12 The call and the accident

Emily sat down to paint something new, something innovative. All she could think about is, Oscar. But, she did not want to base a character off him right off the bat. If Innovation approves of it, and Oscar does not like it, it may cause a lot of problems.

Biting the pencil in her hand, she hung her head low and poured over the papers in the dim light of the desk lamp. Her glasses perched on her nose almost touched the papers when she dozed off, and she had to take them off.

She lowered her head on top of the desk and fell asleep.

The early rays of the morning greeted her, caressing her body slowly and diving straight into the white carpet on the floor.

Emily rubbed her eyes and yawned. She was sporting a t-shirt with shorts. She was wearing a lacy cardigan on top. She tied it around her waist and ran towards the washroom to get ready.

The ring of her cellphone made her stop, and she returned to the living room.

It was a call from her mother. She's calling this early in the morning?

"Hello Mom? Everything okay?"

"Em, come fast to the hospital. Your dad, he…"

"He what, mom?"

She could only hear the sound of sobbing from the other end.

"Mom, shhh. Stop crying. I'm coming, okay? Please don't cry."

Her mother gave a grunt, which felt more like a hiccup. She connected her phone to the earpods and ran out of the door. She almost forgot her coat, but the chilly air reminded her to take it with her. She came back and grabbed a bottle of mouthwash, her purse, the keys and ran out again.

The gentle rays of the sun washed over her as she frantically searched for a cab. All of them were either filled with passengers or they were ending their shifts and refused to go to the hospital at this hour.

After about 20 or so minutes of standing, she decided to start walking. She was crossing the road with one thought in her mind—to get to Murica Cancer Speciality Hospital as soon as she could. Her mother was waiting for her. She did not know when the lights turned green and the cars started moving. She almost found herself in front of a speeding car.

Her heart stopped. Was this the end? She closed her eyes and hoped the driver would not hit her. She stood still.

When she tried to open her eyes, she heard a loud screech and the car stopped one inch away from her.

An angry shout blasted her eardrums. The driver got down and slammed the door of his car and dragged her to the sidewalk to yell at her. She did not open her eyes. But the yelling she was waiting for, never came from the other side.

She opened one eye to see the situation. Everyone was gathered around her and she heard various voices. Some of them asked her whether she was okay, while others were looking at her angrily for causing a traffic jam.

Emily looked up to see the face of the person, gripping her hand tightly. It was starting to hurt. But before she could say anything, she saw the angry eyes of the person in front of her. She gulped.

It was none other than Gerald Whitmore. Why him?

Anger was rising in her heart. Why did he have to drive so fast? What if she died? With a jerk, she removed his hand off her and started walking.

"Emily?!" he called.

She did not turn back, but soon found herself being pulled into a hard, muscular chest.

"Get inside the car. I'll drive you."

"No, I don't wanna die yet. Besides, I can go on my own. I don't need your help, Mr. Whitmore." Emily pouted. She tried to make him release his grip. She even tried to pry his fingers off her arms, but he held on tightly.

"I said get in. Don't cause a scene here." He gritted his teeth, pulled the door open, and pushed her in.

"Mr. Whitmore, where are you taking me?"

"Innovation. Did you forget that you promised to go to work starting today? I do not like people coming late to work."

"Mr. Whitmore, stop the car, NOW."

The car came to a screeching halt beside the Riverside Park.

"Can't you see anything else besides you, your company and everything that's related to you? Open your eyes wide, Mr. Whitmore. This world does not revolve around you. There are much bigger issues than you, your company, your profits, your business and your nonsense. Who gave you the courage to pull me into your car and drive me to your company? I only said yes to working for you for a month, but that does not give you the right to overestimate yourself and meddle in my matters."

Emily threw the door open and got down, before slamming the door and walking off.

Gerald stared at her back. What pissed her off this early in the morning? It couldn't be related to their work. He decided to run after her, but he also knew she wouldn't appreciate it.

Emily was walking very fast. She had to reach the hospital on time. Gerald was driving slowly, keeping a distance from her. What if she went crazy again seeing him?

Gerald knew Emily was no fun when she was really angry and he did not intend to test her patience twice the same day. It was not something he could handle.

Gerald saw her going towards the hospital. Following her, he entered the hospital. The pungent smell of medicines entered his nose, overwhelmed his senses and made him dizzy.

"How can one stay in this place? Ahhh." Gerald did not bother following her in. He ran out to get some fresh air. He knew if he stayed, it would cause more problems.

Emily ran up the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her. She came to a halt in front of the ward her father was staying in. Her mother was sitting outside, sobbing into her handkerchief.

"What happened to dad, mom? Are you okay? Tell me what happened?" Emily held her mother's hand and patted her on the back.

"He-" she hiccupped and continued, "doctors said, we need to do his surgery soon and he said… hic… he said…"

"Yes mom, what did he say?"

"He said…" She widened her eyes and pulled her handkerchief near her mouth to stop herself from spilling it.

Emily waited for her to say something, but she did not. Phoebe realized that telling her the truth would enrage her. She was only doing everything she was just for her sake. She did not want to hurt her by telling what Marcus said about her.

Emily knew her father must've said something horrible again. After all these years, she was used to it. She just hoped her mother would not have to deal with it all. She did not speak to her father all these years, and her mother had to feel the brunt of his anger all the time.

She wanted a way out, but life always had its own way of torturing her and here they were, trying to save him.