Compelled

4: Hospitals are the least of our problems.

The next few days went by in a flash. All of my belongings were once again moved into Mr Pearsons newly attained house. The house that I grew up in. The home my father carelessly bargained with.

Mr Pearson hasn't spoken much to me since our last tense encounter. Unless there was something really urgent, which there rarely was, then only would he speak to me and it was always short and curt. No humor. No jokes. Just the necessary. 

I guess that's the safest way if not the best. He seemed like a mystery that I wanted to solve but he didn't appear to like the idea of having himself being solved. 

As for Ian, I avoided him which made me feel terrible. He was my boyfriend. What was the point in being with someone you avoided? After the move was complete and everything was settled there, I would make it up to Ian. Surprise him or maybe just drop by and spend a little time with him. 

"You're leaving late today. I guess Mary is still ill." Jenna said when she saw me walking towards the med centre exit. She was still in her uniform. A little blood stained it along the side but since the material was so dark it was barely noticeable. 

"Yeah, the cold got her bad. She didn't have much patients today aside from a lady with a broken hand and a handful of people coming in for their flu shots." She nodded then raised an eyebrow at me. 

"Wait till you're fully qualified. You'll miss having to stitch people up and fix broken bones." She let out a huff of exhaustion. "The operating room gets quiet intense and messy at times." She just finished her sentence and the surgeon along with his crew of nurses looked her way while they went towards the corner room where major surgeries were done. 

"A man with serious damage to his internal organs due to a car crash." She explained before waving while she followed the direction of the crew. 

I pulled up into the long driveway. The very same one I drove along the day things turned awry. I was surprised to see how much change was done to it. My parents designed this huge house a good while ago. Back then the designs were not as modern, advanced and chic. The front entrance was barely recognisable. 

The balastrades were replaced. A bed of flowers were in full bloom, adding much needed colour along the entrance. The pink and yellows along with the greens added an earthy atmosphere and overall sophistication. 

"They really are calming to look at, are they not?" I didn't even have to turn to know who it was. That deep husky voice was unmissable. 

"They are. You must have spent quiet a bit just to get them so beautifully done." He let out a humorous breath. Looking at him, his perfect face, his well defined features. It should really be wrong for someone to look like this. Like he just stepped out from the latest issue of the GQ magazine cover page. The type of men they use to lure people in and spike their interests in designer labels.

"My mother would be more than delighted to know someone spoke admirably of her skills." Laced in his words were the deep undertone of pride. He was proud of his mother. That much was clear.

The graceful clink of shoe against floor got both of our attention. The man, who seemed to be in his late forties, emerged from the front door, down onto the steps and halted when he stood in front of us. 

"Good evening, Sir." He formally greeted his employer. He caught sight of me and added a small bid in greeting. Mr Pearson stood tall and proud. His suit jacket was gone, the article of clothing neatly resting across his forearm. How could someone look like this good after a full day of working. 

"Evening to you too. Is everything alright?" He spoke politely to the butler. His stance patient as well as his voice. He wasn't snappy or arrogant with his employee. 

The man shuffled and looked back and forward between me and his boss. "Mr Eden is here and madam is not in the best state." He explained and while I was utterly clueless, Mr Pearson knew exactly what he was talking about. 

He nodded, dismissing him. His face changed from relaxed to that of worry and a tinge of sorrow. I observed the change silently, shutting my inquisitive self up. This was probably a family matter. He turned to look at me and I caught my analyzing gaze. I looked at the floor.

"Is your mother ill? Maybe I could help her." I offered but he shook his head. Mr Eden was probably the best of doctors you get. 

"She isn't ill medically. She's just traumatised. Stuck in a time she cannot come to let go and heal. Mr Eden is a PI." He said briefly, the worry seemed to etch itself more deeply on his features and he let out a sigh. The curiosity in me burned to know why he had hired a private investigator but it seemed to be a family matter and I respected that, not asking any questions.

"We better go inside before he tells her anything she cannot handle." He quickly spoke then locked his car before walking along the flower beds and mounted the stairs. I followed close behind and once we entered the familiar home, I spotted the dark black hair of the man and caught the beige colour of his cardigan jersey. 

I didn't want to be an intruder so I located the butler and asked him to show me to the room allocated for me. I didn't know if I was given a completely different one or my old one therefore I felt it best to ask. He showed me towards the exact same path that led to my room and I was relieved since it would make the space more comfortable and easily adjustable for me to have the room that was once mine be mine again. 

