Chapter ch 13
Zack squeezed Andrea’s hand for a moment and assured her that he would take care of Adriana, so the girl ran after her neighbor, crossed the hall and entered Mrs. Wilson’s house. The poor old lady was breathing with difficulty, as if she had asthma or something, but Andrea knew that was not it. “Relax, Mrs. Wilson, we already called the ambulance, the paramedics will be here soon,” he said softly, taking her hand. Shortly after, the sound of the ambulance siren was heard and she was immediately put on a stretcher while they gave her oxygen. Both Mildred and she were nervous because they did not want her to go alone, but the truth was that the lady did not have any family to accompany her. “Does anyone know her allergies?” a paramedic asked and Andrea immediately began to fill out the form. “We have to take her to the hospital. Who is going to accompany her?” Andrea and Mildred looked at each other, worried. -I have all the children at home and two of them have a bad flu, I can’t leave – she murmured sadly. -I don’t have anyone to take care of Adriana either. I can take her with me to the hospital, but I couldn’t take care of Margaret like this… – said Andrea with her heart in her mouth and the paramedic made a sad gesture, because he saw many elderly people alone. While the ambulance closed its doors Zack looked out into the hallway and saw Andrea’s tortured face. -Is she going to be okay? – he asked. -I don’t know she said sadly. Mrs. Wilson was the only one who helped me when Adriana was born and we were left with nothing… I should be with her but…! I can’t take care of her and Adriana at the same time. Thanks for reading on LeeNovelas.com. Zack saw her breathe helplessly and frowned. -Well, you can take care of her and I’ll take care of the baby – he said -. Come on, gather what you need and I’ll go with you to the hospital. Andrea looked at him stunned for a moment. -Really? -he murmured. -Of course I do. It’s really a pain when someone who is important to you is in a hospital and you can’t do anything, so come on, I’ll take you -he repeated-. You take care of Mrs. Wilson and I’ll take care of the princess, she’ll be very sleepy in her stroller anyway. Andrea agreed immediately and a few minutes later Zack was driving to the hospital where they had taken the old lady. He wasn’t surprised to see that Andrea took charge of that particular situation with determination and confidence. She was a stronger woman than she knew herself, however the doctors’ response was not very encouraging. Remember. Read this novel only at LeeNovelas.com, not on other sites. -She’s having some seizure episodes -a doctor explained to them. -Really? You can’t tell… -said Andrea observing her through the glass of her room. -Sometimes they are not noticeable, the brain can have mini seizures, they look like muscle spasms, lapses of time that are lost, ischemia… People sometimes do not realize it, but we notice it because they cannot follow the entire thread of a song, for example.-So… can she have a bigger seizure at any time? Or a syncope or something like that? The doctor nodded. -I’m sorry, it’s a bit of age and a bit of illnesses that come together. We can only treat it in the moment – he explained to them -. Now we put her to rest, so she can stay, but I assure you that she is well cared for with us. Go rest too and tomorrow I assure you that you will be much better. Andrea thanked the doctor and Zack drove them back home. The whole way he was worried and uncomfortable, but when they were back in the apartment and Andrea put the baby to bed in her new crib, he couldn’t help but tell her what he thought. -Listen, I know I have no right to get involved in this, but I’m really worried that Mrs. Wilson takes care of the baby all day long, he said. If it’s true that she can have a seizure… What would happen if she has one while holding Adriana? Or while making a simple coffee? Andrea sat on the mattress and put her hands on her head, worried. “I know… I understand, I was thinking about that too, but what alternative do I have?” she murmured, putting her hands on her head and Zack crouched down in front of her. “The company insurance doesn’t cover daycare for working mothers and private ones… My God! I couldn’t afford a private daycare even if I stopped eating!” Zack frowned. In the United States, where the company’s main headquarters were, he didn’t have to worry about those things, but here it seemed that the system was different and he still had a lot of things to fix. “Let’s do something,” she said with a smile. “Rest tonight and take the day off tomorrow.” “But…” “Work can wait! There won’t be an earthquake that will swallow the building just because you miss a day!” she replied. Rest, go see Mrs. Wilson, and tomorrow night I’ll stop by to see them. Okay?” Andrea nodded, thanking him and accompanying him to the door. As soon as Zack left there, he took out his cell phone and made an important call. “Ben! I need you to help me with something urgent!” he exclaimed and on the other end there was a gasp, a man who jumped out of bed and a frightened question. “Are you in the hospital or in prison?” “No… I’m going home, but I want to open a daycare center