Sorry for the wait! Finally, the chapter you guys have been waiting for… hopefully (Hey there Mockingjay04 :)) )!
piepie1289 Let's say I was going for 'the calm before the storm' :)).
DaughterofSea Oh I find your reviews really adorable and heart-warming! Thank you! :
Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this. Please comment if you can! :) btw, not sure if I would be able to update soon. Just keep on tab.
x
x
x
-America's POV-
'When did this man start acting like a child?' I thought to myself. I watched him as he ran without a care in the world, his eyes filled with mischief and trouble. 'Yep, definitely a kid.' I know I should be annoyed right now but I could never bring myself to, even if I tried. I couldn't help but think how adorable and cute he was acting. He was always so serious and mature during The Selection. Seeing him like this puts a smile on my face. I am the only one who knew about this side of him. He trusted me this much to show his vulnerable side.
I grinned and started running after him but after only running for ten seconds I suddenly felt a jolt of pain ran through my upper body. It felt like something was tearing my organs apart. I fell down to the ground and writhed in pain. It was too much to bear. I started gasping for air but the pain was all I and my body could think of. I heard Maxon screaming out my name before I finally blacked out.
-Maxon's POV-
'Oh God. This is all my fault. I knew. I knew she wasn't ok yet but I still encouraged her to run.' I couldn't stop my tears from falling down. I paced back and forth outside the ER. I stopped at a wall and punch it out of anger and frustration. "Dammit, Maxon, Why did you have to act so carelessly?" I gritted through my teeth. Every tick of the clock felt like an eternity. I sat down at one of the hospital chairs along the hallway.
After 2 hours of torture, a nurse came out. I quickly stood up and ran towards her, meeting her halfway.
"How is she?" I let out.
"Nothing to worry about, Prince Maxon. She's in a stable condition now."
"Thank you so much." I said. Truly grateful for the news.
"You don't have to thank me." The nurse smiled. "Lady America sure is a fighter."
"Yeah, she is." I smiled, recalling the time when she kicked me on my crotch.
"As much as I want to keep you company, Prince Maxon, I need to head somewhere." The nurse said apologetically.
"No, no, it's ok." I moved to the side so that she could pass through. She mouthed a thank you and went her way.
When she finally disappeared to the corner of the hallway, I let out a sigh of relief. 'She's going to be ok.' I thought. My body suddenly felt tired and worn out. I walked towards the chair I was sitting on earlier and leaned upon it, letting my head be supported by the wall. My eyes started to feel really heavy. I fought out the exhaustion but lost. Seconds later, I could feel my body giving into sleep.
-America's POV-
I woke up to the sight of blinding lights. There were doctors surrounding me. I saw Doctor Matthew scribbling something on a clipboard.
"She's awake!" one of the other doctors said. Doctor Matthew looked up and nodded.
"It's been a long day, gentlemen. You can go and rest. I still need to tell something to Miss Singer." He said while removing his surgical mask and gloves. The doctors nodded in agreement and bid their farewells as they exited the door. I watched as each of them go, then looked at Doctor Matthew.
"Miss Singer, I'm starting to think that you like the hospital." Doctor Matthew joked. I pushed myself up to the headboard so that I was leaning against it, then shook my head.
"Well, what you did a while ago with Prince Maxon was pretty risky. It was a good thing that I went to your room an hour earlier and saw you gone. We immediately searched for the two of you. Luckily, we found you before it was too late." He then moved away to get some folders from a table across the room.
"What happened to me?" I asked.
"As I said earlier you can't do strenuous activities. Your body is still healing. When you ran after Maxon, your body wasn't able to take the physical strain of running." He sighed and then opened the folders, flipping through the papers inside.
"Uhm… thank you." I looked down at the blanket, organizing my thoughts. "You said earlier you went to my room an hour earlier. Why?"
"Oh yes." He looked up. "I've been meaning to tell you something ever since you woke up but circumstances always seem to prevent me to. I went to your room because I was going talk to you about it but I found you missing. Miss Singer, you really gave the whole hospital staff a scare."
"I—I'm sorry." I mumbled, nodding apologetically.
"It's ok. It was a careless mistake. I hope you and Prince Maxon learned a lesson. You did, right?" he looked at me in the eyes.
"I certainly did." I said placing my hands on my lap.
"Very well then." He put on his reading glasses and looked at the folders he was holding. "As I was saying, I needed to inform you about something. Earlier I said that your body can't take the physical strain from running, didn't I?"
"Uh… yes. Is—is that going to be a permanent thing?" I asked, my voice shaky.
"Oh no, of course not. Don't worry about that, you can run or do other physical routines/activities over the course of time." He reassured. "What I am concerned about is your relationship with Prince Maxon."
I looked at him, confusion plastered all over my face. 'What is this doctor saying? Why the hell would he be concerned with my relationship with Maxon? Is he some kind of counsellor now?'
"You know very much that Prince Maxon will be the one next in throne?"
I nodded, still confused about where this is leading to.
"And I assume that you are the one he has chosen from The Selection. Am I right?"
"Yes? I—I thinks so." I mumbled out. "I'm confused. How is this related to my health?"
"I'm going to cut through the chase, Miss Singer. The thing is, when you got shot in your abdominal area it wasn't just your stomach that was damaged." He looked at me. "But also your reproductive organs."
I froze. It felt like my heart stopped beating. "Are you telling me, I won't be able to have children?" I mastered out.
He sighed and took his glasses off. "No, nothing that definite but based on the information we collected, the result shows that there's only a slim chance of you getting pregnant."
"But I still can get pregnant, right?" I asked desperately.
"As I said the chances are slim but yes you still have the capability of getting pregnant."
I sighed a breath of relief.
"BUT—you cannot bear a child."
"I'm confused." I really am.
"There is still a chance that you can get pregnant, as I said numerous times. But let's say you were able to get pregnant. Your body has become too fragile to be capable of carrying a child within it." He massaged his forehead and put his glasses back on. "Earlier when you fainted, it's because you put your body in a strenuous position. Over time your body will be able to do those physical activities without having any complications. But pregnancy, is a different thing. It strains your body for MONTHS. Pregnancy is already a risk for any woman but for a woman like you who have received serious internal damages the risks are incredibly high."
He looked at me. "There's a small chance of you being able to survive the pregnancy period and the chances of you surviving child birth, we cannot say. Do you understand now?"
"Yes." I replied meekly, trying to digest everything he said.
"This leads us to your relationship with Prince Maxon." He looked straight into my eyes. "I have principles and morals that I abide to, which is why I haven't told him about your condition. I am giving you the chance to personally tell him about it. I know that this is something that Prince Maxon should hear from your mouth and not from mine. Miss Singer, do you understand?"
I was too emotional to answer.
"He will be KING. He needs a wife that is perfectly healthy and capable of giving him an heir. And sadly, you're very far from that." He sighed. "I like you, Miss Singer. I was actually, rooting for you to win The Selection." He said, giving me an honest smile. "But that can no longer happen."
"I—I understand." Tears started rolling down my cheeks which eventually turned to heavy sobs. 'Why is this happening? All I ever wanted was Maxon.'
"I'm truly sorry, Miss Singer." He started walking towards the door. "I have faith that you will tell him but if I ever come to know that you didn't and become engaged to him, I have no choice but to be the one who'll tell him about it." He sighed. "Goodnight, Miss Singer."
My world started falling apart once again.