He pushed the door open and aside from a few things, the room remained the same. The bedsheets were the ones that I knew. I guess they were washed since I could sleep their detergent freshness from where I stood. The old, stained tiling was gone and I was ecstatic that it had been replaced with dark wooden panels. A bookshelf and work desk that wasn't there before nestled in the far corner of the room. My med school modules and guides where nearly placed on the bookshelf along with all my other novels. A silver lamp with an adjustable neck sat at the edge of the desk. It was simply all I could ask for. 

The porcelain egg shaped bath had me tempted. In a matter of minutes the empty bowl was now filled with steaming water, the aroma of the salts and soap capturing the space. I got in and as I sank my body deeper into the heated liquid my muscles relaxed, easing all the tension of today's work. 

Dressed in sweats and a white top, I pulled my hair up into a ponytail after running a comb through the unruly curls. It wasn't really the tightest of curls but more of a gentle swirl through them. It was well over an hour later. Mr Eden should be gone by now which made it more comfortable for me to find something light to eat. 

I glanced at my phone, picked it up and saw two missed calls from Ian. Sighing, I tapped across his name and waited for him to pick up but he didn't and before I was asked to leave a message I hung up. A phone call to him is something I really needed to do. I carried my phone with me incase he called back after he checked his phone and noticed the missed call I would answer it and speak to him. 

The house was silent but then again it was so enormous. Even if there was any noise you'd barely hear it. The long hall light was on and the dim light from the sitting room added faintly to the brightness in the passage. 

The doors along the passage were all closed and no noise came from them but when the second last door was passed it wasn't all that silent. It wasn't Mr Pearson's room since his was the master bedroom at the far end. It had to be his mother's. 

It was faint groans, then struggled breaths followed my more raspy groans. Every signal in my brain went off. She wasn't crying I was sure of that much. There weren't any sniffles just deep, stangled breaths. I knocked on the door once then twice and then the third time and when no answer came just a more difficult breath, I pushed the door open and ran cold. 

She had her hand pressed over her heart, the sweat bead made themself visible as I approached her. She was having a heart attack. I dialed the med centre hurriedly instructing them to send an ambulance. 

I dropped to the floor next to her, cradling her head in my lap. Thankfully she was conscious and not really heavy, I got her into a sitting position resting her back against the side of the bed. 

"Are you allergic to asprin, ma'am?" I hoped to get an answer from her but all I got was laboured breathing. The ambulance better get here before she passes out. 

"What happened to her?" Mr Pearson rushed into the room, got down in front of his mother and assessed her before looking at me. 

"Heart attack. The ambulance should be here any moment. Do you know if she's allergic to aspirin?" He should know or at least I hoped he did. 

His brows creased then he shook his head. "No. She isn't." nodding and rushing out of the room to find my bag. I shuffled through, spotting the metal back of the d**g card. When I got back to the room the paremedics had got her onto a gerny in the same sitting position, wheeling her into the elevator. 

Mr Pearson was at her side, clasping her hand, his face was hard and pained and worried. I got into the elevator before it could close. Once in the parking lot, paramedics wasted no time in getting her into the back of the vehicle. The back of it wasn't very spacious and only one person would be allowed to go with her and time was not to be wasted on deciding. 

Mr Pearson saw the debate going on in my head. He was panting, his chest pushed against the black fabric with each deep rise and quick fall. "You go on ahead. I'll be right behind. You're of more help to her than I am." His voice had a slight quiver to it which he tired to mask but failed. He got into his car and started the engine. 

"Dr Miller, we have to go. Now." I hastily got in and the two familiar paramedics shut the doors. They immediately hooked her up to a defibrillator. 

"You're going to be alright. You're in good hands. Just please stay calm." I held her hand, coaxing her gently relived when she nodded. 

"Is she allergic to aspirin?" One of them asked me, holding a card on the verge of popping one out. "No. She isn't." He nodded then got the pill out, sat down on the bench attached to the side of the gurney.

"You have to chew this, ma'am." She broke the pill in half, the placed it into her mouth. The vehicle stopped, doors were thrown open and then she was taken in. I followed them into the centre and spotted Demetri Russo, a cardiologist and top surgeon. 

He saw the gerny, the woman on it, her condition and he followed them into the emergency room. I hesitated to go into the room but when Dr Russo tilted his head before the door could close I got in and just when I turn to push the door, Mr Pearsons' worried gaze caught mine but I nodded comfortingly. A nod that assured she'd be okay even though I wasn't sure. The human body was unpredictable especially in situations like this.

