Saddened by the situation, Natasha could not bear the silence. They had been silent and in the same position for almost an hour. He was still standing, looking at Watson, who was still unconscious, and she was losing her mind thinking about what to do.
"Sir, you have been standing there for a long time now. Please, have a sit." She began softly. "Would you require anything; I get it for you? Should I call the doctor to come check up on him?" She added after getting no reply. He seemed to be well lost within his own mind. She was getting irritated. She never liked hospitals. She stood up and left. Bran was curious. 'What a weird woman.' He thought. He figures she had left him and was feeling an anger rising. His left arm started to shake inside his pocket. He took breathes to control it.
After a few minutes, she came back with Simon.
"Doctor," She began, carefully picking her words, "He has been unconscious for a while now. I don't know about medicine, but I believe he should have been awake by now. How will we know then if he is feeling better, or he is not?" She asked with a hint of impatience in her tone. Bran smiled to himself. They could not see him as they were behind him. Simon went on to check on Watson's temperature and blood pressure. 'She behaves just like her!' He thought to himself. He looked up slyly and looked at Bran, who was busy trying to contain his smile. The woman behind him was pacing around the room waiting for comments.
"Well…?" She asked after noting that Simon was not reading her mind.
"He seems to be improving. His temperature and blood pressure are within range, unlike before, Ms. Claire." Simon answered her and smiled at Bran. It was a silent language and Natasha did not notice it. "Why don't you have a seat Ms. Claire, or you will be next?" He said smiling at her.
"No. I have to go and get my boss something to eat." She said and walked out, leaving the two men astonished.
"Does she…?" Simon began to ask.
"Not a clue." Bran got a hold of what Simon was asking and answered. No, she did not know what he liked to eat. And no, he had not sent her either. Still, his heart felt warm. Something he had shut out for a long time. He felt calm. "Updates?" Bran asked the man smiling next to him.
"Watson is going to be awake soon. Everything is okay. I shall his IV drip shortly. Bran, she behaves just like her." Simon commented, worriedly. He knew the struggle Bran had faced with Julie and he deeply hoped this was a different case. Bran sighed and sat down at the couch. He looked at his doctor and let out a chuckle. Natasha had left the building and headed in to the hospital cafeteria. Then it hit her that she did not know what his fellows at the hospital liked to eat. She felt frustrated, but not as frustrated as before in the room. She sat down on one of the cafeteria seats and tried to think of what to do. 'Maggie!' She exclaimed and took out her phone to call her.
Watson blinked twice with his eyes shut before he finally opened them. He looked around the room trying to find his bearing. He tried to remember his last few steps and figured he was still in the hospital. His stomach was still feeling sour. 'What was in that alcohol? Rat poison?'
"I see you are back." Came a voice from the end of the room. Watson did not have to look around to know who was speaking. He approved the answer with a hum. The man seated took out his phone and dialed a number. Within a minute, Simon had come in with a nurse behind him. He went straight to Watson who was trying to sit up on the hospital bed. After a few check-ups, Simon looked at Brandon, who was looking through his phone, and went over to him at the coach. He whispered some words to the man seated indifferently on the couch and looked at Watson.
"What is it? Simon, come on. My results, which are mine, you cannot share them with the owner, who is me by the way. Just say it, if I am dying!" Watson asked with a hint of anger. Seeing his friends look at him even more sadly, he turned pale, "Am…am I dying?" He asked even more scared of the truth.
"Yes." Brandon answered without any hint of emotion. "You happened to have consumed a very poisonous drink earlier on. And your time is running up. Are all your affairs in order?" Brandon added with his eyes fixed on his phone. He did not notice the flash of pain through his PA's eyes. Watson felt his heart struggling to beat. He felt as though he were having a heart attack and his eyes turned towards Simon for a grasp of hope. Simon looked down and shook his head slowly in affirmation to what had been earlier stated. The nurse standing next to Watson's bed looked at the machine beside his bed and looked at Simon, who had his eyes fixed on the floor.
