Veronica-When Andrew said he wanted to go camping, this wasn’t what I had in mind. I let Andrew call the shots and allowed Lyrek to handle everything. Instead of taking my brother to get his treatment taken care of, he wanted Lyrek to take him so they can take care of the details of the trip.I expected that they were going to find a nice place out in the woods or something. Yet, as I stepped out of the car to look around, I was flabbergasted at what I saw. We were definitely going to be camping, but it wasn’t in the woods, it was on a beach.“What do you think?” Lyrek asked coming up beside me with Andrew.“This is awesome!” Andrew answered for me and then took off running toward the shore.I didn’t know how to respond, but the word awesome didn’t seem to do it justice. An entire campsite was set up on the beach, with a large white canopy as a tent, with clear sidings to keep us covered while we slept. Instead of sleeping bags, there were two beds inside the tent, including a couch.
Veronica-Pulling up to an amusement park, I nearly jumped out of my seat. Andrew started screaming with excitement when he saw where we were. I knew Lyrek said he had a surprise for us, but I didn’t think it was this.The moment the car was parked, Andrew bolted out of the car, and I was close behind him. I felt like a kid again, or perhaps I felt like a kid for the first time. My entire life I have dreamed of going to an amusement park, but my parents thought it was a waste of money and time.“I want to ride all of the rides!” Andrew yelled as he took off running towards the front entrance.I was right behind him and in full agreement. I didn’t care that I was more than likely looking like a fool right now. I could hear Lyrek laughing from behind us, but I didn’t pay any attention to him.When we reached the gate, I reached for my wallet, but I was stopped when Lyrek grabbed my wrist. “This is on me.”“You have already done so much for us already; I can’t let you pay for everything.
Veronica-We have been back for three days, and I was already starting to go stir-crazy. Between staying at the penthouse and the hospital, I felt like I was bored out of my mind. I was used to working all the time, but now I just sat around the hospital or at home.I was waiting for Lyrek to finish his rounds because he agreed to let me work a shift at the bar if I promised to take it easy and wait for him to walk me there and back. Since coming back, there hasn’t been a lot going on and Andrew has been sleeping a lot. I think the little trip we took wore him out.He was in much better spirits though, which was a plus. Things have also quieted down now that Margaret was no longer around, and the news has moved on to another topic. I still didn’t think it was completely done with, but for now, I was simply happy that I wasn’t being named a gold digger currently.“Are you ready?” Lyrek’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.Jumping off the couch, I made my way toward the door where Lyrek
Veronica-I wanted to yell, scream at them, or do something. Glancing around the bar, I knew I couldn’t since there were still customers. Biting my tongue, I kept myself from making a scene. Taking a deep breath, I attempted to calm myself.“How did you find me?” I asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear their answer.“We saw on the news that you worked here. We took a plane the next morning. I am so glad to see you are okay. I can’t imagine what you must have dealt with.” My mother’s fake smile and fake concern were good enough to win an award for best actress.“I am fine. You didn’t need to come all this way.” I told them.“Why don’t you all go sit at the table in the back, that way you can talk.” Rick offered.I would have preferred it if he had just kicked them out, but it wasn’t his fault he didn’t know the full story. When he ushered my parents towards the table, I glared at his back. While I never told him the reason behind why I was taking care of Andrew, I figur
Lyrek-Watching Veronica lose control, I knew I needed to do something. In the time I have known her, she rarely let her emotions get the better of her. Turning my head, I noticed that Rick was coming over.“He is still my son, and I will take this in front of a judge. Do you really think that I can’t convince them that you are no longer fit? I mean just look at you. You work at a bar while he is in the hospital alone.” Her mother yelled back at her.“If you think you can do better than me, then by all means. You will be responsible for his medical bills as well. Do you know how much I pay every month just for his medication? Let’s not forget his treatments, hospital stays, surgeries and so much more. You have no right to walk in here and act like you give a shit when you left me to raise him at only eighteen years old.”“Do not talk to your mother like that!” Her father roared, getting up from his chair to tower over everyone.I knew if I didn’t do something soon this was going to co
Lyrek-On the walk home, I decided I wasn’t going to tell Veronica about the money I gave her parents. I knew I should, but I also didn’t think it was a good idea. She has already suffered enough because of them. I didn’t want her to think they cared more about money than her or her brother.“How did you manage to get them to leave?” She asked the moment we entered the penthouse.Sighing, I ran my fingers through my hair as I thought of a way to tell her the truth while leaving out certain details. Closing the door, I busied myself with removing my shoes and jacket. When I finished and turned towards her, she was looking at me expectantly.“I bought them a plane ticket and told them to go back home. I explained that they were upsetting you and that if they tried to take you to court, I would use all my resources to fight it.”I hoped that she believed my story, although it wasn’t exactly a lie. Her eyes studied me for a while before her body noticeably relaxed. When she turned away fr
