CHAPTER 15:
"I can be here if I want. You, on the other hand, should be in bed! Inside the hospital! How did you even get out here?!" He ranted.
I rolled my eyes. "Spare me the lecture, Levi. I needed to get out. I was unconscious for two weeks, and they wouldn't let me anywhere but the hallway for another week". I snapped, exasperated.
He rolled his eyes as I returned my attention to the trees. I heard a soft grunt as he sat beside me. Glancing at him from the corner of my eye, I noticed he looked upset. I scrunched my eyebrows up, wondering why he'd be upset.
"What's wrong?" I asked softly.
He remained silent, avoiding my gaze. He hung his head down, his hands clasped together in front of him. I could barely make out his features in the dim moonlight. His hair was tousled, falling into his face, creating somewhat of a curtain. I watched him intently, trying to read him, but with the lighting and my weak condition, I couldn't seem to.
"I... I've been thinking". He said quietly.
My curiosity was eating away at me, but I didn't want to push him. He needed time.
"I was looking back at... At us, and I realized that I was a complete jerk. I wasn't the best boyfriend, I know that now. But when I... When I cheated on you,". He paused, his head still hung low. He sniffled. "I didn't acknowledge your feelings. I-I just did it, not thinking. Sure, I was a little buzzed, but I still had control over what I did and didn't do".
He looked so torn right now. I was leaning forward, listening intently to every word he had to say. He's obviously had this on his chest for some time, and if he needed to tell me whatever he's been thinking, thn I will listen.
"I guess that I was so caught up in the moment that I wasn't thinking. I sure as hell wasn't paying attention to who I was screwing". That last line made me cringe. "I had this sense that what I was doing was bad, but for some reason I couldn't stop myself. Not even when I discovered that I was sleeping with your best friend". He scoffed.
He seemed so angry at himself. So very disappointed that he'd done something so disrespectful. It was a sad sight, seeing him torture himself like this. He didn't deserve to be like this. Sure he broke my heart, but he was my first love. Of course it wasn't gonna last. They never do.
"Levi..." I trailed off, my voice sympathetic as I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't. Don't do that". He warned, taking me by surprise. "I don't want your sympathy. I didn't tell you all this for you to feel bad. I told you this to tell you how bad I feel and how it's my fault that you..." He trailed off.
"Levi. That wasn't your fault. I became Jordyn because I wanted to. Sure, you had a part in why I became who I became and why I acted the way I acted, but it wasn't entirely your fault. A lot of it had to do with how my life was. I mean, living in a treehouse at the neighbourhood park because your parents killed themselves is pretty bad. So that probably had a part in it too". I said casually, trying to lighten the mood by changing my tone.
He shot me a playful glare and I smiled. I threw my arm around his shoulder and pulled him close, both of us smiling as I hugged him, burying my face in his hair. A pain shot through my body and I flinched backwards. I gripped my hands around my stomach and hunched over.
"Dart?" Levi's voice spoke. "Dart?!" He shouted, but it was muffled.
My heart was pounding at an abnormally fast rate, thumping in my ears, blocking out any other sounds. My mouth was open as I struggled for air. I didn't know what was happening, but I now knew why they wouldn't let me outside the hospital. They didn't tell me something, and I would surely let them hear what I have to say as soon as I can.
I faintly felt arms wrap around me. My whole body was numb, my hearing muffled and my breath ragged. My lungs felt as if they were collapsing, my heart exploding, my throat burning and my brain feeling like an extremely intense brain-freeze. Not to mention it felt like a knife was stabbing my stomach, and being turned. I choked, trying to get air into my lungs but as my vision became clouded with white dots, I knew something was off.
The last thing I saw was the ground getting further from me and trees whizzing by.
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
I groaned, clutching my head tightly as I regained consciousness. I opened my eyes, looking around frantically. I noticed Crystal in the corner of the room and I used whatever voice I had to call her name. She spun around and ran to my side.
"Get the fucking doctor!" I shouted at her.
She nodded frantically before rushing from the room. I groaned again, curling into a ball as I clutched my head and stomach, trying to ease the pain. A moment later, a doctor came rushing in followed by a nurse and Crystal.
"Michelle. What's the problem?" The doctor asked calmly.
"It feels like I have a major brain-freeze and someone in twisting a knife in my stomach. Not to mention my heart beating in my ears!" I shouted at him.
He nodded and scribbled some things on his clipboard. I groaned again and he sighed. He glanced at the nurse and whispered something to her. He turned back to me after the nurse left, escorting Crystal with her.
"Michelle. Given your condition, you're going to have to undergo surgery and take some medicine". He explained slowly.
"I don't care! Just make it stop, now!"
"Okay. We're going to get you some heavy pain killers for now while we try to schedule your surgery". He responded calmly.
"Surgery for what?" I asked, kind of afraid of the answer.
He sighed and didn't respond. The nurse returned with a bottle in her hands and a glass in the other. The doctor took the bottle and emptied two pills into his hand. I grabbed them and swallowed them, not bothering with the water. The nurse handed it to me and I chugged it all in seconds.
"Did you want to see anyone?" He asked kindly.
"I don't fucking care". I waved him off.
