JR SWAT 5: Five, On the move

Chapter 3: Clear, but Confused

What the hell is going on? Who is Christina Suarez? What? How? Street, please come help me! I wanna see Rubio graduate! I wanna see Hondo hold his baby. I wanna be there for my goddaughter's graduations and all her biggest celebrations. I wanna go home! Please don't kill me!, she thought desperately. 

"A....lon...so" she managed to mumble between gritted teeth, slowly and after much effort.

Silence.

The man stood unmoved, staring straight at her, both hands behind his back. He then glanced down momentarily, looked up and took a step closer to her bed.

"You were a freshmen in high school." he paused. "You pretty much kept to yourself. But...Christi, she was completely the opposite!"

What? Who is this guy?

"She was the love of my life and I just...couldn't let the opportunity slip by without letting her know that. I dreamed day and night about us being together. A scrawny lil kid, who got bullied day after day after day." he paused, gazing out. "But Valentine's was gonna be different. I had it all planned out. Before the end of the day, Christi would be accepting my invitation and after that we'd get married, have children and life happily ever after."

I'm so lost! My head hurts and this guy is talking about high school? The f*ck! ,Chris was losing her patience, while big drops of perspiration raced down her back. She feared this storytelling wasn't going in the right direction.

"The school choir was doing all sorts of activities to gather funds for a competition, including performing short love songs as surprise gifts. It was a steep price, but I knew it was my best shot at getting her attention and...she was that kinda girl! She loved the spotlight!"

Ok? So, what's this gotta do with me? Get to the point, man! My head is throbbing! Chris thought extremely frustrated, feeling her temple throb heavily.

"So, Algebra class. Last period. Great. The problem?" He paused. "There were two Christinas. I never specified and because of alphabetical order, they assumed...well!" he paused, "You were so furious, you wouldn't even let them finish the song. You actually broke a guitar and demanded to know who set you up. When I go there with my phone to record everything, the guys called me out and you went after me. A broken nose, a couple of busted ribs, cellphone smashed, lip busted opened...yeah! A mess."

Oh my God! So, he's here for vengeance? What have I done? Chris was so scared, the trembling began. She could count her last seconds of life!

"You kept screaming that you hated the attention; how could I do this to you; you hated me. Well, not to state the obvious but I ended up in the hospital. Had to beg my parents not to file for aggravated assault, battery and a bunch of other legal terms. My uncle was a lawyer, he wanted to sue everyone, even the school! But I managed to convince my parents to keep me home. No need to go back as 'the kid who got beat up by a girl'."

After much effort, she managed to mumble, "I...am so...rry! Please...don't...kill me!" while a tear rolled down her cheek.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Sigh.

The man showed a sweet smile and removed his hands from behind his back finally revealing what made her so nervous. In one hand he held a stethoscope, while the other had a tight grip on a hospital ID card.

"My name is Doctor Jordan Lyles. I'm not here to hurt you." he paused, "I'm here to save your life."

GASP

"Nothing but good came out of that experience. It changed my life and my family's, for the better. My mother had to quit her job to take care of me, but after just a year, she was hired to work from home as a consultant for a big tech company. Earn almost ten times her yearly salary and now spends most of her time traveling the world. My father got ill, but thanks to my mother's close care, we were able to treat his cancer on its first stage. Minor treatment and that's it. Been on remission ever since! And me? Well, I'm among the top neurosurgeons in the country."