5

Quin’s POV

An hour and 45 minutes before meeting Arthur

“Quin, breakfast is ready!” Dawn called out for me.

“I’m coming.” I was doing my last-minute touch ups which was tiding up my hair. It was always done in a low bun as I didn’t want my hair to get in the way when I was attending to the patients, well, more like my little heroes.

My name is Quinzel Khaleel O’Conner, and I am a 34-year-old neurologist in Cleopatra Hospital for Children. One of the best ones I’m told. But I wouldn’t really dwell on that. I’d like to think that my ability to help others comes from wanting to keep children safe and help them grow without any defects that could have been prevented.

I never got a chance to grow up with my mom as she was always away. She is a nurse in South Africa, and she is never home. I grew up with my dad, and he was the closest thing I knew to family. He was there on every first thing that I had to go. My first teeth coming out, my first haircut, going to kindergarten I was accompanied by him, and he wiped my tears that followed because I had to part away from him. He was there on my first pre-school, junior school, middle and my senior. He was there on my moody teens, my first breakup, and my first period.

Dad was just dad. He was always there, unchanging, and loving me continually. Heck, he was the one that helped me get ready for every prom, and he learnt how to do my hair. My crazy curled up 4B hair that I later straighten and dyed platium. But all beautiful things come to an end. And mine ended three years ago, when my dad died in a freak accident.

I will never forget that day. It was raining heavily outside, and I was working nightshift. I missed the call because I was performing surgery on a little boy named Lucas. His spinal cord was dislocated because of a head injury he had sustained while he was playing with his friends.

I had diagnosed him, and he needed immediate surgery if he had any chance of survival. I performed the surgery on him, and I missed dad’s last call. I could never forget the regret and pain that followed. It was constant and just there. All I thought of was him, and how if I was a second or minute faster in the operation room, I would have heard his voice, one last time.

If it wasn’t for Dawn, I could have never made it out in one piece. She was, and still is my anchor. I met Dawn right after I lost my dad. I had ordered one too many Iced Americanos, and my caffeine intake was over the roof. At that time, I didn’t know that coffee was my weakness, and I ended up puking all over the place, and passing out right after. I was sent to hospital off course, and Dawn checked up on me until I was released a week later.

During the week I was in hospital when she would come visit, she would always wait for me to sleep, seat by my side, the whole time, holding my hand, and muttering that I was going to be okay. Sometimes when I heard she was outside, I would pretend that I was sleeping so she wouldn’t wait outside for that long.

She volunteered to stay with me at the time after being discarded from hospital, and I gladly agreed. I needed company during that time, and her being close was what saved me from falling. She has stayed with me, holding my hand, and still, not letting go.

My mom never came home to dad’s funeral, and she left me to deal with all that alone. I had to try and be okay when I was anything but. Dad decided to leave me the house. I couldn’t really hold on to it because it hurt too much to live alone in it. So, I auctioned it out as it was one of those Victorian houses up in the Hamptons from the 19th century.

I got a couple of millions after it was sold. And when I say a couple, I mean, a couple hundred millions. Dad left me set for life, but my heart, I always wanted the kids to develop in a manner that was best for them. So, I didn’t really go crazy after I go that much money, but I continued to work, and tried a normal standard of living. I bought an apartment uptown, so I could be closer to work. I asked Dawn to move in with me as her house was too small to accommodate them all.

Although my mom grew heartless along the way, she taught me to love, and love I will do. I will help those kids with all I have, and I will never back down, nor leave as she did. It’s just not in my nature.

Dawn barges in my room, startling me.

“Oh goodness, don’t ever do that please.” I ask politely, lightly patting my chest.

“Sorry about that.” She smiles and closes the door behind her. She then takes a seat on my bed and start breastfeeding Marie.

“I told you I’ll be out in a minute, what are you doing here?” I ask her, adding gel on my hair so it will stay in one place and not wander. Although Dawn was someone I lived with and appreciated much, my space was mine, and I didn’t particularly like sharing it.

“I know, but I wanted to remind you about that speaker thing that you doing today.” She speaks.

Dawn had invited me to be the guest speaker at the preschool she teaches in for the parents on children’s development and ways to prevent slow to non-development in children from happening if it gets to that point, as at a young age, that’s when a lot of things can be discovered in a kid once he/she starts interacting with others and starts to learn new things. I had agreed off course, and today was the grand day.

