Nathaniel
"It's a busy day, isn't it?" I asked my secretary as she told me all about the number of appointments that were still awaiting me today. I already had seen four of my patients and there were still another twelve to go.
"It is sadly no one once enters doesn't want to leave," I rolled my eyes at her words. Every patient needed to be assessed carefully. Mind was one tricky thing. One needs time to understand each person and no two people can be the same.
"A session varies and I can't hustle at all. I do take my work seriously," I took pride in my work. Though it had taken me time to gain confidence after my fail with Serena. I took it to my heart. Serena was one victim that couldn't be saved even if God was in front of her. Amelia, her mother, was the devil herself. I had abandoned my search altogether because it drove me crazy.
Maybe I should have chosen to be a surgeon just like Chyna. I amused myself with the thought but then I thought about all the blood. I had fainted holding the scalpel while I was studying. Chyna had always teased me about it even though I was her older brother.
The ringing of the phone drew me away from my thoughts. The name of the caller made me think of only one thing.
Think of the devil and the devil may appear.
Chyna's name flashed on the phone. I dismissed my secretary and answered the call.
"Chyna, I was just thinking about you," she called me every week to see what I was doing. I loved her but she needed to stop sending me on blind dates.
"Nathaniel," I heard her speak my name in a sigh. Maybe she was tired. Mom had told me that she was over-exerting herself.
"Hey, you alright?" Chyna could be many things but not an idiot enough to never take care of her health. She was the second mother to me though I was the one who was older than her.
"You should come here," Her words stilled me. What did she mean by that? Had something gone wrong with Mom and Dad? I had just talked to mom last night and there was nothing much to worry about. "She is here and it's worst than what you could have ever thought off," she added.
"Chyna, what has happened, and are you talking about mom? She was alright when I talked to her-," I was getting off my seat and picking up my coat within seconds.
"It's not mom, Nathaniel," she said in a whisper and I felt the worry closing on me easing for a bit. "It's Serilda," I heard her name in a bare whisper.
Everything halted for me. No. I didn't want to believe the fact that something bad was happening. She was happily married and living a new life with Aaron. She had gotten out of the city and escaped from it all. There was no way for her to be harmed there.
However, deep down I knew that one day she would be hurt and there wouldn't be anything I could do to protect her even though how hard I tried. I had found solace in the fact that she had had Aaron, that whatever happens, he wouldn't ever let any harm come to her. He would do everything to protect her.
"Chyna, she has her husband. I don't think," I couldn't even bring myself to bring to say that I believed that he would save her. Aaron might have loved her but he had no idea about the danger Serilda was in because of her own mother. He had no idea what a dangerous woman Amelia was. How could he have saved her when he had no idea of the threat that hung over her head?
"He is in surgery, Nathaniel. It's so much worse and twisted that I can't even explain it to you," Chyna paused and I could hear her taking deep breaths. My eyes widened at her words. What was happening? I could feel worry sweep into my bones.
"I had wronged Serilda once, Nathaniel. I had taken advantage of her being a good person and I had regretted it. When I asked you to let go of Serena and Serilda I had never realized how worst it all could get. You need to come down here Nathaniel because I don't want to see her getting hurt again. Please just come," I could hear the deep plea in her voice.
"I'm coming," I replied and ended the call.
"Cancel all my appointments for today. I have a personal emergency right now," I told my secretary before getting out of my room. In a haze, I got inside my car and started toward Chyna.
For the first time, my mind had gone all blank on her. I had no idea how she was because trying to think about her made me remember how I had lost her. It reminded me of how I had let go of her even though I loved her.
I had buried all my feelings for her but still, she was always there deep in my mind. I had loved her, wanted her, desired her but I couldn't blur the lines that were between us. More than that it wasn't the right time for us. I think it will ever be because she was happy in her marriage. She no longer needed a knight to save her and neither did she then because she had Aaron all along with her.
She was with the man she loved and it wasn't me. She had been married once before but then I hadn't known of the bliss of her love. However, I had let myself get lost in her game and felt the love she could give. Explored the chemistry that had me stuck to her forever. She had ruined me for every other woman.
