George and Rachel rushed into the hospital where Mrs Patricia was. It was already mid afternoon. Just as George expected, they were being followed at the beginning.
But they managed to escape through a taxi they specifically booked. Today was a very busy day with lots of vehicles on the road. It wasn’t easy for the ‘bad guys’ to follow them easily.
As they stepped into the hospital, George glanced at Rachel “This is the only chance we have to come here. You can see what it took for us to come here peacefully today. They won’t let us go if there is a next time….”
“I understand. Somehow, I wasn’t expecting them to show up anyway. Morris is so relentless. But if you no longer come here, what’s going to happen to your mother?”
“I have prepared a private apartment for her to stay in somewhere far away from here, with equipped maids and a chef. She is to remain hidden until we round up this case. We have all the evidence, so that shouldn’t be a problem”
Rachel nodded.
“Let’s go in. She is on the fifth floor and Tony is there with her.”
Rachel gasped quietly when she caught sight of Mrs Patricia on the hospital bed. She had an oxygen mask over her nose. Rachel could not believe that Morris actually went this far. To think that he tried killing George’s mother after what he did to her father, the thought made her angry. He had no bone of remorse left in him.
Tony stood up when he saw them “It’s good to see both of you. Must have been a tough ride coming here without being seen”
George settled on a chair “Yes. We were lucky to lose them on the way” His gaze moved to his mother on the bed and a sad smile graced his lips. “She has not woken up yet?”
“No. Not yet” Tony replied “Though she moved her fingers twice this morning”
George looked at him “Really?”
“Yes. The doctor said she would wake up today, hopefully. Her vital organs are picking up”
“Thank goodness” George smiled
“You know…. I still can’t believe that Morris tried to kill her. My mind isn’t processing this information well. He was willing to commit murder just to protect his company?”
“It is what it is…” George answered.
Rachel chipped in “Sophia called a few days ago to let me know she had been able to get access to a top police official from The Central American Police Station. Tha-”
“The Central American Police Station? Wow, that’s huge.” Tony muttered
“Yes. Since we have enough evidence we can open a new case. It won’t be easy for him to bribe these officials the way he bribed the others” Rachel said
“What makes you say so?” George asked.
“The main reason why the other police station had no desire to help us despite the evidence was because the head official was the one Morris bribed to cover up my father’s case back then. He had to cooperate with Morris again because they already knew each other’s secret. That was the best way to cover up the dirty things they had done in the past. But these new officials don’t know Morris in any way. He has nothing to hold them down.”
“Ah, I get what you mean now,” George nodded at Rachel’s explanation.
“Besides….” Tony chipped in “…. I heard that it’s hard to bribe the officials from that station. They’re like the biggest in this country and that is one of their headquarters.”
“That’s very reassuring,” George whispered.
The doctor stepped in and they exchanged greetings. The doctor focused his attention on George “I hope you feel better? You looked like you were about to pass out yesterday”
“I feel better. Thank you” George muttered. “Concerning my mother, what is the progress report?”
“Well, the surgery went well but the final test we ran isn’t looking so good a-”
“What do you mean by that? I thought you said her vital organs are picking up which means she is recovering well?” George asked, he could feel his heart racing.
“Yes, that’s true. But the bullet caused some damage to her spine so th-”
George placed his hand over his eyes. He knew where this was going.
The doctor continued “… there’s a high chance she’s going to end up crippled. We have been able to patch things up but that’s all we can do. The x-ray shows that her spine is slightly damaged”
George sighed as the hot tears flowed down his cheeks. He was thankful she was alive and well but this hurt a lot.
The doctor excused himself while Rachel moved over to George’s side and rubbed his back gently, comforting him.
She had tears in her eyes too. Just yesterday morning, Mrs Patricia could use her two legs but now, just a day after, all thanks to Morris, it was a different story.
George mumbled quietly “Tony, I need you to get a wheelchair ready for her. I don’t know how she is going to take this news….”
~~~~~*~~~~~
Patricia stared at the white ceiling for ten minutes which felt like an hour. Hot tears of guilt and sadness slid down the sides of her eyes falling on the soft pillow under her head.
Was this her reward? Or should she call it punishment?
She wasn’t even sure if dying would have been a better ordeal than having to go through this. To be forever confined to ‘not’ using her legs again was a very big blow.
All she just wanted was to get her company back and have it in her son’s name instead but what did she end up with?
A broken spine….
The man she had foolishly loved for years, the man she had sacrificed so much for was the one who did this to her in the end.
Who would have thought?
If she had seen a scenario of her life like this over twenty five years ago, nothing on earth would have made her marry Morris.
But it was too late now.
George and Rachel sat quietly, watching her stare at the ceiling. They would exchange glances once in a while, wondering if she was okay and in her right state of mind.
Rachel felt so much pity for her. She had lost a lot without even doing anything wrong. All she had wanted was a safe place she could call her family, her ‘own’…..
But she had met the wrong man, the same who finally wanted to destroy her by all means.
Patricia wiped her tears off and bit her lower lip as she felt a sharp pain slice through her back when she tried to turn on the bed.
George and Rachel raced to her side quickly……
“Mom, are you okay?” George asked “The doctor said you shouldn’t move for now. The wound is still fresh.”
“How long am I supposed to be in this position?” Patricia muttered in a faint voice.
“About a month as long as you’re taking your medications and resting well….”
“That’s fine. I’ll keep that in mind” Patricia answered.
“Tony is going to bring an electronic wheel chair for you soon….” George smiled sadly at her “…. You can’t go back to the villa, mom.”
“Of course I know that. Am I trying to give him access to kill me properly this time around?”
Rachel held her hand and patted it gently. “We are going to submit the final evidence and file a case tomorrow. They won’t get away with everything they have done. We just want you to be safe and healthy, you still have a good life ahead of you, Mrs Patricia”
Patricia sighed. “I guess I do. It feels like a dream that I may never be able to use my legs again but at the same time, It would be terrible if I die just like that, without putting everything in the right place”
George leaned forward and pressed a button, the top part of Patricia’s bed moved up slowly, bringing her to a ‘sitting’ position.
Glancing at his mother, he said “Is there anything in particular you’d like to eat? I’m about to order some food for Rachel”
“I still haven’t eaten that…” she answered, pointing at a box of food on a table beside her bed.
“Oh, I see,” George laughed.
Turning over to Rachel, Patricia smiled “I guess this is my reward for indirectly ruining your father’s life”
Rachel gasped “Not at all, Mrs Patricia. It was never your fault. It’s not like you were the one that lied against him. The act of you recommending my father to Morris was simply a coincidence, nothing more. Also, your accident is not karma, it’s simply a result of someone trying to kill you.”
Patricia smiled. “I’ll believe you then. Before the both of you file this case, I need every one of you, including your friend, the detective to stay safe. Morris and Judith are willing to do anything to save their head. I am willing to put a huge amount of my money into this case. All my hardwork must not be in vain, stay safe.”
“We will….”