HOW IT ALL STARTED

'Dr. Hanes, please proceed to station eight'. The intercom repeated the message atleast three times with a minute interval each before it stopped and called another Doctor's name. The nurses at station eight were obviously occupied to even pay attention to the announcement flashed on the thirty-two inch flat screen TV mounted on the wall. It was mentioned that a new director is going to take over the Merrick's Hospital next month or probably earlier. This medical facility has been widely known for having the best doctors and on top of that, has the most advanced treatment and medical equipment compared to the others in the whole Arizona. Two of them are busy typing in data from the bulk of documents placed right on top the plain off-white desk. An older looking one was located at the center of the semi-circular area handling the never ending calls coming from different departments looking for who and requesting for this and that. The other two younger ladies are arranging files, compiling the records to a black clipboard. Sticky notes were inserted to most of the pages with words highlighted in red to indicate importance or priority for review.

"Has Dr. Hanes arrived yet" says the tanned woman with pink braces. She slammed her hands on top of the blue gowns piled altogether inside the thin clear plastic. Her sudden appearance startled Nurse Jones – the elder one causing her to drop the telephone. "Goodness gracious Stephanie! That is not good for my health" poor nurse Jones rubbed her chest as she catches her breath.

"So, is he here yet?"

"No. Apparently, he is still on staff meeting." She responded.

"For freak sake! He is always late!" Nurse Stephanie Lowes rolled her eyes and threw her arms up in the air in contempt against the infamous Dr. Hanes. "Would you want me to.." Nurse Jones attempted to appease the now grumpy looking complainant but was immediately interrupted.

"Nope. I'll handle that myself. He's dead meat." She curled her hand into a fist, her knuckles were emphasized.

"You should probably not say that." The elderly tried to warn her younger fellow nurse but Stephanie was too quick to dodge the lecture by walking away from the station.

"She's rude." She commented to herself.

"You should get used to it by now Mrs. Jones!" Stephanie shouted from the far end of the hallway before disappearing into the elevator as if she properly heard every word. Nurse Jones was left shocked and unamused.

"We should get inside now Mr. Green." a freckled woman of probably in her late twenties leaned forward to whisper the word to the person sitting on the bench. This redhead tied her hair into a tight single bun secured with a net and a bunch of hairpins. The few baby strands that peeked in between danced as a slight breeze of the fall season brushes her pale skin.

"Give me ten more minutes Catherine. it might be my last." A long deep breath and then a shaky release was heard from the man. The wrinkles on his hands, defined lines on his forehead and in the corner of his eyes says a lot about his age. He kept his gaze to the distant view despite not focusing on a particular object.

"No I can't Mr. Green. The air is getting cold. Also, please stop saying ominous things like that. Our doctors here are the best. You still have many years ahead of you." She reasoned. The sincerity was evident in her voice. There was no stuttering nor pauses which signified she was confident through and through.

"I told you to call me Ron, Catherine. It's been a month now and you still sound so uptight around me."

"Then, If I call you that, can you promise to only think of positive things from now on?" Catherine was staring at the same open area that Mr. Green is looking at.

There was no physical connection yet she, standing behind him silently, might have meant more than a touch could do.

"What time do you start?" Mr. Green asked after most likely five minutes or so. There was no change in his tone.

"A little over two hours from now." was Catherine's brief response.

"Then I guess I should get inside and have you check my condition. I'll be sure to not miss the sunshine tomorrow too." Mr. Green slowly stood up from his seat and walked around the wooden chair before facing Catherine with a smile.

"Then I'll make sure to accompany you again tomorrow, Ron." She replied. There were no other words exchanged between them but it was trust and mutual understanding that lead them to believe of the brighter days waiting for them. They went inside the building without a second thought.

"The first and second racer are down to their last lap leaving the others behind! Keith Zelinsky is leading the pack and Blake Merrick just one reach behind. The crowd is getting wild over this two. Merrick is our three time defending champion and was openly challenged by Zelinsky yesterday at the meetups. This German racer is renowned for surprising the audiences with his tricks on the tracks. Now, will it help him secure the gold or will Merrick turn the tides in his favor?! Right at this moment, we are seeing them on the final curve before the finish line but the gap has yet to close in. Among our fans, we have Eliza Merrick cheering solely for her brother. What a beautiful sweet lady." The announcer fluidly provided nonstop commentary, even inserting his appreciation to the gorgeous woman. "Back to our boys.. and Zelinsky crosses the line first!! Merrick just a second short but silver is not bad too. Other racers are now coming through one by one. What a race! It was worth every penny folks! Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for joining in our Fifty - eighth annual celebration for our local car racing event here in Phoenix Arizona."

