He was going to get better.He would show them.Every single one of them would see.What was so difficult about being sober?He would be sober, and that damned Rohan would take him seriously.Everyone would treat him as he deserved to be treated.He deserved to be allowed to help find his daughter.She is his daughter, after all, not theirs!He would stay sober and get a job! Then he could get his children back and take them home!“Sober, yes,” he thought as he lifted the glass of beer to his mouth.Right after having this last drink, he would do exactly as he had said.They should have found her by now, right?Thomas's gaze went to the small blinking TV atop the head of the bartender.The small tavern was the type where he could get a cheap, watered-down beer.Just the type he could afford with the last dregs of his latest sales - his mother's china plates.The bartender had collected money upfront before pushing the sloshing beer his way.“Snobs everywhere. Even a stinky bartender d
“Oh,” the doctor smiled in relief as he said, “I wouldn’t know until we checked him, but it is not a must for siblings to have the same blood type. A lot of things constitute blood types, and they vary between siblings.” he sighed before he continued “What about we get the father here just so we can test him?” he turned towards Reyona apologetically as he said “Not to dispute what you are saying, ma’am, but we need this blood urgently. We have also been reaching out to international agencies and NGOs who have actively engaged in preserving the rare blood type over time, but we have not gotten any affirmative response yet. Any help we can get right now is fine. Any means at all. Let’s start by checking the father, please. Or anyone that you know who could be a possible match.”The doctor left in a hurry as he got a call from the nurses.Celia came in just as Maxwell was calling Andrea to see if she could help them get the blood from any of her connections.Andrea exclaimed when she hea
“He is. I can’t reach him, and his daughter needs his blood to survive. Please, don’t hesitate to add some compensation for whoever can find him as soon as possible and haul his ass down here too. I don’t care how much.”“Interesting,” Officer Guy said. “Does his daughter really need his blood or is that a metaphor of some sort?”“It is a matter of life and death, officer,” Maxwell answered earnestly.“Do you have a picture?”“Not at the moment, but I can get it,” Maxwell said.Officer Guy quickly passed the pen and note to Maxwell and told him to write down everything he could remember about the man, including the last time and place he had seen him.He made a call to the station and called for an urgent announcement.“I am going to need that picture,” he said as he disconnected the call.Then, as if he had just remembered, he dipped his head into his jacket and took out Reyona’s phone. “Here we found this on the dead guy. We thought it was his, so our tech guys unlocked it and went
Everything had gone downhill from that sick bet.Everything had been set and shaped from that fateful day.Right down to his lumbering walk on the sidewalk where he sweated heavily and struggled for a mile, which would have been nothing to him when his body was still in top shape.“Almost there,” he thought to himself as he saw the last sign of the hospital.“What are you looking at?” he thought as he saw two men looking at him from where they sat on the stairs of a closed shop.He saw them whisper to each other and pointed to their phone.“It must be fun to be that carefree,” he thought in disgust as he remembered a time he had been like that.He had had everything working for him.Flourishing businesses in his chosen field, a beautiful wife, and a home he was always welcome to. Life was going well for him.And now he had nothing.No, not nothing. He had two children. He just needed to shape up enough to stand for himself, and they would come to him.Yes, he would start by being a go
The men looked at the two formidable men and gauged if they were the ones to pay them.Their status did shine through despite their current slightly dishevelled appearance, but the men wanted to be sure that they were not about to lose the money. After all, they had already discussed how they would spend it even before they saw Thomas.“We were asked to bring him to this hospital. By the police. You don’t look like a police officer.” one of them said to Maxwell.“Is this your work, Rohan? Why would you have me humiliated like this? I was coming to see Allysyn and these assholes grabbed me! What are you taking pictures for?!” he shouted at the people around him, who were stylishly recording the scene while snickering and mocking him behind their hands.“Put him down now, or you can forget about your rewards,” Maxwell said sternly.“Oh, we are sorry, sir.” the men quickly dropped Lanoth.He fell on his butt with a yell.Then “You want to reward them? I am coming already! Why would no on
The oxygen therapy worked faster than the nurses had expected.As she started stirring groggily, one of the nurses removed the cannula from over her nose.Maxwell was looking at the window and the slowly darkening sky increased his dread.It would devastate Reyona if anything happened to that girl.For the moment, he did not even dare to think of how much losing her would hurt him.He just knew he couldn’t let Reyona have that weight on her for the rest of her life.Also, no child should have to be dealt such a cruel fate because of the actions of an unhinged parent.He would get the answers he needed, even if he had to shake it out of her.The doctor had been a bit reluctant at first when he told him to reverse the effects of the sedative she had been given.He had to tell him how urgent it was.Then Officer Guy also told the man the importance of waking her immediately.“Maybe you can help to convince her about the amputation as well,” the doctor said.That was when he suggested oxy
One Hour LaterMaxwell ignored the knock on the door again as he continued to check the messages from the broadcast stations he had sent the announcements.The groans, tossing and teeth-chatters from the bed did not faze him as he sent a message to his men to increase their reach and double the rewards offered.“Sir, please we need to check on the patient.” the doctor knocked again.He finally raised his head after he sent the last message and said “There is no need. We are still having a discussion,” he said casually.“It doesn’t seem like it, sir. Please, we need to check on her. Any agitation could affect her splinted arm, and it could rupture the damaged tissues again, which could endanger her life.”“Is that so?” Maxwell said in consideration as he moved closer to where Susan was shaking like a leaf while sweating profusely.He looked like he was about to give in to what the doctors were saying, but at the last minute, he shook his head and said “It is fine. Nobody will miss her.
Maxwell met Reyona having a video call with her parents.Their worried voices and Gladys' sobs cut through Maxwell deeply.In a way, he was responsible for causing them pain again.He stood aside as he watched her reassure them over and over again.Apparently, Celia had stopped the calls after seeing Toria's reaction.Reyona was the one who called them to tell them before they could see the news.She looked at him and inclined her head so he would come closer.Yet, Maxwell couldn't face her parents at that moment without feeling ashamed, so he shook his head and stayed where he was.Reyona told her parents again that they didn't need to come over.Then she promised them to take better care of herself, after which she disconnected the call.“Hello, stranger.” She said wearily as she gave him a curious look.He came closer and gingerly kissed her forehead. “How are you doing?”“Better,” she smiled and added as she patted the space beside her on the bed, “I ate something.”“Oh? That is wo