Chapter 136 - Rory

Finland woke up in the hospital feeling like her body was crushed. She saw someone sitting in a chair by her bed reading a book.

"Wh... who are you?" she asked in a weak voice.

"Hey... my name is Rory." The man put down his book. "How are you?"

"My body feels like it had been run over by a car," Finland admitted. "Were you the person who helped me?"

"Yes, that's right. I just happened to be there at the right time, otherwise you would have hit the sidewalk and maybe now you would already be forced to give birth. The doctor said you have to rest in bed until the time of delivery, otherwise your baby will not make it."

"Oh..." Finland suddenly recalled what happened. She was on the phone with Jean, and she came to find that Jean had forgotten her...

The memory made her tears slowly flow down her cheeks. Rory, who didn't know what was wrong, became confused.

"What's wrong? Do you remember your boyfriend or husband's phone number? I can call him for you... Your phone fell on the road when I frantically took you to the hospital."

Finland didn't remember Caspar's nor Jean's phone numbers. All numbers were stored in her old phone with her prepaid SIM card. All her contact numbers and all her memories were on that phone.

She shook her head in despair. What to do now...? She could not contact anyone...

"Shhh... don't cry. You shouldn't be stressed. You should rest first. Do you remember your home address? I can tell the people in your house about your condition." Rory tried to calm Finland.

"I live alone, I'm an orphan, and don't have anyone in this world..." Finland tried to hold back her tears.

Rory immediately looked touched.

"You are alone in the world?" he asked softly. "I don't have anyone in this world either."

He approached her and sat at the edge of the bed and held Finland's hand. His voice sounded so gentle.

"I'll help you. Don't worry. You can ask me for anything."

"I... I don't want to bother anyone else..." Finland refused. But her tears did not stop flooding.

"What is your name?" Rory asked.

"I... I'm Finland Makela..." Finland answered.

Rory held Finland's hand and stared fixedly at her face. "Finland, I don't believe in coincidences. I saved you at the right time. This must be fate. I never do something half-heartedly. I will help you until you recover, and your child is born, and make sure you are both fine."

Finland, who was not accustomed to accepting kindness from strangers, was amazed by the seriousness in Rory's words. She began to pay close attention to the man.

Rory looked the same age as Finland. He had a very handsome and attractive face with long hair that was messy but seemed to perfectly frame his face.

A striking feature that he had was that each of his eye had two different colors! It wasn't very apparent because he wore glasses, but one half of his eye was green and the other half was blue. Finland had never met anyone who had heterochromia* before.

For a moment she couldn't take her eyes off Rory, but when she came to her senses, she quickly released her hand from the man's grasp.

"I don't want to bother you... Thank you. I'll be fine..." Finland said, still trying to refuse.

"Don't be selfish," Rory said later. His voice turned icy. "You think by pretending that you are strong you will turn into a super woman who can handle everything? I understand that mindset, because I am also used to living alone. I know how it feels like to have circumstances steer you to be independent and not depend on other people, but asking for help from others when you are in trouble is not a sin. You have to think about your child..."

Finland bit her lip... She knew that Rory was right. At times like these she really felt helpless and alone. What a beautiful life she had when she had Jean whom she could complain to about life, and there was Caspar who loved her... Now Jean lost his memory, and Finland couldn't contact Caspar.

"You're right..." Finland nodded. "I'm not strong, I need help... I don't have anyone..."

"All right. You can just bedrest. I'll go home first to change my clothes. What should I bring you from outside the hospital?"

"I don't need anything. Thank you. Uhmm... would you mind going to my office tomorrow, LTX International in the Financial District, to let my colleagues know I'm in the hospital?"

"OK."

Rory walked out, but before he reached the door Finland called him.

"Rory..."

Rory turned and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Thank you. I am indebted to you."

"Do not think about it."

After Rory left Finland cried again.

***

At a hospital in France, Rosalind Marchal was visiting Jean, who just finished his physiotherapy. Her face looked tired but at the same time relieved that her son finally woke up.

"How are you?" Rosalind asked, sitting by the bed. "When can you start walking?"

"With intensive physiotherapy, the doctor said I would be able to walk again within 4 weeks..." Jean said. "I wish it could be faster. It's not fun at the hospital."

Rosalind handed him a paper bag and Jean immediately opened the contents.

"This is a new phone and some books from your manager. I also brought toiletries and a shaver," Rosalind said.

"Thank you, Maman." Jean was suddenly quiet. He felt his smooth chin and face, "I don't remember anyone shaving me this week..."

"But your face doesn't have hair at all, not traces of shaving..." said Rosalind in amazement.

"Hmm... maybe my hair growth had slowed down after the coma..." Jean shrugged. "Thank you for bringing these things for me. Later when I have to, I will shave..."

He opened one of the books his mother brought and began reading.

"Can you read without your glasses?" Rosalind asked suddenly. She just noticed that Jean was reading a book at close range without difficulty. "You are nearsighted."

Jean was so surprised to hear it that the book fell from his hand.

"What did Maman say? I'm nearsighted...?!"

"Yeah, you started wearing glasses last year. You didn't tell anyone, but I know. You don't like wearing glasses and just use it to read in secret."

Instantly Jean's memory flew to the girl from yesterday who claimed to be his best friend and insisted that he wore glasses for reading. She even sent him a photo of him wearing reading glasses.

His heart became disturbed.

"Maman... do I have a friend in Singapore?" he asked softly.

Rosalind nodded. "Yes, her name is Finland. You even brought her to my house for dinner before you both went to Colmar."

Jean's mind became really confused. He hurriedly picked up his phone and called his manager.

.

*Heterochromia of the eye is called heterochromia iridum or heterochromia iridis. It can be complete or sectoral. In complete heterochromia, one iris is a different color from the other. In sectoral heterochromia, part of one iris is a different color from its remainder. In central heterochromia, there is a ring around the pupil or possibly spikes of different colors radiating from the pupil. Rory has sectoral heterochromia because each of his eye has two different colors