angel baby (heavy editing)

13.5

    When Evelyn said she would find someone to take him home, Chris didn’t expect it to be the handsome school nurse, Derek, the same Derek he had a massive crush on.
Kathy had told him to ignore the way he was feeling because nothing could happen between them because Chris was still a minor and Derek was most definitely straight. Chris's body and reaction to him thought otherwise though.
His cheeks felt hot and the flickering things in his stomach made him nervous, but in a good way which was confusing because being nervous wasn’t supposed to feel good.
Derek finally ended the call he had been on since they left the school building and turned to face Chris who immediately looked away. Chris heard the soft chuckle coming from the man beside him and his cheeks all both flushed more. He touched it surprised by how warm it was.
“So, Chris tell me, how are you today?”
He turned to face Derek whose eyes were now on the road.
“I am fine, thank you very much”
“So midterms are coming soon. How prepared are you?”
“Jacob bullied me today”
Derek remained in silence for a few seconds too stunned to speak for some reason. The switch was surprising.
“Kathy wouldn’t like that. Kathy, I left her at school. Can we go back? Please let’s go back. Let's go back"
Derek is even more stunned about the sudden change in his demeanor.
“Okay, okay, calm down, we’ll go back. Why don’t you call her first? You have a cell phone, right?”
Chris nodded. He did have a cell phone though he barely used it. He brought it out and dialed her number. He only had two numbers on his cell, that of Kathy’s and his mother’s. He would make sure to ask Barkis for her number on Monday. He really liked Barkis.
On the third ring, Chris heard the voice of a person. It wasn’t Kathy.
“Hello?”
“Hello, can I speak to Kathy, please?”
“Chris, is that you? Oh thank God. I’ve been trying to reach you. You need to come to the hospital right now”
“Who is this?”
“It’s me Charlie”
“Charlie, you sound different”
“Chris, pay attention” Charlie was yelling now. He hated it when people yelled. It gave him an headache.
“I was helping Mrs. Katherine close up the library when I saw her. There was so much blood”
He hated blood. What was Charlie saying?
“Can I speak to Kathy, please?”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Kathy is at the hospital and you need to get here now”
Chris felt his stomach twist and turn and it wasn’t the way it felt before.
“What happened to Kathy? Is she okay?”
“Just get to the hospital. It’s the one behind the school, St. Agnes. Hurry, Chris”
The line went dead and Chris felt the tears drop before he realized he was in tears.
“What was that about? Chris, are you OK?” Derek immediately asked when he saw the tears.
“Kathy is at the St Agnes hospital and I don’t think she’s ok. I’m scared”
Derek clutched his hand trying to calm him down because it seemed he was a second way from having a panic attack.
“It’s okay. It’s alright. We’ll go to the hospital right now. It’s going to be alright. She’s going to be alright”

Lia sat in Lena’s car lost in her thoughts. In another instance, she would have been really excited to be seated in the car of the woman she kind of had a crush on but right now, she dreaded the conversation she would have with her son later.
Oh god, the stomach ache was getting worse.
“Are you okay, Lia? You look like you’re about to be sick”
Lia swallowed the painful lump in her throat and took a deep breathe.
“I’m fine. I just…it’s just I don’t know how Chris is going to react to this. He’s been through a lot. I couldn’t give the best. I couldn’t take him to therapy. There was a time I couldn’t even afford his pills. I’m a terrible mother”, she buried her face in her palms.
“No, you’re not, Lia. I don’t know much about anything but your son loves you so much and appreciates you so much. I saw it that day I visited your home”
That brought a small smile to Lia’s face. She turned to face the beautiful woman.
“Thanks, Lena. That means a lot”
Lena smiled at her and focused on the road. Lia stared at her for a few more seconds before looking away.
“I’m starving”, Lia said absentmindedly checking the time on her wristwatch.
“We could stop by a restaurant”
Lia immediately turned to face her,
“Did I say that out loud? I’m sorry”
“No, really, let’s do that”
“No, no, you’ve done a lot for me already”
“I insist. I could use some food too”, Lena smiled at her. Lia almost got lost in it. Her smile was beautiful.
“Okay”
“Perfect”

