The Royal Contract

A few hours earlier, Jacky had waited for her friend at the restaurant with the rest of their friends. She was beginning to get frantic when she was late again for their lunch date.

Dani promised she would come on time. But yet again, she was nowhere to be found, and the clock was ticking. Jacky had no choice but to entertain their friends while they all waited. 

When she asked about her whereabouts, she was vagued. She even accused her of going back to the office to work instead of prioritizing her schedule with them.

She could hear her voice ringing her head with their last conversation before the tragic accident. "Promise." That was the last word she heard from her before she hung up on her. 

She suddenly felt guilty, blaming herself for what happened to her friend. If she did not keep nagging at her that she was late, and then her friend would not have hurried and had an accident.

She could not imagine the trauma her friend went through after experiencing such a horrific incident. Looking at her, with her eyes still closed, she could only feel horrible.

"I am so sorry, Dani," Jacky said while her friend was lying on the bed unconscious. "If I did not keep nagging you, you will not be in this condition."

She touched her face gently, avoiding the bruise that covered her face. She wished it was her that was in her place. "Please, forgive me, Dani. It is all my fault. I am the reason why you are lying on that bed."

A tear dropped from her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. It was not the time to cry. There was no reason for it. She was here to support her friend when she became conscious again.

A few minutes later, Alex returned to the room, hopeful that she was finally awake. But he was a bit alarmed that she remained sleeping.

"I'm sorry about all this. I think this is all my fault." She finally confessed, still feeling that she was to blame.

She looked up from where she was sitting and stared into his face across from her. She was afraid that she might have caused more harm than good with her plans.

Now, Jacky was afraid that she had ruined their wedding as she looked at her helpless friend and the man she was about to marry. 

"No, you should never blame yourself." Alex turned his attention to his fiance's best friend, surprised by her statement. He did not believe that Jacky had anything to do with the accident.

He debated telling her about the recent development. Besides, it was still mere speculation, having no sufficient and concrete proof yet.

But before he could dwell more on the matter, he noticed that Dani stirred a little in her sleep. He diverted his attention back to his fiance, setting aside Jacky's concern for a later discussion.

"Dani," Alex tried to call to her, but she only mumbled incoherently, scrunching her eyes together as if she found it hard to open them.

He was glad that she was finally regaining consciousness but wary that something still might be wrong with her. The doctor still had to declare that she was clear from danger, although she was not in a critical condition.

"Dani," Jacky also repeated her name, happy to see that her friend was starting to wake up.

All she wanted was for Dani to recover immediately and for everything to get back to normal. She wished that this incident would not hinder the wedding of her friend.

"Dani, baby. Please wake up." Alex lowered his body until he was leaning down close to her face. 

He wanted to be the first she would see when she opened her eyes. He wished for her to remember that she was never alone. He would never leave her side.

"Dani," Jacky whispered, but it was almost inaudible as she gave space for Alex to take care of her friend.

Jacky stood from her chair and stepped back a few steps. She did not want to ruin the moment that the two were having. Jacky had done enough problem. She did not want to cause more.

"Hi, baby!" Alex whispered gently in front of her, not wanting to spook her from her long sleep. 

He could see that her eyelids were moving, her lips parted, but she was still struggling to wake up. Her breath was a bit labor, but nothing that should alarm them.

The doctors had already removed the machines attached to her earlier, allowing her to move freely. Except for the IV tube inserted in her skin, she looked like she merely woke from her sleep. 

"Hi!" She spoke up in a croaky voice. She barely made a sound, so she cleared her throat, finding it very dry again. In another attempt to greet him, she voiced out his name. "Alex."

She recognized his voice even if she could barely open her eyes.

Her sight was still foggy, either from the accident or maybe the medications. But she did see a shadow of a face in her vision.

"Yes, I am here, Dani." He said softly to her as he held her hand for support. "Please let me see your eyes." He encouraged her to force them open wider.

A few seconds later, she slowly opened them. She blinked them twice, clearing the clouds that obscure her view. She finally saw the handsome face of the man she was going to marry, sighing a deep breath as she felt relieved.

She stared into his eyes, reading the depths of his soul. From there, she would know the truth of what she saw in her visions. In their reflections, she could see the genuine love he shared with her.

"You're here." She wet her lips as if the effort of saying those words were drying her mouth.

Flashbacks of her dream started playing inside her mind, confusing her with illusions and reality. But when she stared into those beautiful eyes, she knew which one she would choose to be the real one.

"Yes, I will always be here." He sat down on the edge of her bed and lowered his head until his lips barely touched hers. 

He focused his eyes on hers, hoping to see that she was more than ok. But he had no powers to heal her from her injuries. All he could do was stay by her side and help her recover sooner.

"They said that I had a car accident." She remembered what the doctor said, but the earlier event was still fuzzy in her brain.

She could remember bits and pieces of the first thing she did this morning, but her mind remained blank about the accident.

She did remember her dream, the one that had Nick in the main scene. But this time, she concluded that it was just a dream, more of a nightmare. 

She had no idea why she still kept conjuring his image in her brain despite dismissing him in her life. She searched her brain for a possible answer, but it eluded her.

"Yes, you were. But don't worry, you are now safely in the hospital, getting treatment for your minor injuries." He did not want her to worry unnecessarily. 

So far, the doctors had not seen anything seriously wrong with her. About the other matter, he kept it to himself for the moment.

There was no reason for him to tell her that she might be in awful danger.