The interrogation
1047 Words
Luca turned to see his sister waving frantically at him, and he knew she was going to see a patient with the way she was dressed in scrubs.
But the excitement in her eyes tells him she was about to share one of her juicy news, as she calls it.
"Hey sister," he said with affection as she reached him and gave him a sweet smile, and he smiled back in return.
"Lucas, guess what?" She said, her blue eyes glinting with mischievousness, and for some reason, Lucas knew this was related to their brother.
"Damien?" He asked with raised eyebrows, and Dahlia jumped up in delight, like a kid who had just been handed her favorite candy. "You're a genius, Lucas. How did you know?"
"You told me to guess. So, what happened to him?"
"Well...our grumpy older brother went to visit Tess."
"And who is Tess?" Lucas asked, knowing the name sounds familiar but having a hard time remembering who it is.
Dahlia let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head in resignation. You are completely hopeless. Tess is my friend from uni, the matchmaker."
"What? Damien visited her; he wants to employ her?"
"Yes, now you know that I'm always right."
"Of course, you know all. Now, how did you find out?"
"I have my sources, don't worry, son," Dahlia replied, rising on her toes to pat Lucas's head, but her hand barely reached his shoulder.
What are you trying to do? Lucas asked, c*****g his head to one side. "Trying to pat your head, of course."
"You'll have to try harder, and please stay out of Damien's business. Here, pat my head," he said the last part as he bent his head towards her.
Dahlia blinked before a delightful smile lit up her face as she patted her brother's silky black hair.
"Your patients are waiting for you," Lucas said as he patted her head in return, then turned on his heel and continued on his way.
Dahlia stared after him till her pager beeped, then she turned and rushed back to her post.
_____
The next day.
Damien entered the hospital and did his usual routine of checking up on his father before making his rounds, but he spent longer than anticipated because he stopped by Jessica's ward.
"Hey doc," Jessica smiled when she saw him.
"Are you feeling better now?" Damien asked, although he already knew the answer to the question.
"Better than the last time you saw me, yes. I'm sorry for burdening you with my family issue."
"It's alright, Jessica; talking to you actually helped me too. What I need you to do now is listen to the nurses' instructions, eat your food, and rest well. In no time, you'll be able to go home," Damien said with a reassuring smile, and Jessica's smile mirrored his own.
"Thank you, doc." She whispered tearfully, and Damien nodded before stepping out of the room.
Damien ended his rounds in time for lunch break, but he was too tired and decided to take a well-deserved break in his office.
He smiled at the nurse in the receptionist area and headed towards his office. Damien could hardly remember the nurses names; he only recognized how good they were when he worked with them.
It doesn't really matter to him, so Damien pushed away the thought as he opened the door to his office and entered, but he stopped short at the sight before him.
Seated in his chair was Dahlia, and Lucas was reclining on his sofa. Damien did not know what to make of the scene before him, so he let out a resigned sigh as he closed the door before him.
He wasn't really surprised, because he was already suspicious when Dahlia had not shown up in front of him all day; that was so unlike his younger sister.
Unless the world was on fire, or the ICU was on fire, the highlight of Dahlia's day was the moment when she had spent poking at Damien; Dahlia had admitted to this with no shame.
"What do you guys want?" He asked, directing the question to no one in particular.
"Dear brother, now that's not a nice way to talk to your sweet sister who you haven't seen all day."
"How funny," Damien said with an insincere smile on his lips. "Now get off my seat, and Lucas, I never expected you to be a party to this."
"What? I just wanted to hang out with my siblings during my lunch break; is that too hard to ask?"
Damien just stared at Lucas in awe; who could believe that his grumpy little brother could be this carefree? And while Damien appreciated the changes that had been taking place with Lucas, he wasn't glad that his mirth was directed at him.
He ignored Lucas and walked over to Dahlia; he did not bother asking her to get up again; he dragged her off the seat and onto the Persian rug.
"I'm a lady, damn you!"
"You should have thought about that before invading my private space. Now, why are you both here?"
"I heard you employed a matchmaker?" Lucas said in a nonchalant voice while straightening his white gown on his thighs.
Damien stopped short at the words, and his gaze zeroed in on Dahlia's face.
"Lucas, we are not supposed to say it like that; we are here to get him to confess to it!" Dahlia yelled, sounding annoyed that Lucas spoiled her plan, but Lucas just shrugged in reply.
"How did you find out, Dahlia?"
"I...I...well, Tess..." Dahlia stammered, but she was saved by the sound of Damien's phone ringing.
"Speak of the devil," Damien muttered to himself, trying to decide whether to take the call or not.
"That is Tess, right?" Dahlia asked, and Lucas sat up, looking interested.
But Damien ignored both of them and ended the call, but it rang again. With an annoyed sigh, Damien picked up the call and put the phone to his ear.
"What do you want?" Damien asked; he asked with veiled annoyance.
"Damien, I'm so sorry about last time. Can we schedule a meeting to discuss how we can work together?" The voice on the other side of the phone whispered.
- Writer
