Leonardo drove into the hospital parking lot at the same time a black jeep accelerated towards the gate. He stepped out, and hurriedly raced to the hospital's door leaving Andrew behind him.
"And what are you doing here?" a voice laced with defiance asked from behind him.
He turned back, wondering why he sensed anger from her voice. "You are the doctor that was assigned to… my wife," he said, avoiding the questioning look from Andrew.
The doctor scoffed loudly, burying her palms inside her white lab coat. "Yes. I am. You have not yet answered my question."
He studied the woman in front of him, before he said, "I came here to take my wife home. I was told she was awake."
"Oh." she stated. "Well… you are too late."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Andrew questioned.
Visibly getting tired of the conversation, "I'm sure I didn't speak French." Claire said matter-of-factly.
Leonardo took steady breaths, then he raised his head and stared down at her. "She isn't here, right? And you, dear doctor, know where she is."
She held his stare and scowled. "So… you really want to take her home to inflict more wounds on her?" She didn't know her voice had risen an octave. "Indulge me, do you use a belt or a cane?"
"Excuse me?" Andrew said, taking a step closer to her.
"I'm not talking to you." Claire snapped.
Leonardo, clenched his fist to control his anger. Claire noticed this and carefully took a step back which made Andrew smirk. "What are you talking about?" Leonardo asked, his voice hitting a deep octave that could only be explained as menacing.
Already tired of standing before the man that beats his wife, she decided to save herself from this misery. "Your wife isn't here, and don't bother looking for her because you will never find her." she stated, walking towards the door.
Leonardo's eyes grew in shock at her boldness. "What – what do you mean?"
She paused, studying Leonardo's emotions that seemed genuine but her eyes trailed to the tattoo peeking from his neck.
"You have no idea who you are up against, where is my boss' wife?" Andrew asked, his knuckles bristling white from anger he was restraining just as mucjc as Leonardo was keeping his.
"Oh please." she sneered, contempt visible in her eyes. "Your wife managed to run away–"
"Run away?" Leonardo asked. "How? I saw her heels, doctor."
"I'll advise you, Mr whatsoever," Claire said, ignoring the warning eyes of the other man. "Don't go looking for her, or I'll call the police with criminal charges. You won't be able to escape, no matter how rich you are." she passed them without looking back.
"There's obviously something she's not telling us." Andrew finally stated, breaking the silence.
"I'm not dumb, Andrew." He began walking towards the car with Andrew catching up beside him.
"I'm still wondering why you referred to her as your wife."
He shrugged. "The hospital didn't seem like they would treat someone unless they are important to you."
Raising an eyebrow. "Is that really the reason?"
Of course it wasn't, but Andrew was never to know because he would fill his ears with advices Leonardo had grown to detest.
He glanced sideways at Andrew's to see the man's face grow in annoyance, and flexed his shoulder and neck. "I still have a score to settle with that doctor."
Leonardo was speaking before he clicks stop himself. "You will let her be–"
Andrew scoffed. "Like hell, I would."
Leonardo didn't bother fighting it. He knew Andrew won't do anything rash. But he couldn't stop thinking about the woman he carried, how delicate she was, he didn't want to forget about her.
"Leonardo. Are you still thinking about her?" Andrew asked.
He didn't know why, but he couldn't accept that he wasn't going to see her again. Something in her caught his attention. Will he just give up because of a doctor's empty threats? "No."
Andrew raised his brow in confusion. The tone that had accompanied that one word wasn't what he expected. "No, what?" he asked, noticing the funny expression on his face.
Leonardo paused, and locked his eyes with Andrew. "I want to know who that girl is. Find her, don't stop until you see her."
***
She heard slow footsteps scaling the stairs towards her. Her palm instinctively went to the small stick that laid beside her. Sleeping on the foot mat beside the door wasn't in any way comfortable. But as the driver opened the front door, her eyes caught the darkness, the closed windows and black curtains... She immediately decided to wait for Claire in the hallway.
"Sylvia?" Claire called, struggling with the heavy bags weighing on her arms. "Why are you sitting… here?"
"Uhm…" Wiping the dried drool beside her lips. Sylvia smiled awkwardly, finding her feet "I couldn't– I decided to wait for you… here."
"So you slept here waiting for me?" Claire asked, barely able to keep her anger down over how shattered they must have left Sylvia if she was that scared of the house.. "For how long?"
"I'm not sure, I just drifted into sleep…" She flexed her neck again, and Claire didn't say anything about the number of times she's done that since her arrival..
"What about Anthony. He didn't–?"
"Who is Anthony?" she asked, trying to drop the stick without the doctor noticing.
"My driver. Did he leave you out here?" One of the bags shifted in her arms.
Oh, that is his name. She thought, then shook her head. "He left immediately I told him I was going to wait for you outside."
"That jerk–" Claire began but halted her words, as she struggled to balance the bags. "You know you don't need that here. You are safe here."
She blinked. "Need what?
Avoiding the question, Claire tightened her arms around the bags, then said, "Come inside, it's late already. You should have been sleeping inside, not here," she finished, almost glaring at the woman that seemed careless about her health.
Sylvia managed to smile again, not knowing how to respond to that.
"Don't forget to drop that stick before entering."
Of course, she saw it.
Claire dropped the bag on the foot mat and flexed her fingers on a minute keypad of numbers. Her eyes darted to her phone while her fingers worked on the keypad like it had muscle memory. Sylvia assumed it was, since she lived there. Finally, the door clicked open. She grabbed two bags filled with groceries.
"Carry the remaining two bags, they aren't too–"
"I can't enter," Sylvia stated, her tone so close to a scream, at the same times her fingers began shaking vigorously.
Claire noticed her fingers and immediately dropped the bags again. "Why can't you enter?" She began scanning the hallway for any potential threats..
"It's– it's so– dark." She fluttered her eyes, and winced as if the mention of darkness was a physical whip to her body.
"Oh! Let me just–"
Sylvia heard hurried footsteps, then a click. Suddenly, the parlour became illuminated; colours that were not black coming into sight. Yet, she could't move; wincing and muttering words that sounded like "please".
"Shh." A familiar voice whispered beside her ears. "You are safe now" Arms wrapped themselves around her body, releasing the tension from her heart.
Safe. If only that was true. But Sylvia didn't say any of those words out.
"You are safe now, Sylvia".