Two weeks later.
After the shooting incident, Bella rarely left her house. She only went outside when she visited the hospital. Tristan or Geoffrey would accompany her wherever she went. Like today, Geoffrey sits beside the driver as they head to the hospital to see Sam.
After Sam finally awakened from his brief coma, Bella, Harper, and Leo visited him almost every day.
Sam was recovering well, but his healing process was taking longer than expected, preventing him from engaging in his everyday activities. To keep him company and uplift his spirits, the three of them made it their daily schedule to cheer him up, especially since Sam had no family.
They learned from Sean Spencer about Sam’s tragic past; his entire family had been killed when he was still serving in the military. This loss was one of the reasons he left the army, moved to the USA, and ultimately met Jack.
Understanding his background, Bella and the others wanted to support him. Still, in the end, Sam chooses to stay with Harper and Sean’s family because he feels a stronger connection with Sean. Perhaps camaraderie between soldiers. This bond also allowed him to reconnect with his former colleagues from the military.
As for Jack, just a few days after the incident, his father discovered what had happened and sent a private jet to bring him back to the US for continued medical treatment.
Meanwhile, Bryan was discharged from the hospital a week ago and stayed on Tristan’s property under the care of Tristan’s most trusted medical staff to recover more quickly. Since his injuries are not as severe as Sam’s, he may return to work with Tristan soon, although he won’t guard Bella for now.
...
Heading to the VIP wardroom on the 20th floor, Bella was surprised to encounter Harper, who had just emerged from the other elevator.
"Harper?"
"Oh, Bella! I thought you had already arrived!" Harper said as she rushed to Bella. They linked their arms together, making their way to Sam’s room.
"Why did you come so early? Didn’t you say you would come in the afternoon after work?" Bella smiled, happy to see Harper.
"There’s a family event tonight, so I decided to come over now. I missed you anyway," Harper giggled as they entered Sam’s bedroom.
Sam’s smile widened upon seeing them enter, mainly as they carried various shopping bags.
"Sam! You look very healthy! I brought your favorite chocolates from Europe!" Harper shouted, placing several boxes of chocolates on the table beside the bed before settling on the edge of the hospital bed. She took one box and slowly opened it.
"Oh my goodness, Harper Reed, you don’t have to shout like that. Even though one of Sam’s ears isn’t working, he can still hear you," Bella shook her head while putting fresh fruits in the fridge and glancing at Sam. "Isn’t that right, Sam?"
Sam smiled at Bella before looking at Harper, who had already opened the box of chocolates.
"That’s right, I can still hear you, even if you speak normally. No need to shout," Sam said softly as he glanced at Geoffrey sitting on the couch. "Geoffrey, thank you for coming by to see me. I’m glad to see you, man..."
Harper shrugged and began to eat a cranberry chocolate.
Geoffrey lifted his head from the magazine in his hand and glanced at Sam. "I’m not visiting you, Sam. I’m just accompanying my madam," he replied casually before returning to his magazine.
Bella, who overheard Geoffrey’s words, chuckled and settled on the other side of Sam’s bed.
"How’s your walk therapy going today, Sam?" Bella asked curiously.
Sam’s leg had been seriously injured, hitting a vital bone, which made it challenging for him to walk normally. However, his therapist emphasized that with hard work, he could eventually walk again without any aid.
"He tortured me, but it’s fine. As long as I can run again and kick someone else’s butt, I will stick with my therapist," Sam replied.
"How about your eye?" Harper asked before popping another piece of chocolate into her mouth.
"Honestly, there’s no hope for my right eye and ear. They just don’t work anymore," Sam replied bitterly. Despite this, he felt grateful for being alive. Losing one eye and hearing in one ear didn’t seem like a big deal to him.
"I’m sorry to hear that, Sam. But don’t be too down about it; at least you can still see and hear with the other ones, right?" Harper attempted to cheer him up.
"I’m not down, boss. I’m grateful that God allows me to be alive and spend time with all of you. This is the best I could ask for," Sam said with a smile. However, his expression slowly faded as he fixed his gaze on the chocolate box in Harper’s lap.
Before Harper could respond, Sam chuckled, narrowing his eyes at her. "Boss Harper, isn’t that chocolate for me? Why are you eating it? My God, you’ve almost finished the whole box..."
Bella watched as Harper froze, her hands suspended in the air, just moments before she popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth. Unable to contain her laughter, Bella found her best friend’s expression comical as she was caught red-handed stealing Sam’s chocolate.
"Harper, Harper… you’re so hilarious, my friend," Bella giggled.
Harper quickly finished the chocolate in her hand, glaring at Bella before shifting her gaze to Sam.
With a smile, she answered Sam, "Well, Sam, this is my chocolate. Yours are the four boxes over there." She pointed to the remaining boxes on the bedside table.
Sam and Bella exchanged amused glances, shaking their heads at Harper’s flimsy excuse.
However, a moment later, Bella’s expression turned to one of surprise as she recalled a crucial detail. She remembered that her best friend had never liked sweets or chocolate because she was strict about maintaining her weight.
Yet now, Harper was nearly finished crunching a box of Belgian dark chocolates in just a few minutes.
Narrowing her eyes at Harper while suppressing a smile, Bella asked, "Harper Reed, are you pregnant?"
Harper was shocked to hear Bella’s question. "Pregnant?" she repeated, trembling.
Bella nodded. "Have you ever taken a test? When was your last period?" she asked.
Instantly, Harper felt all the blood drain from her face as she realized she had been late for three weeks now.