It was an intense hour. When she had passed out, CPR was administered along with the defibrillator hooked up to her again. The closed artery was opened half an hour after that. Her breathing was restored but she was still unconscious. She would be for some time. Dr Russo was positive she was alright but insisted she stay for two days under observation at the centre. She was moved to a room on the second floor. I let out a breath relieved that she was okay.

He scribbled somethings on the paper of her file then handed it to me. "Check on her throughout the night." He said before signing the bottom of the paper. "At least every two to three hours." I wasn't on the night shift team but I guess this was part of the job. 

"Her blood reports says her cholesterol is higher than normal. Do you know if she had any reason to be stressed out?" This happened after Mr Eden left the house. The private investigator might have brought some information that disturbed her but I wasn't sure. 

"Not that I know of." He nodded then pursed his lips before handing me the file. 

"I've written the medication she'd need for the cholesterol and do let me know if you get a hint of her being under kind if stress or strain. Maybe we could get her something to calm her." He removed his jacket and hung it up onto the hook then sauntered towards the door, I followed close behind. 

We exited together, immediately Mr Pearson rushed towards us from the elevator his mother was probably taken through. The nurses definitely wouldn't allow him to see her yet. It was late and the time space for visiting was finished. 

He stopped when he stood in front of us. His eyes are dark and strained, hands hung helplessly beside him, face strained and pained. "How is she? She was still unconscious! Is she Okay?" He got out fast, the inquiries just rolling from his. 

Dr Russo held up a hand. "She'll be alright. Let her rest." He said then moved to leave. "I want to see her now." He insisted and the doctor sighed. 

"The nurses won't let you up at this hour. She's in a public ward. You'd be disturbing others." He explained but Mr Pearson wasn't having any of if. He took a deep breath, narrowing his eyes, squaring his broad shoulders.

"I want her moved to a private room. I don't want to hear anything else." He said with such finality that Dr Russo just nodded towards me to get all of that arranged. He bid us goodnight before he walked away and out the door. 

"Private rooms are really expensive. She'll be here for two days or maybe less." I tried reasoning with him but he was having none of it. However he wasn't harsh or rude when he said, again, his mother is to be moved to a private room. I nodded then went to the front desk and rang the second floor to inform them of the changes. 

He didn't follow me to the desk but instead slumped down along the cold steel bench that was just outside the emergency room. His shoulders were tensed, his head hang low. He looked so helpless and I felt the need to comfort him and reassure him that she would be alright.

Heading towards him, I sat next to him on the bench, he didn't look up but kept his head down. "She's okay, Mr Pearson, I assure you. She just needs to rest. That is all." But he shook his head, not ready to listen to me. His elbows came to rest about his knees, his hands covered his face and he stayed silent for a many seconds. 

"I can't lose her. I can't lose her too." The deep voice that was always so confident and easy going was broken. My chest clenched at his pain. His fragility. He straightened his posture before slumping against the wall again. 

"You're not going to lose her. I promise you." I placed my hand reassuringly on his shoulder feeling his firm muscles under. His face turned to mine and he shook his head again, slowly this time. 

"They all say that but she has to go someday and I'm not ready. I'll never be ready. She's all I have now." The emotion in his eyes were such a kaleidoscopic mixture of pain, worry, fear. "My dad left unexpectedly and I don't know what's worse, having them leave unexpectedly or always having this needling thought at the back of your head that they're going to go." All the while his eyes rested on mine, the emotions changing in his eyes as he spoke. From pain, to fury, to worry and back go pain. When he finished, his forehead dropped to my shoulder, and his words were muffled against the material of my top. "I don't know how to deal with it. With the constant fear that she'll leave just like my dad had. Without me knowing, without me expecting it." The words were more pained than the one before and my hands instinctively rose to wrap around him. He didn't push away from me but instead he relaxed.

"But then we have the memories to keep us going." I stroked his arm gently, rubbing away the tension, and a slight satisfaction ran through me when I felt him ease up. 

"Memories aren't enough. You can't hug a memory, take advice from a memory, talk to a memory, all you can do about it is grieve." I was taken aback at how true that was, how deeply he thought about it and how much emotion this powerful man had all locked up inside of him. 

I sighed knowing there was nothing more I could say. So instead I suggested he take some rest. "You'll be of no help if you're exhausted tomorrow and she's all up and energised. She'll talk your ear off and you'd be too tired to pay attention so you rather head home, get some rest and come back in the morning." He was still locked in my embrace, making no move to leave it "I'll check on her in the next hour and a half." I told him and he moved, shifting out of my hold, his warmth leaving me and the cool air taking its place. 

