Computerized

Chapter Twenty: Nicknames and Gumdrops

Ella was the kind of person you were drawn to. Her smile was bright and cheery, and she seemed so genuine. Her honey colored eyes sparkled whenever she laughed or smiled. She was the kind of person you'd run to when you need someone to talk to. Ella was a person you felt safe with.

She reminded me of Matthew, a person I wanted to push out of my memory for the time being. Matthew always had a goofy grin on his face, and he was always there waiting if Hannah or I needed a shoulder to cry on. I missed him more than anything.

Ella's sugary voice pulled me away from my thoughts. I furrowed my eyebrows. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Ella laughed at me. "Yes dear. I said you did a wonderful job with these stitches. I'm just going to clean the wound, give him some antibiotics, and wrap it up then Ty will be good to go! I'll take the stitches out in a few days."

I smiled sweetly at Ella and thanked her. Ten minutes later Ty sat up with afresh bandage wrapped tightly around his stomach. He pulled on his shirt and walked over to me, slinging an arm around my shoulder.

"You two are cute," Ella said.

Ty grinned widely while I blushed and gave her a small thanks before scurrying out into the long hallway. We headed towards the lobby, Anton, Ty, Bert and another woman coming into view.

We made it to the lobby, coming up beside Hannah and Anton. The woman was a blond haired girl who looked to be late thirties. She wore dress pants and a white blouse, a prideful smile on her face.

"Ty, Rebecca, I'd like you to meet my wife and colleague Whitney." Bert introduced the woman.

"Nice to meet you Whitney," I held out my hand shaking her's firmly.

"Thank you. I'm so excited to finally meet the Ty and Rebecca!" Whitney smiled, hugging a clipboard to her chest.

"Well, let's eat!" Bert announced, leading us to the dining room. We all followed finding our seat around the large table. Ty and I sat beside each other while Anton and Hannah sat across from us. Bert sat at the head of the table and Whitney on the other end.

A young guy with dirty blond hair entered holding trays of food. He set a plate down in front of each of us. On it was a steak, potatoes, and salad. A basket of rolls sat in the middle of the table.

"Thank you Kyran," Bert said. "Would you like to join us for dinner?"

"Yes, sure," Kyran nodded disappearing into the kitchen for a few seconds before coming back through the swinging doors with a plate of food for himself.

We dug into the meal, having only eaten sandwiches for the past four days. We all quickly finished our meal. Soon another waiter brought out dessert plates with chocolate cake placed on them.

"So Kyran, this is Hannah, Rebecca, and Ty." Bert introduced us.

Kyran smiled our way giving a small nod. "Hi."

"Kyran is one of our waiters and chefs because he loves to cook, but most of his time is spent working with Whitney and I. This is Whitney's son actually, my step-son." Bert explained.

After that, we finished dessert without much conversation. The only sound was the clinking of our silverware against the plates. Soon, Whitney excused herself from the table and Kyran followed, going back into the kitchen.

"Well, let me show you to your rooms." Bert stood from his chair gesturing for us to follow him. We climbed up two flights of stairs and took a sharp right turn. At the end of the hall Bert stopped.

"Alrighty, Anton's room is 312. Ty yours is 313, Hannah 314, and Rebecca 315. Inside the rooms is a map. You've been provided with clothing that will fit you and all of your necessities. Also inside is a laptop and tablet for each of you to use."