Raging Love Ch. 10

"Oh my God!" Celine covered her mouth in shock.

"But I can assure you that we'll try our best. It's a 50:50 chance right now. He really needs your love and support."

"What the fuck!" Eduardo cursed, stamping his foot on the floor. "I am coming into that operation theatre. There's no way I am gonna let my brother die."

"Mr. Gonzalez, I understand that you're one of the best surgeons in the world but I don't think..."

"Look..." Eduardo warned, angrily pointing at the doctor. "...I don't give a fuck about that, okay. All I know is that my brother needs my help. I will not let him die because he still owes me a lot so don't you dare stop me. Do you understand?"

The doctor took a deep sigh and nodded. "Alright, Dr. Gonzalez. Let's go."

Eduardo didn't even waste any time. He rushed inside the emergency room together with the doctor. Emilia and Celine held their hands together, praying in their hearts that Antonio survived. They just wanted him to be with them.

Meanwhile, Travis furiously rubbed his tears. "Nothing will happen to Antonio!" his voice was so confident and strong.

With those words, he quickly turned and started rushing out of there.

"Travis!"

But Travis was deaf to anyone's calls. He rushed to the altar that he saw nearby and got on his knees, putting his hands together. There was a lamp that was burning and a small idol of the almighty with his hands stretched like he was blessing him. He had his eyes on the idol.

"You've never left my prayers unanswered before." He started softly. "You've been my guide, my protection and right now, you're my only hope. Please, protect Antonio from any form of danger. Save him because you're the only one with that power.

You're a remover of obstacles. Do whatever it takes, but please save Antonio. I don't want to lose the father of my child, please."

He was crying once again and this time, the pain that he felt was unimaginable. It was like someone was stabbing his flesh with a really sharp knife.

"Please save Antonio!" He sobbed softly. "Please!"

He closed his eyes shut and started offering prayers to the almighty. Everyone could see just how much pain he was in and no one approached him. They too were in tears.

Travis prayed with his entire heart, his soul and his strength. He pleaded with the almighty to give Antonio a second chance. While he did that, Travis lost contact with his environment. A really warm wind blew on his face and he felt a warmth deep inside of him that he had never felt before. It was like the Lord himself was praying with him. What he felt like minutes actually took over an hour and he didn't even realize.

Meanwhile, the light at the door of the operation theatre turned off and a doctor came out. The sound of the door opening alerted everyone and even Travis opened his eyes but he never got up. He just looked in the direction of the doctor, getting really nervous.

"Doctor, what happened?"

The doctor looked at all of them and then gave a sigh. Then he gave a really brilliant smile. "The operation was a success. We've taken the bullet out and by the grace of the almighty, he will recover in a few days."

Emilia and her family felt like life had just been brought back to them. They were breathing harshly, chuckling through their tears. Travis cried softly, feeling his heart go at peace. He looked at the almighty and touched his feet before he got up.

"But all the credit goes to Doctor Gonzalez." He added, shaking Ethan's hands powerfully. "In all my eyes as a surgeon, I have never seen such an exceptional doctor before. He did put up quite a good fight and I don't think the patient was also ready to leave this world."

"Thank you." Emilia cried softly. "May I... may I see my son now?"

"Not now!" He shook his head. "We'll be shifting him to the ICU in some time. You may meet him there. However, you can only see him one at a time."

Emilia chuckled in her tears, holding on tighter to her daughter in law. "Thanks a lot, doctor. The almighty will bless you."

The doctor couldn't help but smile. "And before I forget, during the operation he kept mumbling the name... Praveen. Perhaps it will be good if that person were here."

Emilia nodded and thanked the doctor before he left. She was really so excited and she was able to breathe again. She had really felt like she was gonna lose her son. But now she was sure that her husband was watching over him and protecting him. She was really happy.

Emilia took a deep breath and looked in the direction of Travis. She saw him slowly walking away. She quickly rushed after him.

"Travis, please wait!"

Travis stopped in his tracks and slowly turned, rubbing his tears. Then he gave a sheepish smile but deep inside, he was really suffering.

"Where are you going?" Emilia asked. "It's because of your prayers that my son is alright. Don't you wanna see him? I think he'll really appreciate it."

