Chapter 17 – Love Me

Mordecai was only sick for two days, thanks to the medicines and herbs that my mom had him take and drink. By the time Sunday came, he was feeling much better, and most definitely anxious about getting his cast off.

“What time are we supposed to go to the hospital?” he asked impatiently.

“When you stop being so impatient,” I huffed. He was like a little boy.

He pouted. “You’re being mean gorgeous.”

“You’re being a pain in the ass baby,” I smirked.

“Ooh, baby! That’s a new one. Me likey,” he said as he wiggled his eyebrows, making me laugh.

“Are you ready to leave?” I asked from our closet. I’d officially moved into the room the day before.

“Yep!” he replied.

“Alright, we can leave now on condition we make a stop,” I told him.

“Ok, but where are we stopping?” he asked as he followed me to the garage.

“You’ll see when we get there,” I replied.

“Not even a hint?” he scowled.

“Nope!” I giggled.

This time, getting into the car was relatively easy for him. We were taking his Jaguar XF, which is the latest in its line. Apparently since the cast was coming off, he wanted a change of cars. He also wanted the car because of its tinted windows.

“This car suits you as well,” he commented while we were on the road.

“I never thought expensive cars would suit me,” I admitted.

“Wealth suits everyone Bev. It just takes a certain person to manage to stay classy,” he smiled.

“Are you saying that I’m classy?” I blushed.

“Of course you’re classy! I sometimes find myself wondering if you’re actually not way out of my league,” he confessed.

“Really? I feel that way about you sometimes,” I counter confessed.

He scowled. “Why? I’m nothing special.”

“Then neither am I,” I smiled, reaching over to hold his hand with my free hand as we stopped at the traffic light.

“We’re just two normal people,” he smiled, squeezing my hand.

The rest of the ride to the hospital was a contently silent one. I couldn’t help but think about how awkward things used to be with Alex when things were silent. With Mordecai, it was comfortable and there was nothing creepy or concerning about it.

By the time we reached the hospital, Mordecai was short of bursting in excitement. He had his sunglasses, beanie and hoodie on, as well as the mega pants that covered majority of his cast. I had a smaller pair of pants for him to wear after the cast comes off. We were using one of the staff entrances since I still had my key.

When we were in, the hospital was quite full, but no-one seemed to take much notice of us. We went up the elevator to my floor, and the person I was looking for was already standing at the nurse’s station.

“Hey Kim,” I greeted her. She turned and her eyes widened a little when she saw Mordecai.

“My favourite nurse in the world,” he smirked. I coughed beside him.

“After you my beautiful girlfriend,” he chuckled before kissing my forehead.

“Aaaaw, you gave him a chance!” Kimberly gushed.

“Yeah! He’s very persuasive,” I teased.

Mordecai scowled. “I have no idea what you’re on about, so I will just stand here and smile.”

But he was scowling... Idiot!

“What are you guys doing here anyway?” Kimberly asked.

“Well, we’re actually here to see you before Kai gets his cast removed,” I informed her.

“Me? What for?” she asked.

“We’re setting you up on a date,” I smirked.

“And if it all goes wrong, let us remember that it was her idea,” Mordecai added, earning himself a glare from me.

“A date? With who?” Kimberly blushed.

“Zebedee, Mordecai’s brother,” I replied.

“Is he the really hot one with the greenish blue eyes?” she beamed.

“Yes,” I laughed.

She blushed a deeper shade of red. “I’d love to.”

“Great! I’ll set it up,” I smiled.

“Bev?” a voice called me before Kimberly could say anything.

“Uhm hi,” I replied. It was Alex.

“You’re back?” he asked.

“Uh no!” I vaguely replied.

“Oh! We all miss you around here,” he commented. I don’t think he’d noticed Mordecai yet.

Or at least if he had, he was doing a brilliant job at not showing it.

“I wasn’t aware,” I replied.

“You’re the best nurse the hospital has. Of course I miss you for a different reason altogether,” he smiled.

“Alex, I...” I trailed off speechlessly.

“Gorgeous, I’m pretty sure I can go take off my cast now,” Mordecai announced his presence. Alex looked confused for a few seconds before anger settled in his eyes.

