I will not be bias and put a pic of Marshall Williams as well....

Longer chapter....

I am switching the story from third to first person so there will be instances of the two points of view.  

Chris didn't have a phone on him. 

Where was it?

 Did he drive here alone or was he dropped off?

Maybe his phone fell while he injured himself.

I decided to look for his phone maybe it might be of some help.

 Large stains of Chris' blood lay scattered on the porch and the dragging of his feet through the mud was visible.

"The fool," I thought. "was he that determined to come and annoy me."

I followed the path and it brought me to a damaged fence at the side of the property. I guessed that he had missed the entrance in the heavy downpour. I stepped closer to the fence and noticed that it was very jagged with thick vines around it. Chris must have tried to jump over and cut himself along the way. If this was his entryway his phone should be nearby. I walked to the gate and walked along the road. I saw a car which was barely visible off the road behind some brush. The passenger side of the vehicle was stuck in a mud ditch at an odd angle. From the deep skid marks and the position of the car, Chris must have tried in vain to get the vehicle out of the mud but to no avail. His effort just sunk the car further into the mud.

Unfortunately, the car was locked and there was nothing visible in the car as I peered through the windows. The phone was not in plain sight. I searched around the car for the keys but nothing appeared. I went closer to the fence and noticed them hidden in the brush.

"Geronimo!" I screamed finally something good had happened.

I unlocked the vehicle and dug under the seats but I could not find the mobile within the car.

"Now what!" I shouted flailing my arms. "Why me? Why here?"

"Ok! It's my fault. I like him and I'm getting stuck with him because I have denied it!"

I was speaking to the air, to the trees, to whom or whatever wanted to listen.

"I like....Chris, is that it! I like Chris O'Connor ... a lot!" I was now on my knees circling the car.

I was feeling under the back tyres  but no phone!

"Don't tell me he doesn't have one!" I screamed searching frantically for any sign of a mobile.

I quickly popped open the trunk and to my utmost delight the phone lay in there with an overnight case.

"Eureka!" I screamed. I picked it up.

It had a signal and it seemed operational!

"Yes!" I screamed jubilantly even doing a small jig.

I quickly dialled 999 and explained the situation to them. They promised to be here soon.

He had several missed calls but his phone was locked so I could not access it.

I went back to the house to check on Chris while awaiting help. He was still asleep but his fever was coming back. I rushed to get some ice to cool him down. It was tough. He was restless and obstructing my efforts. Chris had to be the most difficult patient I knew.

Soon I heard the ambulance siren, "Finally!" I sighed exhausted from the night's exploits.

I rushed out to usher them in.

"Ma'am, where is the person?" asked a blond tall and lean male paramedic who was off loading his supplies from the ambulance.

"In here!" I supplied leading him to where Chris lay on the floor in front of the fireplace. A second shorter blond male followed us inside.

They went straight to Chris and starting hooking him up to machines in their bag.

"How did this happen?" The tall one asked not even looking at me. They were removing my homemade bandages.

Chris stirred and whispered my name softly "Rhysa."

I held his hand tightly, "I'm here Chris no need to worry. The paramedics are also here. You will be fine."

He appeared to settle once more as the paramedics continued to assess him.

"I think he cut himself on the fence outside, he was feverish when I found him outside in the rain last night." I answered.

The short one looked at me, "Last night? What time?"

I thought back, "Maybe around midnight."

They two paramedics looked at each other.

"Has his fever been constant?" the tall one asked removing the beeping thermometer from Chris' finger.

"It was at first but now it comes and goes."

"Miss, this man appears to be hurt pretty badly, why did you wait until now to call us?" the tall one asked looking pointedly at me.

"What?" I could not believe it, were these two serious!

"Hold on a minute, I was alone in an isolated cottage on a stormy night with a phone with no signal, what did you expect me to do go trudging in rain through in the dark woods?" I was angry.

"Miss —-" the tall one said before I cut him off.

"I have not slept all night trying my best to keep him stable until morning  so I could get help." I pointed to the tall one, "You waltz in here and try passing judgement." I glared at them again.