Veronica-Waking up alone in bed, I was confused because I didn’t remember coming into the bedroom. Sitting up, I recalled what happened the night before. In the aftermath of my parents, I ended up spending a beautiful night with Lyrek.We had fallen asleep on the couch together. I remembered waking up in the middle of the night due to a nightmare and I had been wrapped up in his arms. Maybe he had carried me to bed later?The urge to use the restroom pulled me from my thoughts, so I pushed the covers back to get out of bed. After using the restroom and washing my hands, I headed out of the bedroom wearing a robe. My mind was in turmoil because of everything that had happened.Making my way into the kitchen, I stopped when I noticed a tray of food on the kitchen table. There was a note next to it with a single pink rose tied to it by a small white ribbon. Lifting it off the table, I untied the ribbon so I could read the note.“To my beautiful wife, I didn’t want to disturb you this mo
Veronica-Sitting in the office of Dr. Hendrix, I felt a little awkward. It wasn’t that she didn’t seem friendly, but I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. Lily had dropped me off saying she needed to get to run a few errands.The shrink was scribbling notes or something on a notepad, which I couldn’t see. Her office was nice, but it was a little stuffy. Looking around the office, I couldn’t bring myself to look directly at her.“Would you like something to drink?” Dr. Hendrix asked.“No, I am fine.”“Are you nervous?”Directing my attention to her, I noticed she was looking at my hands. Currently, I was wringing them together as if my life depended on it. Forcing my hands apart, I placed them under my thighs to keep from fidgeting.“This is my first time seeing a therapist.” I admitted.“That is understandable, but I want you to know this is a safe place. Anything you say here I am legally obligated to keep confidential. Nothing that is said inside this room will be repeated to an
Veronica- Ten years later “Hurry up mom and dad! We are going to be late!” My nine-year-old daughter Lexi yelled as she ran ahead to the bar, where we were meeting everyone. It was now Christmas, and we had a tradition to meet at the bar every year. Rick still managed the bar, but he now did so with his husband, whom he met while he was in Europe. This year it was a little different from our usual get-together because this year Lily couldn’t join us. She was in Africa working with Doctors Without Borders. I was really proud of everything she has accomplished these last few years since graduating from medical school. The main person that I was looking forward to seeing was Andrew. He was in college now, studying to be a medical researcher. His life was relatively normal now, having been cancer free for ten years. I never thought he would have made it this far, but I was thankful every day that his illness was a thing of the past. I haven’t seen him since the school year started, b
Veronica-It wasn’t easy, but with the help of Lily, a team of wedding planners, and a lot of money, we managed to get the wedding I have been planning for the last few months up and going. It took us only forty-eight hours. The best part of it all, Lyrek’s grandfather was able to hold on.I had a feeling that the wedding was giving him the desire to live because I could tell by looking at him that he was fighting to stay alive. When I told him my plan it was a light flipped on in him and he now had the will to live. Lyrek tried to argue with me about rushing the wedding.He wanted me to have the wedding of my dreams, but I managed to win him over to my way of thinking after I told him that it wouldn’t be the wedding of my dreams without his grandfather here to celebrate it with us. After all, it had been because of his grandfather that we were together.I thought it over and concluded that even if he would have pursued me, I wouldn’t have been as willing to be with him at the time. I
Veronica-Waking up in Lyrek’s arms was the best thing in the world at this moment. After the last twenty-four hours, I have been more grateful to have him by my side. I wish he would have let me know what he was doing, but I understood why he kept me in the dark.Rolling over in bed to face him, I saw he was still sleeping. Taking a moment to admire his features, I smiled at how relaxed he looked. Moving my gaze to the other side of his body, I noticed Andrew was lying in bed next to him.I must have slept like a rock if I hadn’t noticed Andrew joining us in bed. Reaching over, I gently caressed the side of his face. His features weren’t as relaxed as Lyrek’s, yet he didn’t seem to be nearly as influenced by past events as I expected him to be.“Good morning.” Lyrek’s sleepy voice pulled me from getting too far into my thoughts.Tilting my head back, I looked up to see him smiling at me. “Good morning.” I repeated his words.“Are you hungry?” He asked, his tone soft and low.Instead