    Later, Lena and Lia sat in a restaurant as the waiter took their order. He left a few seconds later.
“This place is nice”, Lia commented. Expensive but nice, she thought. Lena didn’t need to know all that.
“It really is. Wait till you taste the food. My brother and I eat here when we get the time”
“That’s nice. Does he work for Mrs. Borghese too?”
Lia didn’t mean to sound snide but that was how it came out.
“Yeah, actually he does. He’s the head science teacher at her school”
Lia nodded and took a sip of her drink.
“How did you end up working for Mrs. Borghese anyway?”
Lena stared at her for a few seconds. It made her squirm.
“You don’t like Mrs. Borghese much, do you? And I’m guessing there’s a story there”
“There is but tell me yours first”
Lena shrugged, “It’s not spectacular or anything. I got recommended by my brother to her and for some reason, I impressed her the most among a dozen other so yeah, I became her personal assistant. I know Jessica can come off a bit-”
“Rude? Snarky? Condescending?”
Lena smiled a bit not bothering to correct her. She knew the woman she worked with.
“But she’s really nice when she wants to be, I promise”
“I don’t really care for her. It’s just sad I’m going to see more of her for the next few weeks or even months”
“Why don’t you like her? Apart from the basic reason that is”
Lia gave her a skeptical look.
“I won’t say a thing. I’m not a snitch. I wouldn’t tell a beautiful woman’s secret”
Lia blushed looking down. That was flirting. That was definitely flirting.
"She just rendered me homeless for a few months when Chris was about 10 in order to build some shopping complexes. I had no help from anyone. Taking care of a child was hard enough. Taking care of a child on the spectrum was hell so yeah I'm sorry, I don't like Jessica Borghese much"
"I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. There's no excuse for Jessica's behavior"
Lia shrugged again. She would be lying if she said she wasn't traumatized about the incident, she was. Chris survived. That was all that mattered.
"Can we talk about something else, please?"
"Of course, of course"
The waiter arrived then with their food.
Pleasantries are exchanged and the waiter leaves.
They ate in silence but Lia decided to break it before the beautiful woman before her disappeared again.
"So this is nice"
Lena nodded wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"It is"
"It almost feels like, like a date"
Lena looked up suddenly her eyes widening.
Lia regretted her statement afterwards. Didn't she feel...
Oh great, I mistakened her kind gesture as flirting. Just perfect, Lia thought.
"I'm sorry, I just thought-" Lia started to say.
"No, no it's, I want this to be a date. It does feel like a date"
"Really?"
"Yes, I've wanted to ask you out since I first saw you. I just didn't know how or if you were interested"
Lia felt her heart sing as she let out the biggest  smile.
"I am. I definitely am. I wanted to say something but I wasn't sure if you're, you know, gay"
"I am. I've known I'm attracted to only women  since I was 12"
Wow, Lia thought.
"What about you?"
"I'm bisexual"
Lena smiled, "Cool"
They stared and smiled at each other for a few seconds  before going back to eat.
Lia's phone suddenly rang.
She looked at the caller surprised to see Chris's name. He never called her, or anybody.
A feeling of dread rose within her.
She picked it up.
"Chris, baby, is everything alright?"
"Mom, it's Kathy. They won't let me see her. I need to see her. I need to see her"
"Chris, honey, calm down. What's going on?"
"Kathy had to go the hospital. Charlie said there was so much blood. Mom, I need to see Kathy"
Lia was up on her feet before she could blink. She felt dizzy enough to faint but an arm steadied her before she could fall.
With the little sanity left in her, "I'll be right there, baby. I'm coming"
She hung up and clutched her head.
"Lia, are you okay? What's happening?"
"My daughter, I don't know. I have to get to the hospital"
What hospital? What hospital?
"Calm down. I'll take you", Lena announced dropping a few euro notes before leading Lia out of the restaurant. The attention they attracted from the restaurant goers immediately dissolved as everybody went back to their life issues.

(I have big ideas for this book and I'm contemplating changing the title. I suck at picking titles for my books. I wouldn't mind ideas (:
Thanks for reading and the endless support. I also crossed 400 reads.  I'm so excited. Thanks so much)