Chapter 7

"Tasha, pick your call, please, pick it…"

Malachi was sitting on the balcony, unrest. He was sweating profusely and his body was shaking. He kept trying Tasha's number, but she didn't pick it, and that made him more worried.

He blew air with his mouth, and stood up on his feet to make a move, and as he took a step forward, he raised his head, and he saw her coming from afar.

He dropped his phone on the chair and ran downstairs.

At the same time Tasha wanted to open the gate, he also opened the gate, and Tasha was a little scared. She moved back a little, placing her hand on her chest in a shocked tone. “Hun?!”

He stared at her densely, and she moved closer. She eyed him, but because he said nothing, and was standing at a single spot, she moved closer to him, asking, “what’s wrong with you?”

He didn’t answer, and she continued asking, “what’s wrong?”

He suddenly blinked his eyes, shook his head, and hugged her tightly in a long seeking manner. “Where have you been?”

She raised her eyebrow and felt uncomfortable because he was holding her tightly. “What’s wrong with you?” She asked, so he could leave her, but he held her tighter than before.

“Why did you leave without telling me?” He raised a question.

“Let’s go inside. I will explain everything to you.” She promised.

“Okay, let’s go.” He said. He separated his body from her body, grabbed her hand, and dragged her into the house.

Immediately they entered, he made her sat on the coach, and he went to get her hot water.

“Take.” He handed the water to her.

She collected it and sipped a little. “Thank you.” She appreciated him returning the cup.

He sat down beside her, and let her rested for two minutes before he let out his worry. “Where did you go?”

She sighed and smiled with a part of her mouth. “Adele came when you went to the restaurant to get something earlier…”

He cut in at the middle of her explanation, requesting for clarification. “Who is Adele?”

“My little sister.” She answered.

“Okay.” He nodded.

“She came to tell me that mum’s condition was worse, and they rushed her to hospital…” she explained, and paused. Saying those words, tears stored beneath her eyebrows, and they struggled to come out, but she governed them, and didn’t allow them out because she didn’t want to cry in front of Malachi.

“A driver hit Noelle and ran away, and she was also in a critical condition?” She added.

He shook his head, pitying her. “Sorry about that.”

He felt touch with her explanation, and he wondered how Tasha would feel at that moment when she was the one that everything happened to. He understood her condition and moved a little closer to her, wrapping his arms around her body. 

She raised her eyebrows thrice and caught a proper glimpse of him.

She wore an insincere smile and wiped the tears before they came out. 

"I am fine." She said.

He snickered and looked at her. "Did I ask if you are fine or not?"

"Hun?!" She looked at him.

He hugged her and let out. "You are not an expert at hiding feeling. Cry if you want to, and smile if that's what you need,"

"But you look great when you wear a genuine smile. So, do what will make you happy, so your smile will continue to shine and glitter people’s life.”

She looked at him, frowning her face in confusion. “Glitter people smile?” She asked. “How do my smile glitter others life?”

He beamed. “Don’t worry. How are their conditions now? Is it better?”

“The hospital has done the little they can do, but they won’t continue the treatment unless I settle bill.” She voiced out.

He freed her body and looked straight into her eyes. “How much is the bill?”

“Why are you asking? If I tell you, can you help me? What do you have to pay it?” She smiled in a belittling manner, and he looked down, embarrassed.

“But…” he wanted to talk, but her words hurt and saddened, and he couldn’t say out his mind.

She put her hand on his shoulder and patted him. “Malachi, it’s not that I want to make you sad for not being rich, but I don’t want you to be worried because you will feel bad for me, and you won’t be happy if you can’t help me.”

He took her hand away from his shoulder and stood up in front of her. “Fresh up while I set the table, so you can eat.”

She stood with a smile. “Don’t worry, I am going somewhere urgently. Maybe when I come back.”

“Where are you going?” He asked.

“I am going to meet Talon…” she answered.

His eyes widened, and his ear was enlarged. He held her hand and looked deep into her eyes with anger boiling in him.

