"Walk faster Kera! Team Leader was able to get us a chance to interview one of their top surgeons!" Cyprian yelled, while trying to make her voice heard by Shikera, amidst the cacophony of yells and screams by the other reporters crowded outside Lucian Rays hospital.
Hearing Cyprian's words, Shikera slipped her hands into hers and pulled her forward, leading her to the back entrance of the hospital. As a person with frail health, it was hard to find any top hospital in this country which she had not visited with her father.
As such, she knew the different entrance to the hospitals, Lucian Rays hospital not excluded.
She got to the entrance which was mostly used by ER doctors, if there were too many casualties and the front door was blocked by ambulance vehicles.
"You walk too fast!" A voice sounded behind them making Shikera and her friend turn, thinking another reporter had followed them. They were half relieved when they saw it was Erica and Jaden, both of them short of breath.
"Why are you guys...?" Cyprian started to ask, wanting to know why they were here with them.
"We have joined you guys as the main reporters, remember? And the CEO thought we could get more news if we are more than enough on the scene." Erica answered, a smile on her face. Her jaws ached from keeping up the smile all through the day but what could she do, her job had to be done.
Shikera examined her bright anime-like face, her shoulder length black hair compounding them perfectly. Was it just her or did her beautiful new Teammate blue eyes look too dull for the wide smile on her face?
"That's true," Shikera agreed with her words, before turning to Jaden. "Do you guys live together?" She asked. The guy looked like Erica was not a teammate but a boss to him as he rarely talked whenever she was present. And they got here at the same time which did not look like a coincidence.
"Temporarily, with the others. We are finding it hard to get an apartment so if you could help us..." Erica was the one who answered again, increasing Shikera's suspicions. They seemed to be more that former colleagues who happened to start working in a new place together. It wasn't her business anyway, as long as they brought no harm to her.
"Alright. We should get to work then. Which floor is the surgeon we are interviewing?"
At DeLoach's Corporation.
Raymond and Ruthlyn stared into space as they stood behind their Boss, who had been doing nothing since they got there that morning. He didn't open any file or chart, and even they were not given assignments.
Raymond would appreciate it if his Boss dismissed him as his joints were aching me, a side effect of their midnight spar. To get the anger out of his chest, Ethan DeLoach would punish people who needed punishment before sparring with his assistant and this was something Raymond knew.
But yesterday's fight seemed kind of fiercer as Ethan had not been in his right mind while fighting. Unable to keep to himself again, he voiced out.
"Sir, there's no meeting scheduled for today until 3 in the afternoon. Do you mind if i—"
"I mind, so just stand there, " Ethan replied him, his cold voice killing every of Raymond's hope of sitting down soon.
Meanwhile, Ethan was trying not to think about Shikera and the paper in her room, as the thought brought him anger. His mind went back to his doctor's visit the previous day.
He had mostly been with his doctor during the past one month he had been away, so his doctor's visit was simply a routine check up.
"If you had known, you wouldn't have watched the News Presentation that night." His doctor had remarked on his way out.
Ethan had simply kept quiet, knowing that he decided to watch Shikera on his own volition so he couldn't put the blame on anyone. The real question was, was there a way to make the nightmares go back? Just like four years ago.
He had asked his doctor and the man had adjusted his glasses, his brows furrowed, before asking back,
"Four years ago, how did the nightmares stop? Was it therapy or something else?"
Back in the present, that was what Ethan was thinking. The nightmares had suddenly stopped four years ago, why hadn't he bothered to find out the reason why? He needed to find out, Ethan compelled himself. He needed to find out if he wanted the terrifying nightmares to desert him again. And this time, he wouldn't make the mistake of watching the News, for the sake of his reporter wife who he had thought was different from the other reporters.
The night descended very fast, bringing with it the chilly wind and starry sky. In sharp contrast to the exterior atmosphere, the Villa's interior was warm against Shikera who was snuggled against the couch, looking up at the time while expectantly waiting for Ethan to arrive. She had discovered the Chocolate flavored Ice Cream plate in the fridge when she came back from Lucian Rays some minutes ago and she was waiting for Ethan to confirm if it was hers, before she could take it.
She had called him and messaged him several times but it looked like the man didn't know how to operate a phone, since he had refused to pick her call and had also read her messages without replying.
Hearing a sound from the door, her legs flew straight to the door and her face brightened seeing it was Ethan.
"Welcome Ethan! The Ice Cream in the fridge, is it mine?!" That was her greeting.
Ethan simply stared at her and bypassed her, ignoring her question.
"What's he doing?" Shikera wondered, turning to follow him. Was he now deaf?
"Ethan?"
Ethan stopped to look behind at her, his gaze turning worried when he saw her pale face. He schooled his face into a stoic expression and said,
"Do what you like."
He started walking again but stopped almost immediately; he couldn't ignore the fact that she seemed unhealthy. It was probably because of the late night sleep she had the previous night.
"Try to pay more attention to your health. I won't like to burden myself with taking care of a sick person," he stated snarkily, trying to obscure his worry. Then he walked away.
Shikera stood there, shocked at his words. She understood that he might simply be telling her to watch the Ice Cream intake, but the manner in which he told her was weird. He had also been acting weird since earlier that morning, as if he was barely able to look at her face, like she disgusted him or something.
Also, his words were harsh. It might be normal to him but as someone who had always seen herself as a burden to her father and those around her, his words hit the point. Instead of going to the kitchen for the Ice Cream, she went instead to her room picking up the folder she was working on the previous night, she walked back downstairs and sat down with it.
She reached for the TV remote and put it on, reducing the volume to barest minimum, so Ethan wouldn't be able to hear.
Few minutes later, upstairs, Ethan walked out of the room, with his laptop in hand. Shikera was probably done with her Ice Cream now, so he wanted to work in silence downstairs.
As his footsteps neared the stairs, some words drifted into his ears and he wondered if his ears were beginning to play tricks on him. Why else would he be hearing the same words he heard in his nightmares every night?