"You're not coming home? But you never work night shifts." He said, a frown marring his forehead. I shook my head and he gave me a baffled look. 

"Dr Russo said I should stay and check on her through the night." His frown went away but he persisted. "You need to sleep as well. Come with me." He said and the concern that displayed through his words, voice and face had surprised me but also caused a smile to display itself on my lips. 

"I'll be fine here. Besides, it's all part of the training." He shrugged then looked at me, searching my face for something, before he looked away and nodded. 

"Let me know if there's any matter of urgency." He said before getting to his feet and slowly dragging them towards the door. I watched his retreating strong figure with his shoulders slumped and his hair messy from his hands during his peaked worry. The urge to hug him and comfort him was still there. He seemed to broken. So lost. 

I was still seated on the bench when a petite nurse walked passed, then stopped to do a double take before speaking. "You don't usually do night shifts. What happened?" She asked, confused at my presence. I explained to her the situation and then she threw me a light pointed look.

"I'm also on duty at the second floor tonight. I'll keep a check on the Mrs Pearson. You go home, get some rest." She smiled and as much as I didn't mind staying, I was hungry and could use some sleep. I gave her my number, told her to call me if anything happened and ran out the automated doors towards the parking lot. The tall familiar figure was just about to get into the drivers seat. 

"Mr Pearson, wait up." I called out and he paused for a second then turned to see me. When he spotted me, he eyed me questioningly. "A nurse on night shift said she got this. I told her to call me up if anything happens." I explained as I jogged forward to the car, he smiled then nodded and told me to get in. 

The ride was silent and it wasn't too long before the house came into view. The silence still continued until my stomach decided to ruin it by growling. He looked at me pointedly, then laughed. "You didn't have dinner." I shrugged impishly at the statement as he parked the car, flashing me a disapproving look when we got out. 

We got onto the steps that led to the grand front door entrance, lights were on along the outside and a slight drizzle was starting to fall. Mr Pearson was walking in front of me when I went through my phone for any miscalls from Ian and a few steps later my head hit a rather firm surface. 

I looked up, identified the firmness being his back since he stopped walking and then he was rushing towards the closed door. I frowned at his retreating back in confusion then followed his path and all I saw was a pair of muddy feet that were bare below shredded scraps of black material. 

Mr Pearson got closer to the slumped  person on the floor leaving my trail of sight clear to fully take in the state of this person. The black dress was torn and slashed at multiple places, the bare arms had swollen scratch marks and bumps that were turning pink while others turned blue. I got in further, instantly remembering that black dress this petite figure had on and the deep brown pin-straight hair. 

I knelt instantly to the ground beside her. Her face was hidden between the door hinge and her curtain of ruffled hair. 

Mr Pearson stood there and I was aware of his assessing yet careful gaze that followed me all this while. I hesitantly brought my fingers to reveal the face by pushing her hair back behind her ears. 

"Liana. Oh dear god." I gasped when I saw the same bruises a d scratches on her face. Her cheeks was swelling, her lip had blood oozing out. She turned to me, her frightened eyes assessing me as if to see it really was me before she threw her hands around my torso, her shivering body trembled against mine, and she let out multiple sobs. 

She was never one to be reckless or careless. She didn't search for unnecessary trouble and it rarely found her and even when it did, never was it so serious. Someone had beat her up but for what possible reason. Liana had no family staying close to her here and even if that was the opposite I doubt anyone from her family would do such a thing.

Her sobbs still went on, her face hiding further in me, my enclosed arms went up and down her back, trying to calm her down. When Mr Pearson crouched down next to me she saw him and cowered further away, sobbing more intensely. 

"He won't hurt you, Liana." He nodded assuring her and she eased up a bit. He looked at me, his jaw was tightly clenched, his eyes were angry but a little concerned also. 

"We need to get her inside. The rain is going to get heavier." I agreed but Liana just wouldn't move. When I looked at him again he got closer to her and she didn't flinch so he lifted her up of the floor and into the house and straight to the sitting room. He placed Liana gently down onto the couch then handed her a fee tissues. 

After ten minutes of soothing and reassurance, she had calmed down. The deep sobbs were now just quivers, the shudders that wrenched through her calmed to more of a shiver before she said something in a raspy, painful voice. 

"Ian. H-He ra-r***d m-me, Scarlet." Her voice shook and so did I.