"Doctor!" She called out to her superior. Simon looked at the nurse, who looked at the machine, which displayed a series of numbers only he and his nurse could understand, then looked at Brandon and cleared his throat, capturing the latter's attention. Brandon looked at Simon, who looked at the display on the machine then back at him. He understood. Watson was caught up in his shock for him to see all the signs being passed around before him. His life was ending so abruptly and he had not even married yet.
"Relax Wats, no one in the after-life wants you, at least not yet." Brandon shouted at Watson, loud enough to bring him back to life. Watson looked at Brandon in utter anguish. 'How dare he?' He shouted in his head loud enough but he could not utter them since it was his boss who had played with him. All of the others in the room burst out laughing. Watson could not believe that his boss had played such a cruel trick on him.
"Don't you have any code of conduct? Or work ethic or whichever code governs you?!" Watson snapped at Simon who was busy trying to hold back half his laughter, unsuccessfully. His question only made the situation even funnier. He looked at Brandon, who was still scrolling through his phone indifferent to the laughter in the room. It was as if he had not been the cause of the joy in the room. The people in the room were too caught up in their emotions to notice the young lady who had joined them, confused at the cause of mixed emotions in the room. Watson was the first to notice her.
"Ms. Claire!" He intentionally called out her name as he watched Brandon's reaction. He watched him throw a quick glance at her then back to his phone, then switch his leg crossing from left over right to right over left. Watson smiled. "How did you know I was here? And what have you brought in your bag?" He asked with a smile.
"Oh, Watson!" She exclaimed happily, "I was here earlier with Mr. Joseph as soon as you were rushed in. And I left here to go and get some food. I am so happy you are feeling okay and better and that you are even laughing. What happened?" She asked, as she went closer to him and sat on the bed, genuinely concerned. Watson looked at Brandon, who was busy with his phone as before, then back at Natasha. He smiled at her. "Here, I brought food for everyone, even you." She said as she looked at the nurse, who smiled back at her warmly. Natasha went on to distribute well packaged food to the people in the room, in well labeled plastic recyclable disposable dishes. Everyone was surprised at the type of food in their dishes. Each member in the room had received their best food. Natasha was proud of herself. 'I shall have to take Maggie out for dinner someday.' Brandon looked at the rice and breast chicken stew in his dish. He was impressed.
"Thank you." Watson mumbled to Natasha as soon as he saw the spaghetti and beef stew in his dish.
"That is what friends are for. Thank you for allowing me to be so." Natasha replied with a big smile. She did not know that her statement was for everyone in the room as everyone in the room felt its truthfulness. "So?" She asked Watson again. Watson was confused by the question, as was evident on his face. "So what happened to you?" Natasha asked Watson again. Everyone else in the room was busy finishing up the foods in their dishes.
"Well, Ms. Claire…" Watson started.
"Natasha…" Natasha corrected him.
"Natasha, I was out for a business meeting and I felt hungry afterwards and so I decided to get in to one of the shops and grab myself a packet of milk. I guess it did not sit well with me." He answered simply. Brandon was always fascinated at how easily Watson lied. He was good. He had a gift. He smiled within himself and picked up a paper towel and wiped his lips and hands.
"Well, take care next time and avoid eating anywhere. Have you no manners?" Natasha said with her voice lowered, making fun of Watson, who was trying to show embarrassment. 'If you knew how my boss had me looking out for you like your guardian angel.' Watson thought to himself and smiled at the lady towards him and his eyes went past her, to the bossy man seated at the couch behind her. He looked unbothered but Watson could tell that his boss was watching them at the bed. "Be careful next time. Now, please eat." She concluded and helped Watson eat since his left hand had a needle inserted into it. Brandon watched Natasha's show of affection and felt an ill feeling creeping within him. He did not know the feeling.