"Hey… where have you been?" Ned was surprised to see her after she rang the bell. "We were worried sick. You know you left your phone in the ICU, and so nobody could reach you. Have you seen your dad yet? He looked like he was going to pass out." Ned rambled as she stepped in.
"Then he should have done just that. Why the delay?" she slumped down on the sofa as she spoke.
"He should have done what? What do you mean?" he asked her.
"You said he was going to pass out. Why didn't he just pass out then? By the way, I haven't seen him, and I am not sure I ever want to." she muttered, stretching herself on the sofa to feel comfortable.
"If you wanna pass the night here, how about you go to Jean's room then? You will have more space and relax your tired nerves. She is not back from her night shift at the factory yet." He advised. Jean was his kid sister. They lived alone most of the time, since their dad went to prison after getting framed up in his workplace, and their mum worked a full time job that kept her away most of the times.
"Don't worry. I will be fine." April stretched and yawned. "I would just take a nap here first, and then go have my bath before laying down." She mumbled, shutting her eyes as she spoke. This was one of the periods she always wished her mum was alive. Or if only her grandmother was close, (if she was still alive), as they were hardly ever in touch with her, not being on good terms with her dad, ever since her mum's death. She remembered her grandma heaping blames on him bitterly, during and after the burial, and they had argued endlessly. Things had never been the same ever since.
She awoke the next morning on the same sofa, to rigid push and waking. She struggled to open her eyes which was still heavy with sleep, as she had stayed awake most of the night, thinking high and wide. She hadn't slept to her full yet, and it wasn't like she was going to work either, so why the disturbance? She opened her eyes reluctantly to see Jean and Ned in her face. Behind them was Jorge, staring wide-eyed at his phone. She sat up immediately. Was Maya dead?
"What happened, guys? Is Maya okay?"
They looked at each other first, before staring at her, as though they had written the answer on their foreheads.
"Won't you guys say something to me?" she panicked the more as she sat up. "Tell me my sister is okay."
"Of course, your sister is okay. She is faring way better than you, at least, now that she is awake." Ned muttered dryly.
April relaxed for a moment. "I am glad to hear that. Thank God. You guys scared me."
Jean eyed her. "And you better be scared. What is this supposed to mean?" Jean snatched the phone from Jorge and put the screen to her face. April stared at it in shock and wonder. The picture she could see was of her and Adrian eating at the restaurant from the previous night. It was captured that moment she was smiling when he had teased her about taking a karate class. And the news headline read: BILLIONAIRE DOCTOR, ADRIAN SMITH, FOUND IN A RESTAURANT WITH HIS MISS GORGEOUS AFTER THEY STAGED A FAKE FIGHT IN THE HOSPITAL. She quickly ran her eyes round the first few lines which stated that she was supposed to be a staff at the hospital, but had something serious going on with the professor. She couldn't read the rest of the details as her brain felt foggy and closed up, and she struggled to breathe as it seemed like the air in the room suddenly ceased. Why did she think yesterday was the worst day of her life?
"Is it true?" Jean asked, putting the phone away. "If you guys had fun together last night, then was your fight really fake?"
April shook her head. "We didn't have fun. It's not what you guys think. The head nurse walked me out of the hospital, so I went downstairs and walked down the street, feeling depressed. I ran into some street bums and he saved me from them, then offered me dinner. I couldn't resist." She confessed.
Jorge chuckled. "Which reminds me. She was telling everyone your dad found a packet of condoms in your purse."
April suddenly stood up in rage. "And which reminds me, Jorge. When I asked you about my purse before leaving the ICU, what was your response? Didn't you tell me it was with Naomi? Why did you have to lie about it when she had given it to you already? What was your plan?"
Jorge scowled. "Hey, what are you insinuating now? Yes, you asked me, I admit, and yes, I told you Naomi had it because I forgot she had given it to me. So what? Why are you suddenly trying to make a big deal out of it?"
"Because last time I checked, there was no pack of condoms in my purse, neither has there ever been!" she raised her voice now, as Ned and Jean watched the exchange quietly.
"So… just say it. Say what is on your mind, April. You can put the blame on me, and say that I planted it in your purse."
Tears filled April's eyes. Jorge was her childhood friend, and she wondered why she was suddenly suspecting him. Was it because of the gossiping nurses who were about to say something concerning him?
"Never mind, Jorge. Whether I blame you or not, it is not like anyone would believe me anyways." She wiped her eyes and headed to the door. She left without looking back. A new plan had just brewed in her head.
April got to the house, hoping no one was home as she packed a few things into a small back pack; a handful of clothes and toiletries. She didn't forget her credit card as well. Next, she headed to her dad's room and found the purse on the bed where he had left it. She removed the condom which was still in it, and took the rest of the contents. Staring at herself in the mirror, she parked her hair into a bun and wore a wig cap over it, before placing a black baseball cap. Next, she searched her dad's wardrobe and put on his shirt and a trouser. Though it was a bit too big for her, she needed to be in disguise, for the sake of the news which exposed her identity. Finally, she donned her dressing with dark vintage glasses and left the house. She had made up her mind to go to her aunt's place in Nashville. She only hoped her grandmother was still alive.
She had barely taken a few steps away from their building when she suddenly felt a presence behind her. She looked back, but she saw no one, and then hastened her steps. She hurried to the bus stop and was about to hail a cab when she felt something hit her hard on the head. She opened her eyes an hour later to find herself tied to a chair in a dark room. She had to blink severally to adjust her eyes to the darkness. Where was she? Had she been kidnapped? Who were these people? Her mind reeled. Perhaps, the cleaner's son had finally caught up with her. Probably Lu.