Chapter 22: I am a Hall.

Bethany slides open the door and Anastasia looks up, smiling as she sees her daughter come inside.

“You are back?”

“Mum, Dad is alive!” Bethany announces immediately, not missing a beat.

Anastasia sits up immediately, looking for her footwear agitatedly with her legs. “Where is he?” She half yells, standing up. She almost falls back down but she immediately supports herself with the bed’s edge.

“He’s down in the ICU.”

Anastasia literally staggers past Bethany while she grabs her hands to help her walk steady.

From behind, Mandall watches as the two women walk slowly to the elevator.

It’s obvious that Anastasia is the taller one but due to her state and her slightly hunched back, Bethany is a few inches taller. Mandall taps the elevator down button for them, all trio waiting for the elevator to arrive.

Bethany mutters her thanks, exchanging a glance with him before turning back forward when the elevator arrives.

Downstairs, standing in front of the ICU, the door is not automatic like the other doors in the hospital and needs a clearance to be opened. Thankfully, it opens from the inside and a nurse stands in their way.

Trying to side track her, she puts her hand in front, stopping the three of them. “I’m sorry but visiting hours are over. Whoever you want to see will have to wait till tomorrow.”

“We are here to see…” Bethany starts, her voice soft and pleading.

Anastasia leans to her full height and looks the lady in the eyes, staring hard at her. “I am Anastasia Worth and if you don’t know who that is by now, you should be fired.”

Bethany rolls her eyes in an I’m nit so surprised look.’

Mandall raises an eyebrow though. He has always been aware that Anastasia is tough but this is just next level.

The nurse looks blank for s few seconds before she finally realizes the people she’s referring to. “Oh my goodness. I am so sorry, please come inside. Please come in.” She immediately signals to some other nurses who rush over with blue gowns for them to wear.

Anastasia does not deny this one and only puts it on, including the face mask.

When they are done; “Please come with me, his bed’s this way.”

Silently, they follow her to the bed where, true enough, Paul is lying, hooked to oxygen and a life machine hooked to him as well, the steady beep of the machines are the only source of sound in the room, until Bethany hears sniffling.

She looks right at Anastasia who is the one sniffling, her eyes moistened.

Bethany resists the urge to widen her eyes in surprise.

Suddenly, Bethany catches the eyes of someone just beyond the door, peeping inside.

Its Asha Rawlings.

Bethany whispers to Anastasia. “I have to attend to something outside, we’ll give you some privacy with Dad.”

Without waiting for a response from Anastasia who’s almost sobbing now, she leaves with Mandall walking behind her. He’s nit about to stay there and watch Anastasia think of him tactless, she looks like someone who would totally judge a person on things like that.

Bethany and Mandall takes off the blue gowns before stepping out of the door, right into Asha’s waiting questions.

Mandall tries o keep his emotions neutral around her but he is finding it hard, considering its only been hours since she accused him of killing her family and a ton of other people, which he is very sure he has absolutely no hand in. People have doppelgängers, and the villain was probably just sharing a side profile with him. He could even be a catfish. He picks out his thoughts to listen to the questions she’s asking Bethany.

“Is that really Paul Worth? Your Dad?” Asha inquires, peering in through the doors right at Anastasia’s back. She’s sitting on the edge of the bed now.

“Yes. Its him.” Bethany affirms, crossing her hands under her shoulders.

“Then who died? Who was buried? Whose funeral was held?” Asha asks confusedly, looking from Beth back inside the ICU. “Did the doctors say anything about when he would wake up?”

“For the first three questions, I should be the one asking that, don’t you think? Why did forensics automatically assume that it was my Dad who was shot in the head? The doctor said they needed to perform a surgery. Nothing about when he would wake up.”

Asha finally stops leaning in to peek in through the doors and fully focuses on Bethany. “Forensic decides things like that based on DNA or from a pliable witness. This time, it was done by DNA from blood drawn from the body.”

“Was the option that maybe the blood draw from the body of the deceased was not his? I mean more than one person loses blood in a confrontation. So maybe, your forensics department is not as accurate as everyone thinks they are.” Mandall comments, making a valid point in both cases. His and this.

Asha finally admits that he is there. “Technically, that is possible but I see no reason why that would happen.” She responds, exchanging a hateful glance with Mandall before she looks away abruptly, like looking at him causes physical burns on her body.

Bethany sees it but keeps quiet for the time being.

“Where did he come from? How did you see him?”

“We were at home, getting some clothes for my mum when we heard a scream out in the yard at the back of the house. Getting there, he emerged from the woods at the back of the house. We don’t know where he has been or where he came from. He collapsed there and we brough him here immediately.”

“Hm. Both Anastasia and Paul appear back home on the same day, one missing and the other presumed to be dead. Could probably not be a coincidence? I should ask him some questions. Please let me know right away when he wakes up. Excuse me.” She walks down the hall and the eyes of the couple follows her as she leaves.

Being on the ground floor, it’s a direct view to the lobby and almost immediately, Drake rushes in.

Asha stops and looks at him.

Her stopping makes the other two look in the direction of the door and see as he runs in, his walking unstable.

Asha watches for nothing less than ten seconds as he tries to put himself in order. She approaches him and scrunches up her nose in disgust. “You reek of alcohol. I don’t think you will be able to see him but he is down there in the ICU. And yeah, I have not let go of the fact that you are one suspicious human being. I’m still on you even if your brother did not die.”

Drake mumbles something before he continues ahead in the direction of the ICU as she had pointed to it.

He comes to a staggering halt in front of Mandall, shakes his head and wheels over to Bethany.

“Where is… (hiccups) Paul?”

Bethany closes her mouth and covers her nose with her hands. His breath stank of alcohol and she takes a couple of steps backwards to take a big, almost fresh but still slightly putrid breath before responding. “He’s in there. But visiting hours are over. You can’t see him.”

Drake glares at her drunkenly. “You can’t tell me not to see my brother when his wife is clearly in there.”

“You just said it yourself, his wife. And just as clearly, she is not drunk. You stand the chance of infecting the people with some never heard of germs.”

Mandall comes to her side and places a palm on her shoulder. “Don’t get so worked up about him. He is drunk, he might not even remember all of this when he is sober.”

“Who are you to talk to me, Mr. Hall? You can talk anyhow about your own family but don’t put your stinking mouth in our family’s.”

Bethany’s good naturedness flies out of the window. “You know I fired you until you proved your innocence before which gives you a chance to return safely as the director, if you don’t want to lose your second chance at keeping your job, don’t day rubbish about my fiancée. And he is pretty much a part of the family now.”

Drake looks at them from above his nose, scrunching it up in disgust. “You are marrying into your family’s enemy.” He mutters and collapses, passing out drunk.

Bethany facepalms, disgusted from what her family seems to have come to. “What do you think he means by that statement?” She asks Mandall.

He sighs and comes to stand in front of her. “I have not been completely honest with you and I am sorry. My name, as I told you before is Mandall Hall. I am the first and only son of the Hall Group of Companies.”

“Wait a second… The same Hall? Our rival company? The only arch nemesis we managed to have?” Her eyes widen slightly at the disclosure.

“Yes.” He reveals, looking in her eyes for any sign of animosity but she’s not giving anything away by her facial expressions.

“How did I not recognize you?”

“Maybe because I chose not to have a social life.”

“Wow.” Bethany whispers, running her hands through her hair.

It’s been one fucking hell of a day.