Call It Love

Chapter2

Sitting in the doctor’s office and staring at the blank wall, I find myself fidgeting with my fingers. My mind is racing at a million thoughts per second and I am beyond scared. The day couldn’t get any worse.

The sound of the door opening behind me brings me back to reality as I await the doctor’s words.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Miss Flynn” He sighs as he walks towards the chair opposite me.

“What’s going on with my mother?” My voice is barely a whisper.

“Your mother is suffering from an aneurysm. And she needs a surgery as soon as possible. Her aorta seems to have been injured and considering the fact that she was recently involved in an accident, it’s not surprising.” He reveals

I stare at him blankly as I take in the information. Surgery means cost and I really don’t know how the hell I’m going to handle that.

“How much are we talking about?” I sigh

“About $200,000. We run some tests on her but those are being covered by insurance.”

My mouth opens in an attempt to speak but nothing comes out.

“If we get a $100,000 deposit, I can try my best to have the surgery performed as soon as possible and then you can pay the rest later.” He obviously understands my situation. Where am I going to get that amount of money from?

“I… I don’t have that kind of money” I mutter.

“ She can be monitored over a period of time to prevent it from getting larger but the sooner the surgery is carried out, the better”

We both sit in silence as I fumble with my gown. I feel a lump in my throat and a burning sensation on my face. I could cry any second from now if I say a word.

“She is still unconscious but you can see her if you want.” He breaks the silence, looking at me in pity. I have never been pitied, never had to be pitied. I used to be the one to pity people.

I slowly pull myself up as I follow him out of the office. Zoe literally jumps out of her seat as soon as she sees me.

“Hey, she’s going to be fine. I promise” She whispers.

For the first time, I don’t believe her. Everything was supposed to be fine after getting married to Ryder. In fact, nothing was supposed to go wrong. Dad was supposed to be at our wedding. He wasn’t supposed to die in a tragic accident. He wasn’t supposed to be accused of fraud and we definitely weren’t supposed to go broke! Now, the only thing we have access to is our house. The house which doesn’t even feel like home anymore.

My eyes land on my mother lying unconscious on the hospital bed and my heart sinks even further.

“How long is she going to be like this?” I hear Zoe ask the doctor

“We can’t tell. We can only hope she gets better”

My feet carry me closer to the hospital bed as I come to terms with my new reality. My mother, the strong woman that she is, all of a sudden looks so helpless in a hospital bed. My body sinks into the cold chair beside her as I take her numb hand in mine.

“I know everything looks so gloomy now but, we’ll come out on the other side. You’re stronger than you think.” Zoe mutters as she rubs my back.

“The surgery costs $200,000. Zoe, where am I going to get that amount?” I turn to face her as tears begin to run down my cheeks.

“Hey” She squats in front of me, taking my face in her palms. “We’ll find a way, okay? You have me.”

This is my life now. I used to be a billionaire heiress. I had everything I wanted and needed until a few months ago. Now all everyone says is how my dad made his billions from fraud- which makes absolutely no sense! I never thought my life would take such a turn. Now, I’m sitting in a hospital beside my sick mother, on my wedding day, not knowing where to start.

After what seems like hours, Zoe manages to drag me out of the hospital and to her place in an attempt to cheer me up after such a day.

“You must be hungry” She sighs, taking her shoes off.

“Honestly, I have no desire to eat”

“No, I’m not taking that” She shakes her head in disagreement. “I’m not going to sit here and watch you look sad all your f*****g life.”

“So bossy” I manage a small laugh.

“Someone has to be the big sister and you definitely aren’t.” She yells as she heads to the kitchen.

I pull out my phone from my bag. The notification on my screen reads: “Amy Flynn: The bride who couldn’t let go – Wedding chaos unfolds!”

“You aren’t reading what they’re saying online, are you?” Zoe emerges from the kitchen with two plates of pasta. The aroma makes my stomach ramble and I realize how hungry I am.

