Is Papa alright?" Carla asked, guilt lacing her voice.

"Yes, Papa is fine. He's just resting in the hospital."

"The hospital!" Carla exclaimed.

"Is Daddy thsick? I bet ith's Carla thsat made him thsick! She wasth thso mean to him!"

Carla scooted closer to her mother but said nothing.

"No Zach," Alice said coolly. "Daddy is not sick, and even if he was, what your sister said had nothing to do with it."

Carla let out a sigh of relief. "Then how did Papa get into the hospital?"

"His bike got mad at him," Alice said jokingly.

"Daddy won't die, will he?"

"Of course not, Zach. Daddy is just sleeping because he's really tired. The doctors already fixed his cuts."

Seemingly satisfied with the explanation, Zachary leaned away from his mother and stared down at his sister. He crawled off his mother and cuddled next to her. "Do you hear that Carl? Daddy is justht tired. We get to thsee him tomorrow, don't we Mommy?"

Alice nodded before returning to her meal. "Have you guys eaten already?"

Carla shook her head. Alice rose and shared another large helping of food and stuck two forks in it on either side. She gave it to them, then all three cuddled together on the floor, eating and telling jokes and stories. Chan peeped in now and then to ensure that they were okay and was satisfied when she saw all three giggling like idiots.

Lucas' eyes fluttered open. His window had been opened and the curtains drawn so that warm sunlight could bathe the big room. He grunted after a failed attempt to get up. Head Doctor Fazio and Subaru grinned at him from their seats.

"Ugh. I've always treated patients. I've never actually expected to be a patient," he said in disgust.

"Say thank God you've trained us well, Mr. Grendahay," Dr. Fazio teased.

Lucas pouted, seeing that his previous students were very amused at his frustration. "Okay, since it's gonna be like that, I'll be grading you. I won't try to instruct you any at all. When I'm discharged, I'll tell your manager the grade, whether good or bad."

"We'll be expecting an A++ then. We were your best students after all."

Lucas scoffed then looked at his broken leg in the sling and cast. "Have you found out anything about that truck driver? I swear I'll sue him for all he's worth then donate the money to charity." His face turned red with anger as he prodded his bruised stomach and shoulder.

"When we got to the scene he had already taken off. We got his license plate number and the company he works for though. A report has already been sent off to the police," Subaru said, rising to check on the IV.

"Who called the ambulance anyway?"

"The same person that filed the report. She saw everything. An old lady who owns a cabin nearby. Said she was walking her dogs when she saw the accident."

"I'll have to send her my thanks. Maybe some of that money once I sue that bastard."

Fazio and Subaru chuckled. They had missed seeing their instructor angry. It was always amusing.

Suddenly, Lucas' features became troubled and his voice took on a soberer tone. "D-Did anyone come looking for me?"

Fazio looked at Subaru and nodded towards him.

"Yes. Your wife and in-laws came. Mrs. Grendahay looked horrible. It was the first time that I've ever seen her so scared."

Lucas was shocked but relieved at the same time. He was glad that Alice still cared whether he died or not.

Sensing his change in mood, Subaru decided to switch the topic. "Hey, Doctor! Do you want to see the others? When they heard that you were here, they all got so excited even though you are a patient."

Lucas' grey eyes twinkled at the memory of his first class of pupils in med school. He was barely four years older than they were and he was still studying in his specialized area of orthopaedics but the deans thought him to be such an exemplary pupil that they assigned him a top class. "I'd love to."

At least they'll keep my mind off Alice for a while.

Six hours later, the buzzer on the outside of Lucas' room sounded. It awoke him from a light slumber. Subaru, Fazio and his other pupils that had come to visit had long since left him alone and he took the opportunity to get some well needed rest.

Lazily, he fumbled with the remote with his good arm and finally got the door open. The breath was nearly knocked out of his throat at the sight. Walking in rather timidly was Alice. Carla and Zachary shot towards the bed and jumped on it, even though they knew better. Zachary crawled onto his Daddy and began crying while Carla buried her head in his gown. Alice placed a small package onto a side table before standing to the side, eyeing her children sadly.

Lucas hugged both of them as tightly as his weak body possibly could and he kissed both of them on the forehead, whispering how much he loved them and missed them. Carla started to cry almost hysterically.

"I'm so, so sorry Papa. I didn't mean to say all those mean things to you like that. And in front of your friends too. You probably wouldn't even be in this mess if I didn't say I wanted to dye my hair."

"Carla," he said sternly.

She looked up, slightly scared of what was coming next.

"It's good that you feel sorry and recognize that what you did was wrong, but it's not good to keep harping on it. I was never angry at you and I had forgiven you the moment I saw you run away from me. Stop worrying about it. I understand that you're mad at what I've done and I admit that I wasn't as present as I should have been, but I'm trying to make up for it. So from now on, whether you like it or not, I am always going to be in your life." He looked up at Alice with the last part of his statement and she quickly averted her gaze.

Lucas tried his best to listen attentively to his children as they told him about everything that happened since he was gone, but he just couldn't focus on them at the moment. Only one person held his attention and she was standing alone in the corner.

"Hey," he said when the two youngsters finally fell silent. "Why don't both of you run down to the front desk and ask Mr. Subaru to take you to the children's ward? You can find some new playmates."

Zachary's face brightened and Carla hastily pulled him off of their father, bade both parents goodbye and rushed out of the room and to the front desk.

