LOVE YOU, UNCLE

“Now, what are you busy with?”

Randy seemed to be getting bored dealing with Giselle, who had been engaging him in small talk. While glancing at the Tag Heuer Carrera silver wrapped around his wrist, Randy occasionally scanned the surroundings, hoping that Ghea would come and pull him away from the event.

As a man who had spent a lot of time with many women, he certainly knew which ones were genuinely interested and which ones were intentionally seeking his attention, like what Giselle had been doing.

“If you’re asking what I’m busy with, of course, I’m busy with work as usual,” Randy replied casually.

“Oh, I see,” Giselle responded, trying to be friendly. As much as possible, she tried to grab attention and present the best impression to the man who was clearly the husband of her step-sister. “I thought, besides work, you might have other activities that you’re currently focused on. You know, young entrepreneurs like you usually have a tight schedule with various business-related or hobby-related activities during leisure time.”

Randy rolled his eyes. Initially, he intended to remain silent because he was not interested in engaging. However, shortly after, he became interested in responding to what Giselle was saying.

“But, come to think of it, lately, I do have a new activity.”

“Oh, really?” Giselle looked enthusiastic. “So, you have a new pursuit recently?”

This time, Randy nodded.

“Yes. Since officially getting married and changing my status to a husband, I’ve been busy arranging my schedule to focus on taking care of and making Ghea happy.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Giselle smiled sourly. Her ears felt warm hearing what Randy had just told her.

“Do you really love and like Ghea?”

Randy nodded again with confidence. Even from his facial expression alone, it was clear that he was serious about what he was saying.

“Of course. If I didn’t genuinely like her, I wouldn’t choose Ghea from all the candidates. That’s why, until this moment, I’m trying my best to give her what she wants and focus on making her happy.”

Upon hearing Randy’s answer, Giselle fell silent. There were no signs that she intended to reply or give any response. Perhaps she was upset after hearing Randy’s unexpected and completely unanticipated answer.

“I think our conversation has been more than enough,” Randy said afterward. Politely, he intended to excuse himself from Giselle.

“Why so hasty? Are you leaving already? What time is it?”

“Not really,” Randy replied, shaking his head. “I just want to find Ghea. We’re used to being together, so I can’t stand being away from her for too long.”

Once again, Randy’s words made Griselle even more annoyed. Why couldn’t the man be as she expected? Hoping that Randy would be tempted or fall for her bait, he instead spoke unexpectedly, completely contrary to Giselle’s anticipation.

Meanwhile, Randy, who managed to leave Giselle behind, immediately started searching for Ghea. Suddenly, he became worried about why his wife had gone to the restroom but hadn’t returned for quite some time. What if something happened to her?

In the midst of his search, Randy accidentally ran into Mario. His brother-in-law approached and greeted him as he was wandering around looking for Ghea.

“What’s up, Ran? Are you looking for something?”

Randy hurriedly nodded. He thought maybe Mario had seen his wife.

“I’m looking for Ghea. She asked for permission to use the restroom earlier. But it’s been almost half an hour, and she hasn’t come back.”

Mario’s brow furrowed. Although it sounded strange, he tried to think positively.

“Maybe Ghea finished in the restroom. Then, on her way back, she ran into one of the cousins and started chatting, or maybe Dad called her to introduce her to one of the guests.”

There was some truth to what Mario said. It could be that his wife had indeed finished in the restroom a while ago. However, she hadn’t approached him immediately for some reason.

“That could be.”

“Let me help you look for her on the right side of the venue. Maybe Ghea is really with Dad.”

Despite hearing Mario’s explanation, Randy had already started thinking positively. But not long after, his phone suddenly rang. Upon checking, Ghea’s name was clearly displayed on the screen. Not wanting to waste time, Randy immediately answered the call.

“Yeah, Ghe, where are you? I’ve been—”

“Brother…” The voice sounded so weak. “P-please help me.”

Hearing Ghea whimpering as if in pain, Randy was instantly attacked by panic. Especially when he hadn’t had a chance to ask, his wife had already ended the call just like that. Needless to say, this made Randy immediately flustered.

“Ghea… Ghea?!”

“Why, Ran?” Mario wondered, also asking questions.

“Ghea, Gem,” Randy replied with an audibly worried voice. “She called, and then she asked me for help.”

“Asked for help?”

“Yes. I’m sure something is wrong with Ghea.”

Randy then rushed away, trying to find Ghea as quickly as possible.

“Ran… wait! Where are you going?” Mario asked when he noticed Randy hurrying away.

“Ghea is in the restroom,” Randy replied, continuing to walk quickly toward the place where he believed Ghea was.

Mario followed Randy’s steps. Upon reaching the women’s restroom, Randy tried knocking repeatedly. Unfortunately, after several attempts to call out, he heard no response from inside. This naturally made him more anxious and worried about what was happening to his wife.

“Ghea…” Randy and Mario kept calling.

“I think we should break down the door, Gem,” said Randy, and then immediately set up a stance. He was ready to exert all his strength to break down the door that was locked from the inside.

“Or should I help call security first?” Mario suggested but was promptly rejected by Randy.

“Too slow, Gem. Just stay quiet. I’ll break it.”

