Madeleine POV
The beep of the heartbeat monitor wakes me up. I get up quickly from the chair I've been sleeping in since James came out of the operation.The beeps are starting to get faster and faster.Too fast to be normal.
-James, James! I shrug lightly, trying to wake him.
I look at the ECG monitor screen, following the spasm line, which looks as if James' heart has forgotten how to pump properly.
Not knowing what to do, I go out into the hallway calling for help.
-Doctor quickly!
I go back to James' bed with two fingers on my wrist to find the pulse, but it's nothing. James can't be dead, no, it's not true. Tears well up trying to bring James back to life by massaging his heart.
One two three four five.
One two three four five.
One two three four five.
One two three four five.
One two three four five.
I move to his face, giving him a long breath from lungs to lungs, which is transformed into a desperate kiss. Tears are running down my face; This time I can't hold them back. I lean back on the floor before the doctor catches me.He helps me get up and sit on the chair. The nurse checked his pulse trying to find a hope.I look at the monitor again, which does not stop beeping in an alert way. The nurses continue to change and check the ICU fan and the blood bag. I move my eyes to the drip bag, noticing something strange. The liquid was blue and gelatinous, which was not normal.
-Hey, hey, doctor, did the drip bag have to look like this?
The doctor looks away from James, looking at the drip bag.
-Bring quickly a new drip bag, replacing it!
The nurses changed the drip bag, then took James's pulse. The doctor took the defibrillator, attached the electrodes to his chest, then pressed the button, bringing James back among us. James opens his eyes, alarmed, trying to say something. The doctor removes his ICU ventilator. He start to cough. I'm going to him quickly, trying to get him to stop. The nurse gives him a glass of water, letting him calm down. James gasps in panic and confusion, his hands trembling as he grabs the bed sheets. A vein swells in his throat and the perspiration shines on his skin. Seeing me in the crowd of nurses and doctors, he calms his breath, calming down and leaning lightly on his pillow.
-We'll be out now, if anything happens let me know Ms. Bond.
-I'll do that, but can I talk to you outside first?
-Yes of course !
We leave the room, closing the door behind us.
-What is it, what happened Ms. Bond?
-Could you check what that blue liquid in the drip bag was?
-Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to do. I'll call some specialists, and when the results come, I'll call you.
-Thank you !
-You don't have to, and now you'd better go to your husband, now he needs you the most.
I return to the room, where I see James sleeping. I take my seat back in the chair, placing a kiss on James' forehead. His breathing is uniform and calm. Dropping a drop of perspiration on his chest from time to time.
-Rest, honey, you've been through a lot this week.
I squat in my chair, holding James' hand, trying to fall asleep.
• The next day, 12:00
I'm in the parking lot waiting for Mathilde to leave school. In the meantime, I'm getting a call from the doctor.
-Hello, Doctor, did you find out anything?
-Hello, Ms. Bond, yes, if you have time to stop at the hospital to tell you what this is all about.
-Yes, of course, I take my little girl from school and come to you.
-Ok, good bye !
-Goodbye !
(Look, my little girl is coming too)
Mathilde got into the car, happy, sitting her backpack in the back seat.
-Hello, little soul, how was school?
-Okay, I had a drawing hour, and the teacher told us we could draw whatever we wanted, so I drew you, daddy, me and Teddy. Look !
Mathilde takes an A4 sheet out of her pocket, crumpled and slightly wet from the rain.
-Look, here we are at a picnic in the park, here on the slide is Teddy and I, you're here on the swing, and Daddy is the one at the end of the slide, who shakes my hand.
-Wow, very nice darling, but where did you learn to draw so beautiful?
-It's a talent of mine, Dad taught me! Speaking of Daddy, where is he?
-Dad is sick, so he stays with a friend who takes care of him.
-I'm sorry for him, when I catch a cold, Teddy helps me to recover. He's a very good doctor.
-Yes, dear I know, but Daddy is in a more difficult situation, unfortunately Teddy can't help him.
-When he gets better, I want to show him the drawing.
-If you want I can take him, I'll go to him today.
-Can I come with you?
-Unfortunately, you can't come, honey, you have homework to do and plus Daddy doesn't like to see him, as he is now.
-Okay, then I'll give you the drawing, and when you get home, you have to tell me his opinion about it.
-That's what I'm going to do, honey.• 13:34
I rushed to the hospital, bumping into the doctor.
-Hello !
-Hello Ms.Bond!
-So what did you find out?
-Come with me to the office, let's talk quietly.
-Okay.
He leads me to his office, which was on the top floor of the hospital, at the end of the hall.
-So, ma'am, I don't want to scare you or anything, but what I've found out, I haven't met since I've been working in this hospital.
-Doctor, but what did you find out, you're already making me worry?!
-First of all, let's talk about the liquid, or rather the substance from your husband's IV it is.
-Yes OK!
-I called some doctors from America to take care of that substance and they found out it was poison.
-How,I mean what would a poison look for in an IV ... unless someone put it there.
