Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 390: Feeling Despaired

Chapter 390: Feeling Despaired

Talia, who was busy sending the baby turtles their way, didn’t forget to look at her Fred under the moonshine. His pale skin glowed in the beautiful light from the silver moon. He must have set his hair with hair wax but still some hairs were loose and floated in the gentle breeze.

Ah, he’s so nice to look at. And how cute is he trying to help me with the baby turtles! I’m glad he waited for me for a decade.

When she looked at him after a while, she saw his face illuminated with the light from his phone screen. It was then she saw the most adorable smile on his face as he looked in her direction.

Is he talking about me to someone else?

She went on about her business while being conscious of him. She could understand why most people liked beaches and water. The scent of the salty water mixed with the scent of flowers blooming in the night, the sound of the crashing waves, the man of your heart beside you... It’s paradise!

She thought he called him and turned to look at him with a smile. Her heart was filled with happiness and it overflowed as a constant smile in her porcelain face.

"Ah!"

She saw him clutching his head and kneeling on the sand and the smile in her face vanished and got replaced by panic.

"Fred!" she ran towards him. The skirt of her dress was long, designed to be worn with heels. With her wearing sandals and stepping on the loose sand, she stepped on the dress and fell on her knees. By instinct she broke her fall using her palms and without wasting time she got up immediately and ran to him.

"Fred, what is it?" she called for him but he wasn’t responding to her. She hugged him around his shoulders. "Fred... what’s wrong with you...? Fred. Talk to me, please... NO!"

Her throat closed and her heart that was beating erratically stopped when he fell limply.

"Fred!!!"

She shouted and tried to hold him from falling down, but she couldn’t handle the weight of his upper body. And yet she used every ounce of her strength to keep him from falling.

What is going on?

Her chest felt heavy unable to hold him and a grunt escaped her mouth when she tried to pull him up followed by her sobs. Even through all this, he was unresponsive.

"Fred!"

Why isn’t he waking up?

An indescribable fear filled her heart seeing him unresponsive making her stunned and unable to move. Her entire body hurt and her brain froze as she didn’t know what she should do. Her phone was still in her pocket, his phone is accessible to her too, but she froze facing this reality.

This is not right. I should do something...

With her hands shaking, she placed her trembling finger under his nose.

He’s breathing... he’s breathing... Thank God, he’s breathing!

"Mr.Ed!!! Sir Robert! Help!! Somebody help!!! He fainted!!"

She knew although they asked their security to stay away, Mr. Ed wouldn’t be far from her and she screamed at the top of her lungs.

As she expected, Mr.Ed came running towards them from behind the trees followed by her other bodyguards. "I’m here, Your Highness."

"Doctor! Call for a doctor!"

"There is a house doctor currently in the house, Your Highness. If you let go, we can bring Lord Ashwood to him." Mr. Ed spoke in his usual soothing, calm voice.

Only then Talia realised she was holding on to Fred so tight and other’s won’t be able to help him if she was holding him. She let go of him and followed them as they carried him to the house. He was still not waking up and was limp.

She’s a Princess and there were a lot of security protocols for her. So there will always be a doctor, blood bags and other essential medical supplies near her at all times. The doctor checked him and Talia’s brain was scrambled thinking of everything that led to him ending up this way.

Mr. Ed covered her with Arthur’s jacket. The usually observant Princess is too troubled to notice the eyes of the men in the room unwittingly ending up on her shoulders and back.

Even his glare did nothing to those men. He knew she’s dressed for her date with Arthur and wouldn’t like others to look at her this way.

"He held his head as if he was in severe pain and then he knelt and fainted."

"No, this never happened before, not that I know of..."

"He doesn’t have any ’conditions’ I know of..."

She answered all the questions the doctor asked and she felt like she really worthless as she couldn’t say anything with surety.

Do I even know him?

"He slept really deeply one day and didn’t wake up even after I called him many times. I thought he fainted then," she suddenly remembered something from months ago.

The doctor looked at her and then continued doing his testings.

Her hands were shaking constantly and her throat felt parched. She didn’t have to look in a mirror to know her makeup is all smudged with her crying. She felt sticky with her exposure to the salty breeze and there were grains of fine sand sticking all over her.