Travis nodded, wearing a fake smile. "I only did what I did because Antonio saved my life and that of my child. I had put him in that situation and now that he is out of danger, I am happy. But I don't think I need to be here."

"No!" Emilia took his hands and rubbed them sweetly. "You need to be here. In fact, you should be the first one to see him. Talk to him and maybe he might just recover quickly."

Travis wanted to see Antonio. God knows he was dying to. "No, Mrs. Gonzalez." He shook his head. It was painful for Emilia to hear him call her that. "I can't take that right from you. You're his mother and..."

"I am sure this is what he wants also." Emilia pleaded, putting her hands together. "Go and see him, even if it is to thank him in person. I will really appreciate this, son. Please!"

Travis was in a dilemma. He really wanted to go and see Antonio. But he also didn't want to see him because he didn't know if he was gonna control himself. But the woman was also begging him to go and see him.

What was he going to do?

***

Travis slowly entered the ICU room, closing the door behind him. His eyes were only on the man that lay on the bed with a sheet covering him from the waist downwards. He was motionless and he looked pitiful. Travis was feeling really nervous as soon as he entered and his eyes watered.

He slowly got closer, scanning the man. He was still really hot, if not hotter. His hairy chest was more muscular than he remembered and the man had a really gorgeous body. Shit! What was he thinking? He came back to his senses and reached the bed, standing still to look at the man's face.

He was having a nasal cannula and he looked really peaceful. Travis traced his body down to the abdomen where he had been shot at. It was stitched and then bandaged. Travis couldn't help but smile. At least, he had seen with his own eyes that Antonio was perfectly fine. He tried to touch the area where the wound was but quickly withdrew his hand.

He sat carefully on the chair closer to the bed, staring at the man's face. He didn't even realize that he was teary until he felt a tear going down his cheek. He quickly rubbed it and chuckled softly.

"I am so sorry, Antonio. I am not used to seeing you like this." He said softly, taking the man's hand, cupping it in his. At least, his hand was warm and he was breathing just fine. "You had to go through this pain because of me and I am so sorry for that. What you did for me back there, I never thought you'd do it. You protected me even though you knew very well how dangerous it was for you. It has got me asking questions, Antonio. Just what kind of person are you?"

He brought Antonio's hand closer to his mouth and kissed it. He was getting really emotional and he couldn't control it.

"When we got married six years ago, I never thought we'd end where we are today." He sobbed softly. "I never even knew that from all that pain I was experiencing, I'd get the joy that I have today. Even though our relationship wasn't perfect and it was based on deceit, lies and hatred, I still got my joy because of you. Sean is my joy and I love him so much.

I wouldn't have had the courage to say this to you if you were awake but..." He chuckled through his tears. "...that night we made love was one of the best moments of my life. I don't have any regrets that you took my virginity because I still got the greatest joy of my life, another reason to live. Our son is my life, Antonio. I love him so much and... and although I'd have loved for the both of us to raise him, only the almighty knows why it happened the way it did. There's just one thing that I don't understand..." He paused and cried.

"Despite all the pain that you had caused me, the pain that almost led to my death, I... I can't completely hate you. No matter how much I have tried for the last six years, it hasn't happened. When I found out that you had married Bruce, I was honestly hurt. I cried a lot that day. But perhaps it is because you're my first love and the love you inflicted on me has failed to go away.

Maybe what they say is true, 'first love dies hard.' Maybe that's the reason why I love you so much, Antonio. I have never hated you."

Travis was getting intensely emotional and images of his past were slowly forming in his mind. But it wasn't as painful as before.

"It hurts me to see you like this. I just want to see you happy but..." He cried softly, kissing Antonio's hand. "...we didn't have anything between us to start with. There was no love. Both of us found ourselves in circumstances which were beyond our control. That's why there's nothing that can be fixed between us. Back then, I could only see your hatred and your mistakes and not your support for me. There was no love."

Though Travis was saying that, he was in unimaginable pain. He had tried forgetting the love of his life for six years. But it hadn't worked. What he was doing was for the best.

"But now Antonio... now you've got another chance to start anew. You've got a chance to fix your life and make it perfect." He sobbed. "The past is the past and I want to completely forget about it. It is time to close this painful chapter of the story and start anew, both of us.

