Chapter 2

Narrator- 

Cara sat in the wooden armchair placed in the small hospital room her father currently resided in. On the way to the hospital Joe loss consciousness and had to be revived. In the emergency room, he was stabilized, and the doctor ordered a stat CT scan. Cara entered the ER just as they were taking her father away. She was allowed to go to the imaging bay with her father's caretakers, and after the scan was completed, Joe was instantly admitted to the hospital, in the neurology department. 

Cara now waited for the doctor to come in with the results with a churn of anxiety arousing the pits of her stomach. Her father was sleeping soundly, meanwhile Cara found her heart beating with unexplainable fear. Cara nipped away at the inner lining of her bottom lip and inner cheeks. Her fingers slick with sweat played with one another, meanwhile her right leg bounced uncontrollably. The image of her father's helpless form continued to play in her mind, and as much as she hated it, she couldn't help but fear the worse. Cara shook her head and blinked away the tears that suddenly pricked the corner of her eyes. She couldn't lose her father, not when he was going to retire and they were finally going to have a chance to spend more time together. 

Cara's heavy thoughts were disturbed when a string of brief knock sounded from the door. Cara looked towards the door, her thumping harshly with every pulse, practically denting her ribcage.

Cara cleared her throat, then said, "Come in." 

The heavy wooden door was pushed open and in walked an elderly gentleman with thin rectangular glasses, greying hair, dressed in a long white coat with a blue stethoscope hanging from his neck. Behind him was a pair of two younger doctors. Their short white coats held a school logo on the left breast, but both the blonde girl and the tall brunette man sported yellow stethoscopes around their necks.  

"Miss Thompson?" The doctor greeted upon entering the room. 

Cara stood to her feet and shook the doctor's extended hand, "Yes, hello doctor."

"I am doctor Jonas, this doctor Hansen," he pointed to the blonde, "and doctor Pratt," he pointed to the man, "they are medical students, and if you don't mind, I'd like it if they were present during this consult." 

"Yes, that's fine." Cara replied with a swift nod and quick smile in the students' direction. 

The blonde returned the smile, and the brunette simply nodded. 

"Thank you," The elderly doctor nodded with a smile, then he began his report, "In the case of Mr.  Thompson, it appears that your father suffered a mild stroke due to a cerebral atherosclerosis."

"Oh my Gosh." Cara whispered, her hands flying to her mouth. 

"There is no need to panic," the doctor quickly said, "it's just a small plaque buildup in one of the vessels of the brain that restricted blood flow and resulted in a delay of some of the electrical responses of the brain. Thankfully the damage is not extensive, but he will have to undergo surgery and afterwards he may need therapy for some of the motor functions which may have been affected by the stroke. This all will be determined after the surgery, once he wakes."

"Okay." Cara nodded and gulped, flashing her eyes in her father's direction before looking back at the doctor. 

"I have to say Miss Thompson, if it wasn't for your quick response, he probably would've suffered much greater damage, but thankfully, that can be avoided. Do you have any questions?" The doctor offered. 

"How long will the surgery take? And How soon does it need to be done?" Cara asked, while crossing her left arm over her chest, and hooking her hand in her right elbow. 

Her right thumb pressed her upper lip, while her teeth nipped away at the dry skin of her upper lip. 

"So the surgery is called a cerebral artery bypass, it's kind of like a cardiac bypass surgery but for the brain. Given the patient's age, I'd say that this surgery will take roughly three to four hours, depending on the extent of his condition. This varies from patient to patient, but I can assure I've done this surgery many times, your father is in a good hands." The doctor explained carefully. 

Cara nodded. 

"As for when it needs to be done, I believe as soon as possible will be best, but first the patient needs to be awake. I know that he did lose consciousness while in route to the hospital and though he is stable right now, he has yet to wake, so once he does come around, we can go from there. We have to make sure his heart is strong enough for the procedure." The doctor concluded. 

Cara nodded again, her teeth still nipping away at her upper lip, before she finally blinked and in drew in a breath.  

"Okay." Cara sighed and nodded her head once more in understanding, then she chanced another look in her father's direction and was surprised to find his eyes open. 

"Dad?" Cara called out, rushing to his side. 