But she was in no mood to care about all that. She, who was feeling warm just minutes ago, felt chilly and she hugged his jacket over her. There was a trace of his scent left on the jacket.

"He’s had a seizure." The doctor told and Talia felt her soul leave her body.

"Seizure?"

"Yes, but since this is his first time having a seizure it is nothing to worry about. You should take him to the hospital for more tests."

"But shouldn’t he be taken to a hospital immediately?"

Of course Talia had confused ’seizure’ with ’stroke’ and thought he’s in a more serious condition.

The doctor then explained how seizure works and Talia was relieved a little.

She was told to rest, but she decided to stay by his side and wait till he wakes up. She sent everyone away and wanted to be alone with him until he wakes up.

Every passing second felt like an eon and Talia could finally understand how Arthur would’ve felt every time she laid unconscious in the hospital bed. Sitting by a little chair by her side, he’d have felt the same anxiety as her.

This is hell!

She felt like she’d go crazy looking at the man who was kissing her so passionately just an hour ago. Since he was still unconscious, she had dimmed the light in the room. She walked to the window and opened the window.

The moon was there and its gentle light spilled inside the room. Seeing the moon, she felt as if it followed her here during her depressed time as it was with her during her blissful moments. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. A very pleasant fragrance entered her nose. An exotic, familiar and yet rare scent.

Kadupul flower? It can’t be that, right?

Talia, as someone who grew up in luxury has heard of these flowers. There are some synthetic fragrances that are said to be close to the original scent of the flower. She thought someone must have used it.

She turned to look at Arthur and he still looked like he was deep in sleep. Her heart clenched with pain and she felt cold. She put her arms in his jacket sleeves and since her hands were still cold, put them inside the pockets.

It’s when she felt it. There was his phone and along with that, a little box?

With no second thoughts, she took the box out. Looking at the beautiful little blue velvet box, she kind of guessed what it might be.

Was he actually going to propose? Ah, it could very well be earrings, right?

She controlled her heart to not get excited and opened the box. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped seeing the most beautiful ring she has ever seen.

A beautiful blue emerald diamond in a rectangle emerald cut was the centrepiece. As if just to show how that blue diamond is superior, two smaller white diamonds were by the side. On their own, each white diamond would have made a perfect engagement ring, but sitting beside the beautiful vivid blue diamond, those diamonds looked unimpressive. The band was of white gold and Talia stood frozen for an entire minute admiring the beauty of the ring and her heart started to beat like a drum out of excitement.

Wow! This is the ring my Fred chose for me!

Of course she immediately wore it in her ring finger and it was a perfect fit. She raised her hand and looked at her finger that looked prettier with the ring on it. The moonlight reflected on the diamonds and gave a mystical fell to it.

I’m not dreaming am I?

She pinched herself and it hurt. She lowered her hand and the unconscious Fred came to her view.

It hurt... it hurt so much she cried once more kneeling beside him.

How amazing it would have been if you gave this ring to me yourself, Fred? Why are you lying unconscious like this when you should be kneeling in front of me, proposing? Idiot Fred, wake up!

No, crying like this would solve nothing. I don’t care what this doctor says. I’ll bring you to a hospital immediately and take every test there is. I won’t let you get sick! I’ll arrange for our return to Esteria immediately.

She stood up determined, wiping her tears.

But it has to be secret... I have to make proper arrangements.

She took his phone, unlocked using the password and dialled his assistant. Peggy answered the phone immediately and Talia explained her plans.

"Mr. Sinclair has already scheduled for a surgery. Should we bring forward-"

"Surgery? What surgery?" Talia was flabbergasted by the information revealed to her.

Peggy was silent as if she had realised she had said something she shouldn’t have. At Talia’s prodding, she explained Talia about Arthur’s tumour and detailed the plans he had made including the transfer of signing authority to her grandpa.

He has a tumour and everyone knows about it including my grandpa, but not me?

Why did he hide it only from me?

Her left hand dropped to the side and it felt heavy. That big ring felt too heavy for her to carry.

He must have wanted me to not worry and sink into depression like before, right?