"Nurse, defibrillator right now!"
"Clear...1...2...3"
"Clear!"
Natalie watched helplessly outside the glass door as the doctor and nurses tried to get a pulse from her brother while her brother struggled to live.
The feeling of helplessness made the tears roll down her cheeks as her heart felt empty.
"He's gonna die just like she did..."
"You can't do anything about it, Natalie!"
"You're worthless! You failed!!"
Voices echoed in her head and she tried her best to ignore them.
He's not going to die! She assured her racing heart.
"Nurse, clear!"
"Time of death, 11:49 am."
She felt her chest constricting, she couldn't breathe. She was gasping for air, slowly she fell to the floor clawing at her chest. She needed to breathe...the walls were closing in on her.
She heard a scream unaware that it belonged to her. It sounded far and unlike her voice.
"Deep breath, Nat."
The voice sounded so distant and familiar. A bell was ringing in her ears bringing back buried memories.
"No! Don't do this..."
"Breathe for fuck sake, Natalie. If you die right now I'm gonna die and hunt you down and kill you myself!"
The harsh voice snapped her back to reality as her breathing came back to normal and she stared into the face of...
"Lexi, I'm so glad to see you!" Sniffling she pulled her best friend into a bone-crushing hug.
"Easy there, Nat. I didn't save your life for you to hug me to death," Lexi said in an amusing tone.
Natalie pulled away from her and saw the small playing on her friend's lips. "I hate that I love you."
The door of the room pulled open as she saw the doctor standing in front of them. Scrambling to her feet, she raced towards him.
"How is my brother?" She asked immediately.
"He's stable now. We managed to get a pulse," he replied.
"Oh thank God!" She exclaimed wiping off the tears from her cheeks.
"I need you to see me in my office right now, Ms. Tyson."
Natalie shivered at the stern voice of the doctor and glanced nervously at Lexi. She had a feeling her brother wasn't out of the woods yet.
"Go ahead, I'll keep an eye on him," Lexi assured her.
Giving her best friend a grateful smile, she raced after the doctor slipping into his office before he closed—wait, he locked it, she heard a click—the door and sat down on his seat.
"Why did you lock the door?" She asked eying him warily.
He chuckled, "you're more concerned about that than your brother?"
She instantly felt a guilt pinprick her conscience. "Yeah, what happened to him?"
"His leukemia is getting worse, Natalie," he replied soberly.
Her heart sunk at his words. Her worst fears were gradually becoming a reality. She was going to lose her only family left and be alone for the rest of her life.
"He needs a stem cell transplant urgently," the doctor added.
"Doctor, you've got to help me!" She cried wringing her hands helplessly.
"I'm sorry there's nothing I can do, it's all up to you," the doctor replied in a mocking voice.
She glared at him. "What is that supposed to mean, Jared?"
He threw his head back and laughed. "Not doctor again, right?"
She shrank in her seat, "I'm sorry I snapped at you doctor."
In one fluid moment, before she could comprehend her next statement, he was standing in front of her gripping her chin so her head was tilted to stare into his eyes.
"Don't apologize for calling my name I love how it sounds coming from your lips and I'll really wanna hear you moan my name in bed, Natalie."
Her eyes narrowed into slits, "you are not hearing it anytime soon, doctor!"
With an eye roll and a hard glare at her, he went back to his recliner chair and flashed her a grin.
"Your brother has limited time to leave, Nat."
Her face tightened in a frown as she tried her best not to break down. "My brother will live!"
"He's living on borrowed time, Natalie!" He yelled at her, "don't be so stupid as to allow your brother to die when you can do something about it."
Her blood ran cold as he came toward her again.
"I like you, Nat. I'll help you save your brother just let me feel you just once."
She felt her skin crawl in disgust as she watched him run his fingers over her folded palm. Her chest thumping in fear and anger.
"How could you ask me of this right now?" She cried out, "my brother almost died!"
He chuckled like it was nothing! "Not almost, he died and I brought him back."
She glared at him. "You are a doctor!"
"And I'm just doing my job. I can take care of you and your brother."
She stood up ready to go but he grabbed her pushing her against the wall. She stood rooted to the spot glaring at him angrily.
"Let me go, you bastard! I'm taking my brother out of this hospital!" She growled at him.
He smirked at her, a mischievous glint sparkling in his eyes. "Go ahead honey but be sure to clear all your debts before leaving and find a hospital that can accommodate all your bills!"
Natalie raised her chin up glaring at him fiercely she wished she could burn him with her eyes. She had no money but she would not succumb to this bastard antics of trying to rid her of the one thing she had left—her virtue.
"I will pay all the debts, Jared, and then you would never see I and my brother again!"