“It wasn’t intentional” I defend myself and she glares at me before pulling my phone out of my hand.

“Your favorite food from your favorite chef” She smiles and I roll my eyes at her. Zoe is a terrible cook. I’m very sure she ordered this earlier because this tastes so good.

“Let’s hit the club after dinner” She says with her mouth full

“The what?” I almost choke on my food. She must be insane!

“What? A new club opened recently. Let’s shake off the sadness!”

“I have absolutely no urge to go clubbing, Zoe”

“You said a similar thing twenty minutes ago about eating” She gives me that smile that screams ‘You know I’m right!’

“Well, this is different.” I protest, taking the last morsel off my plate.

“When was the last time you had a good drink? Five months ago?” She narrows her eyes in thoughts.

She doesn’t seem to be hearing me.

“Zoe” I shake my head hoping she’ll get the point.

“Amy, I promise you won’t regret. Let’s get you a sexy dress and get out of here”

Zoe gets on her feet and pulls me along with her.

***

The pulsating bass of the club vibrates through my body, drowning my sadness as we step foot into the club. We make our way through the crowd and the colorful lights flash in sync with the rhythm, casting colorful shadows on our faces.

“Are you ready for some fun?” Zoe shouts over the music, her eyes sparkling with mischief. I can’t help but chuckle. I hate her persistence but I have to admit, this is just what I need tonight to shake off the heaviness in my heart.

“Let’s grab some drinks” Zoe shouts as she leads me to the bar.

“Two martinis, please” She says to the bartender who smiles at her. Something tells me this isn’t her first time here.

“Isn’t this great?” Zoe asks, leaning into me

“I guess it wasn’t such a bad idea” I admit.

The drinks arrive and I find myself chugging down the whole glass. The liquid’s warmth spreads, melting the tension in me and calming me down. The sweet, subtle tang of vermouth lingers on my tongue, making me smack my lips gently.

“Damn, girl! Slow down!” Zoe’s eyes widen in shock. “We were supposed to make a toast!”

“Can I have another martini, please” I turn to the bartender who seems to have a very expressive face.

“Zoe Adams!” A blonde wearing red lipstick and a sparkling silver dress appears beside us.

“Hey!” Zoe beams as she pulls her into a hug.

This is how it’s always like when I go out with Zoe. There’s always someone she knows that I don’t.

My drink arrives and I take several sips as Zoe speaks to miss blonde for what seems like hours.

“Sorry, this is Amy, my best friend. Amy, this is Amanda.” Zoe finally turns to me with a smile

“Nice meeting you, Amy” Amanda offers a small smile and I can’t help but sense some sort of judgment in eyes. She probably knows about my tragic life.

“Likewise” I say, forcing a smile in return.

“Amy, I’m just going to go outside for a bit. You’ll be alright, right? Amanda and I have to talk business but I promise, I won’t be long”

“Don’t be long” I warn and Zoe nods in return.

Five glasses later…

I find myself tapping my feet to the rhythm as I take yet another sip from my glass, the sweet tang of the drink only adding to my haze.

“Hey”

I turn to find a tall man sliding into the seat beside me with an easy smile and I groan. The last thing I want is male company.

“I think you’ve had enough of that” he smiles, gently taking the glass from my hand before I can protest.

I blink at him, surprised at his audacity “I’m absolutely fine” My words slur together making me sound less convincing than I expected.

“Sure you are” He chuckles “How about I get you something less potent? You look like you could use a refresh”

I watch as he waves over the bartender in what seems like a bossy way to me.

“We’ll have two mimosas” He orders. I take notice of the subtle dents in his cheeks when he speaks.

“You’re bossy”

“No.” He chuckles “But, I am Tristan” He extends his hand

“Amy”

“Nice to meet you, Amy.” He leans closer. The scent of his cologne is hypnotizing.

Maybe it’s the drink, or maybe the thrill of attention. Either way, his presence is beginning to ignite something within me that I can’t quite describe.