The Devil's 5'5

Chapter 52 - I'm Your Biggest Fan

April 6th, 11:11 AM - Chicago General Hospital - Chicago, IL Azura's POV

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When Azura finally opened her eyes again, she was looking up at a white ceiling. Unlike the last time she woke up from being drugged, her surroundings assured her that she was in a safe area. The steady beating from her left side, made her crane her stiff neck to glance at the heart rate monitor that showed normal vitals.

What happened?

The question had her mind blank, but eventually little snips popped up one by one.

Right, I went to the safe house. I saw Preston...

The smiling face in her mind brought upon mixed feelings, some positive and others negative. While she wanted to see him again, her heart clenched tightly as she recalled the dead eyes of her target's mother. She couldn't save her and it pained Azura as she tried to accept the fact that she had made Preston an orphan.

Even if he knows about my real identity, how could he accept me after he learns...that I couldn't save his mother.

Her fisted hand clenched the white bedsheets and she suddenly had the urge to leave, to get away and hide. She wasn't ready to face him.

When the door opened, she jolted into a rigid upright position. But the soft footsteps belonged to her attending physician who gave her a warm smile as she came to check on her monitor.

"Good morning, happy to see you're finally awake."

She nodded, realizing she had no idea how much time had passed since she lost consciousness. "I've been out..."

"For about 39 hours," the doctor confirmed. "But you should be expecting your regular visitors very soon," she added with a smile.

"Visitors?"

The doctor nodded again, standing to the side of her bed. "Yes, three gentlemen, but one, in particular, has stayed longer and was finally convinced to leave to freshen up."

Could it be...Preston?

"How are you feeling now?"

"Fine, thank you," she responded distractedly as the internal debate in her head tried to confirm or deny the mystery visitor.

Glazed eyes, and a blank mind, Azura absentmindedly took in the diagnosis being recited to her. Before she was left alone again, she was handed the latest newspaper issue as per her request. Skimming the front page which gave a snip of the breaking news story, she flipped to the page which would give all the details.

Reading the story through the biased lens of the journalist who had written it, she felt her heart sink.

It didn't talk about the lack of lustrous life the pair had, and how it may have been a catalyst towards their impending doom. There was no mention of the love they had shared and what it had manipulated them to do. At the end of the day, the body count, heroic public service and the gruesome details were shared, because that was the story the world wanted to hear.

Her eyes lingered on the mugshot of Rosa, neither flattering nor true to how she really looked like. After all, she had done in the name of love, she managed to make peace as she left, but Azura felt anything but peace.

Her reading was interrupted as the door opened once more, and Azura again waited with bated breath as she caught sight of pairs of shoes from underneath the curtain around her.

They walked straight towards her section and without hesitation pulled back the mind-green fabric. Her hands clutched the newspapers tightly as she waited for her visitors to speak.