The doctor seeing this also approached Joe. He pulled out his flashlight and began shining it in Joe's eyes. 

"Alright, pupils are responsive." The doctor noted aloud, and the students pulled out their notepads and began writing notes. 

"Alright Joe, follow my finger." The doctor instructed to his patient who blinked groggily, but still managed to focus on the doctor's index digit. 

"Extraocular movement intact with full range of motion." The doctor continued to explain, and the students faithfully jotted their notes. 

"Alright Joe, can you tell me what day it is?" The doctor asked, and Cara's eyes shifted from the doctor's face to her father's. 

"Um." Joe swallowed a gulp, "F-friday." he croaked, and Cara smiled in relief, her shoulder relaxing just slightly. 

"Good, that's good." The doctor noted, "Can you tell me where you are?" 

"Hospital?" Joe guessed, and the doctor nodded again, then he straightened his spine and addressed Cara.

"This is a good sign, his memory appears to be intact and his vitals are still stable. These are all telltales that the stroke did not affect his brain as much, however, this also means that we have to go in and perform the bypass as soon as possible. We cannot afford another stroke, or else it will be much worse." The doctor explained with a diligent tone. 

Cara nodded along with the doctor's every syllable.

"What- Surgery? Cara what's going on?" Joe asked, slightly more alert yet still sluggish.  

Cara grabbed her father's hand.

"You had a stroke dad, some buildup in your brain restricted blood flow. They have to go in and fix it as soon as possible." Cara explained to her dad, while the doctor stood silently. 

"How long will it take?" Joe then asked. 

"Three to four hours, then you'll be good as new." Cara answered once again.

"How soon will it be before I go back to work?" Joe inquired, and that shocked Cara to the core. 

The doctor prepared to answer but Cara beat him to it, "No dad. Didn't you hear what I said? You suffered a stroke. You're retired as of today. I'm not letting you go back to work." 

Joe sighed and looked over at his daughter, then he looked at the doctor and requested, "May I speak to my daughter alone please?" 

At the patient's request, the doctor nodded and led the students out without a word. 

As soon as the door closed, Cara turned to her dad and began, "I can't believe that work would be the first thing on your mind right now dad. You're in a hospital, you need to take care of yourself first." 

"Cara, I know. But I have to complete the last three months of work, or else I won't get my full benefits." Joe replied, his brow furrowing.

"It doesn't matter dad. I have a steady job, I can take care of us." Cara argued, hoping to ease her father's worries. 

"That's not your job. It's mine." Joe said in return before coughing due to his dry throat, followed by a soft gulp.

"And you've done it well for so long, now your body is asking that you rest." Cara assured, "We're gonna be okay." She nodded, hoping her dad would just take it easy. 

"But Cara, there's something else you need to know. Its not just about me getting the benefits." Joe continued. 

"Then what is it?" Cara asked.

Joe paused and swallowed a gulp. 

"A year ago, we came close to losing the house." Joe began to explain, and Cara pulled the chair closer to her father, ready to listen. 

"I only owed a hundred grand on the mortgage, but I got demoted, and the paychecks could barely make up for monthly expenses, so I neglected the mortgage." Joe continued, his tone hesitant.

"Okay." Cara noted, knowing that no matter what her father said, she would figure something out, which didn't involve him going back to work.

"I received the foreclosure letter, and one of my buddies at work told me about someone who could pay off the house for me, and all I had to do was pay the money back little by little in return. It sounded like a fair deal, so I met up with the guy and we made an agreement. Everything seem legit, he even put it on paper." Joe explained further. 

Cara listened carefully without a word. 

"Everything was going well. We no longer owed the bank, and I paid the man regularly. Now two months ago, the company suffered a major loss, so in return, the paychecks became even smaller, and so I started missing payments as well." 

"Dad." Cara said, shaking her head sadly, "Why didn't you tell me? I could've helped." 

At his daughter's words, Joe shook his head.

"No, Cara. You have already been the best daughter anybody could ask for. You work hard, and you carry your share of the load, even though you didn't have to, I couldn't place this on your shoulders too." Joe said, and Cara looked away. 

"That's why I have to go back to work. If I complete the amount of years, and retire in three months, the benefits will be enough to help me pay off the rest of the debt. I haven't been able to give you much, but at least let me do this, so when I leave this earth I know that I left you with a shelter. A home." Joe pleaded with his daughter. 

