When Fate Decided to Play its Part

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR;
Hospital
--
The telephone clanked after Melanie placed it back. After that, the noise faded into the background, she, and the other two were
standing still next to her. The three adults in the room were still processing the information they recieved as fast as they can so
they will not scare the little boy that was with them.
Kai was sitting on the chain near from them. His arms were laying on the table and he was dangling his feet. He's structure is
small after all. He still needs support when sitting down or getting off of the chair sometimes. The little boy was silently staring at
the back of the adults, his eyes that he got from her mother were still, it was as if he was fallen into a deep thought.
He heard everything they said on the phone, his youbg brain still can't fully understand the conversation at all. But the look on
their faces and the emotion laced with worry, hesitation, and disbelief on their voices made him think:
'Something bad happened to mother.'
It was his little heart whispered to his brain. Kai clenched his small fist on top of the table and finally talked to break the silence in
the room. "How... How's mother?"
His small voice echoed out, it was small, low, and it contained meekness that is not usually heard on his voice. This shocked
Melanie and the other two. The three managed to conceal their shock and secretly glanced at one another.
Jack and Becca was looking at Melanie and their eyed were saying that she should handle it. Melanie sighed internally but she
can't deny the fact that none of them except her can handle it without scaring Althea's kid. Jack is careless and often does things
without a single sensible thought. Becca does things silently and she has no way with words.
Composing sentences that contains soft words begun to weave in her mind as she approaches the table where Kai was sitting.
The little boy with his cute round eyes followed her movements. Melanie sat in frot of the kid.
"Kai," she said slowly. Try not to scare the kid. "Do you know that your mother went to a party right?"
Kai nodded his small head. "Yes."

"And you know that the hotel where that party was held were under hostage taking right?" She paused, trying to find words that
can make a kid understand. "You know what hostage taking means right? Uhm-"
"There are bunch of bad guys inside there that is holding a scary weapon to scare the people inside the hotel!" Jack saved her.
He walked towards them and stood on her side then tried explaining with animated movements. Even the emotions on his face
were strangely exaggerated. He eas trying so hard to make it sound less serious. Melanie can't help but smile silently.
"Unfortunately, your mother was there too! You know that right?"
Kai stared at him for a good whole minutes. Jack's smile was faltering but he was serious about making a face that says nothing
serious is going on. Kai tried to play along. "Hmm. So what happened to my mother?"
"Uhm, about that," Jack sounds so hesitant. He looked over Melanie and she understood it right away. "Let Melanie explain it, so
you can understand."
'And I won't get accountable when you cry after heading it.'
Melanie suddenly had the urge to punch him.
She looked at Kai and said, "Your mother is currently in the hospital. Your mother was shot by the, uh, bad guys." Melanie closed
her eyes and had an internal screaming before opening it again and continued her words. "Your mother was hurt by the bad
guys."
"She was hurt? So where's the hospital? Can we go now?" The eagerness was evident in his voice. He looked at the three of
them with great expectation that they will grant his wish in his eyes.
Melanie awkwardly loooed at Jack before looking back at Kai. "Kai, for now, we have to wait for Victoria's call, or message. We
don't know which hospital she's in at the moment."
"Yes, we have to wai-" the telephone rang. The pairs of eyes looked at the counter wher the telephone is placed. It was lit up and
Becca, who was standing next to it, picked it up and placed the reciever on her right ear.
"Ma'am Victoria." Those were the two words that came of from her mouth. She listened on the other line and was constantly
nodding her head. Her eyed were on Melanie and Jack. The other two patiently waited for it to end.
The call lasted for a just a minute. Becca puts down the telephone and told them the address of the hospital. Melanie heaved a
sigh of relief and stood up. "Then we'll get going."

