The Mistake (A Chlathaniel Story)

5

Chloe wasn't feeling so well. It was a few days after the Juleka incident and she was starting to feel funny, she would feel pains and throw up early. Plus, she had to pee a lot. She considered calling in sick to work but she knew that Stella would throw a fit and she needed the job. She finished a dance and blew a kiss to the man who had paid a ton, just to have a private dance. He whistled and went over to pay for her services. She watched him hand the money to Stella with a sigh, knowing that she wouldn't even get up to ten percent of it.

"Cocoa," she whined, walking over to her dark-skinned co-worker. Cocoa rose an eyebrow when she collapsed on the chair and heard the sound of her head slam against the table with a hard thud. Rolling her eyes, she nudged Chloe and glanced at Stella.

"You better open those pretty blue eyes, Canary. The Devil's eyes are on ya." She nudged her again, her smile falling into an anxious frown when the girl didn't respond. She raised her hand and gasped when it fell limply to the floor, nearly dragging her entire body down with it. Cocoa held tightly to her waist and quickly put the white sunglasses she usually wore on top of her head onto her face to hide her closed eyes. Stella walked over in a short, deep purple dress with a deep neckline. Cocoa smiled and held onto Chloe's waist.

"What's wrong with Canary?"

"Her? Oh, she drank a bit too much, her boyfriend just broke up with her." Stella immediately rolled her eyes, not even feeling a twinge of sympathy.

"Damn idiot, gives her body to a man who breaks her heart for free when they are guys who are willing to pay... Thousands just to have a piece of the cake." Some people were looking at them funny but Stella wanted to observe her more closely. She looked a bit too limp to just be tipsy. She leaned closer, Cocoa biting her lip anxiously and pulled back at the stench. "Damn, girl you reek of alcohol. I mean, did you even brush at all this week?! Take her out of here and get her fixed, she's bad for business. You come back as soon as she's kicking and you'll stay a bit late to make up for your absence."

Cocoa felt a chill down her spine. She hated staying late more than anything. That was when all the creeps came in. She tried to make an excuse, that she had someone back home to take care of but she couldn't. She didn't expect Stella to understand because as far as she knew, all she cared about was herself and her money. Hiding her disgust behind the submissive smile she often faked to make Stella feel powerful, she thanked her and dragged Chloe out of the club. She dropped her gently in the passenger's seat of her old Buick and drove to a hospital nearby. She called for help and handed her over to the doctors, hoping that Canary was okay.

"What if she has STDs? Nah, she doesn't sleep with men, other than the redhead. What if he has it and he passed it to her and she's gonna die- Dammit Ivory, calm down!" She heard a baby cry some feet away and realised she had been screaming just a bit. She sat down and took deep calming breaths, hoping Chloe was okay.

When Chloe woke up, the first thing she heard was a beeping sound. Later on, she would find out that it was her heart monitor but at that exact moment, she felt a lump in her throat and ran into the toilet to throw up, barely able to make it before the little she had eaten that morning spilt out. She groaned, freezing when she heard a voice behind her.

"Ah, Ms Bourgeois, I see that you're awake."

"Uh... How did I get here?"

"You fainted dear. I have some news for you, you might want to sit down." She turned around swiftly, immediately feeling a breeze and trying to stretch the hospital gown she was wearing to cover her body more as she passed the female (thankfully) doctor and sat down on her hospital bed. Her first guess was that she had gotten drunk and passed out but from what she remembered, she hadn't drank a drop of alcohol at the club. She looked at the doctor expectantly, unsure of what exactly the problem was.