Chapter 107: Chapter 107

Jessica was lying on the bed, seemingly asleep. The guard got up, nodded at the two women who were standing by the door as though they were afraid to go in, and walked out the door.

"Wait," Charlotte called out to him as he proceeded to go sit in the corridor. "Is she talking yet? Can she talk yet?"

"No, not yet ma'am. She's able to recognize people now, though. The doctors are hopeful that anytime from now, she would be able to start talking. As it stands, she's trying to make some sounds, although most of the sounds are gibberish. The doctors don't want her to exert herself or force it." The man explained, seeming surprised at such a question.

"Oh, thank God for that. The earlier she can talk, the better, so it's good that she's already making sounds. Stay with her for a few more minutes. We'll be back shortly, okay?"

"Oh? Where are we going?" Carol asked, signaling to the driver who was carrying the things that they had brought for Jessica to drop them inside the room for her. The man did so and then went away to wait for them to call him after they were done.

"I don't know. I suddenly feel very faint. Do you think that we can sit down somewhere away from all this sickness and suffering for a bit? I'm sorry ... it's just that with seeing Mr. James the way he was and everything, I just feel so down and dejected. I don't want to be that way around that poor, poor girl and would just like some time to get myself together. Maybe we can sit outside the hospital for ten to twenty minutes if you don't mind. I promise I'm not always this sappy. I don't know what is wrong with me."

"It's okay," Carol said automatically, her face sympathetic. Charlotte had to stop herself from snorting. She had never met anyone as dumb or soft as Carol was. They turned away from the room and walked back the way they had come from. The

hospital was a big one, so they had to walk down different corridors, which was exactly what Charlotte wanted. She should have done this on their way in, but the idea had only occurred to her as they got to Jessica's hospital room. As they got to the last corridor before they went out of the hospital, she turned to Carol.

"Do you think we could sit down for a bit? I'm tired."

"Sure. I was thinking we could go get some ice cream. We can do that after you rest for a bit." Carol replied immediately.

"Ice cream? What are you? Five?" Charlotte thought to herself derisively but did not say anything, scrunching her face up as though she was having a serious headache. With all the stress she was currently passing through, she was surprised that she did not indeed have a headache and could not wait for all this to be over and her enemies to be gone. Her face must have shown what she thought of Carol because the latter spoke defensively.

"I know you think it's stupid and childish, and frankly, I agree with you, but I've found that having ice cream when I'm stressed never fails to ease my stress or uplift my mood. Must be all that sugar." Carol said, laughing a little, but looking a bit embarrassed.

"No, it's fine," Jessica replied, surreptitiously removing the necklace that she had lied Mr. James asked her to give to Jessica and dropping it on the floor by the leg of the chair on which she was sitting.

"We must still go and get the ice cream though. I think I saw somewhere where they sell ice cream not too far from here. Maybe we can even get some for Jessica if they'll allow her to have it, that is." Carol insisted.

"Actually, I think I'm fine now. Let's just go see her and get this over and done with, if you don't mind. I'm dying to see what your competition is like."

"Are you sure you're fine, though?" Carol asked.

"Of course, I am. If I wasn't I wouldn't be going back. Just admit that you want to use me to satisfy your ice cream craving. Don't worry, we'll stop by the place when we are leaving, okay?"

"Alright then," Carol said, laughing a little. They walked back companionably to Jessica's room. The door was closed, but at Carol's knock, the guard who was staying with her opened it and nodded at the women again, before stepping out of the room to go sit out in the corridor while they visited with Jessica.

Jessica was still sleeping when they entered the room, something which pleased Charlotte to no end. Carol approached the bed slowly, her heart beating as she got her first real glimpse at the woman whom Sebastian had been engaged to before she disappeared. The woman who, according to his own words, was his safe place and whom he felt at peace with. Did he feel the same way with Carol? She highly doubted it.

Jessica's skin was pale, which was not such a surprise, considering that she had been cooped up in the hospital and unconscious for the better part of a month and two weeks, and her eyes were closed. Even then, Carol could see how stunningly beautiful this woman must have been before all this. Even now, she was still very beautiful and even a blind person would be able to see that. They had removed the tube that was in her neck, and the feeding tube that Sebastian had told her about.

"She's one ugly bitch, and that hospital gown is not doing her good one bit." Charlotte spat, startling Carol as she came over to inspect the sleeping woman. Carol had been so engrossed in checking Jessica out that she had practically forgotten that she had not come here alone.

"Really? She looks pretty to me. Maybe it's because she's in a hospital bed she looks ugly to you."

"All I know is that she stands no chance with Sebastian, not with those looks, she doesn't." Charlotte lied, waiting for a little time to pass so she could send Carol off to find the necklace that she had 'forgotten' in the lobby of the hospital. Jessica was more beautiful than Carol, although not quite as well-endowed.

"Really? You think so?" Carol asked, feeling oddly pleased.

"Yeah, of course. I mean, look at her. Her chest is practically flat. Then look at you and your big boobs, big ass, and that flat stomach. Men love these things, which is why I'm not surprised that Sebastian is all over you."

"Well thanks, I guess. So what do you propose we do? Leave these things that we brought for her and go away or wait for her to wake up? I don't even know what to do, I mean, it's not like I know her or anything, you know."

"Maybe we should just drop the things that we brought for her first and then come back some other time. At least, we have seen what she looks like and you can set your mind at rest." Charlotte said, so Carol began to stow them away neatly. Charlotte remained by Jessica's bedside, wishing she could just inject her with one of the drug-filled injections that were in her bag right now, but she could not do that with Carol in the room.

She opened her mouth to inform Carol that she could not find the necklace and that she had probably left it in the lobby where they sat earlier when Jessica's eyes opened, almost startling Charlotte into dropping the phone that she was holding. The eyes had not opened slowly either but had opened so suddenly that it was as though it was a robot that was lying down on the bed and not a human. At that moment, Carol came over, saw Jessica's eyes open, and gasped aloud. The three of them stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Jessica's eyes did not seem really focused, but she was looking at Carol, who was smiling sheepishly at her.

"Hi. I'm Carol." Carol said, moving closer to the bed and wringing her hands nervously. It was clear that she did not know what to do with herself. Charlotte stood where she was, out of Jessica's line of vision, her heart pounding.