Raymond swerved the car into the first available parking space he could find and turned the ignition off.  Sitting beside him was Gigi, who hasn't uttered a single word since leaving the hospital late last night.  As Raymond unbuckled his seatbelt, he said, "You didn't have to come with me."

Gigi didn't make a response.  She proceeded to get out of the car and waited for Raymond to come around to her side before walking up the hospital steps together.

Raymond glanced at Gigi.  She was unusually quiet for a change and knowing his mother far too well, it would mean either she had a sore throat, which he was sure she didn't or something was troubling her.  Taking her elbow, Raymond pulled her off to the side instead of entering the hospital and asked tenderly.  "Mom, what's going on?"

Gigi lowered her eyes and murmured, "Nothing."

"I'm your son.  I know when something is troubling you.  Out with it," Raymond ordered.  Gigi lifted her face to Raymond and he was astonished by the tears swimming in her eyes.  "Mom, what's wrong?" he asked at once.

Unable to hold her tears, Gigi blubbered, "It's my fault!  Everything is my fault!"

Raymond was fully aware of what his mom was referring to.  However, he didn't agree that it was her fault.  In fact, he was the one to blame for everything.  Charmaine only wanted to help him and as a result, he caused her so much pain that he didn't think she could ever recover from it.  With his heart tightening painfully at the reminder of what Charmaine went through, Raymond could feel his own tears well in his eyes.  Taking a ragged breath to restrain himself from breaking down in front of her, he said gently and firmly, "Mom, you didn’t know.  You're not to blame."

Gigi saw the wetness in Raymond's eyes and knew he was hurting inside, more so than she.  She had objected to him being with Charmaine right from the beginning.  Even then, he wouldn't give up on Charmaine.  He tried so hard to change her views of Charmaine but she wouldn't budge.  In Gigi's set mind, the perfect woman for him was Mandy.  She believed that Mandy was the only woman who could love Raymond selflessly and unconditionally.  Then she learned about what Charmaine did.  Charmaine had given up her happiness for the man she loves, which was Raymond, to marry a monster like Ben Wong.  And because of it, she had suffered under Ben Wong's hands.  Yes, everything was her fault.  Her fault!  Covering her face with her hands, Gigi continued to cry, "I am to blame!  If I weren't against the two of you…  If I accepted her…  I kept badmouthing her, stereotyping her and all this time she…."  Gigi couldn't continue as earth shattering cries wrecked her entire body.

Raymond held Gigi tightly and let her cry.  After a moment when Gigi's cries subsided, he said in a soothing voice, "Try not to think about it anymore.  Right now, the most important thing is to make sure that Charmaine is alright."

Gigi dabbed her eyes and sniffed back a sob.  "You're right."  They entered the hospital and she tugged on his sleeve.  When Raymond turned to look at her, she said, "I won't ever interfere in your relationships again.  If you still love Charmaine and want to be with her, I won't object."

Gigi's blessing only lifted Raymond's spirits slightly.  He didn't want to think anything further at this moment other than Charmaine's well being.  "Thank you Mom."

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Ben sat on a chair beside Charmaine's bed, holding her hand loosely in his.  He gently caressed her knuckles then flipped to caress her palm.  "You have to be alright," he whispered to her.  "I'm sorry for everything.  It's just that I… I love you so much.  I can't lose you!"

"You have a strange way of loving her," Kenneth remarked snidely from the other side of the bed when he overheard Ben's declaration.

Ben's gaze snapped to Kenneth's face.  In a cool voice, he warned, "Don't upset me little brother."

"Or what?" Kenneth challenged.  "You're going to put a hit on me like you did Raymond?"

Angered by Kenneth's attitude, Ben seethed, "Trust me, you don't want to put it to the test.  Right now, I still consider you my little brother.  But, if you push me too far don't say I didn't warn you."

Kenneth laughed, a harsh roaring sound that filled the room.  With flashing eyes, he mocked, "I'm surprised you still think of me as your little brother.  In fact, I'm surprised you have any feelings at all."