“So you went and did the one thing you said you wouldn’t,” he spat in my direction.

“It’s my life Alex. If I want to be with Mordecai, then I’ll be with Mordecai,” I told him confidently.

“WHAT?” three excited squeals sounded behind me. I turned to find Fernando, Rachel and Nikki there.

“You’re despicable,” Alex sneered at me.

“Dude, I’d highly appreciate it if you could not speak to my girlfriend like that. Don’t disrespect her just because she saw you for the asshole you truly are,” Mordecai said angrily. I held his hand to keep him from doing anything, which didn’t go unnoticed by everyone present.

“And you’re a saint?” Alex challenged.

“No, I’m not, but I am a much better person than you are. I’m an asshole because it’s a defence mechanism. You’re an asshole because it’s in your nature. I’ll always be the better man,” Mordecai said calmly.

“You little piece of shit!” Alex growled. He knew he couldn’t attack Mordecai in the hospital. He’d be fired immediately.

“Do yourself a favour and just leave. Your presence isn’t wanted,” Mordecai advised. After one last glare, Alex turned and headed for the elevator.

“That was intense,” Kimberly commented.

“I don’t care! I’m so happy right now,” Nikki giggled. I rolled my eyes at that, even though I couldn’t stop the smile on my face.

“Baby, these are my friends, Nikki and Rachel, and my best friend Fernando. Guys, this is Mordecai,” I introduced.

“Your boyfriend,” they added dreamily.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Mordecai chuckled.

“I’m so happy for you Bev. You even look happier! I hope you’re taking care of her. She’s my better half,” Fernando stated as he narrowed his eyes at Mordecai.

“I hope to make her my eternal better half if that eases your mind,” Mordecai said smoothly. I blushed while my friends cooed.

“Ok! We’re leaving now. You guys need to get back to work and we have to get his cast off,” I said.

“You were always such a party pooper,” Rachel teased.

“Shut up!” I mumbled while they all laughed.

“We definitely need to go out soon. Call us ok?” Nikki told me.

“I will,” I smiled before Mordecai and I headed over to the elevator. When we entered, it was just the two of us.

“You’re pretty adorable when you blush,” he smirked, trapping me against the elevator wall after taking off his sunglasses.

“I seem to only do that when you’re around,” I admitted, my eyes scanning his heated gaze. His dark eyes were gleaming wickedly.

“I think I quite like the sound of that; being the reason for your blush,” he replied before claiming my lips.

The kiss was hot and heavy, and I had completely forgotten that we were in an elevator. I didn’t register the dings of the elevator, and luckily for me, the elevator didn’t stop until the floor we were headed to. We pulled away, quite breathless, as the doors opened. I was completely flushed, and I couldn’t completely see what he looked like since he’d put the sunglasses back on.

“I believe we have an appointment to get to,” he smirked.

“How you’re able to be so calm after that, defeats me,” I said, still quite flushed as we walked out of the elevator.

He leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Oh, trust that you have an effect on me gorgeous.”

The sudden rush of desire that pulsated through me, had me slightly gasping.

And the asshole knew exactly what he’d just done.

“I hate you,” I blushed.

“No you don’t! You would’ve jumped my bones if we were in a different location,” he smirked. I could only blush deeper.

“Beverly, are you ok? You look a little flushed,” Dr Tracy Ferguson said in concern when we walked into her examination room.

“I’m fine,” I mumbled.

We got introductions out of the way, before she got to checking if everything was ok with Mordecai’s leg. They took an x-ray of the leg first, and when she was sure that they could take the cast off, the cast technician was called in for the job.

“It’s so pale, dry and hairy,” Mordecai scowled at the sight of his leg.

“Well, it hasn’t seen light in a while,” Tracy pointed out.

“I know. I just didn’t expect it to be like this,” he admitted.

“Well, now that you mention, your skin will be really sensitive, so you might want to take it easy. Avoid scratching the dead skin off. I could give you a guide of how to treat that leg if you’d like?” she asked.

