After Blaze was done thanking Amelia's family and friends for hanging around and helping out with his wife, he quietly made his way into Amelia's room alone with the nurse's approval.
The sight of his peacefully sleeping wife, dressed in a hospital gown with some beeping gadget and hanging drip-taped to her body, made Blaze's heart sink.
Even though he had seen her in this state before, this time around everything felt different. She had become a part of him and the mere thought of her experiencing pain greatly affected him.
Taking a deep breath, Blaze slowly and quietly approach Amelia's bed, his subtle grey eyes taking in her serene face.
She was looking so beautiful and innocent in her sleep, almost like a sleeping angel.
Bending over, Blaze kissed Amelia tenderly on her forehead, stroking the loose trend of hair away from her face. He observed the dry patches of tears on her slightly reddened cheek, his heart dampened at the thought of her being in more pain.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here for you, my love," Blaze whispered catching himself off guard at the use of the last two words.
Thankfully, she was deep asleep and couldn't hear him profess whatever he felt for her.
"I promise I won't leave you again," Blaze said, adjusting the sheet covering from her chest downwards.
After ensuring that everything around her was working perfectly, Blaze quietly pulled a chair close to her bedside and sat down.
Five minutes after Tina left the eighth floor, brainstorming on how to discreetly retrieve her phone, a brilliant idea came to her mind. She quickly retrieved a patients coat at the sixth floor and threw it on before heading for the first floor.
When she arrived at the first floor, she politely approached the reception desk, where she introduced herself as Stacy.
After making a few inquiries about the hospital janitors, she was later directed to a mature woman in a blue, unisex overall uniform.
The woman happened to be the head of all the janitors in the hospital.
Luckily for Tina, the woman was very kind and understanding after she shared her pathetic story with her.
"Don't worry, my dear, I'll personally clean that room and help you retrieve your phone without alerting your best friend or her husband." The woman promised before leaving with her cleaning gadgets.
Two hours later, Tina who had gone out to a nearby hotel to freshen up and change, returned with high hopes. She briskly made her way to the janitor section where the woman from earlier was waiting patiently for her.
"Christiana..." Tina called moving closer to the lady who didn't recognize her in her new disguised look.
"Miss Stacy, is that you." The mature woman as, looking at her suspiciously.
"Yes, it's me," Tina replied, taking off her dark shades.
"Oh it's true." The woman smile open recognizing her. "The scarf and the sunglasses glasses made you look different."
"Did you find my phone?" Tina asked impatiently irritated by the woman's nosy attitude.
"Yes, I did." The woman slid her hand into her long brown coat pocket and brought out Tina's iPhone.
"Ah!!! You really found it!" Tina's eyes widened in excitement as she quickly snatched the phone from the woman, almost scratching the poor woman's flesh with her long nails.
"Careful." The woman smiled, massaging her wrist where Tina's nails almost bruised her. She was happy that the young lady had been reunited with her expensive gadget.
Tina tried to power on the phone but noticed that it wasn't coming on.
'Probably the recording had drained the phone battery.' She thought.
"Is something wrong with the phone?" The woman asked, observing the frown on Tina's face.
"I don't think so," Tina replied putting the phone away in her handbag. "Did anyone see you while you were retrieving the phone?"
"No. I was very careful and discreet."The woman explained.
"What about my best friend and her husband? Were they still inside the room?"
"Yes. Your best friend was still sleeping and her husband was seated beside her. He didn't seem to care about my presence until I came closer to his wife's bedside."
"Good!" Tina beamed. "What about the bodyguard?"
"He was looking at me most of the time. But trust me, he didn't notice me picking the phone because it was at the corner. Also, I was extremely cautious."
"Thank you so much." Tina dug her hand into her handbag and brought out some cash. She counted twenty pieces of a hundred dollar bill and placed it inside the woman's pocket. "That is for your troubles."
"But I didn't do this for money." The woman said shaking her head as she brought out the money from her pocket, slightly overwhelmed by the amount. This was equivalent to her monthly income.
"Thank you, Miss Stacy but I can't accept this. It is simply too much."
"You'll hurt my feelings if you reject my kind gesture," Tina said, pouting. "Moreover, I'm not paying you for a job well done. I'm simply saying, thank you."
The woman smiled. "Thank you so much. Feel free to contact me if you need my help in the future."
"I sure will. Have a beautiful day." Tina patted the lady, and took down her phone number before leaving.
Amelia slowly fluttered her bleary eyes open after nine long hours of sleep. Her highly sensitive nostril picked up the distinctive scent of a familiar masculine cologne, forcing her to turn her head sideways.
Warmth slowly crept up her face, colouring her cheeks with a faint rosy pink and a gentle smile tugged at the corner of her lips as her hazel eyes fell on her husband.
He was seated on an armless chair and resting his head on the edge of her bed. One of his hands was interlocked with hers while the other was nestled under his head. He seemed to be deep asleep or so she thought.
Lifting her other hand, Amelia gently placed it on his smooth textured hair making him stir and lift up his head.