Arriving at the hospital around 9 pm, he was lost in thought and completely oblivious to his surroundings. Overwhelmed with anxiety upon arrival, he failed to notice that Andy's father had been seated just outside the garage entrance. His thoughts were preoccupied with taking responsibility for their unborn child when suddenly without warning or realization, a physical tap on his back brought him out of deep reflection which startled him tremendously.
"Sir, are you aware that your parking is not satisfactory? Would you like to incur a fine?" inquired Andy's father.
"Sorry, I didn't realize. I will park properly now. Thank you," he said, stuttering.
"Seems like I've seen you before, young man," he said with a perplexed expression.
"Are you Andy's father?" Drake inquired.
"I suppose you are Andy's boss," he stated.
He swiftly contributed, "Yeah, yeah."
"Are you okay?" he asked, trying to discern the issue as it appeared that things weren't fine.
He faked a smile and said, "Yes, I came to check up on her."
"Wow, I didn't expect a bar owner to be this kind," he said pleasantly.
"Bar what?" he asked in shock.
Reluctantly, he muttered, "Yeah, yeah."
He suddenly recalled he met her working at a bar.
"It's amazing how dedicated and committed she has been to you, yet her salary remains stagnant while you monitor her every move." Andy's father added.
Accused of something he knew nothing about, he stood there speechless.
"She's getting a promotion soon sir," he fibbed. "Do you happen to know why she hasn't regained consciousness yet?" he inquired, attempting to shift the focus of their discussion.
"I almost forgot to mention that she's improving now. Although her speech is still limited, the doctors are conducting various tests to identify the root cause of her condition. I'm optimistic that they'll have positive updates for us by tomorrow," he said with joy in his voice.
Drake inquired, "May I visit her?"
Andy's father expressed his desire to accompany him by saying, "Allow me to join you."
Upon arriving at the room, they discovered her seated with a drip attached to her hand and shamefully bowed head. She was so lost in thought that she failed to notice Drake's presence.
Andy's father asked, "How are you feeling, my queen?"
"I'm fine, Daddy," she murmured as she lowered her head. With her gaze fixed firmly on the ground, she added: "You didn't have to come all the way just because I fainted."
Drake attempted to catch her focus as he expressed, "I don't believe it's truly important. She'll be alright."
She lifted her head in surprise and struggled to conceal her astonishment upon witnessing Drake conversing with her father as if they had met before.
"Andy, your boss has been kind. He's checked up on you twice and even promised you a promotion! That's quite fortunate for you," said Andy's father with a wide smile.
"Who?" she asked, feeling both bewildered and amazed.
He stylishly winked at her to convey not to speak further.
Drake falsely claimed that she performs exceptionally well at work and should receive greater recognition.
She asked her dad, "Can I speak with my BOSS alone?" and rudely swirled her eyes towards him.
"My queen, I'll do anything for you," said Andy's father as he gave her a small kiss on the cheek before leaving.
Her question was laced with anger as she asked, "What reason did you have for lying to my dad?"
"That question is not the matter at hand, we need to figure out how to handle this pregnancy," he stated dismissing her inquiry.
"This pregnancy is not a problem because this child is here to stay. Tomorrow, when the pregnancy test results are revealed and my dad finds out that my boyfriend isn't around, I'll have to figure out what to say. He's going to be disappointed," she stated calmly despite Drake's visible reaction.
"Why do you not wish to end the pregnancy?" he genuinely inquired.
"If I remove the baby, you will die," she said.
She carried on saying, "My generation is under a curse."
Startled, he asked, "What do you mean?"
"I was nearly aborted by my mother too. She was only 17 when she gave birth to me, with someone who is not biologically related to me as the father. My mom passed away from breast cancer two years ago," she said while fighting back tears.
With immense emotion, she instructed me to never attempt to terminate any pregnancy because her grandmother had attempted the same with devastating consequences - resulting in the unfortunate passing of her grandfather.
"He asked, infuriated if you think that you can fabricate a lie for me and expect me to believe it."
"I am telling the truth. If I attempt to terminate this pregnancy, either my death or the father's is almost certain that the child will still survive. Regrettably, my mother also attempted to abort me despite being advised not to do so due to her inability as a single parent since my father absconded upon discovering she was pregnant with me. She tried but it didn't work out; unfortunately, however, instead of dying as intended by her actions then in desperation five years ago when faced with similar circumstances now I find myself repeating that same mistake made before: if I try again and have an abortion for any reason at all within these conditions prevailing around us currently - there may well be disastrous consequences."
Pausing briefly to catch her breath, she finally found contentment after three years of searching when she met my stepfather. His inability to engage in sexual intercourse meant that he loved me as if I were his offspring.
"I don't want this child either. I have a fiancé and I'm unsure of what to do next. What is your plan?" she asked with anticipation.
