#Chapter 12# Officer Nelson

"Doctor, how is she?" I asked hurriedly as the doctor was coming out of the I.C. unit.

"Calm down, miss. She will be fine. We are trying our best to save her." He said it calmly.

"What exactly happened to her?" Officer Gabriel asked.

"From the results of the test done, we found out that she was ashphyxiated by suffocation. She was also poisoned by a knife cut on her left palm. Thanks to God, she was brought in on time before the poison could kill her. We have used an antidote for the poison. She should regain her consciousness soon." The doctor explained.

"That's good to hear. Thanks for the information, Doctor." Officer Gabriel said

"I hope you took note of all that the doctor said. We would need those information for the investigation." Officer Gabriel said to Sergeant James

"Yes, I did. I would need to see the cut on her left palm and probably take pictures of it." Sergeant James replied.

"That would be perfect." Officer Gabriel stated.

It was already past 10. I was seriously anticipating my mum gaining consciousness. I could not stop pouring my eyes out. Asher kept consoling me. His mom arrived at the hospital around 8 p.m. after receiving a call from Asher through one of the sergeants' phone. She brought food for the both of us and water. The three of us kept pacing round the hospital's corridor. Soon, the police force from the state department came in. They exchanged greetings with Officer Gabriel. He introduced the D.P.O. of the state department to me.

"Hey, Miss Tara, I'm Officer Nelson." He greeted. 

"Good evening, Officer Nelson." Asher's mom greeted him.

"Good evening, Mrs. Oh! Mrs Smith. It's nice to meet you again. What a coincidence!" Officer Nelson said, shaking hands with Asher's mom.

"Do you know him?" Asher asked his mom.

"Sure, I do. He was the officer who investigated the robbery that happened in my company two years ago." She replied to Asher.

"Wow. We can trust him on this." Asher said to me

"Yeah," I said, smiling.

I was a bit relieved that we have good hands to deal with the situation. Officer Nelson asked me about some information, which I revealed to him. I told her everything, starting from Anna's threat to this very moment.

"Do you both have your phones with you?" He asked Asher and me.

"No, we left it at home." Asher replied. 

"Thier phones are here officer Nelson." A female sergeant for Officer Gabriel replied.

I looked at her uniform to see her name. Boldly written on the badge of her uniform was Sergeant Courtney. She is about 60 inches tall, a black American and her weight should be around 170 pounds. She should be in her early 20s.

"It was part of the materials gathered for the investigation," she continued as she handed them over to Officer Nelson.

"Thank you," he said to her.

"Can you put a call through to Ashley, your friend whom you spoke of?" Officer Nelson said to me

"Sure." I said that and grabbed my phone to unlock it. I dialed Ashley's number, and she picked it.

"Hey, Anna. Xup." Her voice came through.

"I'm good. How are you doing?" I asked. 

"I'm also good. I'm at Clinton's parents anniversary party with my dad. I'm sleeping over there. I don't think I'll be at school tomorrow." She said. 

"Asher was supposed to be at the party. Clinton dialed his number several times but he wasn't picking up. Have you spoken with him?" Anna asked. 

"He's here with me. We are at the hospital." I told her.

"Hospital! Why?" She asked curiously.

I explained everything that happened to her. She was astonished.

"I just called to ask if you saw any strange things at your place. Since you aren't home, it's good." I said. 

"My mom is the only one home. I don't think Anna can be behind all this." She said. 

"We aren't sure exactly. But we have to be on the safer said." I replied to her.

"How is your mom?" She inquired. 

"She is good. We are praying for her to gain consciousness. She is the only one who can give better clarification on this." I said. 

"She will be fine. I'll be at the hospital tomorrow morning," she said consolingly.

"Bye Ashley. Thanks." I said

"Bye. My regards to Asher." She then hung up the phone.

"Do you know where Ashley lives?" Sergeant Courtney asked.

"I do," Asher replied.

"We'll need the location. We have to keep that place secure. We can't overlook anything right now. Every opinion and idea is a fact in this situation." Sergeant Courtney said.

"You're right. Five sergeants should go to the apartment and ensure maximum security until the morning. Ensure to bring the situation to the attention of Ashley's mom, since she is the only soul in the house." Officer Nelson said

"Okay, sir," Sergeant Courtney said and left.

"Do you know where Anna lives?" Officer Nelson asked me.

"No, I don't. But I know who knows." I said. 

"Who?" he inquired.

"Doctor Antonio, my Doctor." I responded. 

"He introduced Anna's mom to me as my new cardiologist when my situation grew out of his capacity." I continued. 

"Oh! So Anna's mom is your new cardiologist? He asked. 

"No,she isn't. I couldn't allow her to be my new doctor since she knew that I was the girl her daughter claimed to have snatched from her lover. She looked at me with disdain after finding out." I said. 

"But that doesn't mean she hates you or won't treat you." He said. 

I laughed, sarcastically.

"Anna is the only soul she's got in this world since her husband died. That has made her overpampered. She would do anything for her daughter." I said. 

"Sure. Anything. She once had a teacher sent to prison for wrongly scolding Anna." Asher added. 

"That is serious. What's her name?" Officer Nelson asked.

"Dr. Stella Parker." Asher and I chorused.

"What? She's the best cardiologist in the whole country." He exclaimed. 

"Yes, she is," I said.

"Who's now your new cardiologist, since you rejected her?" He asked. 

"A female Chinese cardiologist She stays in China but comes to check on me every weekend. Her name is Dr. Gabby." I replied to him.

"Good. Reach Dr. Antonio for her house address." He said.

I called Dr. Antonio and told him the whole situation. He did not let me say the reason I called; he just asked for the name of the hospital and hung up.

In no less than thirty minutes, Dr. Antonio arrived the hospital. He exchanged greetings with Officer Gabriel since they knew each other. He consoled me and hugged me tightly. His presence always made me remember my father. I couldn't hold back my tears, and I poured them out.

"Oh! I wished Papa was here." I said in my mind as I hugged him, crying.