-So, I looked at the surveillance cameras in room 15, the room where your husband was and I saw a man who had come around 02:50, yesterday, and changed the IV, with the one with the poison in it. I noticed that you were there that night, but I think you were sleeping and you couldn't see.
-Could I watch the video?
-Yes, of course, that's exactly what I wanted to show you.
The doctor turns the computer monitor toward me.
-This is you, as you can see, this weird man is coming with a hood, taking the IV out of his jacket with poison in it, replacing the good one with it.
-Could you enlarge the image on his face?
-Yes, but unfortunately you can't see his face clearly.
-Oh my god, I know this man!
-Who is?
-A week ago he came to work for me, to kidnap me, to hurt my husba-, my boyfriend because of something that happened in the past between his father and my husba-'s parents, my boyfriend. Unfortunately or fortunately, I ran away, leaving my boyfriend unconscious, I managed to take him home to treat his wounds, and I haven't seen him since ... until now. And I don't think this will be the last time I'll see Mr. Wilson.
-Ah, my God, you should tell the police to look for this weirdo.
-I've already done that, but who thought he'd break into the hospital.
-The important thing is that we managed to save him, in fact to save your boyfriend, before he went into cardiac arrest.
-Yes ... I'll talk to him too, see what decision he makes. Thank you for telling me.
-You have nothing to do and I wish you all the best and get rid of this bastard.
-Thank you, goodbye!
-Goodbye, Ms. Bond!
I walk out of the doctor's office, closing the door behind me, trying to get back to what I just found out. I lean against the wall, trying to find a way to tell James what happened.
(I have no other way to tell him, I'm telling him the truth, even if during this period he shouldn't be worried, but if I tell him , maybe we can find a solution and it's his life at stake, so it's best I tell him the whole truth)
I go down to room 15, entering the room easily, in case James sleeps and I don't wake him up. I open the door a little and notice that James is awake.
-Hey, what are you doing?
-Better, you?
-Now I took Mathilde home, she had a drawing class at school, and she made a very nice drawing with us.
I hand him the sheet with Mathilde's drawing to James. James grabs the sheet and turns it to him. He analyzes the drawing, and instantly a smile appears on his face.
-Wow how nice! Tell her that she made the most beautiful drawing and that Daddy brought tears to his eyes.
-I will tell her.br / I sit on the armchair next to him, taking his hand in mine.
-She told me, that you taught her to draw like that.
-Looks like you found out something new about me.
-So James Bond knows how to cook, draw and make me the happiest woman in the world.
I lean over to James, giving him a long kiss on the lips. Unfortunately, our happiness is interrupted by the doctor.
-Excuse me for bothering you. Looks like I didn't come at a good time, but Mr. Bond has to change your bandages.
-OK, no problem.
I pull away from James to let the doctor do his job. The doctor take the bandages out of his robe pocket, accompanied by a pair of scissors and a bottle of alcohol.Gently peel off the blood-soaked bandages, grab a floppy disk soaked in alcohol with tweezers, wiping the dry blood from the wounds. James winced a little at the contact between the cold alcohol and the skin.The doctor undoes the bandages by gently tying them over James' wounds.
-Ready, I'm done here.
-How long will I be able to go home?
-It depends on how fast your wounds heal, but in about 3 weeks you will be able to recover at home. As I heard, your wife also has them with medicine, so it would not be a problem.
James gives the doctor a puzzled look.
-Two days ago a man came to salon 15 and replaced the drip bag with a poisoned one. If it wasn't for your wife, you were dead now. She was the one who noticed that something was wrong with the drip bag. He managed to call us in time to stabilize you.
James turns his gaze to me, looking into my eyes and revealing a small smile.
-Okay, I'll leave you now, speedy recovery, Mr. Bond. And cherish the person next to you, because you rarely find such people.
The doctor leaves the room, leaving behind a deafening silence.
-It was Mr. Wilson, wasn't it?
I nod, shedding a tear.
-I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, I didn't want you to worry, especially in the conditions you are.
-It's nothing, I even thank you for saving me again! James looked up, tears in his eyes.
-Hey, hey, don't cry! I get up from my chair and sit on the edge of the bed next to him, wiping away his tears.
-If it hurt you, at that moment I couldn't help you, it would have been just you and him. Who else would have raised Mathilde ?! She would have had my past and your nightmares. I will not allow this man to do us any harm.
-James, darling, don't think like that. I'm here, as are you and Mathilde. And no one will ever be able to separate us. At least we'll be safe at home, we have 2 bodyguards at the door, and another 5 in the perimeter We have surveillance cameras and a James!
James takes my hand, kissing each finger.
-I'm the luckiest man in the world that I have you! And I will respect you as you deserve.
-Aww, James, now you're making me cry.
-No need, not as long as we have each other.
-Oh, how romantic you are, Mr. Bond. You surprise me every day.
-What can I say ... I'm full of surprises.
The day passes, I am still in room 15, with my hand in his hand. Breathing in unison, the fatigue catching up with us.