Broken Pieces

Chapter 16

Bella kept driving around  the city pointlessly for the whole of the afternoon. The pictures of Sofia in Simon's house kept flashing through her mind. She hated how her daughter can't smile for her but she can smile for the whole world. She thought how her daughter hated her and her husband praised another woman in front of her, rejecting her. She was angry about the fact of how he compared her to Camilla. All these thoughts angered her more and she headed to a bar far away from home to vent out her feelings with some alcohol.

Meanwhile, back at home, Jeremy was getting worried. He kept calling Bella but it went straight to voicemail. He was getting agitated as time passed. He asked Mark to track the car. The location was found at the far end of the city.

Sofia's condition was worsening. Her temperature hiked and Mrs. Clarke had no choice but to inform Jeremy. Mrs. Clarke came down to find him nursing a glass of whiskey in the library. The door was open.

"Sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Taylor but we need to get Sofia to the hospital as soon as possible. Her fever is not dropping." Mrs. Clarke said in a deep voice.

"Ask Mark to take her. I can't take her to the hospital. I have other things to do. I have to find Bella. You know she's missing, Mrs. Clarke. She left me." Jeremy said as his words slurred. She was tired of him drinking all the time whenever he was upset.

"Mr. Taylor, your daughter needs you. She is sick. She can die if not treated promptly. Mrs. Taylor will come back. You have to take her to the hospital with me." She said firmly.

"Then let her die. I don't care." He said as he lay back on the chair and waved her off. Mrs. Clarke turned on her heel and sped off to Sofia's bedroom.

"Ask Mark to bring the car to the front then tell him to come up to Sofia's room to help me." Mrs. Clarke told Sam, a maid, who was passing by her. The maid nodded her head and ran off to find Mark. Mark had his room/office at the end of the first floor. It was where he could be reached promptly at the time of need.

"Mr. David, Mrs. Clarke has requested for you to bring the car to the front and then help her in Ms. Taylor's room. She needs help." Sam said as she stood in the doorway of his room. Mark nodded and left his room to fetch the car. He hoped everything was alright.

"Sofia? Sofia? Please open your eyes, dear girl. Please." Mrs. Clarke kept pleading her. But Sofia didn't even stir. She lay there lifeless, her skin pale.

Knock, knock.....

"May I come in?" Mark said from outside the door. Mrs. Clarke rushed to open the door.

"Oh dear, Thank God you're here. Sofia is not feeling well. We need to rush her to the hospital. Help me carry her." Mrs. Clarke said to him. Mark nodded and picked up Sofia in a bridal style to the car. He deposited her in the backseat of the car. Mrs. Clarke put Sofia's head in her lap. She kept caressing her hair.

The drive to the hospital was a long one than usual. The traffic was more than usual. They wondered why. Mrs. Clarke asked Mark to drive fast. Mark was helpless.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine before you even know about it." Mrs. Clarke kept talking to Sofia. Finally, they reached the hospital and Sofia was treated immediately. Mrs. Clarke and Mark waited patiently outside Sofia's room.

"Who is with Ms. Taylor?" A beautiful nurse came out of Sofia's room and asked them.

"We are." Mrs. Clarke said as she stood up.

"The doctor wants to talk to you. Please follow me." She said as she took Mrs. Clarke to another room.

"The doctor will be with you in a minute. Please wait here." The nurse said as she closed the door and left. A few seconds later, a young doctor around 30 years old came inside.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." He said as he took off his gloves.

"Aunt Jenna? Is that you?" The doctor said as he saw her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you." Mrs. Clarke said apologetically.

"It's me James, your nephew. Remember me?" He said reminding her.

"Oh dear, I didn't recognize you. What are you doing here?" She said as she hugged him.

"How would you recognize me? You left home a long time back. And you didn't even turn back." He said as he sat down.

"I know. I'm sorry." She said as she tried to push her memories away.

"Alright, so is that girl your daughter?" He asked as he looked through some pages.

"Not mine. She is my employer's daughter." She answered.

"Is everything okay?" She asked him. James sat straighter in his chair and propped his elbows on the table.

"I'll be very honest with you. She is malnourished. When was the last time she had proper food?" He asked her.

"I agree. She has not been eating well." Mrs. Clarke replied.

"She needs to stay away from any kind of physical and mental stress. She needs proper nutrition to regain her strength back. I'm prescribing her some medication which will improve her health." James said as he gave her the prescription.

"Is that all?" Mrs. Clarke asked.

"Yes. That's all." He replied with a smile.

"Aunt Jenna? Have dinner with me some time. Please?" He said as he pleaded her.

"I'll see if I get the time." She replied as she stood up.

"Thank you, James. It was nice meeting you after a long time. Don't tell anybody at home that you met me." She said with a smile and exited his room.

Mark was talking to someone on his phone when Mrs. Clarke returned. He instantly ended the call and came to her.

"Is everything okay, Mrs. Clarke? You look pale." He asked her as she took a seat.

"Yes. Everything is good." She said with a slight smile.

"We need to do something about her parents. She is suffering for nothing because of the turmoil going inside her parent's lives. We need to talk to them and tell them about her situation." She said as she rested her head at the back of the chair.

"Ms. Taylor is awake. You can meet her." The nurse said after a couple of hours.

"Hello, darling Sofia. How are you feeling now?" Mrs. Clarke asked as she sat by her bed.

"Hey Sofia, You scared us, girl. It was quite a fright. Don't pull this stunt on us again. And you know how heavy you are for me to carry you?" Mark said as he joked with her. Sofia gave him a pained smile.

Sofia reached for Mrs. Clarke's hand and held it.

"Thank you both of you for taking care of me and saving me when nobody else wanted to be with me." She said looking at both of them with glossy eyes.

"Enough of this emotional drama! I need a treat from you when you get well and out of this smelly place. God, this place stinks!" Mark said trying to cheer Sofia up.

"No, No, No! Nobody's eating out! If you want a treat, tell me, I'll cook. But I won't let you eat out." Mrs. Clarke said with a straight face.

"Oh no! I'm better off without a treat then," Mark said and Mrs. Clarke gave him a cold stare.

After a few hours, Sofia was allowed to go home. When Sofia reached home, Sam instantly rushed to help her up the stairs.

"Thank you for your help today, Mark." Mrs. Clarke said with a smile.

"My pleasure, Mrs. Clarke. Feel free to ask me at any time." He said and Mrs. Clarke gave him a pat on his arm and left to check on Jeremy. When she stepped into the library, the air smelled heavily of alcohol. Jeremy lay on the sofa with his eyes closed and with his shoes on. One of his arms was hanging from the sofa. The glass lay on the rug with some of the alcohol staining it.

"Something needs to be done but what?" Mrs. Clarke said to herself as she left the library sighing at the mess.