Chapter 6

6

Jennifer

It felt like I was drowning in the tsunami of pain as the folds of my body could feel nothing but aches every inch. I tried to fight with the battle that my inner body gave me, providing me with the most hateful experience of my life. "Oh, God, make it stop or I'll die," I prayed internally and tried to find a way to get out of it. Yes, there must be an escape route, I had to look for in the hasty gusts of wind or else, I would disappear in the darkness of this absorbable suffering.

"Open your eyes, Jenny. Come on, fight with your fears and come back to reality, open your eyes!" My spirit guide showed me a way but I felt bound.

"I can't, it's too hard to escape the inevitable," I whimpered, looking around and finding out any other way that could save me from the torment.

"Nothing is impossible as long as you believe in it. You can do this, make yourself believe that. Just don't look at the worst side of the scenario that is overwhelming you. Look at me, focus on my voice and follow it and be brave, Jenny, you have me and nothing can undo that," I heard a voice within me calling me out for my fears. Yes, it said right, I had to disown them otherwise they would be my death.

With all the power I had resided in me, I took the leap of faith and stood firmly against the storm, watching it coming closer to me. I gulped down my fear and fisted my hands to be prepared for the strike that was bound to happen.

"You're stronger than me, you can't hurt me," I kept mumbling under my breath until it reached closer and I ran towards it as I let out a raging shout and folded my hands to protect myself.

"I won't lose!" I shouted at the storm but before it could swallow my existence, I was welcome by the world of reality. I panted hard, looking around and I found I was covered in needles attached to my right hand nerves. I gulped, sinking in the reality that hit me a few seconds ago, what was I doing at the hospital bed? And... how come I ended in a private room that looked nothing but vip class.

I examined myself before looking around at the room. Looking up, I found an unfinished drip attached to my vein. My eyes then fell on Andrea who was sleeping in the sitting position—I couldn't define it in words how lucky I felt to have her. She was here which meant I was safe all the while, but now, how could I wake her up? As she looked deep in her sleep.

"Andy," I whispered even when I wanted to raise my voice but I was unable to due to lack of energy. I wondered how long it had been that I hadn't eaten anything.

I coughed dryly, turning around to look for water but there was none. "Andrea," I called her again and this time, I tried to force myself to speak louder but it still wasn't loud enough and it irritated me.

She was still unaffected. I kept gawking at her like fools and wished if God could make her awake right now as he made but for a few minutes, there was still no changes in her movement.

I huffed in annoyance and rested my back again against the pillow just to close my eyes but as I did, I heard the door opening and my eyes shot open because of it. It was a nurse entering, her eyes landed on me and she graced me with a smile which I replied, smiling back.

"Good morning, Jennifer," She greeted and to my surprise, I wondered how she knew my name? Before I could make her suspicious of my shock, I masked and cared to reply back.

"Good morning," I whispered.

"How are you feeling now?" She enquired, holding a clipboard and a pen in her hands and looking at me.

"Weak," That's all I could say in my defence.

"Yes, I clearly see that, would you like to have something? Like a sandwich and juice or ball of cereal?" She offered, for a second, I couldn't comprehend what made her ask me this? And that question was replied to by the room that I was staying in, this VIP room was the cause of my extraordinary assistance. But who was paying for it? And how much? Now, I feel like I'm in debt.

"No, thank you, but can you tell me how d-did I end up here?" I asked in return, a line creasing my forehead in concern. I stared at her, tense. Everything that happened like how I ended up here, who paid or paying for my hospital bills. What had happened to me there that I had to be rushed to the hospital and most of all, how long had it been since I was here? I had too many questions to be answered.

"Ah, Jennifer, why don't we leave this topic for a while until you're fully recovered? I mean to say, you require lots of rest," She replied, avoiding my question. Why?

"And why do I require lots of rest?" I backfired at her, growing my forehead line more ugly.

"That will be answered once you finish the sandwich and orange juice that I brought for you," she stated, putting the sandwich and juice on the moveable table beside me, I didn't heed to it.

"What if I don't want it?" I argued, normalising my racing breaths and mentally focusing on my well-being. My conscience asked me to do my body a favour, put aside the argument and eat first—which I clearly denied because, stubborn ass.

The nurse who wore a purple uniform sighed tiredly, surely because I was giving her a hard time and for that, I didn't want her to insult me, I hated such situations to handle and for all that I had bought on my shoulder, I hated myself for it. Insult was written for me now.

"My dear, we have plenty of time to argue but for me, your health comes first, and if you don't cooperate with me, it'll give you a hard time recovering, so, again, I ask you to have your breakfast then I'll question your answers along with it," She sounded like insisting me to eat like a mother would do to her children. Which again made me feel embarrassed about my behaviour, I shouldn't have teased her.