“What’s it?” She asked.

“Nothing.” He shook his head, and leave her hand. She grinned and turned to the room.

“Tasha…” he called. Tasha stopped walking and turned back to him, answering, “hun?!”

He said nothing, and she walked back to him, querying, “what’s it?”

He shook his head and responded. “Nothing. You can go.”

She eyed him for a second and shook his head before turning back to the room. 

After she walked into the room, he saw a paper on the chair. He picked it and checked.

“One million, five hundred thousand dollars,” he read the paper out.

He cracked up and bent his mouth to the left a little in a belittling manner. “Is this what she called a huge amount of money?”

He quickly walked out and picked up his phone from the chair.

“Where are you?”

“Can we meet now?”

He put the phone in his breast pocket, and descend the stairs as fast as he could.

She came out a minute later, and looked around for him, but since she didn’t find him, she went out and walked down the street.

*************

Seeing the Brook’s hospital main entrance gate from afar, Tasha stopped walking. She turned to go back, but she stay, motivating herself. 

“I mustn’t care about the odds I might face in there. I have to go in. Mum and Noelle are my main concern,”

She took in a deep breath and continued walking. She took ten steps and stopped walking again.

“What if Talon didn’t help me? Won’t that be painful than not going to him at all?”

Her heart pounded faster, clouding all the possibilities of what might happen in her head.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Trying isn’t an offense, right?” She asked the absence of no one.

“No matter what, you must try first, Tasha…”

She breathed again and amended her clothes. She took a step, and her leg shook. She paused again and told herself. “No matter what, you mustn’t stop walking till you get in there. Till you get in front of Talon.”

She fixed her eyes on the ground and walked into the hospital fast.

As she opened the door, she saw Jalyn, but she didn’t stop walking. 

She walked past Jalyn but Jalyn noticed her, and ran after her, calling, “hey! Tasha! Hey!”

Instead of Tasha to respond to her, she increased her walking speed so she could enter the elevator before Jalyn would reach her. And as she laid her hand on the green button to open the elevator, Jalyn pressed the red button, and dragged her back to the reception center.

Jalyn looked at her very well and snickered. “Do you think I won’t recognise you?”

Tasha hissed and turned back to the elevator, but Jalyn ran to her front and blocked her way.

Jalyn crossed her hand across her chest, and bent to the left, authoritatively. “Are you ignoring me?” 

“Let me go, please…” Tasha pleaded out of frustration.

“Go to where? Hun?” Jalyn raised her chin in a questioning manner. “What are you doing here?”

“Are you not forbidden from entering this hospital again?”

“I am here to see Talon, not you, Jalyn.” Tasha clarified.

“I know, but I have become his loyal dog, you know?” Jalyn smiled. “So, to see him, get rid of me first.” Jalyn declared.

“Must you always be like this, Jalyn?” Tasha threw a question.

Jalyn unfolded her hands and nodded. “No. But not till I confirm you have fully stepped out of Talon’s life. Till then, we will continue to be foe…”

“So, go out now. The director is very busy.”

“Jalyn, please, I need to see him. It is very urgent and important. It’s a matter of life and death.” Tasha voiced out.

“Your family are in trouble again?” Jalyn asked. Tasha looked down, sighing, and Jalyn confirmed her guess was right.

Humanity ruled over Jalyn, and she looked down. She accepted to allow Tasha to go in, but it shouldn’t be easy.

“Okay, beg me if you want to go in.” She put Tasha on condition.

Tasha wasn’t in the situation to decline or give it a second thought, so she quickly gave in. “Please…”

Before Tasha could complete her statement, Talon came out of the elevator, calling, “Jalyn.”

Jalyn didn’t expect him to come down, looking for her, and she looked at him in shock, answering, “sir?”

“Come into…” Talon wanted to talk, but he became dumb, seeing Tasha. He chuckled and walked closer to them.

“What’s going on here?” He directed a question to Jalyn, but she could not give a response, and he faced Tasha. “What are you doing here?”

