The Rose Wilted, The Marriage Followed Chapter 04

The Rose Wilted, The Marriage Followed Chapter 04

They wheeled my mom into the pre-op area late in the afternoon.

Arthur finally appeared.

He was already in his scrubs. Tired around the eyes, but still pulled together.

My mom was the first to smile.

“Arthur. I’m glad you’re here.”

Arthur leaned in. His voice softened.

“Mom, don’t be nervous. You’ll close your eyes, and it’ll be over before you know it.”

He hadn’t called her that in a long time.

I stood to the side. Something frozen in my chest cracked.

Just a little.

Perhaps he was just too busy.

Perhaps, just this once, he’d remember who his family was supposed to be.

Arthur looked at me.

“Wait outside for me. It’s going to be fine.”

His hand rested on my shoulder and stayed there for a beat.

I didn’t pull away.

For the first time in days, I didn’t pull away from him.

But just as the nurse reached for the gurney, his phone lit up. Clara.

Arthur glanced at the screen. His thumb hovered over Decline.

It rang again. And again.

He picked up. His voice dropped.

“Clara, I’m about to go into surgery. Whatever it is, it has to wait.”

A raw, broken sound came through the speaker.

I couldn’t make out the words.

I watched the color drain from Arthur’s face.

“Where are you?”

He turned and walked out.

I grabbed his arm.

“Arthur. My mom is about to go in.”

He stopped. I could see the split second he chose.

“Clara’s on the roof. She’s threatening to jump.”

I looked at him.

“And?”

“I’ll talk her down. Ten minutes, max. Dr. Evans can start the prep. I’ll be right back.”

My fingers slowly let go.

“You promised you’d do it yourself.”

“Eleanor, someone could die.”

His voice was ragged with urgency.

Like every second I kept him there made me the heartless one.

My mom spoke from the gurney, her voice thin.

“Arthur, go. Don’t let that poor girl do anything foolish.”

I looked at her.

Even now, she was giving him a way out.

Arthur glanced at me.

“Eleanor, please. Try to understand.”

Understand.

That word hit the crack in my chest and froze it shut.

I watched him walk away and realized I was past even disappointment.

The operating room doors swung shut. A moment later, they opened again.

Dr. Evans came through, pulling on his gloves as he walked.

“Mrs. Sterling, Dr. Sterling was called away. I’ll start anesthesia and prep your mom.”

I didn’t move.

All I could hear was the squeal of equipment wheels on the floor.

The surgery began shortly after.

Nearly an hour later, the doors flew open.

A nurse rushed out with a new consent form.

“Eleanor? We found her aortic wall is thinner than expected. We need to change the surgical plan. I need a family member’s signature.”

I took the pen. My hand was shaking so hard I could barely hold it.

“Where’s Arthur?”

The nurse hesitated.

“Dr. Sterling hasn’t come back yet.”

I dialed his phone.

The first time, no one answered.

The second time, it connected.

Wind. Then Clara’s voice, raw and thick with tears.

“Arthur, I was so scared…”

The phone shook against my ear.

Behind one side of those doors, my mom was fighting for her life. On the other end of the line, he was holding another woman.

Whatever I’d been holding on to snapped. All of it, all at once.

I pressed my back to the wall and steadied my hand.

“Arthur, they need to change the surgical plan. Come back. Now.”

A beat of silence.

“I’ll be right there.”

“How long?”

“Clara’s still not okay. I need to get psych over here to take over.”

I shut my eyes.

“My mom is on the operating table.”

He sounded tired. And annoyed.

“Eleanor, I know. Just sign it. The team has it handled. Stop making everything my fault.”

A laugh slipped out of me. Small and sharp.

As if I was the one making his life hard. He had no idea what it actually meant to carry everything alone.

To be the only one waiting outside every door.

I finished signing and put the phone back in my pocket.

Hours later, the surgery ended.

Dr. Evans walked out and took off his mask.

“Surgery’s done. There was more bleeding than expected. She’ll need to go to the ICU for observation.”

I leaned against the wall and nodded.

Arthur returned later that evening.

Clara was with him.

She had his coat around her shoulders. Still clutching that crumpled white rose.

“Eleanor, how’s Mom?”

Arthur came toward me.

I looked up at him. My voice barely carried.

“She’s in the ICU.”

His face changed.

“What? How?”

I didn’t answer.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the divorce papers. Already signed. I placed them in his hand.

“When she wakes up, I’m moving her to another hospital.”

Arthur looked down at the papers. His entire body went rigid.

“Eleanor, what is this?”

Clara hovered behind him, sniffling.

“Eleanor, this is my fault. Please don’t do this just to punish him…”

I looked at the white rose in her hand.

The petals were already going brown at the edges.

This time, I wasn’t going back.

I walked out of the hospital.

Arthur started after me.

Then his phone rang.

It was Sarah Bennett from psych.

“Arthur, I pulled the rooftop footage for the incident report.”

“Ms. Hayes never went near the ledge. She was just standing there, waiting for you to come up. There was no attempt. No real intent.”