Chapter Five:
Cold couldn't describe the feeling that coursed through her entire body as she hit the water and sank below the surface. The first second or two sent uncontrollable chills straight up her back to the forefront of her head creating an intense ache like freezer-burn. But then it went away and soon limb by limb she began to go numb. She saw her arms begin to thrash wildly at her sides and realized that out of sheer instinct she was trying to survive. Her legs moved rapidly beneath her body and finally took her first breath of air as she broke through the surface. Coughing and sputtering she couldn't see anything and the only thing she could feel was the rain on her face and the hair in her eyes. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out and soon she was swallowing salt water. Somebod." She was cut off as she went beneath the surface once again and this time her arms didn't move. her legs wouldn't cooperate and something inside her begged for her to just give up and let go.
The Penthouse.
"COURTNEY!" Jason shot up out of sleep shaking from head to toe. His whole body felt as if the temperature had dropped twenty below. Taking a stand he swallowed hard and walked over to his desk turning on a light. He leaned into the wood letting his hands rest against it as he measured his breathing, which came in rapid gasps. His heart was beating a mile a minute and his head ached. He knew that something was wrong. He could feel it and it burned him up inside because he couldn't do anything. It felt like he was dying and somehow he understood that in a way he was because Courtney was slipping away.
The Yacht.
"COURTNEY!" Lorenzo ran to the railing and peered over the side. His eyes strained to see any sign of her blond tresses that should have stood out against the blackness of the Night Sea. His guard came to stand beside him looking over trying to help. "Do you see her?" Lorenzo questioned.
"No. I can't make anything out in this storm." He replied. "She's probably dead by now." He threw out.
Lorenzo turned on him grabbing him by the shirt roughly. "Watch your mouth! And you better pray that she's still alive!" He shouted before stripping out of his jacket and hopping onto the railing and in a second was overboard and diving headfirst into the water below.
She felt so light as if she were floating on air. And it was so quiet. She was so at peace and so alone. but nothing had ever felt so right. She wasn't afraid and she wasn't lonely. She understood the difference now between being alone and being lonely. You could be one without being the other. And that's where she was. She was alone and happy. If she could only stay in this moment and never let it go. But then there was something that she had to do. She wasn't supposed to be here; she hadn't earned this tranquillity and she knew that somehow. And as much as she wanted to stay she knew that she couldn't but the thought of leaving hurt her so deeply and she wanted to cry for a lost that she didn't truly understand.
The local Colombian Hospital.
He waited patiently outside her door pacing back and forth slightly jumping when he heard the door open and the doctor appeared. "Mr. Alcazar?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Your fiancee is suffering from a mild case of hypothermia that could, if not properly treated, turn into pneumonia. But if you keep her out of the rain and make sure that she stays on top of her antibiotics that I'm going to prescribe she should make a full recovery." He informed dutifully.
Lorenzo nodded making a mental note sure to get anything and everything that she would need. But he could see the regret in the doctor's eyes and knew that something was wrong. "And the baby?" He asked knowing the answer before another word was spoken.
"I'm sorry Mr. Alcazar. The water was just too cold and the strain on her body just wouldn't allow her to hold onto her life and the unborn child. It was just too much." He remarked. It was always hard to deliver news like this no matter how many times he did it. "She hasn't woken up yet but when she does she's going to need you. I'll leave it to you to deliver the news."
Lorenzo nodded. "Thank you." He whispered and sighed. Waiting until the doctor walked away he took a moment before giving the door a gentle push open. He stopped on the threshold of the door and stared at her sleeping form and somewhere in his chest he felt his heart, ache for her and her loss. Walking over to her bedside he pulled up a chair and took a seat. Leaning over he stroked her hair gently brushing it away from her pale cheek. Reaching down he grabbed her hand within his own. Bowing his head he sighed before looking back up into her face. "I'm sorry." He whispered truthfully. "I am so sorry."