And to do that... you... you..." He paused and sniveled uncontrollably. "...you need to forget about me and whatever we shared. You need to fix your life, find someone new and fall in love with that person right from the start. You'll love that person with all your heart, marry him and raise a family with him. You are a great man and that person will be very lucky to have you. I don't intend to keep our son away from you. I want him to get to know his father although I don't know how we're gonna do this. It's gonna be really difficult."

He got closer to Antonio's face. "I forgive you for everything, Antonio. You're now free to live your life without any burdens." He slowly rubbed his tears. "I don't know what fate has for me but I'll probably live like this. I love you so much and I don't know if I'll ever love anyone that way."

He got off the chair and leaned down slowly. Then just like a flash, he captured Antonio's lips in a wonderful, fiery kiss that left him emotional and in pain. He didn't want to pull away. He just wanted to be with him, holding him and kissing him. But he had to leave.

"Forgive me if you can." He muttered. "I love you so much."

With a final kiss on the forehead, Travis turned and started leaving. As soon as he left, Antonio's tears started rolling down in streams. He slowly opened his eyes, watching as the love of his life went away. That had been more painful than getting shot at. Antonio didn't know what to do but cry. He had been awake since the time Travis had entered the room.

***

Travis was holding his sleeping son in his arms tightly as he exited the hospital. He was feeling really terrible... he had a headache and he had no idea why his heart was racing that much. It was literally torturing him. He was together with his family.

"Travis!" He heard Ethan's voice behind him. "Travis, please just a moment."

Travis stopped in his tracks and gave his son to Vanessa. "It's okay, mother. You and Santiago can go ahead. I will find you in the car."

The two nodded and left. Travis turned and found Emilia and Ethan rushing to him with worries on their faces. They were both panting because they'd been running for a really long time. They were happy that they'd catch up with him.

"Travis, are you sure what you're doing is right?" Emilia asked, fearing for her son. "You should have stayed until he wakes up. I don't know if he'll..."

"Everything will be alright, Mrs. Gonzalez. I am in a bit of a hurry. I need to go to the police station to give a report of what had happened. The inspector told me that they'd caught the officer that helped Bruce." He was wearing a fake smile and it wasn't fooling anyone.

"Yeah, he called me too." Ethan sighed. "Everything is gonna be fine. But that's not what we're talking about."

Travis gave a gloomy sigh. "We all have to face the truth. Antonio and I didn't have anything between us. That's why there's nothing to fix. He's gonna have to start a new life."

"But will you be okay with this?" Ethan asked, raising his eyebrow.

Travis chuckled, taking a sigh. "With what I have gone through, I was living in pain and all I wanted was to make Antonio feel that pain. But for the first time in six years, I feel like I need to start my life anew and so should Antonio."

Emilia had no idea why it was so painful. "My son loves you so much, Travis. He really does. Why don't you give him another chance?"

"No, Mrs. Gonzalez!" He shook his head. "Antonio doesn't need to dwell in his past. What he needs is to fix his life and move on. He'll eventually fall in love again with a man that will make him happy, someone that will appreciate him."

"But you've got a son together." Ethan added. "What are you planning on doing about that? Sean cannot grown up without his father. Think this through."

Travis smiled brightly. "I already have. Antonio can see his son whenever he wants. Sean will understand all this. I didn't say I will cut all connections with Antonio. He just needs to fix his life and maybe one day..." He shrugged. "...we might just be great friends. Life is very funny, you know."

Ethan was in pain. He could see that Travis was saying that in pain. "But..."

"All I can say to you is that now I have realized that sometimes a breakup of marriage isn't a single person's mistake. Both are responsible for that." He said softly. "Sometimes, not the people but circumstances are bad. I can assure that everything will be fine. I have forgiven Antonio and it's about time I forgave myself too and all the mistakes I have made. It's time to learn from them and move on. I know it will be very difficult but it's very necessary." He smiled brightly. "Take very good care of Antonio and make him understand too."

He slowly turned and started walking away as fast as he could. While he did, he lost the smile on his face and held his chest, trying to contain the pain in. It was getting even more painful as he moved further away from the hospital.

