Chapter 25

*Tina's POV*

I stared at my father on the bed. He wore the hospital gown and was covered with a gas mask. This state made me increased my hatred for hospitals. I had always hated the smell when I was younger and seeing my dad in this stage made me hate it even more.

My mom sat by his side with his hand in hers. She looked like she hadn't slept in ages. Her brown hair which I inherited from her was disheveled. She had circles under her eyes which reflected behind her thick rimmed glasses. It was so sad to see the woman who was always vibrant looked so vulnerable. It was even sadder to see my dad on the bed looking so helpless.

After the call, Alejandro had made our way to the other side of the city. It wasn't a long ride and thankfully there wasn't much traffic on the way.

I walked over to my mom and placed a hand on her shoulder. She shook from her stare into space and gazed at me, then smiled appreciatively and put a hand over mine. Alejandro sat beside his door often casting looks at our side. Our eyes would meet but the messages communicated weren't the ones of love. His eyes were trying to hold encouragement while mine reflected despair.

The door opened and the doctor stepped in.

"As I said earlier, your father has been diagnosed with CAD," the doctor, a dark haired man with rather large spectacles said. "Fortunately this is the first stage and there is still hope."

My mom squeezed my hand. The doctor moved over to the bed and observed the mask.

"We could place him under intensive care for a year while we would work on his treatment." He said.

"A year?" The sadness and desperation of my mom's voice was clear.

"Yes." The doctor nodded. "Treatment of CAD is not something to be taken lightly. If not done properly, I'm afraid the chance of it repeating itself will be high and this time, it may skip to the second stage."

My mother sighed.

"How much will the treatment cost?" I asked.

"Approximately $12,000, ma'am." The doctor adjusted his glasses.

"What?" my mom gasped. "That's too expensive."

"Mom, it's okay," I replied.

"How long did you say he will be here?" I asked the doctor.

"A year," he replied.

"It's okay, we can work something out," I said.

"Tina, how's that going to work." My mom grasped my hands and looked at me tentatively.

"Mom, it's fine I can-"

"I'll pay for it," Alejandro finally spoke up for the first time.

All eyes landed on him.

"Alejandro, you don't need to." I shook my head. As much as I loved his new found selflessness in the billionaire, I didn't want him to feel obliged and I didn't want to feel helpless before him.

"No, it's alright." He smiled. "Your father's wellbeing is at stake and I can do anything to help you. The more time we waste here, the more the risk."

My lips trembled as I looked for words. I couldn't find any. My mother just stared at Alejandro as if she had seen an angel.

"Will you really do that?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Alejandro nodded at her. "Your husband means a lot to you and even though I don't know him, I know he must have been a good man."

"Why do you say so?"

"He raised a wonderful lady." Alejandro directed his smile at me.

Despite the situation, I couldn't help but feel warm inside. Alejandro faced the doctor.

"Can we go to your office and discuss payment?" he asked.

"Please." The doctor beckoned towards the door. He opened it and the two men made their exit.

All was silent for a while. As much as I wanted to concentrate on the bed, I knew my mom's eyes were on me. I finally looked up and saw her.

"I know you have some questions," I said. "Go on and ask."

"How long?" she asked.

I knew what she meant. We've always found a way to communicate with short words since I was little.

"About seven months now," I replied.

She nodded and took a breath.

"Tina, he looks like a good man," she said. "But I want you to take it easy and listen to your heart. I don't like what happened to Mike to happen to you."

My eyes darkened at the mention of my ex-boyfriend.

"Mom, he's nothing like Mike." I gritted my teeth.

"I know, sweetie." She grabbed my hands and squeezed them tenderly. "I know. I could something in his eyes that tell a story. But Tina, I can't stand to see you hurt again. You don't know how much it saddens me."

She stared at my dad. "How much it saddens us."

I leaned my head on hers. "I know. I promise I'll be careful."

The door opened and Alejandro walked in. I stood up expectantly.

"Treatment will start today." he said.

I walked towards him and hugged him. He flinched at first, probably because of the presence of my mom, but slowly hugged me back.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Anything for you." He patted my back.

I pulled away from him and smiled at him. He gave a small smile in return and guided me to the seat beside my mom.

"So, Mr. Gonzalez," my mom said.

"Please." Alejandro raised a hand. "Call me Alejandro."

"Okay. Alejandro, it is." She laughed. "I want to thank you for your generosity."

"Honestly, ma'am, it was nothing." He shook his head calmly.

Literally he was correct. A few thousand bucks was nothing to a billionaire.

"I also think your gesture has made you a friend of the family," Mom chuckled. "It's time we got to know you better."

"As much as I'm willing to," he said, "I think it's best it happens when Mr. Campbell recovers."

