The Days Ahead

EPISODE 4: (THE DAYS AHEAD)

Dillion had drunk down his last swallow and was now pouring another round for himself before thinking of Sai laying in bed. So he dropped the glass cup and left his bar to the room where the nurse and doctor were administering drip to her.

The doctor sensed his presence and looked up at him.

"How is she?" Dillion asked.

The doctor shook his head

"How do I say this to you?" He thought for sometime before picking out the right and shortest way to present the other message. "She is in a coma...like a deep sleep. Nothing to worry about for now." He watched Dillion's face for an emotion but none was evident. So he continued, "If she is able to wake up tonight, then she and the baby would be fine. But if she doesn't wake up tonight, she, and especially the baby would be at risk. But there are ways to make the baby survive, the baby is still very young".

"How long does her case take?"

The doctor looked at Sai on the bed and said, "She is supposed to be a minor one. It's the reaction that any woman may get from early pregnancy, fainting being one of them. But she... she shut herself out and she will be the one to bring herself back. And maybe someone close to her would do it by talking to her, engaging her in a conversation. Should be someone she listens to. Maybe...you?"

Dillion raised a brow. Me? He was surely the last person Sai wanted to see or even listen to. He would make her raise her walls higher and probably make her remain shut in forever. And the baby would be at risk. He thought about the baby.

"Is there by any chance miss Sai is facing depression or anxiety recently?" The doctor asked.

When Dillion heard the question, he flashed back to an hour ago when she was crying and hitting him calling him names and saying she hated him. Was that depression? No. No!

"No. None I could think of." He lied. He couldn't let the world know that she wasn't comfortable with him. He loved her. She wasn't going anywhere.

The doctor nodded and began packing up his apparatuses in his first aid box.

"Nurse Patricia will be here till she wakes up. When she does, she will take her vital signs and wait on me. But if she doesn't wake up by tomorrow morning, we will have to transfer her to the hospital for proper procedures."

And with that, the doctor locked his box, held it in his hand and passed Dillion, finding his way out. He was used to the mansion so he knew where to go and when he was almost at the door, he saw Clara. Pacing.

"How is she?" She asked with a drop of tears by her left eye.

The doctor sighed. "She is in a deep sleep."

"What?" She said it with a whisper

"She will need your and Mr Shafts' help to get her from there. The one of you she can trust and listen to."

Clara started sobbing vehemently, her fist clenched against her scarf that hung loosely around her shoulder.

The doctor walked slowly to where she stood and stopped few inches, about two from her. "But if I may ask, has miss Sai been under any stress lately?"

When she heard the word stress, she slowly cleaned her eyes with the scarf and looked up at the doctor who was patiently waiting her reply. She took a breath and walked to the door. She opened it. The rain had stopped but the cloud was still gathered and though the time was just six thirty in the evening, it looked like eight at night. "Shall I see you off to your car doctor Hither?"

.......,................

"I know where all the cameras are and that was why I decided to take a walk with you. Where is your car parked?"

"At the second gate"

"I can't escort you all the way there. But yes, she has been a little depressed and it hit high pitch recently, some few days back"

They were walking at a quick pace.

"And," she continued. "She is scared of Mr Shaft. She hates him."

"May I ask why?"

"It's a long story. If I can drop by the hospital, I will have to feed you the details. But what can I do for my dear Sai? How is she in a coma?"

"Well, Sai is pregnant."

Clara stopped walking.

~~~

"Damn it!"

The fuming man threw the table and punched the man standing next to him. He gasped for breath and looked at all the faces present, each holding a part of their body, their eyes complaining bitterly that they had to pay for their minor setback.

"What did I tell you all to do? Eh? What?? Just a simple task to track him, you all Couldn't do. How did I train you?!!" He roared, his veins bulging.

After taking in a bit of a breath, he placed his hand on his waist and scanned their faces. He rolled his eyes. "All of you should come stand before me before I lose my patience. Now!"

The young men standing at his back and his sides hurriedly ran to stand before him; all of them a complete number of five.

"You all know you are useless right?" He asked them.

"Yes sir!" They chorused

"And you all are foolish you know right?"

"Yes sir!"

"A simple task assigned to you, 'Track Him', and you couldn't even follow him up at just 150metre range. You all lost him and you are five in number. Is that not the highest form of incompetency??"

They didn't say anything. They all avoided his eyes.

"Answer me! Is that not the highest form of incompetency? Yes or NO?"

"Yes sir!" They chorused.

"Good." He walked to the seat that was still standing even after his tantrum and sat down in it, facing all of them. And he sat for some minutes before a dark haired from behind signaled to him.

"You don't talk." He told him. "Now tell me you all, what punishment suits you best?"

Their eyes widened. "Shall we go to the dark house, or we go to the PEN?"

"Please boss, we would be attentive next time." A dark blonde said.

"Next time?" He laughed. You would all be dead before next time!"

"Please boss."

"Please."

"Spare us!"

"We are going to bring him to you. He was very smart. Like he knew we were present there with him and was tricky to the core. He is a Mastermind sir. He is. We really did what we know how to do best but he is a total pro. An expert at it."

"An expert eh? Hmm."