"Okay!" Jack said then went to grab his jacket on the chair. It was cood that night.
Melanie looked at Kai who slid down from his chair carefully before giving off a soft smile. It seems like he's going with them. She
was actually considering about leaving him here with Becca since it's past his bedtime but she can't stop this kid from going to
see his mother.
It's fine. He can just sleep on the truck, the vehicle they uses when Jack does deliveries, since going on the hospital will take at
least 20 to 30 minutes.
Melanie looked at Becca. "Go grab yours and Kai's jackets upstairs. We'll get going."
She nodded and went to the stairs. After some preparation, they finally hit the road. Jack was the one who's driving while
Melanie accompanied Kai on the front. Becca was the only one at the back, although she seems not to care about it.
The boy was silent all along, he was just listening to the honks of the horns of the other cars and the constant complains of Jack.
Melanie wants to plaster his mouth so he can shut up, but decided to go against it. She sighed again- as of now, she has no
kdea how much she sighed- she leaned on the chair before remembering something.
"Kai, what about that friend of your mother?" She pondered a bit, trying to remember her name. "Charlier? What was her name
again?"
"Oh." Kai was looking at the outside through the windows. "Charlotte. I have to tell her about this?"
"Well," yes, because she was the one who made your mother attend the party for her and her husband. "Yes, she's your
mother's friend right?"
"Friend..." Kai echoed the word.
Melanie ignored it and handed him the phone, hoping that he knows her number. Kai looked at the phone and reached for it.
Melanie thought he doesn't know hoe to use it, but when she was about to take it back and type the number for him, he turned
the phone on and slid to the side and begun to type the number she's not familiar with then pressed call.
Melanie was surprised. "You know how to make a call?"
He nodded. "Charlotte taught me."

"You even memorized her phone number!" She was amazed while watching the phone ringing. Sleep watched the small face of
the boy tgat was lighten up by the phone's light and asked herself: how old is he again? Five?
"She made me do it in case..." He paused because Charlotte already answer the phone.
Jack was curious, so he asked. "In case what?"
"In case I get kidnapped by bad guys. She said i must contact her first."
"Oh." The two adults said.
Althea's friend is over protective to her son. What a good friend she has.
That was their thoughts.
["Hello?" A groggy voice answered. "Who's this?"]
"Charlotte, it's me."
["Ohhh!" Her voice suddenly sound lighter and full of life. "Alex!"]
Alex? Melanie raised her eyebrows. It seems like she's really bad at remembering names.
["How are you? Why are you still awake? It's already 9 am- oh, we have 12 hours difference- it's already 9 in the evening there!
Did your mother abandoned her duties to you again? That stupid Lea!"]
12 hours difference? So it's 9 in the morning at where she at but she sounds like she just woke up.
Kai shook his head. "No. She's shot."
["Shot?"]
"Yes. By a gun."
["Oh! A gun." There was silence before they can hear a hard rustling sounds on the background. "WHAT? SHE WAS SHOT BY
A GUN?! What are you talking about?!"]

Melanie reached for the phone, telling Kai that she'll take it from there. She can't bear to look at her ruining Kai's ear drums. She
placed the phone on her ears, "Hello Charlotte?"
["Who's this? Are you kidnapping my dear son?"]
"... No. I am Althea's co worker. In her shop. I just called you to in form you about what happened in the party."
["Right, right." She calmed down. "Tell me."]
Melanie patiently explained it. The constant stopping her for questions was enough to drive one mad, but it was fortunate that
Melanie is a patient one. In the middle of it, Charlotte's voice turned cold and serious. It even made Melanie think that she might
be calling the wrong number but the flow of their conversation says the otherwise.
When the call is about to end, they finally reached the hospital. She get off of the car first before Kai and the other two. With the
phone on her ears, all of them walked inside.
["Alright." She said. "Thank you for informing me."]
"Welcome." She answered briefly. "By the way, we reached the hospital already."
["Did she got a room? If not, tell them to transfer her in a private room. I'll pay."]
"Thank you but it won't be necessary."
["Why?"]
"Mr. Tyler- I mean, one of her clients said that they'll pay for the room, and the hospital fee. They'll cover everything, they said."
["Tyler?" There was surprised in her voice. "She's with him?"]
Melanie answered yes although she was puzzled that even Charlotte knows about him.
["Then we have nothing to worry about!" She laughed. "I'm sorry, but could you look after Kai while Althea's in the hospital and
I'm away? I promise that I'll be back in the country with my husband as soon as possible."]
"You don't have to worry about that."

With small more words, they finally ended the call. They went to the reception area and asked where Althea's room is. When
they went to the room, they saw Victoria and Tyler. Victoria was sitting on a sofa and Tyler was leaning on the wall, looking at the
unconscious Althea.
The two of them looked at them when they entered the room. Tyler's eyes immediately landed on the sleepy yet not face of Kai
who was on Jack's arms. Victoria told them to put Kai on the sofa.
"How is she?" Melanie asked why looking at her face.
"She's out of harm already. But we still don't know when she's gaining consciousness."