"Then you have the audacity to ask me why I'm only calling now. Unbelievable!" I finished.

The two paramedics were flushed red by the end of my tirade. They hastened their preliminary checks before the short one left to collect the stretcher.

"Miss?" the tall one said hesitantly, "We are taking him to Gelmshire Hospital."

I had calmed down somewhat and was a bit embarrassed by my outburst. The air had been uncomfortable and the paramedics had not said anything to me since the outburst. I had been standing on the side looking at what was being done to Chris. He had not awoken again which was surprising with all the prodding being done to his body.

"Miss his leg is pretty bad and his fever could be dangerous, since it comes and goes. He appears to be stable for now but we need to probably x ray his leg and check the bump on his head more thoroughly." The taller paramedic informed me.

'Sure." I said softly.

Chris was loaded into the ambulance, I climbed on board after him. Chris was still asleep and seemed to be okay as the heart monitor beeped steadily. He was also placed on oxygen to help regulate his breathing. I held his hand all the way to the hospital and although he was unconscious he seemed to be holding on tightly. He was rushed to the triage where doctors and nurses were working to ensure that he was okay.

I stood outside anxiously awaiting some news. It was more than an hour later before anyone came to speak to me.

I called my parents from a payphone to explain the situation.

"Mom." I said feeling so drained and tired.

"Rhysa is that you?" My mom said quickly.

"Yes Mom." I replied.

"Oh my girl I was so worried, we tried calling you all night but your phone was going straight to voicemail." My mother supplied.

"It has been a long night. There was a major storm here and the phone signal was very poor." I told her.

"Oh my, are you alright?" My mom asked.

"I am fine what about Dad how is he?" I queried.

"He is fine, he will be discharged today. I'm just heading to the hospital to collect him." My mother had had a double worry last night and I felt awful.

"That is good news. I am also in the hospital right now---"

"What!!" My mother cut me off.

"Mom, calm down. I am fine. It is Chris who is hurt, he --." I tried to say but she cut me off again.

"Chris? Hurt how?" she asked rapidly.

"Yeah, he hurt his leg last night." I said slowly.

" I thought you were on a business trip, what were you doing with O'Connor?" my mother sounded confused.

"I am but Chris came and----" I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around to find a nurse beside me.

"Excuse me Miss but the Doctor says you can see Mr O'Connor now." A young nurse informed me nicely.

"Mom I will explain all later but I need to go see Chris now, he just hurt his leg okay. I love you, give dad my love bye!" I ended the phone call quickly.

I followed the nurse but was stopped by a doctor along the corridor. He looked to be in his late fifties. He was currently preoccupied with the charts in his hands.

"Ms. Perkins?" he inquired looking up at me, I nodded. "I'm Dr. Monroe." I shook his hands.

"Mr. O'Connor is doing okay for now. We have had to stabilise him, and he seems to be responding to the medication." Rhysa breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"We need to keep him for the next couple of days and monitor the cut which was not too deep but it is located at a very tender spot on the leg so it will be very uncomfortable for a few days."

"That is great news." I commented eagerly.

The doctor shifted to his other foot as though something was bothering him.

"What about his head?" I asked worriedly.

"That's it!' the doctor said suddenly "I knew he was familiar, he's the Chris O'Connor." the doctor snapped his fingers. "The cricketer turned billionaire."

Dr Monroe continued, "I enjoyed watching him bowl, he was a natural and had that presence. It's a pity he gave up on cricket. It's not been the same team without him."

"Dr. Monroe so he will be okay?"

Dr Monroe appeared lost in his cricket reminiscing but he finally responded,

"Um, well he will have to lay off his leg for at least a month but it shouldn't affect him in the long term. His shin bone has a hairline fracture which should heal naturally."

"So can I see him?" Dr. Monroe was already lost in his charts.

"Sure... room 312" I left him walking away lost in his charts once more.

I slowly opened the door to his room. He was sleeping on the hospital bed so serenely. His face was a bit pale but he seemed to be breathing steadily. It was great to see that he was no longer attached to the ventilator. I approached him slowly and touched the bandage on his leg, the redness was still there but the sterile bandage made the leg look so scary.