Ben gave Kenneth a hard look then returned his gaze on the still form of Charmaine.  In a quiet voice, he said, "I do, but what about you?  You're siding with Raymond Lam."

"I'm not siding with anyone!" Kenneth protested irately.  Calming himself, he added practically, "I'm only trying to do what's right for you and especially Charmaine."  Casting a tender glance at her he said repentantly, "If you truly love her like you say you do, then let her go.  Let her be with Raymond."

"No!" Ben screeched, "Charmaine loves me!  She wants to stay with me!"

Kenneth shook his head sadly, "If you keep thinking that way then there's no hope for you.  I will do what I must in order to save Charmaine from you."

Ben let go of Charmaine's hand and stood up mechanically from his chair.  Locking his eyes on Kenneth, he asked coldly, "What are you saying little brother?  That you're going to testify against me?"

Unflinchingly, Kenneth met Ben's stare and said, "Yes.  I will do what I must to protect Charmaine from you."  The two brothers stared at each other as the door opened and Raymond walked in with Gigi.

"What are you doing here?" Ben asked icily at the sight of his nemesis.  "You're not welcome!"

Raymond walked further into the room, resisting the urge to slam his fist into Ben's face.  He had prepared himself for the confrontation with Ben Wong.  Although he wanted badly to kill him with his bare hands, he will not.  He will leave it to justice to take care of Ben Wong.  Looking at Kenneth, he asked, "How is she?"

Kenneth shrugged, "She still hasn't wakened yet.  The doctor said any time now."

Furious that Raymond did not heed his orders, Ben barked, "Get the hell out of my wife's room!  Now!"

Impervious to Ben's rage, Raymond said evenly and with conviction, "It won't be long before I have you arrested and locked up behind bars."

"You!" Ben sneered then attacked Raymond by throwing a punch.

Raymond saw it coming and quickly blocked the punch with his arm.  Using his combative skills through years of training in policy academy, Raymond managed to grab Ben's arm in a vise-like grip and twisted it up against his back.  Shoving Ben's face up against a wall, Raymond hissed, "I will see to it that you're locked up for the rest of your life for what you did to Charmaine."

Ben turned his head to look at Raymond.  In a soft cackling voice, he taunted, "What I did to Charmaine?  You mean in bed?  Are you envious Lam Sir?  Envious that I have a beautiful wife like Charmaine and get to enjoy her in bed night after night?"

Raymond could feel the blood boil in his veins.  Twisting Ben's arm painfully upwards, he growled, "You low-down scum!  I think I will kill you after all!"

Kenneth was on his way over to Raymond and Ben to stop, what he knew would be a deadly fight, when he noticed movement from Charmaine's bed.  "Look!  Charmaine is waking up."

Raymond dropped his hold on Ben and quickly ran to her side.  Ben did the same.  The three of them stood over her bed as they watch her shifting slowly and seconds later, her eyes fluttered open.

"Charmaine!" Ben cried out happily.  Clasping her hand, he brought it to his lips and exclaimed, "I was so worried about you."

"How are you feeling?" Raymond asked softly, anxiously.

Charmaine looked at each of the faces peering down at her and drew a blank.  "W-Who are you?"

A new fear developed in Raymond.  Grabbing her free hand, he asked with apprehension, "You don't know who I am?"

Charmaine shook her head slowly, her gaze going over each of them again as she searched her memory for any recognition.  None appeared.

Ben squeezed Charmaine's hand tightly which gained her attention.  In a soft tender voice, he told her, "I'm your husband.  How could you forget your husband?"

"Don't listen to him!" Raymond bit out.  "He's the reason why you're in the hospital."

Charmaine's blank expression was now turning to alarm.  She jerked her hands from theirs and cowered back against the bed.  In a trembling voice, she said, "I don't know who you people are and I don't want to know.  Please leave."

"I'm getting the doctor," Kenneth said and hurried out to do just that.