Chapter 35
Clayton:
Trent had done it again. He was not a person that had much to offer; so he did what he could do best and he did it as frequently as he could – and that was to party. He knew every club, every bar, every stewardess and every sommelier. Because of how frequently he visited clubs, he got into fights and squabbles more than a few times. I was not too surprised when he called, even though it had been quite a while since he had gotten into a fight or anything.
“Speak up, man,” I said to him. “What happened?”
I needed to know for sure that he was not in any trouble.
“Clayton, man,” he drawled, “I stabbed someone – the stewardess.”
“What?” I said. “What the fuck, man?!”
I was shocked because even though he had been in fights, he had never stabbed anyone. I didn’t even know that he had a knife. Or was it a bottle he used?
“Yeah, man,” he drawled again. “I fucking stabbed her.”
“Well, is she alive?” I asked, frantic.
“I don’t know, man,” he replied. “But there was blood. A lot of fucking blood.”
“But really, though, what the fuck were you doing with a knife, Trent?” I asked, my voice raised a few notches high in reprimand. “You know you lose control over yourself when you get drunk. What were you doing with a fucking knife?!?!”
“I didn’t lose control,” he explained. “Some idiot shoved me and refused to apologize.”
I hung up and went to sleep, hoping I could solve the problem the next day.
Nadine:
Anna woke shortly after I stepped into the ward.
“Hi,” I said as I walked to sit by her side, stroking her hair, while simultaneously trying to hold back tears that were threatening to fall.
“Hi, Nadine,” she responded softly. Her voice was so soft it made me smile.
“I thought you would sleep for a long time,” I said. “Hope you feel better.”
“I do,” she said. “Even if just a bit. But Naomi said recovery is a journey and that I should take it one step at a time.”Text content © NôvelDrama.Org.
At the sound of Naomi’s name from Anna’s mouth, I turned my face away, because definitely, the tears were going to come, and I would hate to see Anna see me cry. I thumbed my tears away and breathed deeply to avoid sniffling.
“Of course, recovery is a journey,” I said. I started to stroke her hair again, her chin, her cheek.
The nurse walked into the room again. When I saw the terror in her eyes, I knew that the worst had happened. She looked from me to Anna and back again.
“Come with me, ma’am,” she said and turned to leave.
I let go on Anna’s hand in mine and stepped outside, my heart somersaulting inside my thorax.
“What is it?” I asked her.
“I’m sorry, Nadine,” she said, “but we lost her.”
“Shit,” I said under my breath. “No. This isn’t happening. I am not hearing this.”
It felt like a movie, like I had been pulled away from my body and was watching someone else. Suddenly, the sounds around me became muffled, as if they were coming from a distance and the world started to fade out. I saw black.
*
I woke up with quite a headache. The world was no longer black, but it was dim and blurry. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. I was in a ward all alone.
“Are you okay?” I heard a voice say and quickly realized that it was the nurse. There was another nurse with her, a younger one, probably an intern. They both looked at me with concerned eyes, in a way that seemed weird.
“I’m … fine,” I said. “Where’s my sister?”
“Ohh, Anna is fine,” the younger nurse answered, nodding her head perhaps a bit too excited.
“I have a headache,” I said, rubbing my temples with my fingers. “It’s killing me.”
“Yeah, that is expected,” she said. “We’ll give you some drugs, and an injection, perhaps. Is there anything else you need?”
My mind drifted to Naomi. She was the best friend I had ever had. While I was away, she became an elder sister to Anna and played the role so well (maybe even better than I ever did) that Anna got attached to her and did not miss me that much. She thought more of Anna and I than she did herself.
“Would you like anything?” The nurse asked again, this time placing her hand gently on my shoulder.
“I’d like my friend back,” I replied. “I’d like her back right now. How about that? Can you do that?”
The nurse bowed her head and shook it dolefully before turning to leave. I sat up, crying till my throat ached.
Clayton:
The next morning, I was having breakfast when I got a call from Trent. I had planned on calling him and telling him to stop being a nuisance, which he always was.
“What now, Trent?” I said when I answered the call.
“I’m at the police station, Clayton,” he said. “They put me in a fucking handcuff, man, and I have been here for quite a while without being able to communicate. They allowed me to call you now.”
“Wait. What were you arrested for?” I asked.
“It’s about the girl that I stabbed last night,” he said. “Isn’t that kind of obvious?”
I could hear chatter behind me and I knew for sure that he was telling the truth. But I couldn’t allow my friend to remain in custody, so I knew what to do.
“I’m coming to the station now,” I said to him. “And you sit still right there.”
“Ohh, alright,” he said. “I’ll be waiting for you.
I called for my driver and we drove away to the police station. It was such a big place with a lot of people. I scanned the faces of everyone.