<-I-L-A-<<<
My phone rang as I got into my car. I looked at the caller ID and sighed. I knew I was going to face her sooner or later.
At the sixth ring, I pushed the phone button on my steering wheel and picked up.
"Ila, darling, I just heard the awful news." My mom's bewildered voice filled my car since my phone was connected to the vehicle.
"Which awful news? The one where I lost my job or the one where they took my license?" I sulked.
It's been a month since the incident. Just yesterday, Mr. Heffling found a way to get the medical board to take my license away. He pushed for the permanent removal of my license but the board only agreed to suspend. It wasn't the only thing that happened, turns out Mr. Norwaya ended up getting fired.
My consequences were inevitable. I had a bad person in a powerful position. Maybe if it were Heffling's son in charge or if the CEO took a moment to calm down, not having his anger fuel his actions, things would have gone differently. Instead of worrying about the patient that walked off not fully healed, he cared about the media and it's toll. If he didn't bring the police into this, the news reporters wouldn't have aired this story. It was him who got himself into this unwanted situation and I had to pay the price.
"Honey, what are you going to do? Should I fly there and help you?"
"No, mom. There's no need for that." I said, rolling my eyes.
My parents lived all the way in California, where I was born and raised in the city of San Francisco.
"Well, have you talked to your brother? There must be something Emmet could do. This whole thing is just not right."
"Absolutely not." I denied at what she was getting at.
My mother was talking about getting help from my older brother, Emmet. He's 31 years old, two years older than me. When we were kids, he said he wanted to become a firefighter. Emmet changed his mind at the age of 12 when he accidentally blowtorched his left eyebrow off. Ever since then, he had his heart set on becoming a lawyer.
Emmet would joke with me.
"I'll become a lawyer." He would say, "Just in case you accidentally stitch someone's arm to their leg."
The fact that Emmet is all the way in Los Angeles, California and I haven't seen him since I moved all the way to New York for medical school, I wouldn't dare to ask him for help. I don't want to see the look of disappointment on his face.
"I'll go call him up." My mom's voice perked. She loved to take every chance to contact him. It never bothered him anyway since he was such a mama's boy.
"Mom, don't you da-" My mother ended the call before I could stop her.
The stoplight ahead turned red. I slowed the car down to a stop. I took these few seconds before the light turned green to sink in the chair.
"Maybe I'm worried that Emmet will tell me I've messed up so badly that there nothing that can be done," I whispered to myself.
>>>-M-A-T-T-E-O->
"Asshole, come back here and fight like a man," I yelled as the guy, who owed us money, began to run away from me.
"Guys, he's not cooperating." I talked into the earpiece as I ran after him, "He's down the street, heading towards Aiden."
"Huh?" I heard Aiden ask, sounding clueless.
"He's going towards you, don't you see him?" I asked, passing people.
I occasionally jumped to see over people's head in order to keep him in my sight.
After many weeks of searching, we finally found Abel. My father foolishly loaned him a hefty amount of cash, in return Abel was to pay back in a month. That didn't happen and now I was sent to get the money from him by force. If he didn't have the money, there would be consequences.
Remembering I had a gun in my pocket, I stopped running to adjust it.
"Nope. Although, I do see you." Aiden voice filled my right ear. "Is that a gun or are you happy to see me?"
I looked around and saw, through the window of a donut shop, Aiden chuckling at his joke in line for coffee.
<-I-L-A-<<<
After much difficulties, I finally found a parking space. I got out of the car, locked my doors, and paid the parking meter.
During the phone call with my mother, I was on my way to a donut shop to meet up with Charlotte. Judging by the fact that her car wasn't parked nearby and she was nowhere in sight, I arrived before her.
Since I was the first to be there, I decided to order for us. The line was fairly long. To avoid the awkwardness and boredom I pulled out my phone and scroll through Instagram.
The line eventually moved up. I leaned to my left to see that there were only four more people ahead of me.
That's when I notice a handsome man in front of me. His skin was fair. The man's brown hair was flipped to one side. His cheekbones and jawline were well defined. He looked perfectly sculpted. I had to resist the urge to touch his face to determine whether he was real or not.
I stopped admiring him when he suddenly turned around to face me. Embarrassed from being caught staring at him, I averted my sight to a painting on the wall.
"Nope. Although, I do see you." He asked, chuckling, "Is that a gun or are you happy to see me?"
Confused, I looked away from the painting and back at the gorgeous man. He wasn't talking to me. In fact, he didn't even notice me. I looked around, there was no one he could be possibly talking to.
Everyone had deal breakers, having an imaginary friend was one of mine.
I followed his gaze which led to the person standing outside of the donut shop, right in front of the entrance door.
New York was a big city packed with a lot of people. Who would have thought that I would I'd find him?
>>>-M-A-T-T-E-O->
"Hi," Aiden said as he waved from the line.
"He's hiding," I heard Samuele through the small earpiece.
"Where?" I asked. At least Samuele was doing his job.
"Three alleyways down. Walk there, make him think that he lost you."
Before following Samuele's instructions, I threw Aiden a middle finger and began I walking down the street.
Within ten minutes, I reached the alley, between two restaurants. Even though it was day, the alleyway was dark since the two buildings were tall enough to block the sun's rays. I walked in, silent, straining my ears for any sounds that could give away Abel's location. Slowly, I arrived at a dead end, a back wall of a building.
"He's not here. He's gone."
"That's not possible, he didn't leave before you got there," Samuele said.
"You!" I heard someone from behind me yelling.
I whirled around to see a woman figure at the entrance of the alleyway.
<-I-L-A-<<<
I went after him. After I got my sugar donut, of course. I wasn't able to catch up with him, but he was in view at all times. I was close to catching up with him when I noticed that he slowed down. Did he notice me following him? Did he recognize me? Will he try getting away? Should I call the police? Was this man who I think he is?