at the company.” “Damn asshole, that’s not urgent, you put my heart in my mouth! Look up “Urgent” in the dictionary and let me fuck in peace! Call me tomorrow!” Ben yelled at him before hanging up and Zack looked at the phone. “Well, he must be really fucked up to be in such a bad mood…” he mocked, and he got to work himself. That same night he checked the company’s records, there were seven mothers who needed daycare support, so by the time Ben arrived the next day, Zack was already head over heels in the paperwork. -And wouldn’t it be better to include the nursery in the insurance and that’s it? – she asked when she saw that he was looking for the perfect space to put the nursery in the apartment. -Well no, because that way the mothers can have the babies close by,I assure you that everyone will feel more at ease. -All of them or Andrea? -Ben asked discreetly. -I already know your fucking time, Ben, do you want me to interrupt it every day? -Zack threatened him and the other shook his head. -No sir, thank you very much! OK, then let’s get to work. Of course everything was expedited when Ben joined the project and they immediately hired specialized personnel, found the perfect room for a nursery for seven babies, bought toys, supervised the decoration and by the afternoon they had everything ready. That night when Zack arrived at the apartment, Andrea was a little depressed. -Mrs. Wilson hasn’t been discharged, right? -he asked her. -No, she’ll still have to stay a few more days in the hospital -she answered. -It’s okay. Tomorrow we’re taking the baby to work -he declared. Just get ready and I’ll pick you up early. -Don’t worry, we can go by bus… -but as much as Andrea protested,Zack rolled his eyes at her and settled the matter with a resounding “no!” Half an hour later, as he was about to say goodbye, Zack heard a sigh and saw that the baby was falling asleep in his arms as he rocked her gently. “You’re a sweetie! You’re falling asleep with me now, princess! Is there a better girl than you?” he asked with a pout, kissing her little head. Of course not, of course not! You’re the best… Andrea felt a knot in her stomach at that outburst of tenderness, but she had no idea that the next day would be much… worse? “Tell me what I can choose!” Zack asked, arriving early and handing Andrea a delicious coffee. She smiled and nodded. “Okay, you can choose her clothes,” she agreed condescendingly. “Well, today is snowboarding!” Zack exclaimed, turning the baby around to put on a little onesie with a snowboard drawn on the chest. Did you know I was a snowboarding champion a bunch of times? It’s my favorite device for doing stupid things! And now it’s yours too! She dressed the little girl clumsily but when she finished she picked her up and opened her jacket, and Andrea could see that she was wearing a shirt exactly the same. -Tell me I can take her snowboarding! She laughed. -God, they look like they belong in a magazine! – Andrea murmured. -Hey, since you mention it, we need pictures! But we’ll talk about that later, now come on, we have a lot to do today! In a matter of minutes they were already in the company building and Andrea stood paralyzed in front of the beautiful place that Zack had set up on the floor as a daycare center. -Zack… what did you do? – she murmured in shock, because no one had to tell her that he had done that for her and her daughter. The other mothers had also benefited, of course, but she was sure that Zack would never have thought of doing that if it hadn’t been for Adriana. -I’m just correcting a mistake- he said. -It’s true that the insurance doesn’t cover daycare, so I thought we could keep the baby close by. That way you’ll be calmer. Andrea tried not to cry, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from getting wet. Six other babies were already there, playing, and Adriana was quickly taken to others her age to share. -This is… it’s beautiful, Zack, I can’t believe it- she murmured excitedly, not knowing what else to say or how to thank him. -It’s only fair. I just want you both to be okay. She smiled silently and when they realized that the baby was very happy, they went to work. Andrea was actually calmer, but Zack couldn’t help but stop by every fifteen minutes and look through the glass. -Are you supervising the specialized nurses? – Andrea laughed at one point. -Shshssh! I’m trying to learn, remember that I haven’t passed the diaper test yet! – he warned. -OK, I was going to push you to the break room for coffee, but you better keep learning, she murmured. -Go on, I’ll catch up with you in a moment, – he replied without looking at her.Andrea smiled as she walked into the living room. She was happy, she really was happy because for the first time in months she felt like she had a guardian angel on her shoulder. But all the joy she had vanished in a second when, about to push the door, she heard the voices of several women inside. -… Well, you were wrong, Lana, it wasn’t honesty, she just knew how to choose well who to sleep with. Because I assure you that Trembley never invited her for even a coffee, but the new owner doesn’t have lunch without her. In the end, she turned out to be more lively than pretty!