Solid Ground

Chapter 29

Riley

Why would he keep me in the dark. Why? Was he running away from me? Was he ashamed of me? Was he finding some hot Canadian girl to replace me?

I pulled my luggage through the air port as fast as possible. My body guards pushing the reporters and press away from me. Opening a narrow just enough for me to scurry through and into the car.

I stared at my GPS, navigating through this foreign land that I haven't been in.

And according to the coordinates the secretary sent me, he should be in... Anderson Corps...? Wait, isn't his father in charged here?

I flung the car door open, running into the building.

"Where is Marcus Anderson?" I said panting to the receptionist.

"Wait, aren't you..."

"Yeah, yeah, all famous, beautiful, rich, and intelligent Riley Anderson." I cut her off, reciting everything I read on the magazine during my journey here.

"50th floor Mrs Anderson." She said with a smile.

Rushing my way to the lift, I pressed the buttons at least a hundred times hoping the lift would be faster.

As soon as he reached, I was greeted by wide grey flooring with a pearly white carpet covering the middle. My eyes immediately shot up at the figure that was sitting at the desk.

Marcus.

But why, his father's in charge... Isn't he?

"Marcus...why..." I stammered when words couldn't form in my mouth.

"Why are you here Riley? You're suppose to stay put." His blood shot eyes scared me. His tone scared me. He was mad, but being with him for this long allowed me to see more than that, he was tired.

"A-are you okay?" I asked as I neared him. That was when I saw stack and heaps of medical books around him.

"I told you to stay put." He said sternly. Closing the book under his arms.

"W-why are you reading medical books... Are you sick?" No doubt about it, that I was afraid of asking, but I had to. How could I see the one I love suffering and not help.

"No." He rubbed his eyes roughly, covering his tired eyes with both his palms.

I halted my footsteps right in front of him. I bend over the desk, and slowly removed his palms from his eyes. My eyes never leaving his face, hoping to read some sort of sign.

"I should've expected that you couldn't follow instructions." He stifled a chuckle.

"Yeah. I think we've established that before. Talk to me will you? I won't leave till you do." Holding tightly to his hands.

"I told you. I'm fine. Just tired." He turned his face away from mine.

"Marcus, stop lying. Why are you reading all these medical books? Is something wrong?" I asked once more.

"Life."

"Life?" I looked at him blankly.

"Yes." He pulled his hands away, popping in two painkillers into his mouth.

"Your head must be hurting." It truly hurt me to see him in pain. It hurted me even more that I couldn't do anything about it.

"Yeah. You know what would help? You relieving my load by being a good girl and going back to UK, knowing that you'll be safe there." He looked at me from the corner of his eye.

"Wait, I think I've pieced it together." I looked at all the medical books for another second longer. "You're not sick. Your father is sick. And you're trying to find a way to treat it aren't you." I narrowed my eyes at him, knowing that I've hit the bullseye.

"I see you've gotten smarter." He chuckled.

I stared at him expectantly, waiting patiently for him to explain himself.

"Come on Marcus, you know me, and you know I won't go back to UK until you tell me what's going on."

"Okay fine. My dad is sick okay? And since I'm no longer a doctor, I can't do shyt about it other than looking for shyt load of curing methods and passing it to someone who can. Life is unfair." He balled his fist tightly.

"Do I wanna know what type of sickness he has?" I asked.

"No." Another one word reply.

"So what do you plan to do?" I asked him.

"I don't know, try to get the best doctors to treat him? Try to find away to cure him? Heck I don't know, I haven't been sleeping in three days, my eyes are burning." He rubbed his eyes his eyes again.

"Then why don't you sleep?"

"I can't. Damn it Riley I can't. I always had this problem. As long as there's a problem at hand, and I can't solve it, I won't be able to sleep until I've solved it." He sighed.

I looked at him and then around the room.

"Would it help if I slept with you? You've always slept better with me under your arms." I asked knowingly. These were just amongst the few things I've noticed about him.

He glanced at me before looking back at the ground.

I lifted myself from the chair and held his hand. Pulling him away from the desk and to the wide caramel colored sofa at the other side of the office.

I loosened his tie, and took it off him. Slipping his blazer of him and draping it over the sofa. He lied down, and scootered over so that I could do the same.

He instinctively wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him. I snuggled nearer to him.

Listening to the familiar sound of his heartbeat

Slowly, his heartbeat went steady.

I looked at him peacefully falling into sleep and gently kissed his forehead.

"Riley..." He muttered under his breath.

"Yes?" I replied.

"Thanks for coming." He softly said before drifting into dreamland.

**********

I like this chapter... What about you?:) But heads up, the next one ain't gonna start up pretty.... Anyways, see... I kept my promise, I told you I'll update this chapter soon:)

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