Cara shook her head stubbornly and held her father's hand. 

"There's no need to talk like that dad, you've done everything for me and more. We will figure this out. I promise." Cara reassured her dad again. Then she kissed his hands, while they remained sheltered in hers. 

*Knock, knock, knock*

Three knocks sounded from the door. Cara sent a skeptical look in the door's direction, then sighed. She wiped her eyes, and sat straighter in her chair.

"Come in." Cara invited, thinking it was the doctor or nurse. 

However, when the door opened, in walked three gentlemen. Two of them wore similar black suits, they were tall and heavily built. They both sported shot army styled haircuts, and their eyes were not friendly. The third was a tall man with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a white dress shirt and navy blue slacks and jacket. His hair was gelled and combed away from his face, which featured strong cheekbones, a straight nose and a firm jaw. His eyes were serious. He entered the room, and as soon as the door closed, Cara felt on edge. 

"Can I help you? Are you lost?" Cara asked, not realizing just how stiff and quiet her father had gone. 

"Well Joe, are we lost?" The tall man in the white shirt spoke.

"You know him?" Cara asked while turning her eyes to her father, who now stared on with wide eyes.

"Dad?" Cara called out worriedly. 

Joe's eyes snapped in Cara's direction, then back to the well-dressed intruder. 

"You must be Cara Thompson." The man took the liberty to break the heavy silence, while pointing at Cara. 

"Allow me to introduce myself," he began, while placing a hand on his chest and the other was casually tucked away in his pant pocket, "My name is Jason Trujilo, and your father and I are long time friends." Jason spoke, then he flashed a smile, and his right cheek dented with a deep dimple. 

"Okay." Cara replied carefully, unsure of the man's motives, but not trusting his smile one bit. 

"Now I'm not looking for any trouble," Jason assured, "however, your father and I had an agreement and for the past three weeks, he hasn't held up his part of the bargain. I paid him a visit earlier today only to find that we had missed the ambulance by a few minutes. So here we are." Jason explained in length. 

Cara stood up and straightened her spine. Then she crossed her arms defensively. 

"And what exactly were the terms of this agreement? Because surely this can wait, after all you seem like an educated man, I'm sure you can make the observation that he is currently an inpatient in a hospital, which means he is in no state to discuss any business."  Cara bit out, feeling uncomfortable with Jason's presence. 

She had a feeling that this was the man her father did business with, and upon that realization, Cara wondered why. Jason seem like bad news. The fact that he was willing to track her father down in a hospital room, and shamelessly talky about money caused Cara to feel anxious and on edge, and she had to wonder, who was this man?

"Well, you've got quite the mouth on you." Jason noted with an impressed grin. 

Cara didn't know what was so amusing. 

"Nonetheless," Jason said when he noticed that Cara wasn't going to say anything else, "this doesn't concern you." And Jason's smile disappeared in half a second, his eyes growing heavy and guarded.

"Now Joe," Jason's hard glare turned the mute man, "Where's my money?" 

Cara felt her heart drop at Jason's questions. If she had any doubt earlier, now it was obvious that this was the man her father owed. Cara gulped, for this situation was not looking good. Her dad didn't need the added stress. Cara stared at her father with troubled eyes. Her father on the other hand avoided her gaze. Cara chanced a look in Jason's direction, and his face was harder than rock on a hill. His smile was gone, and the way he stared at his father was threatening enough. Cara gulped and shook her head. 

What was happening?

"Cara." Her father finally spoke, "I- I'm sorry you had to find out this way." Joe apologized, his tone soft, almost defeated by fear.

"No dad, there's no need to apologize. We'll figure out something." Cara replied, then she turned her attention back to Jason. 

"How much does he owe?" Cara demanded. 

At the lady's inquiry, Jason rose an eyebrow. He now pocketed both hands, and took his time to reply.

"Thirty thousand." Jason answered, his tone strict. 

"Alright, and how long do we have to pay it off?" Cara continued.

"Six months." His answers were curt.

"I make fifteen hundred biweekly, I'm going to need more time." Cara bargained.

"No can do." Jason shot down.

"Why not?"