His mouth formed a thin line as he nodded once and left the room with the nurse. Before he shut the door I remembered something and called him back in. He walked to my side and smiled down at me.
"Yes, Michelle?"
"I need you to do me a favour". I asked. He nodded. "When you're talking to any of the people who come to visit me, my name is Lisa Shepherd, okay?" I informed him, worried he'd ruin my work.
"Uh, alright. May I ask why?"
"Long story short; I'm undercover". I answered.
He nodded again and bid his farewell before leaving. I sighed and laid back, my back resting against the pillow. I rubbed my eyes, trying to rid them of sleep. My problems came rushing back at me, one by one like a movie.
I don't have a job. That's the biggest one. I'm out of a job, which means I'm out of money. Sure, I have my share from my past clients, but that will only last me so long before I'm screwed. I have a university degree which could help, but I only studied one thing, and that isn't exactly going to get me anywhere. I need to figure out a way to get my job back, and even if I can't, I need to stay on the job. I'm finishing what I started, whether they like it or not.
I'm the best in the business. I get what needs to be done, done. No complications, no bullshit- well, most of the time- and I always get the job finished to perfection. The client's happy, I'm happy, Tony's happy, and the world go's on. Not to mention this job is paying some extreme cash.
Crystal's pregnant. With Oliver's baby. Oliver is gay. Oliver couldn't deal with the hate so he experimented to see if he truly was gay; which resulted with him being a father.
Mind blow.
The door opened and Crystal peeked in. I smiled at her and she reflected it, though it was clearly forced. She walked in and shut the door slowly behind her. Walking over to me, I moved over on the bed and patted the spot beside me. She smiled gratefully and laid down beside me. Even though my scrapes were burning against her touch, I didn't care. It was clear she needed comfort.
"What's wrong, Cris?" I asked her, playing with a strand of her curly blond hair.
She shrugged. "What isn't". She replied and I glanced at her. "I mean, look at it, Dart! You lost your job with one of the biggest clients you've had, I got knocked up from our gay best friend all because I offered to help him. You went cliff diving which landed you in the emergency room. Not to mention how naïve you've been". She finished.
My eyebrows knitted together in confusion at her last sentence. I'm being naïve? About what?
"I mean, I don't even know if I'm capable to raise a child, and with both of us out of a job, I'm not going to be able to pay for it. Oliver won't want to help me, he's still got a whole life ahead of him. Plus, I've seen the way he looks at me. It's not the same since he found out. It's clear he doesn't want this responsibility". She sniffed.
I looked at her like she was insane.
"Cris, what the hell are you talking about?" I asked, causing her to look up at me. "I gave Oliver a choice. He could leave or stay and be a dad. He chose to stay. That's the end of it. And if he doesn't want to, than so be it. We'll raise it, together. I'd be willing to do that for you". I reassured.
"Really?"
"Of course, Cris. You're my best friend, I wouldn't leave you alone in this. I don't care if I'm married and have children of my own, I will help you". I smiled at her.
She smiled back up at me and then snuggled into my side, making me wince slightly- thankfully she didn't notice. I kissed the top of her head and laid back, getting comfortable. I stroked her hair as she slowly closed her eyes. I could tell she hadn't been sleeping due to the bags under her eyes. After a few minutes, I heard her soft snores and smiled.
I sighed and reached over her, grabbing my phone off the nightstand. I dialled the number and put the phone to my ear.
"Hello, Scarlett Payne speaking". The cheery voice answered after three rings.
"Scarlett, it's me". I answered in a whisper, careful not to wake Cris.
"Dart?" She asked and I nodded, even though she couldn't see me.
"Yeah".
"Oh thank god. It feels like forever since I've gotten an update, but I know it's only been a little bit. What else do you have?" She asked urgently.
"Well, I actually have some bad news". I heard her intake a sharp breath. "Um, I've actually been fired from my job, in case they didn't tell you-"
"What?!" She screeched. "No. I will be calling your boss. I hired you for a reason, they can't take you off the job halfway through it!" She exclaimed.
"Actually they can. And, they fired me because I kind of broke your husbands nose". I replied sheepishly.
She laughed. "That was you?!" She asked, still laughing. I cracked a smile. "Oh my god. When he was on TV a few weeks ago, he had this like bandage thing on his nose and I was wondering who did it. Why'd you do it?" She asked.
"He insulted everyone all because Louis pulled a prank that caused me a little bit of pain". I told her, leaving out the details.
"I'm guessing you don't want to go into detail, so I'm not gonna push". Thank god. "But I will be contacting your boss, and even if you don't get your job back, I will still have you on this case and you won't have to share your profit with the business". She told me.
I nearly died right there. "Well, Tony's a hard nut to crack, so good luck".
"Don't worry. If I don't get your job back, I'll pay you triple the original since it's my fault you lost your job".
I started coughing, choking on air at her words. Triple? Holly shit.
"Triple?! Are you sure? That's a lot". I asked, not really wanting to bankrupt her.
"Nonsense. Triple will be enough for you, and your friends to get by for the next twenty years probably". She responded.
I couldn't speak. "I- I. Thank you. Thank you so much!" I really didn't care that I wasn't whispering anymore.
"No problem sweetie. Bye now".
"Goodbye Scarlett".
Call ended.