Chapter 15 Loud Warning
The sun came up slowly that morning. I sat by the window, holding a cup of tea I didn’t drink. The house was quiet again. Carson was still asleep, I guessed.
I touched the necklace on my neck. It felt cold.
My phone rang. I looked at the screen. It was the hospital. My heart jumped.
"Hello?" I said.
"Miss Drake?" a voice replied.
"Yes," I said, standing up slowly.
"This is from Saint Grace Hospital. It’s about your mother," the nurse said.
"Is she okay?" I asked.
"She’s stable now. But something came up," she said.
"What is it?" I asked again.
"Her bills... they were fully paid last night," the nurse said.
I blinked. "Paid?"I asked unsure.
"Yes. Everything, both the surgery and the medication, even the special care fee," she said.
"Who paid?" I asked quickly.
"We were told not to say," she said.
"But you know?" I asked.
"Yes, but we were told to keep it private," she said.
"Can I come see her?" I asked.
"Of course. She’s awake now," the nurse said.
"I’ll be there soon," I said.
I ended the call and stood still for a while. I looked toward the hallway where Carson’s room was.
Did he do it?
Or... was it Fred?
I didn’t want to jump to anything, but my heart already picked one of them.
I changed clothes quickly. I wore a simple dress and tied my hair, when I was about to leave when I heard footsteps. And I know it's definitely no other person than Carson.
Carson was walking down the stairs. His hair was messy, and he looked sleepy.
"Are you going out?" he asked.
"Yes," I said.
"Where?" he asked again.
"Hospital," I said.
He looked up. "Your mother?"He asked.
"Yes. I got a call," I said.
He walked closer. "Is she okay?"He asked.
"She’s fine now," I said.
He nodded slowly.
"Someone paid all her bills," I said.
He didn’t answer.
I looked at him.
"Was it you?" I asked.
He looked at me, then looked away.
"I thought you’d be happy she’s fine," he said.
"I am. But I want to know who helped her," I said.
He sat down on the edge of the couch.
"Does it matter?" he asked.
"It does to me," I said.
He looked tired.
"I didn’t do it for thanks," he said.
"So it was you?" I asked.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Just go see her," he said.
I didn’t say anything else. I just nodded and left.
At the hospital, my mother smiled when she saw me. Her cheeks were pale, but she looked better than the last time.
"My baby," she said weakly.
I hugged her.
"You scared me," I said.
"I’m sorry," she said.
"I heard someone paid the bills," I said softly.
She looked at me, then smiled a little.
"God bless whoever did," she said.
I nodded.
I stayed with her for a while. We talked about normal things. Then she slept again. I sat beside her, just watching her breathe.
I kept thinking about Carson.
Why does he have to pay ??
That evening, I came back to the house. It was quiet again.
Carson was in the backyard, he was watering a small flower bed. I didn’t know he had a garden.
"Hi," I said.
"Hey," he replied.
I walked closer.
"She’s better," I said.
"Good," he said.
We stood there for a moment.
"You like flowers?" I asked.
"Not really," he said. "But they don’t ask for much. Just a little water."
"That’s deep," I said.
He gave a small smile.
"I have a question," I said.
He looked at me. "Okay."
"Why did you really offer me that contract?" I asked.
He kept quiet for a long time. Then he dropped the hose and sat on the stone bench.
"I was desperate," he said.
"For what?" I asked.
"To keep control of my company," he said. "To look like I had a normal life."
"And now?" I asked.
He looked at me.
"Now I don’t know what I’m doing," he said.
I sat beside him.
"Do you regret it?" I asked.
He shook his head.
"Not anymore," he said.
We sat there for a while. Then I remembered something.
"Carson," I said.
"Yeah?" he said.
"Can I ask something private?"
"Sure," he said.
"How well do you know Fred?" I asked.
His eyes changed.
"I’ve seen him around,we had some deals together then I got to know he was with Victoria " he said.
"Before or after we met?" I asked.
He didn’t answer.
I looked at him.
"What do you know about him, Carson?" I asked again.
He stood up slowly.
"It’s getting dark," he said.
"That’s not an answer," I said.
He didn’t say anything else. He just walked away.
Later that night, I went into the room again,that small library I had seen before. The notebook was still there. I opened it but a new page had been written in it.
It said:
I keep running from the truth. But the truth doesn’t get tired.
I stared at that line as it meant so much to me.Then I closed the book and whispered,
"Me too."
Because I was running too. And I didn’t know who or what I was running from.
But I was tired, I'm so tired that I couldn't run again.Each day my heart has no choice but to worry about one thing or the other.
But for how long?
“Are you there?”Carson asked, he's calling me out from afar and bringing me back to reality.
“Yes, I am” I said, waking up from my thoughts.
“What are you doing?”He asked.
“Nothing”I said.
“Okay, I would love to ask you a question, And I want you to answer with all sincerity,”He said.
I nodded.
“Do you feel my sudden kindness to you is too good to be true, considering how it all started?”He asked.
It should have just been a normal question but this hits really differently.
“Well yes! It's too good to be true”.I said sharply.
“What if I make you love me deeply just to drop you halfway?”He asked again.
This point I couldn't take it again.
“Carson!!!!, what's this?”I asked.
“An honest question that could turn into fact”He said and walked away.
Geez!!!!!
This right here sounds like a Loud Warning.