From what I saw from the line, was the 'walking patient'.
I was only a yard away from him when he turned into a dark alleyway. I stopped, instantly having a bad feeling about following him inside. I peeked around the building to see that he walked pretty far in the space created by the two restaurants.
This was the confrontation I dreamt of.
"You!" I yelled. I shouted loudly to get his attention from the entrance of the alleyway. I walked into the alleyway but made sure that I didn't go too far in for my safety. I didn't realize that I was yelling at his back until I saw him whirling around to face me.
"Me?"
>>>-M-A-T-T-E-O->
"Me?" I asked, confused as well as amused.
"Samuele, who is she?" I asked under my breath, hoping he'll be able to still hear me with the earpiece.
"She not involved with Abel. She doesn't look like a threat. You don't know her?"
"No." I replied, "She must have mistaken me for someone else then."
"Well then, send her away and start looking for him."
"No, really?" I asked, sarcastically, "I wanted to grab a cup of coffee with her."
"I don't see why not," Samuele said, "She's pretty hot."
I would have turned away from the lady and walked off in order to not interact with her if it weren't for the dead end.
I had no other choice but walk up to her to get out of the alleyway.
"You seriously don't remember me? It's only been a month and what I did for you was pretty important." The lady crossed her arms as she shifted her weight to one leg.
Not bothering to look at her, I walked passed by her. This wasn't the first time, and probably not the last time, I've been in this situation.
Is sex with no strings attached that difficult to ask for?
"Look, if we fucked, it was a one-time thing," I said as I walked away from her, close to exiting the alleyway.
"Excuse me?" I heard her ask, furiously.
She grabbed my elbow, stopping me from leaving. I frowned at her touch. Great, I got myself a begging type. The girl yanked arm, forcing me to face her.
I came face to face with a familiar face. Once I recognized it, what she said earlier made sense.
"Dr. Archer?"
<-I-L-A-<<<
"Really? Doctor Archer? I haven't heard people calling me that for a while because of you." I yelled, jabbing my finger into his chest. "How can you call me that after you ruined my career? My license is suspended because of you. I was also fired! At this point, when I have my license back, I don't think any hospital would want me."
We were at the entrance of the alleyway and I was able to see him clearly. He looked better from the last time I saw him. His hair was done, combed over, and the man's clothes weren't covered in dirt or blood. He stood tall, looming over my 5'7" figure. Even though we're meeting again in different circumstances, he held the same aura I caught from him in the ambulance.
Scanning his face, I expected to see guilt, but instead, he was expressionless.
"Aren't you going to say something?" I asked, done with my rant. I was a little embarrassed for I wasn't getting the reaction I wanted.
"Look, you're a doctor-" He started.
"Was." I corrected. "I was a doctor."
"You can still be," he said, running his fingers through his dark hair. "Look, you can work for us, and I'll pay triple the amount you were earning at that lousy hospital."
"Us?' I asked. Who was he? How exactly does he plan on paying me triple?
He grabbed my wrist and pulled me inwards. My face inches away from his chest. With his free hand, he was gently tucking my hair behind my ear. His breath tickled my ear as he whispered two words that sent shivers down my back.
"The Mafia."
"Let go of me," I said, yanking my arm away from his grip.
Is he crazy? The mafia? What makes him think I want to become a criminal?
"Why should I go work for you when I can easily report you the police, call 911?"
I slowly backed away from him. If he was actually telling the truth about him being a part of the mafia, he's obviously dangerous. As I stepped away from Mr. Mafia Man, my back bumped into something too soft to be a wall.
Suddenly, an arm was thrown around my neck, putting me in a headlock.
"Don't move." A male voice commanded.
I wasn't planning on it, I thought as I eyed the knife pointed at my neck. I brought my hand up, dropping my donut bag, to show I wasn't going to do anything. Looking away from the blade, my view shifted to Mr. Mafia Man.
"Give me a week, or I will kill this girl." The guy tightened his arm around my neck.
Even though his demand was firm, I knew he was scared for I could feel him trembling as held me. Was he afraid of killing me? Or, perhaps, was he terrified of Mr. Mafia Man?
"I'll do it, don't think I won't" The man growled, "All I need is a week and I won't have to kill this pretty lady."
What he doesn't know is that he'd being doing Mr. Mafia Man a favor. He'd love to get rid of me, I foolishly threatened to report him to the police. I watched the man in front me turn his head to the side as he examined the situation he was in.
Instead of replying to the guy, Mr. Mafia Man ignored him and talked to me, "I'll let Abel kill you if you want to run to the police."
His emotionless facial expression changed into amusement.
Hearing Mr. Mafia Man, Abel tighten his grip to the point where I was choking. My hand instantly grabbed onto to Abel's arm around my neck and began to tug, hoping to loosen his squeeze.
In my blurry vision, I watched the man in front of me shook his head. His emotionless facial expression changed into amusement as he changed his mind, "Or maybe, I'll do it."
The next thing I knew, Mr. Mafia Man pulled out a gun from his pocket. He aimed it straight at me and I felt my knees go weak. I was trying to stay as calm as possible but now, I was terrified. There wasn't anything for me to do in order to save myself. I was completely helpless.
From the lack of oxygen, I wasn't able to concentrate. My vision went glossy as I started to weep. This time, I was seeing double, double gun, double knife.
I've gone somewhat deaf, the only sound I was able to hear was me gasping for oxygen. My lungs burned in desperate need of air.
I looked up, trying to distract my brain as I tried to brace myself. The sound of a gunshot was the last thing I heard as everything went black.
My last thought: Will I be able to bring my donut to the afterlife?
<~>
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