In the next moment, without waiting for Mario’s response, Randy immediately exerted all his strength. He pushed and kicked the restroom door until it finally swung open.

Realizing that the restroom was pitch dark, Mario ran. He searched for the light switch located next to the door and turned it on, illuminating the restroom. Once he noticed the room was now well-lit, Randy hurriedly entered and found Ghea lying unconscious.

“Ghe… wake up, Ghe.”

Randy immediately reached for Ghea’s body. He called her repeatedly while gently stroking her cheek, intending to wake her up.

As there was no response, and fearing something bad might happen to his wife, Randy took the initiative to pick her up. He slowly carried Ghea, intending to take her to the hospital.

***

Randy appeared faithfully waiting in front of the Emergency Room, while the doctor was examining Ghea’s condition. A few minutes later, Mario, accompanied by their father, also appeared, both worried about the fate that had just befallen the youngest member of the Donovan family.

“How’s Ghea, Ran?” Magnus asked as he approached Randy, who was standing right in front of the ER door. Undeniably, he was genuinely anxious after hearing the news from Mario that his beloved youngest daughter was unconscious.

“Still waiting for the doctor’s update, Pa. Hopefully, everything’s okay.”

Magnus tried to remain calm. Shortly after, the doctor handling Ghea finally came out and approached Randy and Mario, who were standing right in front of the door.

“Are you the family of the patient named Ghea Donovan?”

“I’m her husband, doc,” Randy replied, stepping forward. “How is she, doc? How’s my wife?”

“The patient’s condition is currently stable. However, my advice is that when the patient wakes up and her condition is stable, please encourage her to seek treatment. Because, in the future, excessive fear like this can make her uncomfortable, and at worst, it can endanger the patient’s life.”

Everyone there was taken aback, especially Magnus and Ghea, who didn’t expect Ghea’s long-standing fear to be serious and requiring immediate attention.

“But, if the patient is conscious, can I take her home right away, doc?” Randy asked again.

“Yes. Once the patient is conscious, you can take her home for outpatient treatment and complete rest for the next few days.”

After the doctor finished giving information, Randy turned to his father-in-law and brother-in-law. The three of them appeared serious in discussing Ghea’s treatment that needed to be done. Moreover, Randy certainly did not want an incident like this to happen again, which could endanger Ghea’s life, as the doctor had warned.

“Actually, what caused Ghea to have such a phobia of darkness?” Randy wondered aloud, full of questions. He was curious and confident that there must be an initial trigger for his wife to be so frightened in the dark. Randy believed that there must have been an incident in the past that led to trauma for Ghea.

“I don’t know,” Mario replied, shrugging his shoulders. “Dad and I also don’t know why she’s so afraid of dark places. No matter how many times we ask, she always says she’s afraid of suddenly being in the dark.”

“I’m sure there’s an event in the past that traumatized her,” Randy asserted. “This can’t be left unaddressed. Ghea really needs immediate treatment.”

Mario nodded in agreement. He also felt sorry for Ghea, who had fainted helplessly due to her extreme fear of darkness.

“We’ll talk more about it later, Ran. I’ll help you find the best psychiatrist so that Ghea can receive treatment comfortably. For now, I ask you to take care of Ghea. If you need help, don’t hesitate to contact me.”

Randy agreed with what Mario suggested. After Ghea regained consciousness and he visited her to ensure her condition, Mario and Magnus eventually said their goodbyes. Meanwhile, Randy hurriedly took Ghea home so she could rest.

“Ghea, how do you feel now? Are you okay? Or is there anything I can do for you?” Randy asked when they were at home, now in their bedroom.

Ghea shook her head. With eyes that looked weary and a still weak condition, she tried to respond to her husband’s words.

“I’m okay. For now, I just want to rest.”

Randy nodded in understanding. In a situation like this, Ghea indeed needed plenty of rest, as the doctor had advised back at the hospital.

“All right then. If that’s the case, you go to sleep quickly. So you can feel fresher tomorrow. To avoid disturbing your rest, I’ll sleep in another room tonight.”

After saying those words, Randy immediately got up, intending to leave. But before he could take a step, Ghea reached for Randy’s wrist. She held onto him, preventing him from going anywhere.

“Why, Ghe? Do you need something?”

Ghea shook her head. Instead of answering, she pulled Randy’s wrist, signaling him to sit back down.

“Don’t go anywhere. I-I’m still scared.”

Randy smiled. He took her hand and held it tightly, trying to reassure and make Ghea feel safe and comfortable.

“No need to be afraid. I’ll stay with you. Now, go to sleep quickly. You need plenty of rest.”

“But…”

“But what, Ghe?”

“Can I sleep while holding hands like this?” Ghea asked, glancing at their intertwined hands. “I’m still really scared.”

Randy smiled. In the next moment, he nodded in agreement with Ghea’s recent request.

“Sure, Ghea. I’ll do that for you as long as I can. Besides, I won’t be going anywhere. So, don’t be afraid. Now, let’s rest.”

Randy then leaned forward. Without permission, he gently kissed Ghea’s forehead, then spoke to her again.

“Good night, rest well, My Little Wife.”