I gently touched his face as I pushed back a fallen lock off his forehead. He had the look of a man at peace. He really was a handsome man with full lips and a firm jaw. The bump on his head was no longer ominous and appeared to be going down.

When he woke up I was sure he would not be too happy to be laid up for a few days in hospital.

"Ahhh." A yawn escaped from my mouth. I guess tiredness was catching up with me.

I called the office and spoke to Mr Frenkin about the situation. He would contact the estate agent and he promised to inform Chris' family as well.

I pulled up a chair and decided to stay awhile until his family got here. Mr. Frenkin had been more worried about losing the client's busines than the client himself. I must have drifted into sleep; a gentle caress of my hand woke me up. I jumped up quickly to find a smiling Chris was staring at me!

"Chris? You okay? You need anything?" I started blabbering still in shock over seeing him awake.

He smiled, "Water?" he whispered as I poured some from the jug on the side table into a glass. I brought it to him and held it for him to drink.

"Slowly, sip it slowly.' I encouraged as he tried to gulp the entire contents of the glass in one go.

When he was finished I stepped back but he held my wrist.

"Thank you.' We stared at each other for eons none moving until he winced as he tried to shift his leg.

I replaced the glass and went to aid him.

"The doctor said you will need to be here for a few days."

"What no way!" he said pushing himself into a sitting position wincing, "I have  a business trip in a couple of days."

I helped him adjust the bed as he sat up straighter.

"Well he said you should stay off your leg for a month." I supplied matter of fact.

"Never, I need to close a deal this week and I will be there." Chris was being stubborn.

"Chris you lost a lot of blood and you caught a fever, you will need to rest your body!" I said sternly.

"You don't understand I run an important company Rhysa and I will not be laid up like an invalid." He said stubbornly. 

"Chris you have been hurt badly and you need to heal your body and all you can think about is business?" I reprimanded him.

"Rhysa I'm a businessman and I have several people who work for me and depend on me for their daily living. Now where is my phone?"

Rhysa looked at Chris exasperated by his arrogant attitude and scant regard for his health.

"Oh please, you have executives who you employ let them take over until you are better." I countered.

"My phone Rhysa?" he asked pointedly expecting me to produce it like a magician.

I could not even remember where I had left his phone... ahh I had left it in the cottage.

"Sorry I do not have it." He looked at me like I had just fallen out of the sky.

"Then give me yours." He demanded.

"No can do either, mine needs to be recharged." I was going to be obstinate as well.

"Have you contacted my office?" He was looking at me like I was one of his employees so I sat down and crossed my arms.

"Considering your phone wasn't on you, how do you think I could manage to do that?"

Chris glared at me and then closed his eyes before looking at me again,

"Have you informed anyone I am here?"

"Well, let me think who knows? I came here to do something you requested and you appeared out of nowhere so I'm assuming you informed your office where you were heading." I stated firmly.

"Rhysa!" he bellowed.

"I must report that the cottage was indeed a beautiful one, it would suit your plans exquisitely but sadly I've not had time to inform the estate agent since I was busy making sure you survived your horrific attempt to disrupt my night and almost kill yourself in the process." I looked at him straight and he responded with an angry glare.

"What are you doing here anyway?" I asked him directly.

"Well, it is my interest so I decided that I should look at the properties as well." He said slowly as if he was searching for the right words to say.

"Well 'Mr it is my interest', I cannot produce your report as  discussed  since I you disrupted my writing after I found you bleeding on the back porch in a storm in the middle of the night!" I said seething through clenched teeth.

"Me disrupt you? If I remember clearly you left me in the rain to die?" he accused.

"I did not! You foolishly injured yourself and scared me to death by your intrusion!" I was thoroughly enraged since the jerk was not going to take responsibility for his actions!!

"Foolishly?" he quipped staring at me angrily.

"Yes if you had not come here you wouldn't be in this situation?" I added smoothly.

