Captured by Love

Sophia's POV.

I woke up to the pungent smell of hospital disinfectant invading my nostrils. The room was silent apart from my heavy breathing and the beeping sound you often hear in hospitals.

I opened my eyes and then quickly had to shut it. The bright light was like a laser gun shot at my brain.

Then, slowly, I opened my eyes, squinting in an attempt to sharpen the blurred images before me.

I glanced around, taking in the deserted gray and white color-schemed hospital bedroom.

Even in my sorry state, I couldn't help but grimace at such a dull color for a hospital bedroom.

How long have I been here? I shut my eyes trying to remember what happened exactly. Then it all hits me with a bang. The memory of it all started to occupy my thoughts.

I was hit by a car! The pain jolted throughout my body. I believe I heard a lady scream. In the thin line before giving in to unconsciousness, I noticed people starting to surround me.

And then, I heard a deep voice say “Hold on, you'll be fine”. Before giving in to the beckoning hands of darkness.

Who brought me here? Who hit me? While pondering this, my hand traveled to my face, I winced as I touched the throbbing area on my right temple.

I tried to get up but quickly realized what a bad idea that was. My body was engulfed in so much pain as if objecting to my decision to stand up.

I lay there pathetically waiting for the pain to ease up. Staring at the ceiling, illuminated by a white fluorescent light.

I still didn't know how I got here.

“Who brought me here? How long have I been here?”

My thoughts were interrupted as a devilishly handsome man with brown hair and mesmerizing blue eyes, dressed in a fancy suit like he wanted to be anywhere but here, emerged from the door of my room with a mobile phone close to his ear, talking.

Oblivious to the fact that he had fully conscious company. I couldn't help but eavesdrop.

“Stuck here like I'm some freaking babysitter. She won't wake up! What am I supposed to do? I can't just leave her here alone.”

Well, I didn't need a soothsayer to tell me that he was talking about me. I guess this answered my question about who brought me here.

Just then, he glanced in my direction. I must have made a sound even though I tried to stay as still as possible.

Quickly, he spoke into his phone, “I'll see you at the office”, then abruptly ended the call and tucked his phone into his pocket, turned towards my direction, and said.

“Do you have a death wish”?

“Excuse me”? I said with confusion written all over my face.

“I asked if you have a death wish,” he rudely repeated.

“Yes, I heard you the first time. Why would you ask that?”

“How else do you explain absentmindedly crossing the road without looking to check for any incoming vehicle? I could've killed you, you know,” he said while running his hand through his hair in frustration.

“Well, thank you for not killing me,” I replied sarcastically. “Now when do I get out of here?”

I wouldn't be caught dead admitting to my mistake, especially when this stranger was being so rude about it. My life was shitty enough already.

Just yesterday, I had a job, only to get to the office to realize that I was among the few people being let down by headquarters to save funds. It's no wonder I wasn't paying attention to the road. I just wanted to go home and cry.

Noticing the tears gathering in my eyes and mistaking them as a result of physical pain, his demeanor softened.

“I'll get the nurse to make sure you're alright. Meanwhile, I need to be in a very important meeting right now. Let me just go sort out your discharge papers.

The doctor assured me that you'll be just fine”. And like an afterthought, he added, “Please don't go about crossing roads absent-mindedly or your wish might just be granted”.

Just like that, he was out of the room.

How dare he?

Not even an apology?

Rude!

Moments later, the door opened and while I was expecting a nurse or some other hospital staff, I felt this tingling feeling in my belly at seeing this stranger again. I felt betrayed by my body because didn't we just settle on how rude he was? Arrgh!

Or maybe he's here to offer that apology after all. I thought in anticipation.

“Oh, and lest I forget, I'll have the nurse also bring your belongings. I'm sure you might want to make a few calls.”

He remained at the doorway like he wanted to say something then hesitated and just as abruptly as he came in, he was finally gone.

Well, there went my apology.

*****

Alex's POV.

Why couldn't I get her out of my head? Those dark brown eyes keep looking right at me even when I close my eyes.

With such pretty dark hair and a pale face.

I'm a CEO, goddammit! I have a company to run and not engage in such baseless thoughts, especially not after what Emily put me through.

If only I had allowed Josh to drive me to the office that morning, I’m sure as hell I wouldn't be in this dilemma.

Josh is a seasoned driver. I only called him to come to drive me from the hospital because I was too shaken and angry to drive.

My mind accommodated a lot of thoughts.

“Josh, sir?" He said, drawing my attention back to the present.

I looked up at him wondering why we had stopped.

“We're here,” he added.

With a confused look around, I quickly realized he was right. Hurriedly, I stepped down as I didn't want to be late for the meeting with the new investors.

This was a deal I had been working on for some months now and I wasn't about to let some pretty brown eyes screw with my head on the day I'm to present this proposal.

“Good afternoon, Mr Hayes, the investors are already in the conference room, and it seems they're about to round up the presentation sir,” Mary, my heavily pregnant secretary said to me immediately as I got to the elevator.

Seeing her reminded me of how much I needed to get a new secretary as Mary would soon be going on maternity leave.

“Thank you, Mary. That reminds me, have you put out the job offer for the new secretary on our website, so you can be relieved as soon as possible?”

“Yes, I have, sir. I'm still sorting through the numerous applications” she replied with a smile.

"Very well then, I'm sure Steve did a good job representing me on this one."

Steve Harrison had been his best friend since high school and is now his business partner. It was also Steve who called to know his whereabouts while he was in the hospital.

Proceeding into my office with Mary following closely behind, the only thing I could think of was “Would we get this deal”? or “Would my proposal be accepted”?

Alex's POV.