And my father did get back to consciousness. It took a while though. It took a week. He was very happy to see me when he did and during his stay in the hospital I took time to visit. Alejandro finally took a day to visit and my dad finally got to meet his savior. After showing his appreciation, the men engaged in discussion. It was wonderful to see Alejandro get close to my family. Everything was going great again.

Then tragedy struck.

***

I stared at the television not believing my eyes. This had to be a dream. This was not possible. On the news was a message at the bottom:

ARMANDO GONZALEZ PASSES AWAY AT THE AGE OF 69.

My mind immediately went o one place. I picked up his phone and dialed his number. It rang and he didn't pick up.

"Shit," I cursed and tried again. After multiple times of ringing without an answer, I gave up and tossed the phone aside. I slumped down to the seat. I couldn't believe this. How did this happen?

The phone rang and I quickly picked it up with renewed hope. To my disappointment, it was Kelly at the other end.

"Hey, Kelly," I said.

"Did you hear the news?"

"I did. I've been trying to reach our boss but he's not picking his line."

"I think for good reason too." Kelly's voice was low. "I think he doesn't want to speak with anyone at the moment."

I felt so devastated. I know it sounded selfish but I needed his attention. I needed to know what he was going through. I needed to comfort him.

***

Thirty minutes later, I had arrived at the office. Kelly was by her desk when I went to meet her.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," I replied.

There was a long silence between us. The usual quips from her were absent. It was like an air of sorrow filled the office. I glanced around. Everyone was doing their jobs in lethargic fashion. Even Tim, the young and vibrant intern, was somewhat sullen.

"This is not going to work," I said, and shut down my system.

"What are you doing?" Kelly raised an eyebrow at my actions.

"I can't concentrate," I replied. "I'm not going to deceive myself, Kelly. I need to see him."

"He may not want to see anyone."

"I don't care!" I stood up, startling her. "If he wants to be a jerk to me when I go up there, then fine, but I'm not going to sit here and let him brood away and let the sadness eat him up."

I walked towards the elevator and pressed the button. Before it closed, I saw the encouraging smile Kelly gave me from afar.

I knocked at his door moments later but there was no reply. I knocked harder.

"Come in." I heard his muffled voice.

To my surprise, Alejandro wasn't at his desk but by the window. His shoulders sagged a bit as he stared outside. I could feel the body language and it displayed depression.

"I knew you would still find a way to come here." His voice was hoarse. He didn't turn around.

"You got that right." I walked towards him. "I'm that stubborn. You should have known that by now."

"Of course I should." He made an attempt to chuckle but it only came out as a cough. When I stood beside him, I finally got a look and a pang hit my heart. His hair was ruffled, his normally green and steely eyes were dull and gloomy. There were also dark circles under them.

"He was fighting," he said, his eyes still out of the window. "Since she left him he was fighting. He was trying to see a reason to live. He didn't remarry. He didn't chase after more woman. He still loved her. Even when he knew in his heart that she would never come back, he still held on to that hope."

I didn't know what to say but what hurt me was seeing him like this. What hurt me even more was the fact that he was able to save my father but couldn't save his. I felt my eyes brim with hot tears.

"Tina," Alejandro faced me. "I didn't know what to do. I feel like I don't have any direction anymore. Padre was one of the driving force in my life. Now he's gone and i-"

He paused and shut his eyes.

"I feel myself going back to that dark place. I feel the darkness grasping my heart again."

"Don't you dare!" I lunged at him and held him tightly; he jolted in my grip. "Alejandro, you have come all this way to be a better man and I don't want you to go back. I don't want to lose you to that darkness again."

I pulled away and looked into his eyes, the tears now slipping out of mine.

"Because I love you." The words slipped out of my mouth before I could catch myself. My eyes widened and so did his. For a moment, the lingering effect of my confession hung in the air.

"Tina." Alejandro cupped my face. "Do you mean that? Is this coming from your heart?"

I stared deep into his eyes and thought of how we came this far. The beginning when he was a total asshole. Then came the time when he acknowledged my competence, then to the time he saved me from embarrassment and humiliation. Saving me and Kelly from getting assaulted. Bailing Kelly from jail. Then saving my father. With each passing action, I knew he was changing slowly. It was a metamorphosis. And as he changed, my feelings grew. When I saw him bond with my family, I couldn't deny it anymore. It was at that moment, I knew what he meant to me.

"Yes," I answered. "Yes Alejandro, I love you."

With my face still in his hands, Alejandro swooped in and mashed his lips against mine. I returned his kiss with fervor and wrapped my hands around his back. This time, I didn't feel need or lust in his lips. I felt something new. Love.

He pulled away and leaned his head on mine, shutting his eyes.

"I love you too," he whispered.