I Bet I Would

Chapter 77: At AE106

I nodded.

He took a fifty dollar bill from his wallet and handed it to me.

"You fucking owe me. And don't buy coffee with that. It adds the nerves," He said.

"Thanks. I'll pay you maybe tomorrow," I said to him.

"You gotta. You know how I am with money."

He flashed me a dirty finger before going to the taxicab stand.

That made me smile a bit.

That scumbag.

I heave out a sigh and made my way to the Emergency Room.

Everything's going to be fine.

Paulene will get through this.

I passed by the security guard and gave him a friendly nod. 

"Got your ID?" He asked.

I showed him my driver's license.

He smiled.

There's a new lady nurse at the entrance of the ER department. Much to my convenience.

"Hello, Sir! I am the ER greeter. What is your concern here in the ER department?" She asked politely.

"I am here to visit a friend," I answered.

"Can you please hand me any ID in exchage for a visitor's pass?

I gave her my driver's license.

"What is the name of the patient, sir?" 

"Paulene Josiah," I said.

It pained me to say her name in such occasion.

"Thank you, she is at AE106, you cannot enter, but, there is a lobby there, Sir. The attending physicians and nurses may give you updates regarding her condition."

"Thank you," I said to her as I went to find AE106. 

There's a signage that read, "Accident and Emergency (A&E)"

I then saw rooms AE102, AE104, and there--

AE106.

"Ashton!" Krista called out.

She was there with Horace, James, Franz, and most likely Paulene's Mom and Dad.

"How is she?" I asked Krista.

"They are stitching her up. She fell down the stairs and had open wounds. She lost a lot of blood, but, let's pray that she will be okay," She said.

"Hello, Ma'am, Sir, I am Paulene's friend, Ashton Harding," I introduced myself to the two adults as they were staring at me.

"It's Helen. No need to be too formal, darling. Thank you for being such a good friend to my daughters. I'm Paulene's and Krista's mother, and this is Ronald, my husband."

"It's already late, Ashton. It's okay if you head home now. Your parents must be worried already," Helen added.

"I want to stay, Helen. If that's alright?"

"You sure can. I just don't want you kids tired. You have school tomorrow. I also don't want your parents to be worried. I know what it's like to wait for my kids to get home."

Helen and Ronald seem to be very nice.

I wish I had both parents together, as well.

Can't Vicky be a normal mother? 

"I already called my dad. He knows," I said to Helen, and that seemed to appease her.

"Alright, I'll go get everyone coffee," Helen finally said.

"Thanks, Helen."

"Who exactly was that Josh, babe?" I heard Horace ask Krista.

"Paulene's ex-boyfriend. I'm sure he had something to do with this accident," Krista answered.

"He must have pushed her down the stairs," Krista added.

"Don't be so quick to judge," Franz chimed in.

"That's right, Franz," Ronald agreed.

"But Dad!"

"I know Josh. He is a good kid. And he brought Paulene here. We should thank him for that. Let's give him a benefit of a doubt, like what your mother always tells us, right? Everyone deserves that benefit of a doubt. We don't know the entire story yet. Let's just pray that Paulene will be fine so she can be the one to tell us what exactly happened,"

Who the fuck is this ex-boyfriend Josh?! 

I feel my blood pressure rising.

"What happened? How exactly did Paulene get hurt?" I asked, getting even more impatient.

"Paulene fell down the stairs at school," James answered.

"Paulene has an ex-boyfriend in school?!"

"I would like to ask the same question," Franz added.

"Josh should be in Canada. He studies there! I don't know how he got here! He hurt Paulene. He broke her heart. I don't know how else he hurt her, but, he is a motherfuck--"

"Watch your mouth, Krista," Ronald interrupted his daughter.

"I'm sure he had something to do with this accident. He was the one who brought Paulene here!"

I clenched my fist.

When I see this Josh, I'm gonna kill him.

"It was her org mates in the Canadian Club that brought Paulene here. You say, Josh is Canadian. Right? There must be some sort of connection. Josh must surely be affiliated with the org. Maybe that's how he got inside the uni," Franz said.

I don't care how he got here, but, I'm gonna beat the shit out of that Josh when I see him.

"Where is he now?" I asked.

"He left. I made him leave," Krista answered.

"Calm down, babe," Horace said to Krista.

Lucky for him I didn't catch him.

--

This chapter is dedicated to ANGELLLIANG! Hope you get to catch up on the chapters and enjoooy! ;) 

Hi everyone! 3 straight updates so far to make up for the time I was gone :D I will keep the updates coming! Show love and support! <3