“It’s fine! I don’t really need it since my girlfriend is apparently the best nurse this hospital has,” he smirked. Tracy looked to me wide-eyed.

“Yeah, we’re dating,” I smiled.

“That would explain why you looked so flushed,” she said in realization, making me blush once more.

Good heavens!

“Can we not talk about that?” I pleaded, making them laugh.

“Ok, ok, I’ll lay off. It says here that you’ve got appointments with a physiotherapist,” she said, looking at her clipboard.

“Yeah! Bev arranged them for me,” he replied.

“Well, that will actually help you out a lot. You leg is healed, no doubt about it, but you gave everyone a scare with the injuries on your back. It was very touch and go with your mobility. How’s your other leg?” she asked him.

“I get spasms, but Bev helps me out with that,” he replied.

“I commend her, but your physiotherapist will be able to give you better treatment and guidance with that,” she explained.

He nodded. “Got it!”

“Well Beverly, I guess you’ve got everything else under control, so I’m done with you guys really. Would you like for me to arrange a wheelchair for you?” she asked.

“Can you walk on your leg?” I asked Mordecai. He got up and his leg wobbled a bit before he stood straight.

“I think I’d like that wheelchair,” he murmured.

“Got it! I’ll be right back,” Tracy said before walking out.

“You don’t want it,” I sighed as I handed him the smaller pair of pants.

“It’s not that. It’s just that I thought I’d be free. Being put in a wheelchair just makes me feel useless again,” he argued.

I cupped his cheek. “You’re not useless Kai.”

“I know. It just feels like it,” he said.

“You’ll be done with your physio in no time,” I smiled.

“And then I’ll be able to take you out on a proper date,” he stated before Tracy came back with the wheelchair.

I pushed him out of the hospital with him managing to stay incognito. The drive back home was filled with us making weird sounds for the fun of it. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed that hard, and it made me smile to know that I’d managed to lift his spirits.

When we got back, I was surprised to see Jackson’s car in the driveway. Geronimo or Zebedee must’ve let him in. I helped Mordecai out of the car, and this time he wanted to try walking on his leg. It took a while before he got the hang of it.

“This is going to take a while and I might need a cane,” he noted.

“Just take your time baby,” I smiled encouragingly.

“I love it when you call me that,” he gave me a genuine smile.

“I love calling you that,” I replied before kissing him.

“Not a scene any brother wants to walk into,” Jackson groaned as he came into the lobby with Zebedee and Jacob.

“You get used to it,” Zebedee chuckled.

“She’s our baby sister. There’s no way we’re getting used to that,” Jacob refused.

“Kai, these are my brothers Jackson and Jacob Dickson. Guys, this is Mordecai Hart-Tedder,” I introduced.

“It’s great to finally meet you guys. She speaks about you a lot,” Mordecai chuckled.

“It’s all lies,” they both replied.

I scowled, making them laugh. “Screw you both! What are you doing here anyway?”

“We’ve got that info you wanted,” Jackson replied.

“Including dad’s?” I asked.

Jacob nodded. “Yeah! We picked it up on our way here.”

“Let’s check it out then,” I suggested.

We all headed to the lounge and Mordecai sat beside me, while my brothers sat opposite us after laying out the information on the coffee table. Zebedee was seated on the one seater couch to our side.

“What did you find out?” I asked.

“I’ll go first. According to this report, you were spot on about your predictions. While Mordecai had a heart attack and didn’t move when the traffic light went green, he wasn’t the cause of the accident. Those people were breaking the law. They were all intoxicated, and they were definitely speeding before crashing into Mordecai. Had they been travelling at the correct speed, they would’ve easily avoided crashing into Mordecai. I found this footage from the camera at the traffic light, as well as the speed records that the speed trap picked up just a block away from the accident scene. They were definitely breaking the law, and Mordecai is innocent in this regard,” Jackson explained.

I listened intently, while I could see the pure shock and awe on Mordecai’s face. My inner self was doing a victory dance, knowing that he didn’t expect this at all.

