Chapter 58: Care More than Shown

He slowly drifted into consciousness. The room came into sight as he opened his eyes. The room.. His eyes widened as the memories of the scene before he passed out came back to mind.

He jerked upright, getting ready to jump out of bed. A hand shot out to block him. Only then did he realize that Nelly was in the room with him. She sat beside his bed, eye-wide as she blocked him with an outstretched hand.

“How’s Sammy?” He asked the first question that came to his mind. Nelly’s face fell but she quickly hid the feeling and put on a straight face. “She’s alive,” she replied simply. Chad didn’t catch her fluctuating emotion. He nodded and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“You’re on the bed yourself, and you still have the heart to worry about others,” she reprimanded, “you passed out because you overworked yourself. Your body couldn’t take the strain. You should watch out for your health more.”

“I was resting before rushing over to her room,” he said, like it explained anything. Nelly eyed him skeptically. Then, she decided to drop it. “I’ll get you something to eat,” she said as she moved towards the door. “No need for that,” Chad tried standing up, “I’ll get it myself.”

Nelly pointed a finger at him. “Don’t move,” she warned, “I won’t help you if you faint again.” Chad stopped his movement. “Can I at least go see if she’s alright?”

Nelly studied his expression. She gave him a firm “no” before closing the door behind her. Her movements were stiff as she moved towards the kitchen.

As soon as she reached the kitchen, she began rummaging through the fridge. She started preparing food, the stiffness in her motion remained. She was moving but her mind was elsewhere.

“Are you cooking or slaughtering the chicken?” A voice caught her off guard. Jack appeared out of nowhere, looking over her shoulder. She jumped as she turned to look at what or who it was. Her action surprised Jack as well. He jumped back a step, holding up both his hands.

“Easy, easy..” he said, still holding up his hands in surrender. The tension left her shoulders. “You scared the shit out of me,” her voice was calm. Jack was still as cautious. He maintained his distance, gesturing towards her kitchen knife, “you can stop pointing it at me.” Nelly looked down at where he was pointing. She was holding the knife like a weapon, pointing straight at him.

“Oh,” she turned and put the knife down on the cutting board. Only then did Jack move nearer to her. “Who made you angry?”

“What? Nobody,” she picked the knife up and started prepping the chicken as she continued the conversation. “Then why did you chop the chicken like it killed your whole family?”

“Did I?” Nelly didn’t give him much of her attention. “Yes, you did. What are you making anyway?” He walked to the pot and peeked at the contents. “Chad needs a nutritious meal,” she said instead of answering his question. Jack nodded a few times before a mischievous smile formed on his face. “Is there enough for two?”

“Maybe. Why?” She moved past him to put the chicken into the pot with the other ingredients. “Am I lucky enough to be able to taste your cooking?”

“I didn’t make that much. Sorry,” her reply was flat, much contrary to her usual enthusiastic reply to him. Jack studied her tensed back as she stirred the pot.

“Everything will be alright,” he reassured her, dropping his usually playful tone. “Hmm,” she made some sound of acknowledgement. “Do you need anything?”

“No.” Jack shrugged. He moved to the counter and sat on the stool. He watched in silence as Nelly continued preparing the meal.

While at the other part of the clubhouse, Hank was pacing the room. His usual relaxed demeanor evaporated into thin air the moment he heard the news. Even though he was given a guest room, he wasn’t allowed to leave. There were guards right outside his locked door.

He’s eager for any update on Stacy but there was none. Time stretched and his agitation grew. He was starting to consider breaking out of the cozy cell and looking for her himself. That was when the door opened.

Zalen entered the room. He took in the scene in front of him. The once invincible leader of the infamous Viper was pacing the small space in worry. He was a human after all. Under the armor of a gang leader, he’s also a father.

“How’s she?” He asked the moment their eyes met. Zalen moved further into the room. The guards closed the door, locking both men in the room.

“Nelly managed to keep her alive. She’s lost too much blood. Still in a coma,” he gave him a brief explanation of her condition. Hank dropped on the edge of his bed, the exhaustion of patrolling around the room for hours finally taking a toll on him. He ran a hand down his face, suddenly looking ten years older than he’s supposed to be. “What exactly happened?”

“Mariana escaped.” Hank’s fists hit the surface of the mattress. He cursed the woman under his breath. “The guards outside her room laid unconscious when they arrived. We believe that they’ve already met,” Zalen explained.

Hank’s face darkened. “She’s a heartless bitch. At least she has been her mother for years. How could she kill the girl who adores her as a mother for all these years..”

Zalen hesitated just a little before continuing, “actually.. it’s suicide.”

Hank closed his eyes in dejection. “Then, that bitch must have said something to her.” Zalen leaned against the wall with his arms folded in front of him. He watched the man in front of him closely, looking for any sign of deception. He found none. It was a genuine concern. He still couldn’t believe that he’s the same gang leader they were against all these years – the one they thought to be cold-blooded.

Zalen wasn’t there when the drama in the dungeon happened. He heard the story from the others who were around during that time.

“What are you exactly?” Zalen couldn’t stop the question that escaped his mouth. Hank opened his eyes. “You seem to care more than you’ve shown the world for the past decades. What were you thinking all those time?”