"Congratulations Keith! Your wheels were on fire."

"You did great though. I couldn't ask for a better opponent than you Blake!" Both shook each others hands and continued conversing about how the event went and how much they enjoyed the race. They chuckled at each others jokes and talked about what they could have done differently.

"So, as promised, name your reward." Blake inserted. "You remembered? thought it was just a spur of the moment thing." Keith jokingly responded. He placed his damp gloves inside his left pocket before eyeing Blake. They stand face to face, not being intimidated by anyone's presence. Blake might have been a few inches taller but Keith's physique played a big role in boosting his stature.

"I stand by my decisions man. As long as it's something reasonable, nothing is impossible." Blake crossed his arms after his assistant took off his racing jacket uniform, leaving him in his grey shirt. He sounded a bit proud of himself. Well indeed, Blake Anderson Merrick can get anything he wants. As a third generation heir of the Merrick conglomerate, everything is in the palm of his hands.

Blake grit his teeth as he wait for Keith to respond. "Well, I do hope you can." He stopped for a moment and scanned the people leaving the stands. He was looking for something or someone right at the private section.

"That chick. Can you lend her to me just for one night?" and pointed somewhere at the almost empty seats. Blake followed where his hand is directing. He squinted his eyes as the sunrays were at it's peak. And as soon as Blake layed sight on what Keith was referring to, without a word, a right hook hit Mr. Zelinsky. He punched the life out of the oblivious Keith. The newly crowned champion immediately fell on his knees, one arm on the ground.

"Fucker! Don't label my sister like that!" Blake crouched while roaring his emotions out. And as he was about to land another blow, his head was hit by the heel of a stiletto that was undoubtedly and intentionally thrown at him. Next was a handbag. "Who the fuck was that?" He moved away from Keith who was wiping the blood off of his lips.

"Sir Blake, let's stir away from trouble. You know better than let these eyes witness this behavior." Says the guy in full - on black suit. Wearing black sunglasses would make him the newest member of the 'men in black' movie. He is shorter than his boss but has this badass aura around him. He tried to calm Blake down but all attempts failed.

"Not this time Shann! Nobody and I mean no one is allowed to treat my sister like that!" Blake's voice is getting louder than before and he looks like he is about to spit some fire.

"Shut up Blake! You're a nobody without your money. No friends. No prestige and no name without your family's riches. So get off your high horse and don't you dare touch my man again!" A blonde woman wearing the shortest miniskirt thinkable raises her eyebrows. Her neon pink crop top did not really blend well with her lime green stilletos.

"So you are this guy's bitch? No wonder I can smell rotten garbage nearby!" He blurted after seeing that the woman only has one shoe on. Two of the three body guards accompanying Shann the secretary held onto the skinny blonde who was now waving her middle finger at Blake.

"Sir, we should look for other options other than violence." and as soon as he finished his sentence, Keith was able to get his revenge. Blake stumbled at the sudden attack but it was not heavy enough to knock him down. The trusty secretary was quick enough to block the second one too. By now, a bunch of curious onlookers has circled them, wanting to get a real time view of the possible brawl before it's featured in the afternoon News and, or the morning paper the next day. The remaining guard stood in front of Blake, separating him from the fuming Keith. "Hit him in the gut baby!" The tactless girlfriend screamed once again.

"I'll hit you in the gut instead, idiot!" and a slap across the face scratched the cheek of the unsightly girl. A kick in the gut followed and she winced in pain. "That's your payment for hitting my brother with your cheap heels." Eliza Jane Merrick arrived at the chaotic scene. Her three female body guards were still running towards her.

"Eliza! You are not supposed to be here!" Blake shouted despite being in the middle of a fist fight. "Ms. Eliza, not you too please. I'll be in so much trouble!" Shann approached her and grabbed her arm. "We are not going to talk about being prim and proper today Mr. Travis. I'm going to show this little girl what the Merricks are made off." Aggravated as he may be, Shann knows exactly what to do. He has to force his own way to save the siblings from further humiliation. He instructed the guards to pull the siblings away from the crowd, no matter what. Blake who has blood dripping down from the small cut on his head and a few cuts on his face was first dragged away. The feisty Eliza was still tearing the clothes of the pitiful woman before she was successfully pulled away. Eliza retained a few scratches on both of her arms. "Call the hospital now. Have them prepare two VIP rooms". Shann demanded the lady guard. He then dialed one of the Merrick's Lawyer before the driver drove off.