I pace around in my office thinking about what would go through Kyle's mind being in a strange place.
What if they kidnapped him?
Murdered? No, Andrew, think positively.
Maybe he wanted to take a walk? Nah, I don't think so; he had so many injuries that he couldn't have gotten far with no one's help.
Wait! What do I tell his mother when she comes to check up on him? When her child was injured, she looked like she wanted to rip me to pieces when I couldn't answer if her son would be okay.
I can't deal with this alone. Dad just left saying he had to do something.
"I need your help," I tell Nailah the moment she picks up the phone.
"Nice way to start a phone call and um… who is this and how did you get my number."
"Sorry... it's Andrew." I tell her but get no response. "Andrew, the guy you met at the launch. Miranda's friend."
"Yeah, I know who you are. I'm just wondering why you need my help and why you called me, of all people. Don't you have friends?"
"Kyle's missing and I called you because you and I have something to..."
"Wait... Kyle? As in the kid we did surgery on?"
"Yes, I went to check on him and turns out he's missing."
"OK, I'll help you figure this out."
"Don't you have anything to do like a job?"
"Hey, you want my help or not?" She asks me.
"I do."
"Jeez, calm down, I'm not proposing." She tells me and I let out a light laugh. "Look, I don't have a job, so I practically have nothing to do because I am UNEMPLOYED."
"So, do I pick you up or do you come by yourself?"
"I'll come by myself," She tells me. That I'm unemployed doesn't mean that I don't have a car."
"That's not what I meant." I protest.
She hangs up. "See you in twenty minutes"
***
"You are late," I tell Nailah the moment she bursts into the office. "You said you will be here in twenty minutes and it's almost an hour."
"I'm sorry, I got caught up with something."
"Caught up with something? We have a missing child…. I… I mean I have a missing child and I need your help."
"Just chill, I'm here now." She tries to calm me down. "So, you said... um ... Kyle, as in the boy who was involved in the accident-"
"Yes, the boy who had that accident is missing." I interrupt her.
"How did you find out?"
"I wanted to check on him and see how he's doing, and I get there, and they tell me that someone like that was never admitted into the hospital."
"Your hospital is rated five stars, and yet your staff doesn't seem competent. I mean last time; your surgeons weren't on duty and now, there are no records of a patient that was admitted?"
"Yeah, no shit sherlock, you just had to point out how incompetent my hospital is," I roll my eyes.
"What if they got stuff mixed up and he's admitted with another name and he's still in this hospital?"
I exhale through my pursed lips. "Nailah, I checked all the wards, and he's not there. I'm pretty sure he's not in this hospital because I ransacked this place"
She sighs. "What if his mum took him somewhere? Did you call her?"
"I can't risk that, Nailah"
"Why? I mean, it's her child, so she deserves to know. Okay, what if she was the one who took him or maybe she knows someone who might have taken him?"
"What if she doesn't?" I ask her; the inner corners of my eyebrows raised. "Look Nailah, I'm tired of the 'what if's' because, I know that if she finds out, she will rip my head off. I saw it in her eyes. Ima-" I get interrupted by her laugh, but she tries to cover it up with a cough.
"I'm sorry, but are you that afraid of her?"
I slam my fists on the table. "It's not funny." I exhale. "Imagine, how that boy would feel if he was kidnapped, he's just a kid. I'm sorry, but if you can't take this seriously, I suggest you leave"
"I'm sorry, I'll take this more seriously now." She looks at me. "We can check for where he lives or something."
"How?"
"I don't know, but we'll figure it out"
***
After looking for answers to Kyle's disappearance, the only thing Nailah and I could get was nothing.
It was as if his existence was wiped clean of the earth with no trace.
We finally retired at ten pm since it was already getting late and I drop her off at her apartment and go to my house.
"Where have you been?" A voice asks me the moment I walk into the house.
"I didn't realize I had a curfew, and I thought you weren't talking to me"
"Look, I don't care how old you are, but you don't come home late and talk to me like that and not especially in my house"
"Mom, dad's back and this isn't your house, and he's here to stay as long as you don't shoot him this time"
When I say this, she looks really hurt because she widens her eyes at my statement and immediately; she fixes her posture.
"Andrew" She calls for me to look at her, but I do otherwise.
"Andrew" I don't still turn.
She calls again but this time fiercely, and I turn to look at her and she breaks down into tears. "Look, Andrew, I don't know what you heard about me, I don't know, what the full details of what you heard but not all are true. I'm not a cold or stone-hearted person. Stop treating me like I don't have a heart or emotions." She exhales. "Honestly, I miss the way we used to be together. Where is that Andrew that always wanted to be by my side? I miss him a lot. Where is he?"
I give a light smile. "He left the moment he realized his dear old mother fed him lies"
"Fed you lies? Andrew, I'm sorry but you do not understand what is going on."
"Then let me understand what is going on. Tell me what is going on and not just half-truths." I tell her, but she doesn't answer me. "Mom, I'm tired of hearing about what you do from other people. You weren't going to tell me I had a brother, I found out myself. You weren't going to tell me you staged dad's death, right?" I asked, and she shook her head.
"How could I have told you that, he was your hero?"
"How could you have attempted to kill my hero? OH, and that my precious mother who isn't 'cold hearted' or 'stone hearted' owns a cartel and is involved in organ trafficking. When were you going to tell me that to?" She looks surprised. I continue. "Yes, I know. Mum, someone who has a heart wouldn't kidnap a human; to be specific, their own kind and sell their organs without their consent to the black market. If that's what having a heart is about, I'll cut a hole in my chest and pull my heart out and hand it over to you so you can have a pair."
"All I did, I did for survival. Andrew, you are still a child. You know nothing about the outside world, it's cruel and you do whatever you can to survive. How do you think you have this wonderful life you're living?" She says.
"Wonderful life? If this is your definition, then have this life because I don't want it." I continue. "Look mum, I've had a rough day at work. My patient is missing, and I've been looking for him all day. I need to get some sleep."
"Don't worry about the missing patient. I'll get some people to look for him. Good night." She tells me, but I climb the stairs and don't reply.
I go to my room, take off my shirt, and step into the bathroom. I stare at myself through the mirror that's just right above the sink.
'I'm not cold-hearted.' So she thinks that she'll just tell me this and I'll welcome her again despite what she's done?
'Andrew, you are still a child.' Again, someone thinks I'm still a child. She tells me I won't understand and that I'm still a child when I'm twenty-five years old.
A knock on my door interrupts my thoughts. "Who is it?"
"It's me."
"Come in."
"Benjamin wanted me to tell you he left for England today,"
"Oh," I say, surprised. Honestly, I didn't even know he was still around because I was caught up with the recent happenings.
"What's up? You don't look, like yourself,"
"I want to move out." I blurt.
"Huh? What? Why?"
"It just feels right. I'm twenty-five, I can live on my own,"
"No, you can't you don't know what you're getting yourself into,"
"I'm not a child and I'm sick of everyone thinking that I can't handle myself,"
"But you've never done that before,"
"I did when I went to the university,"
"That's different,"
"Adanna, I've never done that before, and I need to do it. I'm moving out"