A NEW SONG.

"It's okay, you can go in; I'm here for you if you need me."

Foyinsade urges Camille, who is standing at the door to Michael's hospital room, shaking nervously.

True to her word, Foyinsade arranged a meeting between Camille and Michael's parents, who were thrilled at the prospect of seeing her. She has since moved into their house with Mitch at their insistence after they learned the good news she had for them: Mitch was Michael's son. She was pregnant with him before she traveled and never got a chance to notify Michael. Michael's younger brother, whom Mitch was named after, was now married and was just as happy to meet Camille and Mitch.

She takes deep breaths and hugs her friend before steeling herself to enter the room. Turning the doorknob, she looks to her friend again, who gives her a nod before entering the room.

She steps timidly into the private ward allocated to Michael and takes in the sight of him. He is hooked to a ventilator, and as she observes the various pieces of equipment around him with a satisfactory nod of her head, she inwardly commends his parents for providing the best medical treatments money can buy. She carefully touches his frail arm and chokes back tears at how lean he is. Pulling a chair to his bedside, she sits on it and begins to bare her heavy heart out.

"I never imagined I would see you in this condition, my Michael, my strong, arrogant Michael. I wish you would come back to me; there's so much I want to tell you."

Resting her head on his bed, she tells him the story of Lara's betrayal, her parents' betrayal, her exit from the home, and the opening of her hospital, which has since kicked off operations. She tells him all about her journey outside the country and how Mitch was the only one who kept her going. She weeps and tells him she has forgiven him but wants him to wake up to give her the explanation he promised. Wailing out loud, she tells him of his parents' acceptance of Mitch and how happy they were to have him with them. Raising her hand to rest it on his chest, she proceeds to tell him she still has his ring on and would never dispose of it, regardless of how the situation turns out.

Feeling a bit relieved at the unburdening of her heart, she falls asleep in that position.

She wakes up hours later to see Mrs. Akinseloyin in the room with her, sitting patiently on a chair. She sits up and stretches her body.

"How long have you been here? I don't even know when I slept off."

Giving her an understanding smile, Mrs. Akinseloyin nods, checking her expensive wristwatch for the time.

"I have been here for about an hour. How are you feeling now?"

"I am okay. Where's Foyinsade?"

She asks, looking around the room.

"Foyinsade left as soon as I came; she said she came in and saw you sleeping; not wanting to disturb you, she waited outside till she saw me. She told me to tell you to call her whenever you can."

"Okay, I will. What about Mitch?"

"Mitch is at home, and he's doing alright."

"Alright then. There's something I want to discuss with you, ma'am."

"Feel free to discuss anything with me, but don't call me ma'am. I have taken you as my daughter; you either address me by my name or call me Mom."

She says it with a smile.

"Okay, Mom, it is."

"That's a good girl. Now, what do you want to discuss with me?"

"I want Michael to be moved home; that way, I can take care of him myself all the time. He has been in the hospital too long, and no one can take care of him as I can."

Scrunching up her face thoughtfully,

"I don't see a problem with that. I always wanted to have him home with us, but I thought it would be better for him to be monitored by experts. If you want to move him home, it's fine."

Beaming with a smile,

"It's all settled, then. I would make arrangements for all the pieces of equipment he would need and set it up at home."

"Just let me know how much it's going to cost."

"No, Mom. It's all on me; I would make the arrangements and pay for everything. It's my field, and I take it as my responsibility to take care of the love of my life."

"Thank you, Camille. I am grateful. You are such a good girl. You have done so much already."

"It's okay, Mom. Don't thank me; whatever I do for Michael is for myself. One more thing."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Foyinsade told me Michael's car was sabotaged and that was what led to the accident. Did you find out who was responsible?"

Sighing heavily, she shakes her head.

"Kassim was the one who found out it was sabotaged and wanted to take up the investigation, but I told him to drop it."

"Why did you tell him to drop it?"

"Because I was more concerned with his recovery than finding the person responsible, my husband would have taken it upon himself to take revenge. I didn't want that; I didn't want him to get his hands dirty anymore, especially since our family has done people dirty in the past. It's best to let bygones be bygones. What difference would it have made? It wouldn't have reversed the accident."

She concludes by shaking her head.

Sitting upright in her chair, Camile says determinedly,

"I want to know the person or persons responsible. I really want to; they have to be made to face the consequences of their actions. Look what they did to him; they can't go scot-free."

She points at Michael on the bed.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Ask me for anything, and it shall be so."

