We'll Talk In The Morning
"On second thought, I should know any circumstances that can affect your ability to uphold our contract." Owen opened the curtain he just closed. As if his hands never left the fabric at all.
Lucy let out a puff and a weary smile. She's exhausted, but the tsundere in front of her keeps her from resting peacefully.
Owen, despite his seemingly unstoppable curiosity to find out the cause of the young woman's breakdown, saw how drained she was because of what happened. He decided to let the matter go. For now.
"We'll talk in the morning." and the curtain was closed again.
Lucy is beginning to get used to this push-and-pull thing with Owen. She can either take it as the man's self-serving agenda to get back the money as stated in the contract or a genuine concern masked in rough vocabulary.
Her logical deductions and heart assume the latter possibility.
Owen was clear that he was more than willing to pay for Nana's operation without getting anything in return so she doubts the contract changed his perspective on that.
She closed her eyes in an attempt to rest but the moment she closed her eyes fear seared through her skin. Her arms remembered the tight embrace she gave herself in panic.
Lucy chose to keep her eyes closed and think happy thoughts instead. When that didn't work, she thought of what she should do tomorrow. Might as well face this head-on. She's afraid but also knows that if she keeps this to herself nothing will be resolved.
She'll go to the police and make a report. Yes. Make a report. She tries to remember the details of the men's faces, their clothes, their voice, the exact words they used.
The recollection was terrifying. Lucy's breathing starts to shallow again.
"Please relax, miss. Do you want me to ask the doctor to give you something so you can get a shut-eye?"
"Yes, please." Lucy is not a fan of medications but she readily accepted the offer. Not that she had a lot of experience with them though, this is her first time getting admitted to a hospital. She knows she needs a dose of something to get some rest.
She wonders if Nana is fine.
—
Owen closed the curtain irritably. Again. He looked around and saw the doctor in charge of Lucy.
She felt the offensive gaze and gave a few more instructions to the nurse's station before walking up to the young man.
"Take care of the paper works, I'll be back tomorrow." Owen, without batting an eye or a sign of courtesy to the other person.
"Yes." The doctor scarcely replied.
He took off immediately and headed to the parking lot. The passenger door still wide open. How careless, Owen.
He looked around. Opened and closed the other doors cautiously to check for any signs of entry. It's clear. He got in, gripped the steering wheel, and laid his head against the back of his hands. His knuckles tensed and he could feel his head expanding. He leaned back to his seat, hands refusing to let go of the steering wheel.
"I'm here." Inhale.
Exhale. "I'm breathing."
"I'm here." Inhale.
Exhale. "I'm breathing."
He did for a few more minutes till he was satisfied. He looked at the time on the dashboard.
He missed his appointment.
Owen reached for his phone and sent a quick message to reschedule.
—
It wasn't long before the nurse came back. She gave Lucy a pill, clearly that she would only need to take this tonight, under the doctor's orders.
The nurse administered an intravenous line skillfully, shortly after. She has no qualms about getting injected with anything as long as it's under medical instructions. Lucy looked at the needle directly and felt a sharp pain at the point of entry.
She was left alone again. She dared not close her eyes anymore until after a few minutes when the medication started to kick in.
The pill seems to be working fine since she's starting to feel drowsy. She wondered if she needed to sign papers first. She can't fight the heaviness of her eyelids anymore.
—
It was already morning when Lucy opened her eyes again. The blinding light made it obvious that it was way past the early hours of the day.
Despite just waking up, she felt refreshed. Unusual but she dared not think too much about it.
She looked at the familiar ceiling that had been her waking view for the past few weeks because of Nana. She started getting up and felt a slight weight tugging at her left arm. There's an IV line connected to her skin.
Lucy momentarily forgot the events that happened the night before.
She was past the panic but there was still anxiety in her her mind. She remembered the men, the voices, the run, Owen.
There's a lot of things going on inside her head but she remembered planning to tell the police and that's exactly what she would do today.
Owen told her that they would talk in the morning. Her mind is still fuzzy but vividly remembers this line getting out of the man's mouth.
Should she wait for him to come by before leaving for the police station? She'll have to get these IV drips off her first, though.
Lucy looked farther to her side and saw Nana. They are in the same room. The elderly was still sound asleep. She looked too fragile in Lucy's eyes right now. Far from the images she had in her younger years.
She's comforted by her grandmother's presence but conflicted about how she would explain the situation. In the short weeks of Nana's stay she mastered the art of playing with words to keep everything seem fine. Just as she's trying to rack her brain for there's a soft knock from the door and three people came in dressed in white robes, one mature nurse following right behind.
Lucy saw a familiar figure looming outside the room right before the door closed.