His Proposal

His Proposal - 17

At 8 a.m., Doctor Cruz wakes me up as he enters the room to check on Aleysa. "How are you feeling?"

She smiles. "Good. Can I go outside today?" She gives him the puppy-eye look, and he laughs.

Doctor Cruz looks between Aleysa and me. "Sure, but you can't stay out there too long. I'll have a nurse take you out shortly."

Aleysa looks at me. "I want Chloe to take me."

Kissing her cheek. "I'll take you out when I get back from breakfast."

She smiles. "Thank you."

Walking out the door, I make my way to the cafeteria and order a bacon and egg roll and a coffee. When my order is finished, I sit and walk over to a vacant table.

A guy enters the cafeteria, and I notice it's Ethan, the security guard from Lusive. He walks over and pulls the vacant chair out. "I thought that was you, Chloe. What are you doing here?"

Looking down at the food, I avoid eye contact with him. "I'm visiting someone. Can you please not tell anyone you saw me here?"

Ethan touches my hand. "Are you talking about the Boss?" I nod. "Why?"

Slowly lifting my head, I look at him. "I don't want people to feel sorry for me. Things have been bad this year, and the best thing to come out of it is getting a job at Lusive."

He looks away for a moment. "I won't tell him. But you should know that Jai will figure it out sooner or later and confront you when he does. Jai isn't the type of person to stay out of something, especially when it's with someone he cares about. He doesn't trust many people, but he took a chance on you when you showed up at the club." His eyes hold onto mine as he continues. "He's not a nice guy to be around. Most of the guys and I steer clear of him when necessary. For some reason, he wants you close to him. You are the first woman I've seen go up to his office. He usually does business in the office behind the bar; for some reason, he used his private one for you."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"You seem like a good woman, and that's the type of girl our boss deserves."

My face starts to heat up from his compliment.

I pick up my breakfast and start to eat. Then I changed the topic to, "I must return to the room in a minute."

"Are you going to tell me who's in the hospital? Whoever it is, I can tell you care deeply for them."

Pushing the chair back, I rise. "I don't want to talk about it, Ethan. I'll see you tonight." I leave the cafeteria and make my way up to the room.

Aleysa's sitting in a wheelchair when I get up to the room. She smiles. "Can we go outside now? I'm sick of this room."

"Sure," I push her out of the room and straight to the lift. The door to the lift opens, and I step inside with my sister.

As soon as we get outside, I walk along the path, pointing at the leaves as they turn orange and dropping off the trees.

Along the way, she tips her head back. "I love being in the sun, Chloe. It's been a while since I've been able to enjoy this."

A smile spreads across my face as I watch her laugh. She tells me to move faster while we're walking. I run with her in the wheelchair, and she starts laughing.

Everything would be perfect if our brother were here to join us.

Stopping the wheelchair next to a bench, I sit.

Aleysa looks at me. "Chloe, you should go home and get some rest."

"I don't want to leave you alone, sis." I lean my hands on the table and put my head on them. I yawn and close my eyes.

I wake up sometime later in bed. Looking around the room, I see Aleysa in hers.

She looks at me. "I called a nurse, and they sent someone to get you and me. I told them you were tired and didn't want them to wake you."

"Thank you."

"What are sisters for?" She looks at the clock. "You're going to be late for work. If you stay here any longer."

I don't care.

Stretching, I slowly stand up. "I brought extra clothes from home. I'll get changed here, then head to work."

Aleysa looks at me. "Go home tonight, Chloe. I'll see you tomorrow. You should get some proper sleep. If something happens, the hospital will call you right away."

"Fine," I rub my eyes and yawn again. "I'll go home but be here first thing in the morning."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Can you tell Nate not to bring his friends here anymore?"

He's supposed to come here alone and keep her company, not use the hospital as a drop-in centre.

Looking at her. "I'll talk to Nate."

She nods. "Chloe, he's been kicked off the football team. Did you forget to call the coach?"

I knew I forgot to do something.

"Is he mad at me?"

"Yes, he threw a few books on the floor yesterday and said you can't be relied on. I spent hours trying to calm him down, but he wouldn't listen. I think you need to spend time with him too. He needs you."

I'll try my best to fit him into my schedule.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I call Nate's coach.

Coach: Hello?

Me: Hey, I'm Chloe Knight. Can I talk to you about Nate?

Coach: It's good to hear from you. I wanted you to know that I had to kick Nate off the team as he's missed practices.

Me: Coach, there's a reason for him missing those practices. He's been at the hospital caring for our little sister while I work.

Coach: Is your sister alright?

Me: Coach, she has leukaemia. Since our parents died, I've been their guardian, and with that comes responsibilities. I needed my brother's help for the last two weeks. I'm sorry I didn't call you earlier. It's just that I have too much on my plate right now, and it slipped my mind.

Coach: Tell him he's back on the team, and I hope he's ready for the game on Friday night.

Me: Thanks, Coach.

Coach: You're welcome. If you need anything, please call me.

Me: I'll keep that in mind. Bye, Coach.

Hanging up the phone and turn towards Aleysa. "Tell Nate he's back on the team and playing on Friday night. Tell him I'm sorry that I forgot to call the coach."

"I will. Now, get ready for work. I want to see what your boss wants you to wear to work."

When did she become bossy?

Entering the bathroom, I change into a short black dress and flat knee-high boots. I put my hair into a ponytail and lightly applied makeup. I exit the room and look at my sister.

She whistles. "Your boss will forget that you're late with this outfit."

I pick up my handbag and exit the room. I walk straight to the car in the parking lot, climb in, pull out, and head to Lusive.

When I pull in front of Lusive, I see Jai waiting at the door. He doesn't look that happy. His eyes are downcast as he says something to Ethan.

Am I going to be fired for being late? I hope not, because I like working here.