Chapter 34
Nadine:
The next day, I went in again to see Anna, hoping that Naomi would be there so that I could break the good news to her. When I got to the hospital, Anna was asleep and Naomi was not around. I had tried to call her, but her line was not connecting. Anna woke in a few minutes.
"Hi, baby girl," I said. "You look much better today."
And she did, really. Her eyes were brighter, more like they were getting the sparkle they had lost back. All of that had happened in a few hours.
"Maybe the doctors are right," I said to myself.
"Where's Naomi? Anna asked once we had exchanged pleasantries.
"I honestly don't know, baby girl," I said. "I have been trying to call her now, for hours, and her number isn't connecting."
Anna mumbled something inaudible and I said, "what?"
"Call her again, Nadine," she said. "I have a bad feeling about this."
"Bad feeling?" I said, a little shocked. "Ohh, come on, she's fine. I'm sure she's tired or something. Nothing bad has happened to her."
But I was trembling inside. What if Anna was right? Surely she wasn't clairvoyant or a psychic, but it still felt kind of weird. I called her number again and it went straight to voicemail. The nurse walked in and gave Anna her medications. "Where's your sister?" She said to Anna.
"Ohh, I'm her sister," I said a little too eagerly.
"I know," the nurse said without turning to look at me. "I meant the one that's always around."
That hurt a little, the fact that I had not been around and that that bitch of a nurse was rubbing it in my face. It was not my fault. If only she knew before making her judgments.
"It's okay, Nadine," Anna said when she saw the indignation swelling my face. "Naomi is not around."
"Okay," she said and turned to leave.
I kept on trying Naomi's line but it kept on diverting to her voicemail, so I left voice messages, lots and lots of them.
In about an hour, the same nurse walked into the room. There was something like terror on her face. Anna was asleep already.
"Can you come with me, please?" She said lightly, trying not to wake Anna.
I made a gesture pointing to Anna, saying I couldn't leave her.
"No, don't worry," the nurse assured me. "She'll be fine."
I followed the nurse out of the room reluctantly and as we stood in the corridor, she fixed her eyes on me.
"How close are you to Naomi?" The nurse asked.
"Ohh, she's my best friend," I said with surprise. "Probably the best friend that I've ever had. Why do you ask?"
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She looked at me for a while, sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Nadine, but Naomi is terribly injured."
I felt my heartbeat quicken and my head spin; I couldn't exactly process the information I had just been given.
"Wha-what do you mean by that?" I asked.
"There was a fight at the club where she works and she got stabbed by a drunk," the nurse said.
"You're joking, right?" I said. "You're fucking joking. Please, tell me you're not being serious."
"Unfortunately, I am," she said. "She was admitted into our emergency ward, and is now in our intensive care unit. She has only a slim chance of making it. I thought you might want to know."
I started to swoon and I fell backwards in the process, causing me to lean against the wall.
"Oh, my God, are you okay?" The nurse said, rushing to my side.
I sank to the floor slowly, tears streaming down my eyes.
"Steady, please," the nurse said. "Take it easy."
"Can I see her?" I asked, my voice tight as I choked with tears.
"Well, you can't right now," she responded. "Maybe in an hour or so."
"Fuck! I just got her a new job," I said aloud. "With better pay and better prospects. I just got her a new job."
"Please, Nadine, get on your feet," the nurse begged. "Please, get up. You have to be strong. If nothing, for your little sister."
My mind went to Anna who was lying inside, who had developed such a bond with Naomi. If anything were to happen to Naomi, there was not telling what devastating consequences it would have on Anna's health. "Don't tell her," I told the nurse firmly.
"What?" She asked.
"About Naomi," I explained. "Don't let her know about it. It's better she doesn't know."
"Mmm," the nurse said, nodding. I stood up from the floor and straightened up. I dried my eyes with the back of my hand.
"I have to be strong for Anna," I said to myself as I entered the ward. "If for nobody, for Anna."
Trent:
I woke up with a hangover, but that was nothing, I always woke up with hangovers. But last night was different; I had gone out of control. While I sat at the bar, drinking tequila, someone shoved me and started to walk away without
apologizing. I pulled him back by the arm and demanded an apology, but he refused. A brawl ensued. The stewardess intervened and tried to separate us. As she tried to keep us from each other, I pulled out the knife I always kept by my side. I made a lunge for the unapologetic man, but the stewardess got in the way and got stabbed. I dropped the bloody knife and left the club, confused and angry with myself for being so out of control. I called Clayton.
"Some shit happened at the club last night," I told him after we exchanged pleasantries.
"What again?" He asked. "Some shit always happens with you."
"At the club last night..." I started.
"Goddamnit, man," he said and I heard the flat of his palm slam against a table. "Are you going to tell me or not?"