Dominic stopped at a nearby florist and bought a large basket of Marianne’s favorite flowers: roses. He could still recall the impression his lush garden had made on her and in his mind, such a gesture would move her. More than anything though, he was trying to overcome his guilt. He could buy her all the flowers in the world and he would still not feel any better. Dominic had inadvertently put her in harm’s way and he could not forgive himself for that.

Words can’t say how sorry I am for what happened to you, little bird. He thought to himself, stepping out of the empty elevator. You were just trying to do your job and you ended up in the hospital, because someone wanted to harm me. Wait until my people get out of here, you bastards. I swear to God I’m going to make you pay for what you did.

Dominic found Marianne in the hospital bed, but this time, she looked much better than before. Her eyes were not drowsy and she even smiled up at him, as he entered her room.

“Welcome back,” she said, her voice sweet as he walked up to her. “Are those for me?”

“Well, I wasn’t intending on giving them to Thierry.” He joked, bending down to kiss her. “How are you feeling?”

“Thank you. I’m still a little dizzy.” Marianne claimed, just before he briefly kissed her on the lips. “I asked about him. The nurses said he’s not up yet. What about you? How did it go with the police?”

“It didn’t,” Dominic grumbled, bending back. “They don’t have a clue.”

“Those two officers really got on my nerves,” she complained. “They kept asking me the same things over and over.”

“I’m really sorry, Marianne.” Dominic said, his voice overcome with sadness. “This entire incident was my fault.”

“Excuse me?” She squinted at him.

“I was their target.” He pointed to himself. “Not you or Melanie.”

“Okay, you lost me.” Marianne confessed. “Someone rammed your car and you’re saying you’re sorry? For real?”

“Yes.” He gave a small nod.

“Come here.” She curled her index finger. Dominic bent down again. Before he knew it, her smooth hands were on his face. Marianne closed her eyes, tilted her head slightly up and gave him a sweet, tender kiss. He gave a gasp of surprise, but very soon, he reached down and caressed her hair, as she stroked his cheeks. She lay her head back down on the pillow and opened her eyes, the happy smile on her face sending waves of bliss up and down his spine. “You shouldn’t feel sorry,” she whispered. “You were not driving that truck.”

“Still…” Dominic squeezed his lips.

“It happened.” Marianne added. “I’m okay. Melanie’s going to be alright. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“I’ll try,” he assured, bending back. “What are you going to do now? Are you still going to Grenoble?”

“I kind of have to, don’t I?” She smiled. “The interview’s not complete yet. I have a small issue, though.”

“What’s that?”

“The doctors won’t release me until Sunday morning.” Marianne elaborated. “The paper rescheduled my flight for Monday night; they couldn’t find another one until Saturday. I don’t want to spend my last night here typing.”

“I can help you with that.” Dominic said, with a hint of mischief in his eyes.

“You and I in the same room?” She laughed. “I doubt we’ll be doing much typing.”

Lost in her warm, penetrating eyes, he pondered her response. There were a million things he could say to her, but he would not open his mouth. Instead, Dominic preferred to gaze upon her, feeling his heart thumping in his chest. Nevertheless, the thought that their relationship would soon become a memory brought tears to his eyes. Marianne Brewster had rocked his world and she was less than three days away from going back to New York City. He scanned her face first and then lowered his gaze, biting his lower lip, in a clear attempt to prevent himself from speaking.

“Dominic, what’s wrong?” She asked with a hint of tension in her voice.

“I, uh…” He sighed, staring down at the floor. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you too, my king.” Marianne’s confession forced him to lift his gaze back to her face. Her smile had vanished and her eyes had darkened with sorrow. “I called my editor, just before you showed up. He gave me an extra three days to finish up.”

“I can call him, too.” Dominic spoke in a broken voice, blinking back tears. “I’ll ask him to give one more week.”

“Work’s not the only reason I can’t stay.” She whispered, dropping her gaze from him, as a tear rolled down her cheek. Her words puzzled him. However, just when he was about to ask her, he heard commotion on the corridor outside. Dominic quickly turned around, as two male doctors sped by Marianne’s room. Two quick steps brought him closer to the wide window. A sliver of fear sliced through him, as they turned right and into Thierry’s room. Without wasting any time, he turned his body left and stormed out of Marianne’s room, as yet another, older doctor passed him by. He didn’t have the chance to speak to any of them. As soon as he reached the door to Thierry’s room, a nurse slammed it behind her and rushed to his bed. Dominic’s heart sank, as he looked through the window. The man he had known all his life, his trusted driver and one of his father’s good friends was having a seizure. Two doctors were holding him down, while the third had a needle in his hand.

“No…” a whisper of utter despair fled his lips, as he shook his head sideways.

“What happened?” Not even Marianne’s voice was enough to draw his attention. Dominic kept staring at Thierry, but, in a matter of seconds, his driver stopped moving altogether. Looking up and to the left, he saw a flat line on the electrocardiograph monitor. A doctor on Thierry’s left grabbed the defibrillator paddles and turned on the machine, as a nurse yanked down the old man’s robe, before slapping pads on his chest. The machine delivered a shock. Thierry’s chest arced off the bed. The line remained flat. Dominic ran his hands through his hair, watching as the doctors repeated the procedure to no avail. After two more failed attempts to resuscitate him, they quit.

His world shattered into a million pieces. Two tears streamed down his face, as he took a few steps back, grabbing fistfuls of his hair. Dominic’s back hit the opposite wall and he slid his down, the anguish of the situation gripping him, his gut-wrenching pain taking hold of him as he closed his eyes. Wrapping his arms tightly around his knees, he burst into loud, wailing sobs, unable to fathom why his beloved driver had died like that. Marianne sat beside him and circled her right arm around his neck. She pulled him closer in a side hug, his hot tears soaking her skin as he rested his head in the crook of her neck. Dominic’s entire body shook violently, as she caressed the back of his head. Within seconds, two tears toppled over the edge of her eyes and raced down her cheeks. The devastated man cried like a small child. He had lost one of the few people he could still call “family”. Now, Dominic had to find a way to live without him…