“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgot.” I smile at her.

“Good, I will leave with you, and after you do your grand speech, you can go to back to work.” she informs me.

“Don’t worry boo, that’s the plan.” This time, I turns around, and look at her for the first time since she has entered my room.

“Thank you Khaleel.” She suddenly whispers. Dawn always loved calling me by my second name, it made her feel safe in a way. She said, in a way, it made her feel at home, but at the same time, when she called me that name, she was going all sentimental on me, and most of the time, her tears weren’t far away.

“For?” I walk closer to her.

“For being there for me, always.” Her eyes start to fill up.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong, why are you crying?” I rush to her, seating next to her, pulling her close to me with her baby girl still on her arms.

“Nothing, it’s just, for the past couple of months, you have been mostly supportive, and I could never repay your kindness.”

“Girl you trip, you know that you have been there for me more than I have been there for you right?” I ask. She nods, while I wipe her tears away.

“Yeah, but still,” She continues, “Thank you.”

“Okay.” I mutter. “Now, what is really bothering you, Dawn?” I’ve known Dawn for three years. In the three years she’s been with me, she doesn’t just get sentimental just for thank yous. Although she does say them much. She is good like that. But something was bothering her, and I could feel it, quite literally.

I was always weird like that. I could feel something if it were to happen. My hands would tingle, and the tiny hairs on my back of my neck would stand. Even when I was a kid, when I was in danger, I could feel it before the danger came to being.

Til this day, I don’t understand how I am able to do these things, nor feel when I’m danger, either way, it came in handy time after time.

“He hasn’t called.” She finally muttered. I knew then who she was talking about. A couple of months ago, Dawn was in a bad state. Her parents were going through a divorce, and her brother was drowning in debt. She was the only one who had to try and keep the family together.

And going through all that was abit to much for her to handle. Dawn has always been more sensible than me, kinder than me, and calmer when faced with demanding situations than I ever gonna be. But there is only so much someone from a broken home could take.

For Dawn, it only took one drunken mistake for her life to turn for the worst. She had one too many drinks for the first time in her life, and she landed herself with a baby bump she from someone who wouldn’t care about the consequences right after.

What made it worse was that it was the first time Dawn gave herself up to another man in that way. I don’t think she will ever forget about it, nor stop thinking about that night as it bought her Marian-Hope.

“But did you expect him too?” I asked her. Nothing could be expected from one-night stands, and I mean, absolutely, nothing.

“I don’t know,” She places her baby on the bed, as she has fallen asleep. “I’d hope he did though. After I told him about Marie, Winter hasn’t really spoken to me. He reads my messages, and just leaves them as is. I still send him pictures of Marie, but I don’t know why. A part of me wants him to be a part of Marie’s life. I don’t want my daughter to be deprived of that. And I also don’t want my daughter to blame me for not knowing her dad. But at the same time, I don’t want to look needy in front of him.” She explains.

“I understand honey.” I pull her in a tight hug. “There is no need to explain, okay?” I smile, and she slightly nods.

“But I will murder that idiot for leaving you pregnant. I guarantee that.” I clutch my fists in anger.

“Calm down, nobody is going to kill anyone okay?” She slightly smiles.

“You sure about that?” I questioned her, tilting my head. “I mean, I am good with knifes, and opening body parts.”

“Off course, I’m sure.” She sniffs up her already running nose.

“Okay good. Now, let’s have breakfast and getting going yeah?” I pulled away, wiping off ger tears. She nods and we get up, taking baby Marie with us.

Our place was a comfortable home. It was a three-bedroom home with a dining room that was connected to the kitchen, and we had two bathrooms. One was for us; another was the guest’s bathroom. It was a comfy home, with a lot of painting from Dawn, and it mostly had rustic interior design, and little touch of something modern.

It was mostly white, with a touch of avocado green. Dawn helped me design it. Although I was a person whose temper ticked like a bomb ready to explode, and I took decisions on impulse, I was a person of particular taste, and I was rather someone who liked staying in rather spotless environment. Although I must add, I have my lazy days where I can pass of a none physician who hates being clean and her, a spotless individual. Maybe that’s why we could stay together for so long, she was my yin, and I, her yang.

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