Her Billionaire Lover

Chapter 4. Where do I start from?

Some minutes past seven the following morning, Edythe was sitting on a bench by the roadside. She had fallen asleep there after a very long time of searching for Rica all through the night.

The road was gradually becoming busy, when she was woken by her ringing phone.

Opening her eyes, she quickly took out the phone from her pocket.

"Hello ma, I saw your message. I was also wondering about Rica yesterday because she wasn't in school and I couldn't find your number to reach you. So I thought she had stayed at home for some reason." The principal of the school spoke through the phone, it was a female voice.

"What?!" Edythe exclaimed in shock, she could not believe her ears. "Excuse me Mrs Jaxon, are you saying that my daughter, Rica, wasn't seen in the school premises throughout the whole of yesterday? We both left the house together and she was headed to school while I went my way."

"Rica never arrived at school yesterday. But since you've called, we are going to…."

Edythe hangs up the call without hearing what the Principal was saying. From the report of Mrs Jaxon, Edythe knew that something really bad had happened to her daughter and she couldn't not blame herself enough. "Where do I start from?" She was muttering as she stood from the bench looking around.

Then her phone rang again but she ignored the call because it was coming from the principal who she had just finished speaking with.

As she turns to find her way to the station where she would make a report. The phone rang again, this time it was from her present boss, yet she ignored it. She never cared if she lost the job, all she cared about at this moment was to find her daughter.

After she had boarded a cab that would take her to the station, Mrs Jaxon sent a text to her phone and the text says 'turn on the news'

"What could this mean?" she wondered as calls the principal again since she was not in the position of turning on a station.

"What's going on?"

"Your daughter is on the news. She was hit by a car yesterday while coming to school. They're asking after her parents or anyone who knows. She is in the hospital right now."

"Which hospital?"

"Silver birch hospital."

"Thank you very much." Edythe hangs up and to the driver she said. "Silver birch hospital, please."

Within a couple of minutes, the taxi stopped right in front of the hospital and Edythe ran out of the car into the hospital.

"Excuse me madam," a security man tried to get her attention.

But she ignored and bypassed him into the hospital, heading straight to the reception desk.

"How may I help you ma?"

"I'm here to see my daughter… Her name is Rica Reed. She was brought in yesterday…" Edythe said as she pants heavily.

"Madam can you please slow down?"

Then Edythe had to take a deep breath, trying to calm herself down as the nurse had insisted, even though she was losing a grip of herself.

"What's the name of your child again?"

"Rica. Rica Reed. She was brought in…."

"Can you please just calm down, while I check my list." The nurse pleaded as she turned her eyes to the screen in front of her, went through it for a second and returned to Edythe. "I'm sorry ma, but there is no patient here who goes by that name."

"Are you kidding me?!" Edythe raised her voice.

"Madam please, you wouldn't mind bringing your voice down. You're disturbing others."

"Is this not the Silver birch hospital?"

"Yes ma, it is. But I'm afraid none of our patients goes by that name." The nurse answered her after taking a second and longer look at the screen.

Now Edythe was confused and did not know what to do for a moment. After which she brought out her phone again and called Mrs Jaxon. "What hospital did you say Rica was admitted in again?"

"Silver birch hospital."

"The nurses say she's not here."

"Just hold on a little, I'm close to the hospital."

Then the call ended and Edythe was left pacing in the space.

"Madam please, you can take a seat over there." The nurse pointed her to a place to sit. But instead of taking the seat, Edythe went outside to wait for Mrs Jaxon who said she's close to the hospital.

After she left, Hamilton, who had been with the little girl in the room, came out with two reporters who had helped him broadcast the news through the television station.

He had been with the young girl all through the night, while John went home. So since John, who had come with the reporters was now around, he thought it wise to take a break while John stayed with the girl.

Immediately he drove off with the reporters, Mrs Jaxon arrived..as she looked around, she was Edythe and her troubled mood told that she was Rica's mother.

They had never met before in person. Edythe had registered Rica in the school through one of the administratives and that was the Reason why the principal did not have her number until she called by herself.

Edythe had gotten the principal's number through one of the many letters she sent, telling her to come over to the school, which she never honored any of them.

"You must be Rica's mother?"

"Yes."

"What did they say?"

"They say none of their patients goes by my daughter's name."

"Oh yes. They still don't know her name. Come on, let me do the talking?" Mrs Jaxon insisted as she noticed that Edythe was not in the right mind to talk much.

So they both returned to the reception desk and Mrs Jaxon did all the talking. Which took only about two minutes before the nurse directed them to the ward where Rica was receiving treatments.

Getting to the room which they were directed to, they just barged in without knocking.

As Edythe saw her daughter lying unconsciously on the bed with some bandages around her head and all the drips fused to her veins. She rushed her, without taking notice of who was in the room. Of course John was alone with Rica, waiting for her to wake up.

With the manner in which Edythe had rushed the little girl, John knew that she was her mother and did not see it necessary to ask any silly questions. He just stood from the chair and waited for Edythe to finish with his lament, while Mrs Jaxon slowly walked up to the bed.

It took a whole lot of time before Edythe finally raised her face to see the person who was in the room when she arrived.

"Madam, I'm sorry. I'm very, very sorry. I should have been more careful while driving." John pleaded.

Seeing the magnitude of remorse which John had, Edythe quickly knew how deeply he was, so she was quick to forgive him. "It's okay. Thank you very much for bringing her to the hospital and making sure that she's okay. You even aired through the station so as to find her parents. What matters to me now is that she is alive and I've found her. By the way, what did the doctor say about her?"

John was startled due to the speed at which she forgave him. He did not know what to say to her, it was very unusual. Even with the question she had asked, he found it difficult to answer it, so he just mopped at them like a fool with his eyes full and was ready to overflow.

With the way John stood silent, staring at them, they began to think negatively. They have asked him a question and he has yet to give them a response.

"What did the doctor say? Hope she is going to be alright?" Edythe repeated her question out of patients.