One

Fired?!

Natalie Tyson glared at the dwarf man standing before her. He had the guts to have her fired? She still couldn't think properly as his words echoed in her ears.

"Don't give me that look, Ms. Tyson." Her boss gruff voice interrupted her train of thoughts.

She glared harder at him. "What look am I supposed to give you when you just fired me?!"

She saw a small frown form on his face, "It's not my fault, Natalie."

Damn right it's not. She should have allowed that disgusting creep to fondle her ass like he freaking owned it!

"You don't get to fire me without a valid reason, I did nothing wrong!" She challenged, her eyes glinting in anger.

Natalie stared at the man as his face hardened into a frown, his lips curled into a sneer and his 4ft5 self glared up at her.

"Get the fuck out, you publicly humiliated my best customer!" He yelled in her face.

Natalie glared at him, mouth agape, "He was doing something improper!"

"Well, this is a bar where customers do whatever they want and customers are always right," he replied.

"Fuck you!" Natalie yelled grabbing her bag and tossing the apron in his face.

Immediately she whirled around again and glared at him.

"What?" He cried shrinking under her dagger glares.

She smiled impishly at him. 

"You seem to forget that I am eligible for my salary."

She had worked her butt off for this blasted brothel, she wasn't about to leave her hard-working earnings like this especially when she needed it most.

Sighing, the man pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to her.

"I suppose you deserve this," he said gruffly to her, "if you weren't so hot-headed you would make a good wife."

Ignoring the fact that he had just called her an ineligible wife material to her face, she strutted out of the brothel without a backward glance.

Her head was buzzing as lots of thoughts went through her mind one of the foremost was how to get a new job. She needed a job but she wouldn't reduce herself to a tramp.

She could find another modest job, she had survived on her own for so long now that she wasn't worried about being incapable.

The ringing of her phone jolted her out of her reverie and she pulled it out frowning when she saw the number displayed on her screen.

She tapped on the answer screen and placed it in her ear, her heart pounding as she felt the blood in her ears.

"H-hello, doctor." She hated how shaky her voice sounded even to her ears.

She heard a pause on the other end of the line and then, "please come to the hospital, Natalie." The line went dead.