“According to dad’s information, everyone in that car was intoxicated from both alcohol and drugs. Ignatius James, the guy who died later, died from a heroin overdose. Alex tried saving him, but there was nothing that could be done. Dana James was actually the driver of the car at the time, and she died immediately from impact. Since Mordecai has been on the down low, no charges have been made against the survivors. The girl who was in ICU was released three weeks ago. Mordecai’s medical records show that he had no traces of any kind of drugs in his blood. It also shows the reasons behind his heart attack, and none of them have to do with what has been reported,” Jacob informed.

“So I was not at fault?” Mordecai said lowly, as though he couldn’t believe it.

Jackson shook his head. “No, you weren’t.”

“As for the information I gathered, I don’t know if you really want to know this,” Jacob said, before his lips pressed in a thin line.

“I need to know Jake,” I pleaded.

“Alright! As much as it might not be the ideal news to find out at this point in time, you were right about your feelings on Judith. The woman is a professional snake that has fooled everyone for years,” Jacob replied.

“What do you mean?” Mordecai asked.

“Firstly, Judith Livingston isn’t even her real name. Her real name is Blaire Kist,” Jacob informed.

“Kist? Isn’t that Hunter’s last name?” I questioned.

“Right you are sis, because she’s his biological mother,” he replied.

“WHAT?” Zebedee, Mordecai and I shouted at the same time.

“This is where it gets dirty, and you have to all remain calm,” Jacob warned.

“Not making any promises,” Mordecai mumbled. I reached out to hold his hand and he squeezed mine in return.

“Ok, so at first I was sceptical when Bev came to me with her request. I didn’t think that it was wise for her to be interfering with Mordecai’s career when she asked me to look into Judith, but I gave it a shot anyway. I went straight to searching my personal database, and not things like Google since I knew her agency information and career would come up. Anyway, the facial recognition programme I use is the one that picked up her information, and I was able to find out her information from there. It turns out that Blaire being your manager wasn’t a coincidence. She planned the whole thing. I knew I had to be sure of this before coming to you with this information, so I went undercover,” Jacob started.

I scowled. “Please tell me you didn’t compromise your relationship.”

“I didn’t! If anything, Fernando helped me crack this. He suggested that we visit Blaire’s office and find out what’s what. When we got there, Hunter was just leaving her office. Her P.A was googly eyed just seeing him, and we knew then that she would be the key to us finding out what we needed to. Blaire had already told her PA that she was stepping out, so Fernie charmed her since she couldn’t keep her eyes off of him either. I slipped into the office and managed to find out a whole lot of information,” Jacob continued.

“What exactly did you find out? Please give us a summary here,” Zebedee requested.

“Basically, Blaire Kist knew that her son wouldn’t have a career, and that’s how she ‘stumbled’ upon Mordecai. She changed her identity and made herself seem important. When she’d gained his trust, she was basically in. She conned you out of money, even after making you believe that she was nothing like your previous agent. She’s been taking money from you, which is how she helped Hunter start his career. You gave her a career, and she in turn, was able to make a career for her son. The only problem was that you were still getting more attention than him, so she needed a new plan altogether. She’s behind the bad publicity you got weeks back. She leaked the false information and then promoted Hunter as the better actor to take over from you. That’s how Hunter got your part. She’s robbed you of about twenty percent of your royalties for the past three years,” Jacob finished off.

“Nellie’s Kai’s financial manager. How did she not notice this?” I asked.

“The money goes to Blaire first, who then passes it on to Mordecai after taking her cut, or in this case, more than that,” Jacob replied.

Silence and disbelief settled in the room. Even Jackson looked shocked by what Jacob had just revealed. I wanted to be so happy that I was right, but the look on Mordecai’s face was stopping me from rejoicing.

He looked so heartbroken.

It never occurred to me that while I may have felt that something was strange about Judith, or Blaire rather, he trusted her with his entire life. I couldn’t begin to imagine what this betrayal was doing to him, but his facial expression said it all.

“We have to get her arrested,” Zebedee finally commented.

“Not yet,” Mordecai replied.

Zebedee scowled. “Why would you fucking stall?”

“She has to pay first, together with that weasel son of hers. I’m going to make them pay first before they go to prison. I’m going to ruin them,” Mordecai said.