"Alright," I mumbled and took the sandwich in my hand from the table and started eating it.

I looked towards her to catch her reaction which was a satisfying smile that made me innerly happy too. I liked when people ever felt good because of me—even if it's on a little thing.

"So, Jennifer, would you mind if I ask a few questions from you?" The nurse said and I nodded, munching over the delicious chicken sandwich, "Do you feel any kind of pain?" She asked, slightly bending her head towards me.

I looked at her and suspected if I was hurt or feeling any pain which I was, "Yes, my back and abdomen hurt a little and I feel tired a lot like someone has taken my energy away," I replied to her and her expression changed dramatically with time. Her face was dripping with concern and a friendly shock but I didn't worry about her reaction, maybe she had a habit of stressing over her work.

"Oh, okay, and if you feel like you're bleeding..." she made it sound like a question which I had to reply to.

"Umm, nah, I don't feel that, I mean I had my periods last week, so, my date is away like for two weeks," I told her briefly, to which she nodded again and buried her head on the paper that was clipped to the clipboard.

"Noted..." She mumbled and smiled again while I had the last bite of the sandwich and finished my drink, "You liked it?" She enquired.

"Yeah, it was tasty, thank you," I said, cleaning my hand with a tissue.

"Jennifer?" I saw Andreawas awake now. She stretched her arms and walked to me, I was sitting straight on my bed and resting my back on pillows.

"Slept fine?" I asked, my voice was slightly louder now as I was able to speak after I ate.

"Very much fine. How about you?" Andreaasked, putting her hand on my right shoulder and leaning on me with a concerned face. I looked at the nurse who was looking at us.

"Step back, we seem like a homosexual couple," I muffled, teasing her to which she laughed and stepped back, I again looked back at the nurse who was slightly smiling.

"I'll give you guys some time," She said and left the room with a little nod. Oh God, she must've taken us wrong.

"You didn't answer me, how are you feeling now?" She asked again, sitting beside me at the edge of the bed.

"I'm okay but what happened to me? I asked the nurse but she simply ignored me," I told and asked at the same time.

"You were diagnosed with anaemia and doctors had advised us to keep you here under observation for two days to prevent any internal danger to your health," Andreaspoke, lessening the fog of my mind.

"But why? I was completely fine all the while, and... and why are we in the vip room? I can't pay that much, Andy, you know it," I opposed, scanning this room once again and sinking its luxury within. The room was intimidatingly beautiful.

"Don't worry, luckily, the expenses are all on the company that you fainted in, they asked to provide you with the best services," Andreatold me and that's when a blast exploded within my bosom. Company, how naive of her. I wanted to scream at her that it wasn't the company that gave me the protocol, it was him—the unknown tall man who had become a nightmare of my life. First, he scolded me and now, he is taking care of me? Why? And for what?

According to Andrea, he was a mafia leader but over all, my studies on criminals, mafias never agree to help anyone unless that would have a reason or purpose behind it and the fact that he was helping me, scared me to my core. It meant he wanted something from me which I would be unable to give.

Stop assuming on your own, what would he want from a broken bag of bones? You have nothing to give unless he is after your virginity.

"Maybe, that's what he wants from me," I replied to my thought. Giving my virginity for free or even for money was the worst thought I could ever have. I protected my innocence with all little that I had and losing it for money or for nothing wasn't my mindset. It was the only expensive thing that I owned and I would love to only give it to my legal husband, call me cake or pious but that's how I wanted it to be.

"Andy, I think we are missing something," I said to her, my eyes lost in my thoughts that I was processing recently.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I think I wasn't fainted naturally, I was a set up plan for me for some kind," I said and received the most confusing face one could ever make.

"What did you say?" She wanted me to clear up the messed up fact I presented, according to her.

"I said, someone drugged me on purpose because before fainting, a lady handed me a glass of juice and I only took three sips and from then, I started feeling weird and ending up on the floor," I told her, proving my point right.

"Jen, that's just a speculation, you can't prove it with any solid evidence," Andrearefused to believe me.

"No, I feel it. I was okay before I sipped the drink and after that, everything started to happen out of place, I swear," I insisted her to keep faith in me. I never lied in my life and I wanted her to believe in me over that.

"Alright, okay, we will discuss it later, it's not the time," She disposed off the topic.

"Okay, but I'll prove you wrong, Andy, I know something is wrong, I feel it," I said and my eyes shone with the deepest shade it could hold. Everything was on me and I had to crack the mystery.