"Can you have Kassim reopen the investigation? I know it's been many years, and the trail must have gone cold, but I need to know."

"If that's what you want, I would tell him to get right on it. I am sure he would come through; he has never failed us yet. He might be older now, but he hasn't lost his touch. What do we pay him a retainer for?"

"Thanks, Mom. I would talk to the doctors and arrange for him to be released to us within the week as soon as I have everything in place."

"You do that. I also have something to discuss with you."

"Yes, Mom."

"It's about your parents."

"What about them?"

"You have to forgive them. I know they hurt you and you are angry, but they did what any parent would do."

"No, I can't believe you would say that. What my dad did was the worst thing anyone could have done. They made me suffer needlessly, and for what? They didn't even consider that Mitch wouldn't have access to his father or his father's family at least."

"I can only imagine how you feel, but if we are being honest here, I might have done the same thing. No parent would want their child to abandon his or her dream for someone who's in a near-hopeless condition. Michael is my son, but that doesn't stop me from telling you the truth. He has been like this for ten years with no change. If you had stayed with him, you wouldn't have achieved all you had. The truth is a bitter pill to swallow, but it has to be confronted. I would have told him the same thing if you were in this condition. You have to forgive them; they had your best interests at heart. How long are you going to ignore them?"

"That's not the point. The point is, they should have at least told me that I was out of the country already doing what they wanted; they should have told me at that point. Heaven knows I needed that news at that point in my life; the thought of Mitch was the only thing that kept me going. No one knows what I went through; I thought I was going to run mad. They should have told me; I was already out of the country, and it didn't matter anymore."

"Can you honestly say you wouldn't have come running back if you knew Michael was alive?"

Averting her gaze, she looks down at the floor.

"I don't know, but they should have told me."

"You see what I am saying? They couldn't risk telling you because they didn't know what your reaction would have been. You shouldn't begrudge them for it."

"But they hurt me."

She breaks down in tears.

"They should have left the decision to me to make. They didn't have a right to make that decision for me. My father hurt me by not telling me, and my mom did by supporting him. Here you are supporting them, why do I feel so alone?"

Mrs. Williams stands up on her feet to give her a comforting hug.

"You are not alone; you should forgive them; they are your parents, and everything that happened had a touch of fate. Don't blame your father or your mother for the part they played; it was all destined to happen. Search deep within yourself; the reason you are angry with them is not that your father kept information from you; it's because Michael is the way he is and you are looking for someone to blame."

Holding on to her tightly, she refuses to let go and howls loudly, letting the tears drop from her eyes.

"I can't bear to see him like this; I really can't. I want him to come back to me; I would give anything to have him back."

Patting her back, she says,

"It's okay; everything is going to be fine."

Releasing her from the hug, she stands to her feet and wipes off her face.

"Thanks, Mom. I would talk to them; I'm just not ready to yet, but I am not going back to their home. I am staying with Michael, and no one can tell me otherwise."

"Take your time, and no one is going to tell you to leave Michael. You are welcome in our house for as long as you want."

"That's fine, thank you."

"We should be thanking you; you have given us the greatest gift ever. You came back and gave us hope when we thought all was lost. Mitch is the best gift we ever got in our lives. You are family now, and you are always welcome."

"I am happy to be a part of the family."

"I would leave you to it now; I have to make some calls and run a few errands. I will be back to relieve you soon. You need to go home and have your rest."

"No, I would stay here till he's home with us. I am never leaving his side again. The only thing you can do for me is get me a change of clothes and toiletries. I am staying put."

"Are you sure I can't change your mind about that? You need to rest to replenish your energy. We wouldn't want you to break down."

"I am fine; years of late-night studying coupled with the stress of school have more than strengthened me for this. Besides, I have performed numerous operations standing on my feet for hours, so this feels like a luxury. Don't worry about me; I can handle it."

Shrugging her shoulders in acceptance,

"If you insist, I would be taking my leave now, and I would talk to the doctor about setting up a bed for you. At least it's only going to be for a few days until Michael is home. I would send the driver to bring the needed stuff you need for you."

She pulls her in for another hug, places a kiss on Michael's forehead, and leaves the room.

Left alone with Michael, Camille takes her seat beside him on the bed.

"Did you hear that, Michael? You are coming home. You are coming home to your loved ones, and I can't wait to talk to you every day."

Her phone rings, and she steps outside to pick up her call, causing her to miss the slight twitch of Michael's fingers.