"Whose fault is it I lost so much blood? Mine too? You left me outside in the rain after I repeatedly asked for your help!" his blue eyes scotched mine.

I turned away slightly and walked to the windows overlooking the car park. I took some deep breaths to control my rage.

"Wait one minute mister, you come knocking on the door in the middle of the night in a thunderstorm at a cottage in the woods and you expect me to open the door and welcome you in with open arms!" I was totally exasperated.

"I was alone in an isolated cottage and you want to blame me because you stupidly injured yourself after you followed me?!" I looked at him my blood boiling over. "What was I supposed to do? Open the door widely for a stranger who could have been a rapist or murderer?"

"My point exactly that's why I came, it was unsafe for you to be there alone." I stared at him incredulously.

"The only unsafe thing that happened last night was the great Chris O'Connor jumping over a fence like a ninny headed schoolboy and almost bleeding to death." I frustratingly said as I approached his bed.

"I was booked to stay in a hotel not the cottage! Why were you really there Chris and don't give me some hogwash about my safety!" I stared at him.

Silence reverberated through the walls of the room as we stared at each other. I was heaving from my outburst and Chris' eyes reflected the fury he felt for being berated.

"Well, I went to the hotel and they said you had not checked in and the estate agent said----" I held up my hand after hearing his explanation. I was too tired to listen to this crap.

"I need sleep and some warm tea," I walked toward the door and I exited his room.

"Rhysa come back here, come back here now!" he screamed at me.

I continued walking toward the nursing station. Chris' room light was showing on the call button. I laughed and stopped the nurse who was running toward his room.

"Excuse me, Nurse but Mr. O'Connor is very irritable at the moment since he is a bit incapacitated.  He will probably ask to be discharged or to make a phone call. Could you ensure that he contacts no one so he can get some rest and have little disturbance as much as possible?" I added sweetly holding her hand in mine. "He is a bit of a workaholic and I feel he should use this time to get some well-deserved R and R."

The short plump nurse smiled, "I understand you are just looking out for your boyfriend."

"I just want us to be happy, you know." i sounded like a complete airhead but what the heck, I was fed up with that buffoon.

"You care for him so much." She stated and I smiled shyly giving her a hug.

"Thank you so much, it really means alot." The nurse patted my back as she left to attend to Chris.

Take that O'Connor! I thought to myself as I went to the cafeteria to grab a cup of tea. 

I was sipping it slowly to cool down my temper. Chris was a piece of work. The guy was TROUBLE. He could not give me a straight answer as to why he even came. Most likely it was to ensure I would not finish the report on time. I guess he succeeded. I contacted my boss again who had spoken to both Chris' people and the estate agent. All was well and Chris' PA was on his way to Gelmshire at this very moment.

I went back to Chris' ward. The nurse I had spoken to earlier gave me a reassuring smile, "He has been very grumpy but I did as you asked and he appears to have fallen asleep."

"Thanks so much." I clasped my hands and gave her a grateful smile.

I cautiously opened his room door.

He was indeed asleep. I sat in the chair and soon joined him in la la land. I woke up slowly, stretching my arms which had been cramped. I opened my eyes to find a still angry Chris glaring at me.

"Who was that guy you were with?" Chris asked suddenly.

"What guy? What are you talking about?" I was puzzled.

"Are you now delusional?" I asked drinking some water.

"The guy you were kissing in the car park!" he announced forcefully.

"I wasn't kissing anyone! The fever has fried your brain you probably need to get more rest!" I was about to withdraw from the room when he bellowed angrily,

"I demand to know who he is and what he means to you." I turned around to look at him. He was serious.

"Chris, I have no idea what you're talking about?" I went to him, he was struggling to sit up, "Will you just rest." I said trying to push him back onto the bed.

Held my wrist, "The man you came here to meet, the one with the red SUV."

 I tried to disentangle from his grip but his hold was strangely strong for a man who was strapped up on a hospital bed.  

"I came here on business in a rented car, this was no tryst with a fictional lover." What was up with him anyway? Now he was inventing imaginary lovers for me! I tried to loosen his grip again but I couldn't. 

"The guy you left