All fell silent when the two buffers left. Lucas' eyes grew cold and he trained his vision on Alice who hesitantly approached him. Luckily for both of them, the door slid open revealing an annoyed Joseph, master card in one hand, files in the other.

He stepped past Alice and marched right up to Lucas. Her eyes widened when she got a glimpse of the files he held. She was about to approach him when he spun around dangerously, levelling her with a stern glare. "Outside. Now." He pointed to the door. Alice stopped in her tracks and was on the verge of protesting, however, she thought it would be better if she didn't. She turned and exited the room, leaving the two men alone. Whatever big brother says, goes.

"Lu, there's something extremely important that Alice, Chan and I have been hiding from you. Even Subaru is in on it. You might be really upset, but just hear me out, okay?"

Lucas stared at him, confusion written all over his face. Joseph lowered the bed tray before him and threw the files down on it. He nodded towards the manila jackets and folded his arms in anticipation.

Hesitantly, Lucas leafed through the files. They were medical files. Alice's medical files. He hadn't seen those files in a couple months. He hadn't seen them since she forbade him to perform check-ups on her. There were quite a few pages added after the last one that he had documented and he could not resist the pressing urge to arch an eyebrow.

His hands shook when he reached the third new page.

Something didn't belong.

Something was horribly wrong.

He had no idea that things had begun to go downhill.

No idea that Alice's health was deteriorating.

Rapidly.

He flipped even more pages.

Conditions worsened.

He stopped at the last page and nearly couldn't read it because of how violently he trembled.

The countdown. Her doctor's estimate of her lifespan. Two years independently at most. She could probably scrape by with a third year on constant meds and life support.

He was in disbelief.

He tried to connect her incurable disease to her behaviour but it seemed impossible.

He couldn't think straight. The only thought that swarmed through his muddled mind was that his wife, his love would die in less than three years. And the doctors said she couldn't do anything about it.

"Why?" he croaked out. Joseph couldn't bring himself to look at him. It would be too painful.

"Let her answer that herself," he said, before walking out. A few minutes after he left, Alice came in timidly, head down.

"Hi," she greeted softly, water welling up in her eyes.

He didn't respond. All he could do was hold the files and stare at his broken leg.

"Please," she whimpered. "Please, just listen to me. You can determine whether to believe me or not. I'm not telling you that you should trust me again…because what I did to you was absolutely unforgivable. Just, please, give me a chance to explain myself." She spoke between sobs.

"I…The man that you saw me with…I paid him. The whole thing was a setup. I wanted you to catch us. I wanted to make it seem like I was cheating on you for a long time. From there I could get you to divorce me."

Lucas looked up at her, confusion evident in his eye.

"I wanted you to forget about me and move on with your life. The worst case scenario is that you'd keep loving me. The best thing that could come out of that is your hating me after the divorce. That way you'd move on and have no attachments."

He looked at her as if she were crazy.

"I guess you've already seen my files. That illness is why I've been hiding them from you. That's why I wanted to cut you off. If things went well, then you wouldn't feel much pain when I die. I was only trying to make things easier for you, but I've failed…" Her tears came down harder.

"If Joseph didn't show those to you, then you could have been happy in the next two years. We wouldn't have anything left between us, so you could remarry and live the life you deserve. I- "

"Stop!" Lucas shouted out. Fat tears fell onto the covers of the files. "Please tell me this is all a lie… This isn't real… I can't lose you forever…" He looked almost childlike as he stared up at Alice, desperate pleas in his eyes.

She started towards him and cradled his head in her arms, stroking it reassuringly. Long had she wanted to touch him. And now she finally got the chance, and it was just as sad as she had thought it would be.

Lucas clutched her with his good hand as if she would vanish into thin air.

"No…No. I can't let you leave me. You can't die too Alice. No…" The fragile stability that his nerves had developed during his brief rest instantly shattered. The beeps on his heart rate monitor became more frequent and his breath became ragged. His temperature was sky rocketing and he seemed to forget that she was right there as he was absorbed in his own crumbling world.

Alice inwardly cursed Joseph. Her confidant had chosen the wrong time to reveal her little secret. The man she loved was falling apart, and it was all her fault. Maybe if he hadn't found out, she could have effectively cut all ties with him. Maybe if he hadn't found out, he wouldn't keep mourning for her for the rest of his life.

Lucas grip tightened as he became more hysteric. An alarm attached to his heart rate monitor went off and in a few moments Dr Fazio and Subaru burst into the room. They shot questioning glances at Alice who stood stock still, tears streaming down her face like a river. Fazio checked the monitor and his patient's temperature while Subaru dragged a small metal table over to the bed. He quickly prepared a dose of green medication and handed it to Anthony.

"Can you get him off you?" he asked Alice.

She shook her head and tried her best to get out of the way without pulling her almost-ex-husband off the bed. The head doctor lifted Lucas sleeve, and after disinfecting the area, slid a long, menacing needle into his arm.

Lucas was so out of it that he didn't feel the sharp object piercing his flesh. All that he knew was that something important was slipping through his fingers and he had no control over it. Eventually, his mind became foggy and his eyelids heavy. He couldn't quite remember what he was so upset about. Someone was speaking to him but his voice seemed far away and the person was a blur. He wanted to speak, but his mouth felt full of cotton. Slowly, he felt his grip on something vaguely soft loosen as his arms numbed. Soon enough, his mind was blank, and he lay unconscious.

Quote:

"Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength."

- Corrie ten Boom

I had honestly thought that I'd uploaded this chapter already. Sorry! *SFX: bows really low*

~Anne Callendar