***

Ethan entered the ICU and he stood still, staring at the bed like he'd seen a ghost. There was no one on the bed. The sheet was on the floor and there were drops of blood on the floor and some on the sheet. Ethan's heart started racing and he got really scared. He rushed to the bed, looked under the bed and scanned the whole room but there was no sign of Antonio anywhere. Even the nasal cannula had been removed and the blood that was being transfused into his body was on the floor.

Ethan took the nasal cannula and looked all around. "Antonio! Buddy! Are you in here?"

But he was dead wrong. Antonio was not in the room. It scared him so much that he went running outside like the hounds of hell were after him. When he got out, he almost bumped into Emilia who was coming from the cafeteria, holding a cup of tea.

"Ethan?" She asked, looking at him like she'd seen a ghost. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

Ethan gripped his hair, looking really nervous. "It's Antonio! He's not in the room. I have looked for him everywhere."

"What?" Emilia gasped and she dropped the cup to the floor. Some tea spilt on her leg and she didn't even feel it. "What are you talking about?"

Ethan took a deep breath, feeling hot all of a sudden. "He's not in the room. I have looked everywhere and it seems... it seems he..."

But he didn't even finish his sentence and Emilia was already rushing inside the room. It was true. Antonio was no longer there. Emilia remained standing there, looking all around. She was frozen and her eyes widened in fear. She was breathing like she was in pain. She looked at the bed but there was nothing there. Everything in there was a mess. She didn't wanna think things but she couldn't help it.

"Antonio!" She muttered, her body starting to tremble. "Where... where could he be?"

Ethan held her. "Please, calm down. We'll look for him. Maybe he just went for some air or something."

"How?" Emilia asked. "It's not possible. He's not completely healed. What if... what if something bad has happened to him? What if my son's life is in danger?"

"Please, aunt!" Ethan held her hands, trying to make her understand. "He's probably just somewhere or maybe Celine and Eduardo are with him. Let me give them a call."

He quickly took his phone from the pocket and dialed Eduardo's line.

'Hello!' Eduardo answered on the other end. "Is Antonio awake yet?"

Ethan got weak by that response. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. He was now starting to sweat and he simply got pale. He looked at the woman who was staring at him, expecting to hear some good news.

'Hello!'

"Yeah! I... I was asking if you've seen Antonio." He said in a cracking voice. "He's missing from his room?"

'What?' Eduardo yelled on the other end. 'What do you mean he's missing? How can a man who was just operated on be missing? It's impossible. Are you sure that..."

"Yeah!" Eduardo said, running his fingers through his hair. He was scared as fuck. "He's not in the room and he removed everything that was on him."

'Fuck!' Eduardo cursed. 'Fine! Meet me at the entrance. We'll find him together.'

"Cool!"

Ethan cut the call and found Emilia in tears, holding her hands together. She was really scared. "Where could he be?" She cried. "I haven't even seen him since he got operated on."

"We'll find him." Ethan assured. "Nothing will happen to him. Let's go meet Eduardo."

The two left the room quickly, running like the hounds of hell where after them. They were both praying in their hearts for Antonio to be safe and not do anything stupid.

***

Antonio slowly entered the temple, his eyes fixed on the statue that was in front with its hand stretched and as if it was smiling at him. He was so much in pain and he was holding his abdomen, near the area where his wound was. He was limping and he was feeling a bit weak.

Antonio was wearing a black trouser with a blue t-shirt. He had hoodie on because he didn't want anyone to recognize him. There was no one in the temple and so, he felt at least safe. Antonio had left the hospital quietly and he had made sure that no one saw him because he had disguised himself. It had been difficult leaving but he was just so happy that he had managed to leave. Even though he was in there, he was so much in pain. It was the first time he had entered the temple.

He managed to reach the front and he knelt in front of the idol, looking at its face.

"I don't know the reason why I felt the need to visit you today and honestly, I don't even know if I am welcome here." He started softly. "I don't know why I missed you so suddenly when I have never actually believed in you. Maybe I wanted to thank you. I thank you the most because... because you saved and took care of the boy that I love with my entire heart. Through him, I have come to realize that you truly exist and you're very powerful. I am here right now because of his prayers and his love."