After throwing away all the drugs he found in her room, his phone rang.
"Don?" Andrew's hollow voice called from the speaker.
"Yes, Andrew?" "What's going on? You were supposed to meet me this morning so I could take you to some of the hotels, clubs and companies we bought here. I've been waiting at our agreed address for over 2 hours and you still aren't here"
He rubbed his face in exasperation.
He had completely forgotten about his agreement with Andrew.
He wasn't used to working in LA.
He usually comes to Los Angeles for a break when he is too stressed, not to work and out himself under more stress.
"I'm sorry I didn't show up, something happened to Anaya and..."
He explained how he had to rush her to the hospital when he realised her pulse was slowing down.
He also told him about her addiction to sedative-hypnotic drugs, and that that was the reason she was in the hospital.
"That's some pretty deep shit!" He exclaimed, "Yeah. She was still unconscious when I left so I left her with her friend.
I'll have to go back now to check up on her. Mind if we postpone this 'tour' ?"
"You're the boss! Whenever you're ready, just call and I'll meet you"
"That's great, but we still need to meet today" "Why?"
"It's about Natasha... I'll send you the hospital's address come by later so we can talk"
"Sure. See you then!" He concluded and cut the call.
**********************************
He was directed to the private ward he had told them to place Anaya in.
It was on the eight⁶ floor, and had a window which over looked the busy streets of Downtown area.
When he entered, Anaya was still unconscious. Zara was sitting on the sofa at one end of the ward, and Doctor Ken was examining Anaya.
"She's still unconscious?"
He nodded.
"The blood test came out and confirmed my suspicion"
Great. Tell him something he didn't already know.
"Her condition was induced by a high amount of sedatives which was extremely toxic for her health. Luck seemed to be on your side, because it would have only taken a matter of seconds for the toxins to shut her heart down, cause her lungs to collapse, and cause her other vitals to fail"
She was lying still on the bed with an oxygen mask strapped to her face, a tube fixed to one of her veins, and had a pulse oximeter clipped to the end of her right index finger.
"When will she be wake up?"
"Soon. She should have already regained consciousness by now, but I guess the effect of so much sedatives at once are taking a toll on her boy. Plus, she just regained the normal pulse range back, and is still on oxygen support. She'll wake up soon anyway"
"What about the toxins of the sedative-hypnotics in her blood, isn't there a way to remove them from her bloodstream completely?"
"We're administering drugs that will flush the large amount of benzodiazepines out of her body. It will take a couple of days followed by regular intake of fruits, vegetables, and other healthy food, but after it, she will be strong enough to head back home" he assured and left the room.
He sat on the stool beside her, wrapped her hand with his two bigger ones and pulled them to his mouth to leave a light kiss on her knuckles.
They warmer, he noticed.
"What triggered her to take so much drugs at once?" He wondered.
Zara cleared her throat.
Only then did he remember that she was also in the room.
"You're very talented in staying still and quiet," he remarked with a humourless scoff.
She stood up from the couch and walked towards the bed.
She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a pointed look.
"What? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Naya takes drugs when she is stressed or has too many emotions going through her head" she informed anonymously.
"So now you decide to say something about this" he scoffed with a bored look.
"What did you do?" She asked curtly.
"What did I do? Are you insinuating that I'm the reason Anaya is in this condition?"
"Didn't you hear the doctor? There is too much sedative in her body. That just says that she has been taking these drugs a lot recently. And she wouldn't have resorted to drugs if you didn't hurt or stress her" she accused.
"I'm not a monster, Zara, at least not to Anaya! I care about her very much and I wouldn't intentionally hurt her" he countered in an irritatingly calm manner which annoyed Zara.
She bit her lips and went back to the sofa.
"Does her dad know?"
"He doesn't need to!"
"You didn't think to tell anyone about this? How do you intend to manage something you know nothing of?"
"I didn't think any of you knew and besides, she is my wife. I can take care of her"
"Well clearly you aren't doing that" her voice pitched higher.
"Is lying in a hospital bed, with a partially weak heart and on the support of oxygen your idea of taking care of her?"
He glanced at Anaya and it gave him a deathly blow straight to the heart.
"Even though you're married, you don't know her more than me and her dad. Her addiction, nightmares, and emotions, we are all used to them and have learnt how to handle them.
You'll only make things worse if you think you're going to be able to do this by yourself" she spat harshly.
She was wrong.
He could admit that he didn't know Anaya as Zara or her dad did, but he willing to learn.
And he could take care of Anaya without their help.
His phone buzzed.
He thought it was Andrew, but when he checked, it was a call from an unknown number.
No doubt who this is
He sighed and answered it.
"What do you want?" He demanded coldly.
"Come on, Don. Why are you being so mean? I just called to check up on you" she said innocently.
"Are you surprised that I now know where you live, or because that witch has seduced you and made you to turn your back against me?"
He was about to hang up, but her next words made him stop in his tracks.
"Hang up and your little girlfriend will regret it!" She warned in a deathly voice.
He pulled the phone back to his ear with a now angry look.
"I will ask again. What do you want, Natasha?"
This time Zara turned and faced him with a questioning look.
He ignored her.
" I want to see you" she demanded. "I'm busy!"
"Busy watching over a dead body?" "She is not dead!" "She will be if you don't come and see me right now"
He clenched his jaws.
"You're bluffing" "Am I? Private ward 8E on the eight floor, blue hospital dress, oxygen mask on the face, and pulse oximeter clipped to the finger. You are at the right side of the bed, and another lady wearing a scarf over her head and a long dress is sitting on the brown sofa that is close to the window"
That was eerily accurate.
She was nearby watching them!
He turned around to scan the door and windows but was shocked at what he heard next.
"Don't bother looking, you won't find me. Have you wondered why Anaya is still not awake even though her pulse is back to normal?"