05| trust

Claudia

"What were you thinking,  taking a patient into your own hands the way that you did,"

"It's not like I did not request for a Doctor,"

"Well, you could've  called for another?" I scoff, giving Conac the most crazed look ever. This woman was absolutely losing her mind. She pulled me all the way to the meeting room, just to tell me I could've  called a doctor instead of handling it like a nurse.

"There was no time for that. I was not going to wait for another doctor, who couldn't make it because of God knows what,"

"Nurse  Claudia  de Alice, don't ever  speak to me that way. That patient  could have died, in your hands. If there was no doctor present. Simply because you  couldn't  control-

"No Doctor Conac, no. You're  wrong, because guess what? Matteo did not die in my arms. And I didn't  need you, or any other doctor. Don't  you dare imsult my work as a nurse nor make this personal Doctor Conac, because I see exactly what you're  doing,"

"Are you threatening me, Claudia?"

"No ma'am. She's  simply telling you the truth," Rita said in a  small voice. She sat adjacent to me. I fought back a smile when she uttered those words. "Exactly. Doing what you couldn't do,"

"And who are you two?" Doctor  Conac sneers. "Rita, the new nurse student,"

"I'm Diego, the brother of the  patient you couldn't  save,"

Doctor  Conac ignores both  of them and just says, "Teenagers," and starts walking but I stop her. "Oh and Doctor  Conac?" she slowly  turns back around. "What?" She spat.

"It's Nurse Claudia de Alice, to you," I smirk and she shoots me a once over before walking off. I pull in Rita and Diego for a group hug.

"I don't do hugs," Diego mutters. "Shut up, niño,"

□□□

"Diego, I need you to talk to me about something," He looks up to me, not having eaten a thing. He continues to take a sip of the orange juice.

"I saw the bullet  that was in Matteo's  arm," Diego stops drinking. "You can tell me niño, I'm not going to interrogate you. But I know there's more to the story,"

"Exactly, if you don't want to interrogate  me, then why are you asking me?" I sigh, tearing my gaze away from him and looking out at the clouds. I had brought him up here because there was less people. It wasn't lunch break yet and the breeze was soothing from where we stood.

"I just wanted to know, niño," I softly say. "Why do you call me that?"

"What?"

"Niño,"

"Oh," I smile. "Mainly because I didn't know your name. And you totally behave like a boy," He scoffs. "Me? A boy? I'm  almost a man now," He said despite him looking like his in his adolescent years.

"Just because  you're going to be a man legally and on the outside, doesn't mean  you're gonna be the same inside,"

"Well, that was... deep,"

"But you know I was just kidding with you, right? You seem  like a good niño,"  And for the first time since his been here, I see a smile on his face.

Surpirse, Surprise.

"I'm actually nighteen. Matteo is 17," I knit my brows both together. "Why'd  you lie?"

"It's usually the first thing I say, it's  just- I don't know. Come to think of  it, there's  no reason. That bullet in his arm-"

"I'm  not going  to report you, niño," I reassure him. "My sister once said the same thing,"

He has a sister?

There was so much I was discovering  but I chose to be quiet.

"My da- well, my sperm donor--  gambles. Or at least he did. He left us with his debt, after he got shot in the chest  for not  paying up. I was angry  at him because now it was up to us, to pay them. I thought I could do it. I thought I could keep it a secret. But one night, Matteo found out. He wanted to help us out - but Matteo, Matteo is the most innocent among all of us and I didn't  want him to get hurt. We ending up fighting. He ran to the car and I chased him down. I tried r- reasoning with him. He didn't  listen. S-s- so I opened the door to the car and tried  stopping him but he only drove off," he pauses.