“We got the deal!” Steve screamed while doing a very ridiculous celebratory dance around my office with a glass of champagne bought for this exact purpose.

immediately, I heaved a sigh of relief. Trust Steve to be so forward as to buy a celebratory bottle of wine even before getting the deal. I couldn't help smiling smugly while shaking my head in amusement as I sat in my office chair.

“It wasn't that easy to convince them though, especially since you weren't present. But our proposal was accepted anyway." He stated.

“Bro, I thought about that too, my not being around during the presentation. But on second thought, I knew you could handle it." I responded with a satisfied smile.

As much as I wanted to show how happy I was, it was as if something was out. After a while, Steve moved closer to my desk and without hesitation, he asked. “You don't seem excited to me, Alex, may I know what's going on?

“Of course, I'm excited. I truly am, who wouldn't be?" I answered ridiculously.

But Steve didn't relent, he was bent on knowing what the problem was. I guess I'm not so good at pretending either.

“Hey, you know you could tell me anything right? And quit acting already. Alex! I can tell you for free that something is bothering you, so spill."

"It's this girl at the hospital. it's annoying how I just can't get her off my head, I mean, it wasn't even my fault." I replied.

“Her? Who?” Steve inquired, with a confused look on his face.

“The mysterious girl in the hospital”. Upon hearing this, Steve kept his glass of wine at the farther end of the table and sat down, already very interested in the conversation.

This came as a surprise to Steve because I am not one to be bothered by women let alone being moody because of one.

“Are you serious right now? Wait, could this be love at first sight? Is the hard guy Alexander developing soft spots now?" He said amusingly.

"Well, news flash, I'm not planning on falling for that cliché word called love. Not after what my ex-fiance did to me, by the way, I never said I loved her."

“The girl you claimed appeared from nowhere in front of your car?” Steve asked again.

“Claimed? She appeared from nowhere. I'm not “claiming”. I blurted out, giving Steve an accusatory glare.

“Well, if she's really on your mind like you say, maybe we should go see her”. Steve said, raising his hands in mock surrender.

“See her? Oh c’mon...we both have more important things to do than go visit a girl who has a death wish in the hospital. Besides, her discharge papers have been sorted. I'm sure she's already out of there, not that I care though”. I replied “Well, whatever you say, man,” Steve replied with a mischievous smirk on his face.

Knowing Steve and his obvious knack for playing matchmaker, I decided to ignore him. Feeling more lightheaded, I decided to join in on the celebratory drink.

*****

Sophia's POV.

Soon after the handsome rude stranger left, a nurse came in to give me my belongings and to check my vitals just like he said.

The first thing I did was to check my phone and sure enough, it's 25 missed calls. 15 from Stephanie, my roommate and best friend, 5 from my mum, and 5 from ex-colleagues probably calling to check up on me due to the abrupt way I lost my job. It just hits me again that I'm jobless! Gosh!

Of course, I called my friend Stephanie first. Ever since my dad passed, the relationship with my mum has been kinda strained and I'm sure she only called because Stephanie must have called her in a panic. I just couldn't cope with her addiction to drugs.

“Where the hell are you?”

Immediately I heard Stephanie's voice, the tears I'd been trying to reel in ever since I opened my eyes in the hospital started pouring down like opened floodgates. “I'm in the hospital,” I said between hiccups.

“Hospital? Oh, honey are you alright? What happened? I could feel her starting to panic.

In a bid to reassure her, I said, “I'm fine I just need to get out of here. Can you come get me?”

“Sure, what hospital are you in? I will start coming right away." Stephanie remarked.

At this point, I did not need a soothsayer to tell me how worried she was. Good thing I asked the nurse from earlier to tell me what hospital I was in because Mr. Rude Pants didn't bother answering any of my questions. “Reddington hospital” I replied.

“Okay, I will be with you in no time. see you soon” Steph added before disconnecting.

****

Some 30 minutes later, my hospital room door flung open and Stephanie dashed inside.

After hugging me as both of us could manage with me laying on the bed, and making sure I was alright, she immediately took a protective stance with arms akimbo and said “Now, I need you to tell me exactly what happened and don't you dare omit anything”.

Trust Stephanie to be stern with me even while I was lying in a hospital bed. Though we're best friends and both the same age of 24, she sometimes acts like a mother to me. I just love her.

“Can we go? I can't stand this place much longer”. I replied with fresh tears running down my cheeks.

“Of course honey, we have all the time to talk at home,” Stephanie said as she slid her arms over my shoulders to comfort me.

“It's going to be fine. You're going to be fine. Now let’s get you out of here”. She added.

Her soothing words were like a balm that calmed my wounded soul.

Back at our apartment, Stephanie grilled me into telling her everything, from getting fired from my job to the moment I called her from the hospital.

“Stephanie, I'm so sorry you had to go through all that” she said while wrapping her arms around me in a much-needed hug. “Don't worry, you'll get another job. And where's the asshole that did this to you? I'd like to give him a piece of my mind!”

"That won't be necessary Steph. It was my fault. I wasn't paying attention while crossing." I responded softly.

Although it sounded like I was defending the asshole and I guess Stephanie picked up on that because she immediately stood up, pointed her finger at me, and said. “Don't you dare try to blame yourself for this, you hear me? You're a victim for God's sake!"

All I could do was offer her a weak smile, clearly not in the mood to argue with her logic.

“Now, I'm going to tuck you into bed because the doctor said you need to rest, okay?

“Goodnight, Steph,” I said sleepily after she helped me into bed.

“Goodnight, darling” she replied before placing a kiss on my forehead.

That night, my dreams were filled with visions of the tall, blue-eyed stranger.