“You’re very calm about this. I was expecting a fit,” Zebedee commented.

“It’s not worth it, and it’s not fair to Bev,” Mordecai replied.

“Me?”

“Bev?”

My brothers and I asked concurrently.

“Bev works so hard to keep my stress and anger levels down, and now she’s done this for me. I need to remain level headed and defeat these people without causing a scene or losing my shit. There are better ways to handle this than to just act out,” Mordecai explained.

I couldn’t have been prouder.

Jackson frowned. “So how do you plan on getting back at them?”

“I don’t know as yet, but I do know that your sister is going to help me. She’s brilliant at this kind of stuff. If she wasn’t a nurse, I’d definitely pin her down for public relations management,” Mordecai smiled. I could only blush.

“Sis, any ideas?” Jacob asked me.

“We obviously have to start by killing the story she leaked with the facts that we have. I’ll have to think about other ideas and consult some people,” I replied.

“I trust you with my life, and I hope I’m not wrong,” Mordecai sighed.

“I would never do what she did,” I said strongly. He squeezed my hand.

“I know,” he smiled.

“Will you be needing our help still?” Jackson asked.

I nodded. “Probably.”

“I want in too,” Zebedee stated.

“I wouldn’t leave you out,” I replied. I could see the fury in his eyes.

He wanted revenge for his little brother.

“I’m tired,” Mordecai commented.

“Hint received. It was great meeting you. Sis, you’ll keep in touch okay?” Jacob turned to me.

I nodded. “Okay.”

“I wasn’t kicking you guys out. I’m genuinely tired,” Mordecai chuckled.

“Still, we need to get going anyway. Mom and dad are probably going to want to meet you soon, so be prepared for a family dinner,” Jackson smirked.

“I won’t bring him unless Jake brings Fernie and you bring Nellie,” I smirked as well.

“Mom and dad know about neither. You can’t do that to us Bev,” Jacob groaned.

“I’d get to telling them if I were you,” I said in sing song.

“So evil,” Zebedee chuckled.

“Speaking of better halves, Kimberly will be waiting for you to call her,” I told him.

“Is that the number you texted me? I was going to ask you about it,” he said.

I nodded. “Yeah, it is!”

Jackson raised an eyebrow, amused. “You set him up with Kim?”

“You can’t tell me you don’t totally see it,” I argued.

“I actually do. They’ll balance out nicely,” Jacob chuckled.

They stayed for a few more minutes before leaving. Zebedee excused himself to go and call Kimberly, leaving me with Mordecai. Without thinking twice about it, we headed to our room. He was comfortable with wearing the clothes he was to sleep, while I changed into my pyjamas. I closed the curtains, because despite it being early, I knew that we weren’t going anywhere for the rest of the day.

“You want to talk about it?” I asked him.

“I’m pissed off, I truly am, but at the same time, I had my suspicions recently that she didn’t have my best interests at heart anymore. I can’t thank you enough for bringing the truth to light,” he said, pulling me into him. It was nice not feeling the cast there anymore.

“Well, technically my brother figured it out,” I pointed out.

“But it was your suspicions that led him to investigating in the first place,” he argued.

“I just, I just wanted to bring value to your life. You’ve already done so much for me. I didn’t like her from the get go, and I knew she was toxic for you somehow. I needed to be sure of it. I needed to know that I wasn’t insane – that I could somehow save you from her. I never want you to be taken advantage of,” I said tautly.

“This is the greatest thing anyone has ever done for me Beverly. I truly don’t know how to thank you. You just proved to me that even though you have your doubts about us, you care a lot about me,” he smiled.

“I like you Kai, a lot. My reservations are merely with the speed that we’re going, but it has nothing to do with how I feel about you,” I said before biting my lip.

He caressed my cheek. “I know that now.”

“I’m not going anywhere baby. This is my house too you know,” I said cheekily. Happiness filled me when his laugh reverberated throughout the room.

“Oh Beverly Rhymes! What am I going to do with you?” he chuckled.

“Love me,” I smiled. He leaned in and stole a sweet kiss.

“That can definitely be arranged,” he smiled before claiming my lips again.

This man is it for me.