Maybe we were never meant to be. Maybe this was supposed to be always like this.
But I wished that maybe in some other life we could be together.
Driving through the traffic and lost in my thoughts I was able to reach the hospital in an hour. I had no idea what I was stumbling upon. There was nothing I could think of. All I knew was something was very wrong.
I called Chyna as I walked towards her room that was up on the first floor. Looking around I saw someone who felt familiar sadly but she was gone before I could have a better look. However, just from the thought of who it was fear was instilled in me. She couldn't be here. Chyna wasn't picking up her phone and I wanted to curse badly.
If I saw who it was then Serilda was in great danger. Both she and her husband were. They needed to get out from here if she hadn't already stumbled upon them. Chyna's room was in front of me and without knocking I just went in. I had to think this through. I had to help them. Maybe I needed to help them and myself and end this for once and all.
"What are you doing here?" I heard from behind me and I turned around to see Erik in the room.
"I called him," I looked up to see Chyna sitting in her chair.
"Why did you call him?" Erik snapped as he rose from his seat. Confusion and anger were written all over his face. "Are we having some kind of fucking reunion," he added.
"He knows things that none of us do and," Erik didn't let Chyna complete.
"And he married that crazy sister of his who ruined everyone's life," his voice rose.
"He had his reasons and his intentions were for everyone's good," Chyna tried to do the explaining but I knew that he wouldn't understand. He won't because he didn't know how much I had loved Serilda.
"You can say whatever you like to me after we get things sorted here but until then try to control yourself because right now there are matters more important than you trying to call me names." I didn't want to waste my time on things such as this. I had no desire for it because it wasn't why I was here.
"Just sit down both of you," Chyna snapped. "Erik you should know better because Serilda is in a critical state right now." His eyes widened at her words.
"You said she was fine. You assured her and me both that she was fine. Were you lying? Is this your duty as a doctor," Chyna raised her hand her eyes angry as she looked at him.
"Her condition is fine for now but when the truth comes out why her husband ended up in the accident in the first place and who he was with the first place? I don't think she would be able to take that without losing that child." I looked at Chyna as her words somewhere deep down hurt me.
"What do you mean by that?" Two sets of eyes stared at me but mine was only on Chyna. Serilda being pregnant had set a fear inside of me. She was pregnant once before and she had lost herself in the pain of losing the child. Aaron had been by her side.
"You didn't tell me that," Erik spoke out as he turned to Chyna.
"I couldn't because we were just speaking about her condition right now and I was going to inform you." She took a deep breath before pausing. "Look both of you right now we all need to understand that we are here for the well-being of Serilda and Aaron. We have one aim and that is to protect Serilda because when she realizes what happens she might lose it."
Both Erik and I nodded to Chyna's word. However, I was still trying to understand the depth of the situation right now.
"How is Aaron now?" I asked staring at Chyna's facial expressions and Erik's too.
"His surgery was successful and he is going to be fine. My colleague operated on him and I also had a look, there is no permanent damage or broken bones." Chyna breathed a sigh of relief as she told me about it. I couldn't understand that if everything was fine then what was wrong? Chyna, on the phone, sounded as if gates to hell had opened and Serilda was going to be burned into it.
"Then what is the big issue here? If Aaron is fine and Serilda is too, everything should be fine." My question stilled Chyna. Worry washed over her face and she sat down before she looked at both me and Erik.
"The car Aaron was in also had another passenger," she paused taking a deep breath. "A woman that even the police had thought that she was his wife." I didn't like where this all was going.
"The passenger next to Aaron in the car was Serena." Her eyes bore into mine and now I understood why she had called me that desperately. The reason behind that accident was Serena and her mother Amelia.
"I'm going to fucking kill her," Erik snapped and I saw the blood in his eyes. The anger in those eyes was nothing compared to what I had previously seen in his eyes.
Did Serilda know how many people loved her? She might have not had the love of her parents but she had made everyone else fall in love with her.