House of Thorns – Episode 51

HOUSE OF THORNS

EPISODE 51

Tales by Eve

 

Valerie was worried that Vivian was in a critical condition, but a greater worry that was rocking her soul was the way Leonard appeared all distraught. She could almost feel him waiting to see her wake up, hug him, and ask for him to forgive her.

Her mum was still crying and complaining about having to care for Daisy all alone. “Leonard, can you see what Vivian has done to me? Can you see how for the sake of stubbornness, she had put herself in harm’s way?” she began.

“Calm down mummy, she’s going to be okay” Valerie tried to console the old woman. “She’s not! She doesn’t want because she knows how much she had messed up. She regrets letting the roguê into her matrimonial home” Mrs Bradford grunted.

Leonard was feeling so concerned about Vivian’s predicament because he knew the poor Mrs Bradford, who was so nice to him, back then, had.just her. But he wasn’t happy about the way she was sounding. He knew she was in pains, and that people grieved differently, but if what he was calculating was correct, then, Mrs Bradford shouldn’t be speaking about Vivian’s shortcomings in Pascal’s presence.

“Mummy, you need to stop. Please understand that as humans, we have different shortcomings and strengths. Your daughter may have made some mistakes, but fate had allowed those things to enable us get to our destined places. Please do not speak of things that shouldn’t be talked about now” Leonard admonished.

Pascal was no fōōl, he knew what Leonard was driving at. He was trying to protect Vivian’s interest, even after all he heard she had done to him.

A look at Leonard and some minutes of listening to him speak, Pascal could really tell why Vivian’s mother was angry that she abandoned such a treasure for someone as repugna.nt as Jeremy.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Mr Leonard. I have known Vivian for sometime now, and the very worst of her, I mean the things that people should be worried about people knowing about them, were the reasons we became close. Yes, she shared the stories and the details behind the gōry events. I know the stories, but I love her still” Pascal informed them, shocking everyone in the room.

“But you see Mr Leonard, the major problem she’s been having is how to forgive herself for losing everything she had on a platter of gold, and ending up with nothing. And that’s to a large extent my fault. I was still searching my heart, still trying to know what exactly I felt for her before I told her, so you see, she doesn’t know that I love her with my whole being” he announced miserably.

“But also Mr Leonard, she’s dying of gu!lt. She’s been so sad about the things she did to you, and how she had let you go through so much. I talked to her about asking for your forgiveness, but she’d been pretty sure you’d never forgive her” Pascal said, looking as beaten as a cat whose owner had just passed on.

“Oh no Vivian. You got it all wrong. I was sad at the initial time things went from bad to worse between us. I was lost when you eventually left me to be with the roguê, but it was just for a short while, for I came to the understanding that God allowed things go that way for me to meet this wonderful creature here” Leonard said, holding Valerie to himself.

“And though I didn’t really get to telling you this, I’ve been grateful things turned the way it did, so I let the bitterness and grudges I had against you get washed away by the joy I found in my wife to be. So Vivian, you should let your regrets and pains from your wrong steps get eroded by the obvious love and care Pascal here has for you. . Fate allowed things go the way they did for us to arrive at our better end. Please don’t just lie there, don’t make those who love you have to always feel pains. Please be back Vivian” he told her, speaking as if she was listening to him.

“Thank you Mr. Leonard. Thank you for having such a big heart. You have done too much already by sparing a moment to ask what’s up with her. And now that you have forgiven her, now that you have told her how you have let her go in your heart, I’m sure her spirit will be at peace with her soul right now” Pascal said in appreciation.

“I’m going to stay with her here, and when she wakes up, I’ll let her know you were here. I’ll tell her how you’ve nobly let go” Pascal said in absolute optimism that she’ll wake up.

Valerie and Mrs Bradford were shedding tears uncontrollably as the two men took turns to talk to Vivian. While Leonard was assuring her of his absolute forgiveness, Pascal was declaring his undying and unwavering love.

Pascal sat besides her on the bed, holding her free hand in his, as he told her how Jeremy ended. He confessed how he had betrayed her by waiting a second too late, just to get Jeremy say all he had to say before he pounced on him.

“If only I had imagined he’d be as inhumane as to attack a defenseless woman with a kn.ife, them I’d have helped him get to his ancestors, a few hours earlier” he told her.

He kept on talking to her, telling her how he got Intel that he had tried to escape from the moving Security Hilux, they transported him with, and had jumped out of he moving vehicle, not caring that he had cuffs on his legs.

From what he told Vivian, an unsuspecting, oncoming driver had run him over, ending his so.rdid life. He told her how for the fact that he was in a hurry to get her to the hospital, he didn’t get the chance to make him feel half the punishment he intended to give him for laying his contem.ptible hands on her.

Daisy started brawling all of a sudden, making everyone shocked. Mrs Bradford was doing all she could to comfort her, but she cried harder, wriggling with strange strength to force herself out of her grandmother’s back.

Mrs. Bradford brought the child out from her back and she immediately delved for the bed. All the adults in the room looked at each other, shocked at the child’s sudden outburst.

The baby was allowed to go to her mother, and just like seen in movies, as soon as she felt her mother’s body, she stopped crying, and Vivian who had been lying motionless all these while, began to move her toes slowly.

Pascal was the first to notice the slightest change in her. He noticed how her breathing had seemed to take a different pattern, and then, a finger twitched.

He was waiting to be sure he hadn’t been imagining. He watched her more keenly, and when he saw her toes unmistakably moving slowly, he screamed, scaring everyone else.

“She’s back. Doctor, nurse, anyone!” he screamed, racing out of the ward to get any of the health personnel. Leonard who had been sitting besides a very shaken Valerie, stood up simultaneously with Valerie, rushing to the bed side, to take a look at Vivian again.

By the time Pascal returned with the doctor who had kept insisting that Pascal was imagining what he said he saw, Leonard, Valerie and Mrs Bradford were calling Vivian’s name frantically.

She opened her eyes slowly and undecidedly, then she shut them again. And almost as if she had just reprocessed what she had seen, she flicked her eyes open again, this time in a hurry.

“Daisy?” She asked in fear as she shut her eyes tightly again. “She’s here Vivy. Your daughter has been crying for you” her mother announced quickly, lifting the baby to a position that could make Vivian see the child.

Vivian’s face scrunched up in what she meant to be a smile. “Pascal? Oh no, he must have h.urt him. That be.ast was bent on kil.ling us all. He’s not going o stop untill he has made me stand in the great beyond, regretting the wrong choices I made” she lamented.

“I’m here my dear. And you don’t have to worry about him anymore, he won’t be disturbing anyone again, at least, not in this lifetime.” Pascal told her matter-of-factly.

He was prepared to tell her some more reassuring words, but the doctor asked everyone of them to leave the room. He needed to attend to her. They all willingly left the room to enable the doctor do his job, but not before Leonard told had told her how he wished for her to get well and how he had long forgiven her.

 

To be continued