"H-he arrives at R-Rookie's place. Rookie is his usual self, he was expecting cash but Matteo said he didn't have. Rookie got so mad, he shot him. He said he would've  shot to kill but he admired his bravery. I told Rookie to get away from me, and Rookie never liked me. His men beat me up. Once they had created "enough"  damage, we were left all alone. I didn't have the strength to drag Matteo back to the car, and straight home. So I called Dallas; our elder brother, and he came. He drove like a maniac on the road and I kept fighting with him -telling him we couldn't  go to the hospital. His eyes weren't  on the road, he wasn't  focusing. None of us were, and the last thing I remember was the sound of crash,"

□□□

My shift  was over and now it was time for me to go and see my grandmother.

My uniform was gone and now I wore a simple black jeans and a navy blouse. I sent a text to the girls group chat saying,

Leaving early to see granny.

I make my way to my car, my clutch was placed cross over and once I got into my car and I took it off.

A few minutes later, I arrive to my destination. It was another hospital but this one was one I didn't work in. I step out of vehicle and my eyes land on the familiar  hospital. Santa Monica.

"Claudia, darling, it's so good to see you," Eve beams, walking towards me with her arms wide open. I smile. "Same here Eve. It's been long,"

"Yes, it has," She smiles revealing  her wrinkles. Her short dark hair was beginning  to turn into a color grey. Starting with her roots. She still looked a same. "Are you here to see Sydney?" I nod.

"She misses you so much," My heart melts at this. I missed her too. "How is she?" I ask. "Sydney? Oh, she's  doing good," But something sounds  wrong - I can tell by her tone.

I shrug the achy feeling in my heart off. Maybe it's nothing, and it's  only me overthinking, right?

I enter, Eve walking by my side  and I spot the receptionist, Tiana. "Hey T," She looks up and gasps once she sees  me. "Claud?? Oh my gosh girl, it's been ages!" She  grins, walking out of her desk to hug me. "I know, I just had to see her today. I want to take her home," She freezes. I watch her become silent.

"What's  with the- sudden change of mood?"

"You don't  know?" She asks. "Know what?" And then I don't get an answer.

"Tiana and Eve, you both are acting very strange. Can someone please tell  me what the hell, is going on with my grandmother,"

"Oh, I'll  tell you," I turn around, and the first person I see is the last person I want to see. Doctor Conac. "How would you know  anything?" I cross my arms.

"A lot more than you'd think," She says. "I'd know because they assigned me to a patient, I only found out later that she is your grandmother,"

"You out of a people?"

"What, don't you trust me?"

"No, not really Doctor Conac, I don't. You always  have troubling showing up, so how, can I trust you?

"Well, do you want to know about your  grandmother or no?" I find myself biting the inside of my cheek, anxiety building up.  "That's  what I thought,"

"Can you just cut straight to the chase?"

"Your grandmother has cancer,"

Time seems to stop.

"and she's unfortunately  spreading signs of dementia,"

"No," I hold a hand onto my chest. "No, not her,"

"This may be genetic because, your mother, may she rest in peace, had cancer too." She takes the words right out my mouth. "Sydney  has to be transferred to a home,"

"What?"

"It's proced-"

"I don't give a damn. My grandmother  will not be taking into a damn home. My consent will be needed, and you know damn right I'm not going to give it,"

"Claudia, it's very important for Sy-"

"Did you not hear her?" I hear a voice. My emotions  are all over the place, I don't even have time to even think who it belongs to. "Sydney Ramirez  will not be going to a home, and that's  final." I finally  look into the direction of a voice. He was right there. His sunglasses hiding his beautiful  stormy grey orbs once again.

This time he had a guard beside him, dressed in an all black suit.

"Mr Rivera, I-"

"I own this hospital," he states. "Ms Ramirez will not move from here, until I  say so. Understand?"

"I'll take your word for it," Conac mutters but he seems to have caught it too. "You should," Her lips part as she stares at him in defeat. Turning her heel in a matter of seconds. Now I was alone with him again. Tiana was at a far distance and the floor was dead silent.

I stare at him. "I do not like being  stared at," he says feeling my eyes on him, once again. It instantly feels like dejà vù.

My mind goes back to the first  day we met  and my temperature rises. "W-why'd you that?" The question comes out as a whisper as the news comes flooding back.

"I know what it feels like, Claudia,"