He was struck dumb by the thought. "Why must you enter my life when I have a wedding just half a year away?" he queried rhetorically.
"Do you deny being the person who approached me at my workplace bar? Were you inebriated when offering me a thousand dollars for an evening?" She uttered furiously.
"Did I give you money?" he asked, astonished.
"I admit it, I was greedy. Earning only five hundred dollars a month made your offer quite tempting, so I foolishly accepted it. Now, all I can do is cry and feel regretful," she expressed with sadness.
He stepped outside, overwhelmed with sorrow and disappointment. He couldn't ignore the pang of remorse that came from realizing how vastly different his expectations were from reality. His mind raced with thoughts as he concluded bitterly to himself, "I picked the wrong girl." Fueled by impulse and uncertainty, he grabbed his phone and dialled an ambiguous caller ID number.
"Hey, what's up?" an unknown voice on the phone greeted me.
He whispered, "I have a job for you."
He spoke with a sharp tone, "A girl intends to create trouble for me. Before she contemplates wrecking my marriage ceremony, I implore you to bring her down."
From the phone came an unfamiliar voice saying, "It's not a major concern. Why don't we meet at our regular spot tomorrow at 5 pm and discuss it further?"
"Sure, 5 pm," he replied before hanging up.
Drake rose at sunset, having hardly slept through the night. He paced and brainstormed strategies to address his ground-level issue with such a single-minded focus that he was oblivious to his surroundings. When 6 o'clock arrived, he roused himself from thought and headed for a shower before departing for work.
At precisely 7:30 a.m., he departed for work in his pristine Mercedes Benz vehicle. He arrived at his workplace within fifteen minutes and was unexpectedly visited by his best friend Frank when he entered the office.
Drake fumed with anger and demanded, "What do you want? You know full well that barging into my office is not your right."
"Relax, bro. Where were you yesterday?" Frank asked with surprise.
"When did you become the boss who feels obligated to monitor me like a five-year-old?" Drake demanded, slamming his fist onto the table.
"Is someone bothering you? Regardless of who it may be, don't take out your anger on others. Plus, it's too early in the morning to be hostile and combative. Honestly, Frank, you resemble a famished lion." He said calmly.
Drake hit Frank's chest and exclaimed, "How dare you label me with such a term! How could you?"
Frank inquired calmly, "What seems to be the issue? I am confident that we can resolve it. Is Stephanie involved somehow? If so, what is her involvement?"
Drake, feeling exasperated, declared that the root of all problems was none other than you - and it always has been.
Frank was astonished as he exclaimed, "Stop talking in riddles. Just tell me straight up - what did I do this time?"
Drake expressed his indignation, stating that by taking him to a shoddy bar when he was already exhausted, they ruined his life as he ended up sleeping with someone of lowly status.
Frank attempted to shift the blame by stating, "Don't hold me responsible. You selected her on your own and even offered financial compensation."
"Guy, I was drunk," Drake retorted brusquely.
Frank looked confused and questioned, "How is that a problem now?" as he waited.
"She's foolishly pregnant," he added hastily.
"Did you not use protection? It seems like this situation is a result of your actions. Have you considered abortion as an option? You don't even need to bring it up if that's what you choose - there are ways to terminate the pregnancy yourself. I have experience with using drugs on my previous girlfriend when she wanted to keep the baby - without her knowledge, of course. She never found out and came to me upset about losing the pregnancy which we then moved past by going shopping," Frank said calmly from his seat."
Drake expressed his apprehension, "If she attempts to terminate the pregnancy, I fear for my life. She informed me that this has been happening regularly in their family lineage over the past five years."
"I can hardly fathom that you fell for such balderdash, my friend. It's complete gibberish; curses simply don't exist," he quipped teasingly at Drake.
"I cannot jeopardize my life attempting to confirm whether the curse holds any truth. It is not an option, for I am unable to abandon Stephanie without considering how shattered she would be," Drake uttered with a hint of weepiness in his voice.
"How can I assist you?" Frank offered, curious about what they wanted to do.
"Looking extremely confused," Drake said he didn't know.
Frank confidently expressed his belief that the story was nonsense and suggested drugging her.
"Leave my office immediately!" Drake yelled.
At that moment, Frank decided to leave as he believed it was for the best. He departed from the office at precisely 4:30 pm to rendezvous with an unfamiliar individual. Upon arrival, they encountered a peculiar figure completely concealed behind a mask without any discernible identification features.
The unknown voice spoke, "Hey there my man, you seem troubled."
"I am capable of doing it. All I need from you is to bring down a certain girl who carries no significance and poses no threat, making the task discreet without attracting any attention," he whispered cautiously while scanning his surroundings for eavesdroppers.
The voice of an unknown person inquired, "What's the plan? Do you have any particular preference for how she should meet her demise?" exhibiting curiosity.