"Why are you being so stubborn, Natalie?" Jared asked, walking away from her and going back to sit down.
"It runs in the family, doctor!" She snapped icily, "That's why my brother still lives and will continue to live."
"You have forty-eight hours, Natalie," he gave her a bone-chilling smile, and she rolled her eyes, waiting for him to continue.
"Natalie, you have three options to choose from. One, either you pay up all your brother's hospital bills and proceed to further his treatment, or you take him out of my hospital after clearing your outstanding. Then the last is my favorite, submit to me Natalie, and I'll take good care of you and your brother."
Taking slow steps towards him, a coy smile playing on her lips she dipped her face down just inches from his lips.
The fool had the guts to shut his eyes.
"Even if you were the last hope for me and my brother on this earth, I would never submit to you!"
Then she turned on her heels and strutted out with her head held high.
~~~~*
Natalie stormed out of the hospital briefly forgetting her friend waiting for her.
Anger was simmering inside her and she needed to blow off steam most likely punch Jared for trying to use her situation to his advantage.
She hated them all. The entire generation of perverted bastards!
She would go to hell's gate to search for a job if that will prevent him from laying a bloody claim on her.
She needed to salvage the situation within these forty-eight hours and show him that she was an independent woman.
Had been since the universe decided to punish her for a crime she never committed.
"Nat! Wait up."
She whirled around immediately and saw her best friend peering at her.
"A penny for your thoughts?"
She chuckled. "Not now, Lexi."
Lexi shrugged. "What did the doctor say?"
Natalie opened her mouth to tell her everything but clamped it shut. Experience had thought her how dangerous it was to trust and she didn't want to tell her best friend. She wanted no pity from anyone.
"Nothing I can't handle," she replied with a hint of pride shining in her eyes.
Lexi stared at her but said nothing. If she had understood what Natalie was saying she made no sign of it.
"Where are you heading off to?"
Natalie gave her a goofy grin.
"Job hunt."
"You know you can always talk to me." The soft voice of her best friend unnerved her and made her feel bad for pushing her away just like she pushed the world away.
"I have to go, Lexi," she replied instead.
"I won't even bother asking about your other job," Lexi said running her hands through her hair.
Natalie chuckled. "That's why I love you."
"I just so happen to know of a job opening, you might as well check it."
Natalie gave her best friend a weird look. "What interview?"
Lexi rolled her eyes, "No questions asked. Wear your big girl's pants and go get this job. I'm gonna text you the address."
"What's the job about?" Natalie asked as her best friend flagged down a taxi and pushed her into it.
"It's a nanny job and check your phone for the address!" Her friend yelled slamming the door shut.
"What about Noah?" She asked worriedly winding the taxi window down.
"I'll take care of him, make me proud!" Lexi yelled as the taxi drove off.
"I always do," she smirked at her friend as the car drove away.
It was just a nanny job, how hard can that be?
"Don't say a word!" She mumbled to her younger brother as they crouched low under their treehouse. "But what about mo..." "Shh..." She interrupted him placing a finger on his lips. "Oy! Let's get the hell out of here!!" She heard someone yell from afar. The guy that was standing close to the treehouse turned around and strode away when suddenly her brother sneezed and all hell broke loose. ~~~~* "Miss! We're here!!" Natalie snapped her eyes open as she stared at the scowling face of the taxi driver. Shoot! She had fallen asleep in a taxi. "I'm so sorry, Sir," she apologized profusely, "how much is my fare?" "Hmmph, it's not like you're paying me extra for watching over you while you slept," the man scoffed snatching her money and turning away from her. Natalie got out of the car, rolling her eyes. She grab
Murderer!Murderer!She called her a freaking murderer?!Who did she murder?"Who did she murder, Chloe?" Lee asked with a bored expression on his face.Her thoughts exactly, she mused."She murdered my pinky princess!" Chloe shrieked.Kids, Natalie refrained from rolling her eyes."Chloe, I don't even know who that is," Natalie replied with a chuckle.Her chuckle died down immediately when she saw the little girl advancing towards her, a mean smile on her lips."How could you know her when you've squashed her with your butt!""Chloe, language!" Lee scolded her massaging his temples.Natalie stood up from the sofa a small smile on her lips, "I'm not sitting on your pinky..." She trailed off when she pulled out a doll dressed in a pink dress by the side of the sofa. She hadn't noticed it there."Oh, I'm sorry I didn't see it," she apologized awkwardly holding out the doll to Chloe."She