Veronica-I was beyond worried right now. As many times as I called Lyrek, it went straight to voicemail. I didn’t know what to do and even the police had to call in the FBI because they were getting nowhere.With nothing better to do, I have been pacing the lobby of the theater, trying to reach Lyrek. My nerves were a wreck. I didn’t think Lyrek would up and abandon me, so I couldn’t help but feel that something was very wrong.The Chief of Police also thought something was wrong and has been trying to track him down. He had one of his officers try calling every hospital in the area, including different police units. I wanted to call his lawyer, but I didn’t have the number.I couldn’t call his grandfather, because he wasn’t doing very well, and I didn’t want him to worry. Pacing back and forth was all I was good at right now. It wasn’t helping anything, aside from helping hold on to the little bit of calmness I had left.Finally, my phone rang, and I quickly looked at the screen. A
Lyrek-With no choice but to wait until their attention was away from Andrew, I kept myself hidden. The minutes were ticking by slower than I wanted. The men guarding Andrew were getting impatient, but I couldn’t move without putting him in danger.Looking across the room, I tried looking for Snake, but I couldn’t spot him. My hand tightened around the hilt of the dagger until my knuckles turned white. One of the men returned to the computer, while the other was pacing.If I was going to get Andrew out of here, I needed to do it soon. The moment I thought about it, there was a loud explosion coming from the other side of the factory. Both men moved in the direction of the explosion.“What the hell was that?” One of them asked.“Sounded like a bomb going off. This is an old factory so it could be just nothing, but I am going to go check it out. Stay here with the kid and keep trying to fix whatever is going on with the computer.” One of the men took off running and the other returned
Lyrek-“Found them.” Snake said a bit later.Pushing away from the table I was leaning against, I moved to stand behind my friend. Looking over his shoulder, I saw a map on one of the computer monitors with a blinking red dot. We weren’t very far from the location.Pulling out my cell phone, I dialed Veronica’s number. Thanks to Snake, he made it so I could use my phone, but it was now a secure line, and it couldn’t be hacked or traced. I had to hand it to him, he really knew what he was doing.“Did you get the money?” She asked the moment she answered the phone.“I need a little more time, but I am getting closer. Have they contacted you again?” I asked my wife while I watched Snake type like a madman on the computer.“They called once since you left and told us that you better have the money soon or they were going to start hurting Andrew.” The fear in her voice was as clear as day and I knew we were running out of time.“I promised you that we will get him back. I am going to do ev
Lyrek-“Where is my son?” Veronica asked the man that was on the phone.“Don’t worry about that right now. What is important is how you are going to come up with five hundred million dollars to get him back. If you don’t want him hurt or worse, I suggest you start calling the banks and get me my money.” The man said.With that amount of money, it was going to be difficult to produce. It wasn’t that I couldn’t get it, but it wasn’t like I had that kind of money laying around. Even if I went to the bank to withdraw it from my personal account and even take it from the foundation funds, it would take a long time.“I don’t have that kind of money!” Veronica was starting to become hysterical, which only fueled my anger.Stepping closer to her, I wrapped my arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. I knew it wasn’t going to do much, but I wanted to remind her that she wasn’t alone. My thoughts were racing with who the caller might be.We thought it was her parents, but the man’s voice wa
Veronica-It didn’t take long for the police officers to show up. Every second of waiting had felt like an eternity. I couldn’t breathe without feeling like I was going to have a panic attack. If it weren’t for Lyrek, I would have broken down the moment he told me.There was a lot of chaos going on currently as everyone in the theater was being questioned. While giving my statement to the police officers, Lyrek and I had to separate so he could also talk to them. I hated that in this situation everyone was a suspect, but I also didn’t care as long as Andrew was found.“Do you know of anyone that would have done this?” The police officer assigned to question me asked.“I was attacked a few months ago because the mugger was wanting money from me. I don’t know if it is related or not, but that is the only thing I can think of.” I admitted, even though I didn’t feel like it was relative to the current situation.“We have already investigated that. Is there anyone else that would have done
Veronica-Three months later“Come on! The movie is about to start!” Andrew yelled as he raced ahead.I couldn’t help but laugh as Lyrek and I followed him into the theater. While I knew he was excited to be able to see the movie he had been waiting for, I didn’t know why he was in such a hurry. It wasn’t like there weren’t going to be any seats, being that Lyrek reserved the entire theater room for us.Over the past few months, things have been a little weird. Not in a bad way, but in a way that was still taking me some time to get used to. When Lyrek did anything for us, he did it in a big way.Every time we went out, he made it obvious that he had money to spend. I wasn’t a huge fan that he was spending money so elaborately, but I couldn’t fault him either. His excuse was that he wanted us to enjoy everything life had to offer.No matter how much money he spent on me or Andrew, I was still not used to having someone take care of me to this degree. On the plus side, it has allowed m