Natalie's blood ran cold as a dreadful feeling crept into her heart.

~~~~*

It wasn't long and she was racing into the hospital, her heart still thumping wildly. Eyes scanning the rooms till they landed on the next room number, room 305.

The door was ajar and her brother wasn't inside!

She raced into the room, her eyes searching for her brother until they landed on the nurse arranging his bed.

"Where's my brother, nurse?" She asked gripping her hand tightly.

"Ow! You're hurting me!" The nurse cried out.

She let go of the wrist immediately as if burnt by fire. "I'm sorry, nurse."

The nurse nodded in understanding giving her a sympathetic look. "You're Noah's sister, right?"

She nodded, "Yes nurse. Where is he?"

She dreaded to think about the possible fact that maybe...

"No, he's not dead."

A wave of relief hit her so hard she staggered and sat down on the hospital bed.

"Oh, thank God!" She cried.

"Yes," the nurse smiled at her, "the doctor requires your presence in his office."

Nodding at the nurse, Natalie left the room with a smiling face and headed towards the doctor's office. She knocked twice before she heard a familiar voice.

"Come in."

She opened the door and stepped in familiarizing herself with the office. She was so used to this office by now. From the sparkling white lab coat of the doctor resting on a wall hanger to the books piled atop his tables and the stethoscope hanging on the wall.

The office was big and spacious with two wide-open windows.

"Natalie."

She focused her eyes on the doctor relaxing on his recliner seat, his glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.

Despite the nerdy glasses he wore, Natalie couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked each time she came to the hospital.

If it wasn't for his constant harassment since she stepped foot into this hospital she would have probably considered him a worthy boyfriend but her father had made sure she never harbored such thoughts.

All men were nothing but liars and bad news, especially men like him.

He had black curly hair with deep brown eyes and a strong jaw. His pink lips were pulled into a grim line and his oval face was scrunched up in a frown.

His rigid posture—though he looked like he was relaxing—gave her the feeling that something was wrong.

"Doctor." She smiled at him swallowing a lump that formed in her throat.

"I've got news for you," he said smiling at her.

She frowned. He was smiling that could only mean...

"Yes, your brother is awake," he replied to her unspoken question.

"Oh my God!" She exclaimed resisting the urge to faint.

"He's demanding to see you," the doctor added.

She was on her feet instantly, "Take me to him, doctor."

He chuckled before leading her to room 460. She pushed open the door and saw her brother, he was propped up on the bed with the aid of a pillow, and his eyes were closed.

She stood before his bedside and took in his frail figure. His once chubby self was now looking thin, his cheeks sunken and his golden-brown hair looking dusty.

Her twelve years old brother lay sprawled on the bed looking lifeless. Tears clouded her vision as she saw little six years old Noah running around the house.

"Mommy, you can't catch me!" He screamed giggling as he ran towards the shed.

"Noah, get back here!" Mom yelled calling after him.

"Nat can't even catch me," he giggled more.

She had run towards the shed to catch him and that's when they heard it.

The sound that forever changed their lives.

"Nat?" The weak voice of her brother snapped her out of her reverie.

She wiped her eyes and saw Noah's face, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Noah!" She exclaimed pulling him in for a hug, her hand caressing his hair.

"Ugh! You're gonna squeeze me to death!!" She heard the teasing voice of her brother.

She wiped away the tears trickling down her cheeks. Despite his condition, he still had the energy to crack a joke.

"Shut up, Noah. I missed you," she said, chuckling. Her voice breaking at the end.

"I missed you too, sis," he replied smiling at her.

She knew she shouldn't cry. No, she has to be strong for her brother...

"Don't cry, I'm alive," her brother said with a smile.

She gave him a watery smile, "I'm not crying, silly."

"Of course, it's just water that's on your face," her brother replied sarcastically with a slight eye roll.

She touched her cheeks and felt the wetness. "Silly tear duct that just won't stop tearing up."

Her brother smiled. "I know sis but can you believe it, I'm all better now I can go back to school."

"Is that what the doctor said?" She asked him, her brow furrowed in concern.

He rolled his eyes, "Duh! I'm awake in like two years that's gonna mean something."

She frowned, "who told you it was two years?"

He shrugged, "the nurse that moved me told me that."

Ooh, about that moving.

"Why were you moved from your room?"

"Ugh! Go be a detective!!"

She laughed, "I'm sorry just tell me."

"Fine," he huffed, "they said something about money."

She looked around the room and realized how bland the room was especially the bed. It was stiff unlike in his previous room.

So they moved him to a cheaper room because she couldn't afford to pay for the other room, she mused quietly. She's gonna need to talk with the doctor.

"Hey, don't overthink it okay," her brother's voice snapped her out of her thoughts—again.

"It's just a room, I'm not gonna stay here for long again. I will be going home soon back to the mansion."

She swallowed a lump that formed in her throat, "Yeah, you go back to the mansion of course if you're all better."

Natalie turned around to do a quick check-in with the doctor but her brother grabbed her narrowing his eyes at her. "What did you do, Nat?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Shut up and get better. I need to see the doctor."

She practically ran out of the room heading straight to the doctor's office.

"Doctor, what happened to my brother?" She asked eying him suspiciously.

He stood up from the recliner chair and removed his glasses, wiping his eyes before setting the glasses on the table. He stared at her briefly but said nothing.

"Well?" She prompted him again.

"Natalie, please take a seat and calm down," he said calmly to her.

She flared up, "don't tell me to calm down. Tell me what's wrong with my brother!"

He sighed, "If you say so."

She glared at him her hands fisted on her hips, "start talking doctor."

"Your brother is..." They were interrupted by the nurse from earlier.

"Doctor, it's an emergency. The patient in room 460 is having a seizure!"

Room 460? That's her brother's room, she caught the doctor's eyes and he looked away hurriedly grabbing his lab coat and stethoscope. She followed closely behind, her heart hammering against her ribcage.

Please, don't die on me, Noah, she implored fearfully.