There was a silence that overtook the room as if the very air itself was mourning the loss. He simply sat there holding her hand and looked up suddenly when he felt her fingers twitch and ever so slowly watched as her slender digits closed around his hand. He looked back to her face and saw the slight movement in her features. Her eyebrows creased together as though she was fighting to remain asleep. Her lips parted and she let out a low moan of agony mixed with anguish and then her eyes fluttered open and met his intense stare.
"What. what happened?" Her voice was barely loud enough to be a whisper and her throat was so dry that it ached.
He cleared his throat trying to buy himself some time. "You're. at the hospital. You fell overboard."
She nodded as if slowly remembering. "Cold. so cold." She remarked. And then all at once the thought hit her. "My baby?" She asked. When he didn't reply she asked again this time more forcefully. Staring into him she could see what he hesitated to say and felt the tears come to her eyes. "No. no please. please no." She pleaded with him through her sobs.
"I'm sorry. The water was too cold and." He broke off feeling the ache tug at his heart.
"Don't. Just stop. Don't talk. Please just don't say. anything." She sobbed reaching down and holding her stomach. "My baby. my little. my only. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." She apologized over and over again holding herself tighter.
Lorenzo sat there not knowing what to do or say. "I never meant for this to happen. I tried to save you and your baby. I didn't want." He let the sentence trail off as her crying drowned out his words and soon a nurse came in with a sedative. "What are you doing?" He asked.
"She can't be under this kind of stress right now. She can't deal with it. It's too soon for her." the doctor injected an unaware Courtney and watched her eyes slide shut before turning back to him. "And maybe it's too soon for you."
"What are you talking about?" He asked.
"Well. I know that it's a lot to deal with when a parent loses a child and I think that perhaps you should take this time while she's still asleep for yourself. Because when she wakes up she's going to need the love and support of the man she loves. She's going to need to lean on you and you have to be there. really be there." He replied. Patting Alcazar's shoulder he exited.
Lorenzo stood there watching over her and hearing the words of the doctor ring in his ears.
"She's going to need the love and support of the man she loves."
With a heavy sigh he pulled out his phone knowing what he had to do. "Get me Morgan on the phone." He ordered.
Cold couldn't describe the feeling that coursed through her entire body as she hit the water and sank below the surface. The first second or two sent uncontrollable chills straight up her back to the forefront of her head creating an intense ache like freezer-burn. But then it went away and soon limb by limb she began to go numb. She saw her arms begin to thrash wildly at her sides and realized that out of sheer instinct she was trying to survive. Her legs moved rapidly beneath her body and finally took her first breath of air as she broke through the surface. Coughing and sputtering she couldn't see anything and the only thing she could feel was the rain on her face and the hair in her eyes. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out and soon she was swallowing salt water. Somebod." She was cut off as she went beneath the surface once again and this time her arms didn't move. her legs wouldn't cooperate and something inside her begged for her to just give up and let go.
The Penthouse.
"COURTNEY!" Jason shot up out of sleep shaking from head to toe. His whole body felt as if the temperature had dropped twenty below. Taking a stand he swallowed hard and walked over to his desk turning on a light. He leaned into the wood letting his hands rest against it as he measured his breathing, which came in rapid gasps. His heart was beating a mile a minute and his head ached. He knew that something was wrong. He could feel it and it burned him up inside because he couldn't do anything. It felt like he was dying and somehow he understood that in a way he was because Courtney was slipping away.
The Yacht.
"COURTNEY!" Lorenzo ran to the railing and peered over the side. His eyes strained to see any sign of her blond tresses that should have stood out against the blackness of the Night Sea. His guard came to stand beside him looking over trying to help. "Do you see her?" Lorenzo questioned.
"No. I can't make anything out in this storm." He replied. "She's probably dead by now." He threw out.
Lorenzo turned on him grabbing him by the shirt roughly. "Watch your mouth! And you better pray that she's still alive!" He shouted before stripping out of his jacket and hopping onto the railing and in a second was overboard and diving headfirst into the water below.