“Talon, I am here to see you.” Tasha stated.

“For what?” He asked.

Tasha looked at Jalyn's face, and to avoid eye contact, Jalyn cleared her throat, and looked down.

Tasha looked at Talon and asked. “Can we go to your office, please?”

Talon shook his head, “no, you can’t. My office is now a forbidden place for you, and so is the hospital. I just have interest in your rant before I take a step.”

“Talon, please, I need your help.” She voiced out in a low voice.

He mimicked her reactions and voiced, saying, “Tasha, I cannot help you.”

“Please, Talon.” She begged.

He noticed her body's reaction and guessed she was in great danger. “What happened?”

“My mum’s condition is critical, and a car hit Noelle. So, I need money to pay the hospital bill so they can treat them.” She explained.

“Then look for money. You shouldn’t be here now.” He said in a concern tone. 

She knew he understood what she was driving at. He was just pulling her leg, but she got no option than to explain. “Talon, that’s why I am here.”

“Did I own you money?” He asked.

“No, but please help me.” She begged.

“I am sorry about your situation, but I can’t help you anymore,” he declared.

 “What have I gained from all the ones I render to you in the past?” He flung a question.

“The definition of assisting you is pain, so more help means more pain, sadness, calamity, and I am not ready to be a victim of any of these because I am just recovering from the one you caused.”

“Please…” she begged.

“Get out or I call the guards to take you out.” He said, but she continued to beg, and he took out his phone and called the security men.

Three seconds later, three guards came out and bowed their heads, staying in front of Talon.

“Take her out if she refuses to leave.” Talon ordered. He turned to the elevator to walk away but Tasha held her back, pleading, “please.”

He didn’t have the confidence to see her sad, but he has to act like he didn’t care about her. He took her hand off him and flung it away.

He walked into the elevator and took his phone out. “Hello, please find out the hospital that Tasha’s mum and sister is admitted, and also the amount they need for their surgery.”

“Please go out.” A security man moved closer to Tasha, but she paid no attention to him because she was still looking at the elevator that Talon entered.

Jalyn was getting angry. She walked closer to them and intervened. “I guess you have secured a job somewhere. Did the director order you to beg her or to throw her out?”

The security man curtsied his head, and held Tasha’s arm to drag her out, but Juliana came out and stopped them.

“Stop that!” She ordered. She walked to them hurriedly and interrogated. “What do you think you are doing?”

“Don’t you see we want to throw trash out so she won’t dirty the clean environment?” Jalyn answered.

Juliana smiled devilishly with a part of her mouth and folded her hand across her chest. “Who do you think you are to give me that kind of response?”

Jalyn noticed Juliana was getting angry, and the repercussion might make her lose her job, and she wasn’t sure if Talon would help her, so she quickly bowed her head, and amended. “The director ordered us to throw her out. I am just backing up his command as a loyal staff.”

“This isn’t the right way to be a loyal staff, and I can’t call you a loyal dog because this isn’t how a dog behaves. Sorry to say, you are a disgrace to woman. Animal in human form,” Juliana poured out. She was the gentle type who hardly let abusive words out of her mouth, but Jalyn provoked her.

Jalyn looked down in anger, but she couldn’t do anything.

“Get out of here.” Juliana ordered the security men. They bowed their head and walked out.

She turned back to Tasha and held her hands. “Let’s get out of here.”

Tasha wore an insincere smile and turned to the entrance to get out. 

“What happened to you?” Juliana asked.

“Mum…” Tasha wanted to explain, and a call came into her phone.

“What?” She shouted. She quickly took her hand out of Julian’s arm and ran outside.

Juliana ran after her, but she didn’t reach her till Tasha got into a cab, and the cab drove off.

“I hope everything is okay with you…” Juliana wished. She walked back into the hospital and met Jalyn, still standing at a single spot. She eyed Jalyn and shook her head.

“This isn’t the right way to fight for love. You are not helping the situation, and I am very sure you will regret it unless you retreat and stop all these mini devilish acts.”