Dante Rodrigo was anything but happy as he stared at the people standing before him while he was sitting—lying down—on the floor!The annoying part was that he had been knocked out by a mere woman with a frying pan and in his freaking home by an unfamiliar person at that!His eyes narrowed into slits when she gazed at him with a triumphant smirk on her lips, babbling that she had caught a thief.Great! Now he's a thief in his own house, he simmered inwardly.He made eye contact with Lee and the old man paled instantly. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as the butler hurriedly walked towards him."Why are you looking so scared, Lee? I knocked him good," the mysterious woman questioned still looking smug."B-boss!" Lee stuttered helping him to his feet.He stood up dusting his one million dollar suit."Take this to the dry cleaner." He discarded the suit handing it to Lee."Oy! You don't have any right to talk to him l
"I felt like murdering him so he won't have that smug grin on his face!"Natalie frowned when she noticed how her friend's eyes twinkled with laughter."It's not funny, Lexi!"Lexi raised her hands in mock surrender, "I'm sorry but dang, that shit was savage!"Natalie glared at her while Lexi shrugged."I mean that's a nice way to greet your boss," Lexi giggled, "but it's the first time I've seen you so worked up over a guy.""Focus, Lexi!" She snapped, "I've been given an ultimatum at work and Chloe doesn't seem to be helping matters."Lexi frowned, furrowing her brows in surprise, "Chloe is your boss kid?""Yeah, but her name is the least of our worries!" Natalie snapped."Oh no, the name is the beginning of wisdom," Lexi shook her head in disagreement.Natalie gave her friend a weird look, "I remember that's not how it goes in the scripture.""Not important!" Lexi screamed, "What's your boss's name?""Dante,"
"Great! It just had to be her!!"Natalie rushed into the school hospital and saw Chloe glaring daggers at her as the school nurse attended to her.She had received a call from her school principal earlier and had rushed to see her. She was even surprised wondering why the principal hadn't called her father."Chloe, what happened to you?" She questioned taking in the disheveled state of the girl.Her immaculate white shirt was not smudged with dirt and wrinkled, she had a split lip and her skirt was torn slightly.Chloe smirked at her. "I got the other girl real good."Natalie followed her eyes and gasped. The second kid was lying on the bed, bruises on her wrist, and her right leg was hanged in a cast."Chloe, what did you do?" She asked, narrowing her eyes slightly."You have no right to even try and scold me so just zip it!" Chloe snapped.Before Natalie could respond, the door opened and the principal stepped in."Ms. Ty
Dante woke up with the incessant ringing of his phone. Grabbing his phone, still drowsy he tapped the answer screen."Dante, speaking.""Mr. Rodrigo it's Principal Curtis."His eyes flew open immediately as he heard the sharp voice on the other end of the line."Madam Principal, what a pleasant surprise." He stifled a yawn struggling to sit upon his bed."Are you still in bed, Dante?"Dante rolled his eyes at her pathetic attempt of trying to sound sexy. She had been trying to seduce him since he registered his daughter in her school and truth be told she was a very beautiful woman but he didn't like older women."No, Mrs. Curtis I'm wide-awake," he replied in a professional voice."Then get your ass to my office right now with your daughter!" She snapped.He heard a click and knew she had hung upon him. She hated the fact that whenever she attempted to flirt with him he would give her cold shoulders.He massaged his te
Dante was furious with himself as he drove away from his house and went straight to his office.It had taken everything in him to not kiss her again. She wasn't a mere nanny, she was a very beautiful woman with her long jet-black hair, her deep brown eyes, her luscious curves that had been beneath him last night, and her plump red lips that he had kissed.He could still remember her taste, she was so divine and he marveled at himself. He hadn't wanted any woman as much as he wanted this woman. Other women had thrown themselves at him but this one wasn't even trying and that baffled him.Dude, she kneed you in the balls, his mind designed to point out.He swerved his car into the parking lot, his face void of any emotion as he stepped into the Rodrigo Empire, a facade for all grandpa's other businesses.The security officials at the door pushed open the double glass doors for him, giving him a quick bow that he barely acknowledged.He stepped i
Natalie sat down on the Queen sized bed staring at the room decorated with lots of pony and unicorns designs. The Spongebob bedsheets were neatly arranged but the kid decided she would rather pace up and down than sit her butt down.Her concern wasn't Chloe's pacing, she was taking pity on the poor ground that had to suffer Chloe's stomping."Don't give me that look!"Natalie shrugged giving her an odd look. "You've been pacing since you got back from school!""Because the driver told me daddy went to the airport that's why he didn't pick me!" She cried.Natalie furrowed her brows in confusion. "So? He probably went to pick up some of his business partners."She rolled her eyes and Natalie couldn't help but frown.What was her deal anyway? She wondered curiously.The doorbell rang and the kid was scurrying out of the room faster than lightning"Hey! Chloe, wait for me!!" She yelled trying to catch up with the girl racing down the