She felt so light as if she were floating on air. And it was so quiet. She was so at peace and so alone. but nothing had ever felt so right. She wasn't afraid and she wasn't lonely. She understood the difference now between being alone and being lonely. You could be one without being the other. And that's where she was. She was alone and happy. If she could only stay in this moment and never let it go. But then there was something that she had to do. She wasn't supposed to be here; she hadn't earned this tranquillity and she knew that somehow. And as much as she wanted to stay she knew that she couldn't but the thought of leaving hurt her so deeply and she wanted to cry for a lost that she didn't truly understand.
The local Colombian Hospital.
He waited patiently outside her door pacing back and forth slightly jumping when he heard the door open and the doctor appeared. "Mr. Alcazar?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Your fiancee is suffering from a mild case of hypothermia that could, if not properly treated, turn into pneumonia. But if you keep her out of the rain and make sure that she stays on top of her antibiotics that I'm going to prescribe she should make a full recovery." He informed dutifully.
Lorenzo nodded making a mental note sure to get anything and everything that she would need. But he could see the regret in the doctor's eyes and knew that something was wrong. "And the baby?" He asked knowing the answer before another word was spoken.
"I'm sorry Mr. Alcazar. The water was just too cold and the strain on her body just wouldn't allow her to hold onto her life and the unborn child. It was just too much." He remarked. It was always hard to deliver news like this no matter how many times he did it. "She hasn't woken up yet but when she does she's going to need you. I'll leave it to you to deliver the news."
Lorenzo nodded. "Thank you." He whispered and sighed. Waiting until the doctor walked away he took a moment before giving the door a gentle push open. He stopped on the threshold of the door and stared at her sleeping form and somewhere in his chest he felt his heart, ache for her and her loss. Walking over to her bedside he pulled up a chair and took a seat. Leaning over he stroked her hair gently brushing it away from her pale cheek. Reaching down he grabbed her hand within his own. Bowing his head he sighed before looking back up into her face. "I'm sorry." He whispered truthfully. "I am so sorry."
There was a silence that overtook the room as if the very air itself was mourning the loss. He simply sat there holding her hand and looked up suddenly when he felt her fingers twitch and ever so slowly watched as her slender digits closed around his hand. He looked back to her face and saw the slight movement in her features. Her eyebrows creased together as though she was fighting to remain asleep. Her lips parted and she let out a low moan of agony mixed with anguish and then her eyes fluttered open and met his intense stare.
"What. what happened?" Her voice was barely loud enough to be a whisper and her throat was so dry that it ached.
He cleared his throat trying to buy himself some time. "You're. at the hospital. You fell overboard."
She nodded as if slowly remembering. "Cold. so cold." She remarked. And then all at once the thought hit her. "My baby?" She asked. When he didn't reply she asked again this time more forcefully. Staring into him she could see what he hesitated to say and felt the tears come to her eyes. "No. no please. please no." She pleaded with him through her sobs.
"I'm sorry. The water was too cold and." He broke off feeling the ache tug at his heart.
"Don't. Just stop. Don't talk. Please just don't say. anything." She sobbed reaching down and holding her stomach. "My baby. my little. my only. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." She apologized over and over again holding herself tighter.
Lorenzo sat there not knowing what to do or say. "I never meant for this to happen. I tried to save you and your baby. I didn't want." He let the sentence trail off as her crying drowned out his words and soon a nurse came in with a sedative. "What are you doing?" He asked.
"She can't be under this kind of stress right now. She can't deal with it. It's too soon for her." the doctor injected an unaware Courtney and watched her eyes slide shut before turning back to him. "And maybe it's too soon for you."
"What are you talking about?" He asked.
"Well. I know that it's a lot to deal with when a parent loses a child and I think that perhaps you should take this time while she's still asleep for yourself. Because when she wakes up she's going to need the love and support of the man she loves. She's going to need to lean on you and you have to be there. really be there." He replied. Patting Alcazar's shoulder he exited.
Lorenzo stood there watching over her and hearing the words of the doctor ring in his ears.
"She's going to need the love and support of the man she loves."
With a heavy sigh he pulled out his phone knowing what he had to do. "Get me Morgan on the phone." He ordered.