"I am a businessman. I have a reputation to protect. If I go soft on you, don't you think everyone else will expect the same treatment?" Jason questioned, and Cara fell her brain swell in her skull.

The man was absurd. 

Cara's body heated with a flash of anger. The earlier anxiety in her stomach now morphed into a blazing fire of anguish. She wanted to fight, and fight she did. 

"What kind of man are you? He just suffered a stroke, he's in a hospital bed, and all you care about is getting your money and saving face?" Cara raised her voice.

This caused Jason to feel challenged, but he wouldn't lose his composure. 

"Yes," Jason replied calmly, "I can't leave this unhandled, it's bad for business." He repeated again.

"Well guess what?" Cara said lifting her chin and leveling her eyes with Jason's, "my father's retired, he can't pay back your money. He can no longer work, so you're going to have to collect elsewhere."

"No, he can't work." Jason hummed pensively, "But you can." He decided to turn the tables. 

"No!" Joe finally broke his silence, "Leave her out of this." He pleaded, and his monitor began to beep. 

Cara sent a look in her father's direction, "Dad, you have to stay calm. I'll handle this." 

Cara's words caught Jason's attention. She was too outspoken for a woman. She needed to know her place, this did not concern her, and yet, in Jason's eyes, she was making it her business. 

"No she's right old man," Jason spoke up, "you're done, but I'm not. I want my money. So since your daughter here is so bent on saving you, the debt is now her responsibility, and because it's my money, I have to make sure she's getting it from a steady, reliable source, which will allow her to get the money on time. She can come work for me." Jason declared.

This sent Cara's heartbeat into a frenzy. 

"No, Jason please, I'll find a way to get you your money. Leave her out of this." Joe pleaded again, but Cara tried to shush him, her eyes bouncing between his worry-filled face and the heart rate monitor, which indicated that Joe's heart was working overtime. His oxygen level was decreasing, and it was obvious in the way his chest worked for each breath. 

"How? How are you going to get my money?" Jason replied, he didn't care that this family was in obvious distress. He had a reputation to protect. 

"I'll sell the house." His Joe debated, his chin trembling.

Cara's eyes widened. 

"The same house I practically bought for you? No way." Jason declined the offer.

"What do you want?" Cara demanded, her tone underline with an angry growl. 

"Simple, my money. I want your father to hold up his end of the bargain. He told me he was an honest man, but right now, Joe's not being very honest." Jason pointed out. 

"He can't!" Cara pushed, her tone impassioned. 

"Exactly, which means that you will do it instead of him. Thirty grand in six months." Jason said with a tone of finality. 

Cara sealed her lips. Her wrists were tight, her breathing slow and fuming. She looked into Jason's eyes with such fierceness, Jason was impressed. He kept his gaze leveled. He wasn't going to be intimidated by a girl who didn't know her place. No. If anything, she was going to be the one to submit. 

Joe, unable to diffuse the fire in the room, tried once more to appeal to Jason.

"Jason please, she's a good girl, don't do this." Joe begged. 

He knew the kind of business Jason ran, and he wanted his daughter to have no part in it. She wasn't built for Jason's world. Jason's environment was the exact danger he tried to protect his daughter from, and yet now, it seemed she had to purposefully enter that environment, just so that she could save him.

The word good girl echoed in Jason's ears, and he squinted his eyes in Cara's direction, studying her from head to toe and back. 

"Well that's good," Jason started, "then I know she'll work hard to pay off the money, and she'll do it on time. Like a good, honest girl." Jason concluded, and his words struck fear in Cara's chest, but she didn't show it. 

"Now, I know you have some things to discuss between yourselves, I will send for Cara tomorrow morning, she will sign the contract, and start working for me promptly. It was a pleasure doing business with you." Jason said, and with those words he walked out the door, along with his silent bodyguards. 

When the door closed, Cara released a breath she didn't know she was holding. She sat back down in the chair, and shook her head sadly. But that moment was cut short. An erratic beeping began to sound on the monitor. Cara's eyes flashed to her father, and his body was pulsing just like it did earlier. Joe was suffering from another stroke. 

Cara rushed to the door, "SOMEBODY HELP ME PLEASE! MY DAD, HE'S HAVING ANOTHER STROKE!"