It's My Sweetest Addiction. Talk German To Me Baby.

Chapter 2

            Artemia’s POV

He had been looking for a wife? No wonder the girls were so excited for this. It's not surprising why he wanted a wife. He needed an heir to his empire. But what I don't get is why the girls pressured every one of us to apply. Who would want to marry a pretentious d**k like that? The reason was beyond my understanding at this point. All that mattered now was getting to the hospital to see my best friend and my son. 

As I left the company garage, I began noticing a black car following me. I initially brushed it off as a co-worker simply heading in the same direction, but after a series of purposeful wrong turns trying to lose it, it kept following me. Grabbing the 9 mm pistol I had hidden in my glove box, I pulled off at an abandoned hotel across the road from the hospital. As the car parked behind me, I got out holding my gun behind my back. I walked to the drivers’ side and knocked on the black window.  

I put my pistol to the driver’s head as the window rolled down. He didn’t flinch. He only smiled and said “Hello Miss Romano, I’ve been sent by Mr. Reinhardt to ensure your safety.” 

I hadn’t even asked anything yet. I stood, mouth ajar. 

"Yes I'm sure you must be very surprised, but I think he will be even more surprised to find that his investment owns a gun and held it to my head like she was some sort of badass mafia boss."

"Sorry, I'm not used to being followed. I'm also a fair bit paranoid." I said, lowering and decocking my pistol.

"It's alright sweetheart." he said as he turned his head and winked at me. "You have my word this'll be our secret. I will tell him you can take care of yourself, however. I have a feeling he won't give up though. He's very protective of his investments even if they can take care of themselves."

"You keep calling me an 'investment.' Why is that?"

"Oh something about you being the first woman to put him in his place had an 'impact' on him. Think he said something about his wife needing to keep him in check."

"Oh great. The prick is actually considering a non-virgin after throwing a huge fit about it like the child he is." I mumbled.

"Be glad he can't hear this conversation pussycat." he laughed.

Blushing, I quickly changed the topic. "You never did introduce yourself. With whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

"Call me Nicholas, or Nick. Whichever makes you more comfortable."

"Well Nicholas, I have a son and best friend to attend to. If you'll excuse me." I turned to walk back to my car.

As I'm walking away he yelled one last sentence.

"If I may spoil your surprise, I wouldn't be surprised if he picks you honey."

He rolled up the window and drove off. I got back in my car and put the gun back in the glove box and locked it. I drove into the hospital parking lot and parked by the emergency entrance. Once the car was locked I ran up to the emergency room desk. 

"Excuse me, my son and best friend were in a car accident! What rooms are they in?"

The secretary didn't look up once. "Name ma'am?"

"Artemia Romano."

No sooner than I said my name did she look up in shock. She stared at my features then scrounged on the desk for something before stopping at a photo. She studied it and compared one of the people in it to me before opening her eyes in shock. 

"Rooms 211 and 326 Miss Romano. Be careful on the 3rd floor. That's our ICU. The second floor is the maternity and pediatric ward. We didn't really want to put your son in a different room than the woman he came in with, but her condition took a major turn for the worse. We originally thought she was his mother until he woke up. told us to expect you and gave us this picture, so we'd know who you were."

After thanking her, I ran to the ICU. If Caleb was in the pediatric ward then he would probably be fine. Maybe just a few broken bones or some stitches. But right now Cathy was in critical condition which meant I might not have much time with her left. After introducing myself to the ICU secretary she told me that the doctors feared she might not last the night, but that she had been screaming my name, asking where I was, and moaning about needing to beg for forgiveness.

The overwhelming smell of sanitizer and bleach permeated from every surface of the ICU. The bright hallway lights stung to look at, even indirectly.  I passed room after room of patients with wires and tubes in places I didn't think they could come from. Finally, I reached Room 326. I slowly pushed the door open.

"Cathy, are you awake?"

"Artie!!! I'm so sorry!!!" she sobbed, though she sounded like she'd just had a screaming match with 12 newborns.

"It's ok Cathy, it wasn't your fault. That truck came out of nowhere."

"Not about that."

"Then what? You've never done anything to hurt me."

"But I have. I was young and jealous of you. You were successful, beautiful, and every man in the world who crossed your path wanted you." She paused for what felt like hours. What kept me silent was beyond even my wildest imagination. When she finally spoke again, her eyes were glassy and staring somewhere far away. "I wanted to have a taste of what you had and thought the only way to do that was to.... Eliminate the competition." Her eyes shifted to my face. She looked as if she had just been brought back to reality. I'd imagine my face looked the same way as I realized what she was talking about.

"You drugged my drink. You had me bound to that man's bed. It was your fault? You were the reason I was r***d?  Why couldn't you just talk to me? Why bind me? Was it just some random guy at that party? Did you know who you had r**e me? How- ... How could you do that to me?"

"I know I have some explaining to do!!! Let me speak, so I can leave this world in peace!!! Yes, it was my fault. I was insecure and hadn't found my stride just yet. No it wasn't some random guy at the party, but I did not know him. It was some German hot-shot who had a heavy b**m kink for pretty, bound women. Remember how a major transaction was finalized the next day? Well apparently he had been deliberating the whole thing and was planning on not going through with it until that night. I'm not proud of what I did that night but I've done something worse. When you were giving birth in the hospital you gave birth to twins. Your son Caleb but also a little girl. The man you were with that night had gone to the hospital the same night you were giving birth. You had been unconscious during her birthing, and thanks to some bad paperwork during the shift change they never recorded you as her mother. I went and told him that I knew he'd had a one-night stand, and the woman he'd been with had just given birth to his child and fled. He signed the paperwork after a quick DNA test. I gave your baby away before you could meet her. Worst of all I don't even know the name of the man who fathered your children. I just know what he looks like. And even if I could make it out of this hospital bed, I couldn't point him out to you anymore... the crash took my eyesight.!!!" She sobbed and sobbed. She cried for 3 hours. 

My head was pounding. My hearing, nothing but a dull ringing. My body, numb. Eyes unfocused but not from crying myself. When I stood up, the world spun but I wasn't dizzy.

Cathy was still sobbing. She finally choked out a few words I barely managed to hear.

"Please! Forgive me!" 

She was asking for forgiveness? After what she just said? Did she really expect me to forgive her just like that? It wasn't gonna happen. Even if she died, I could never forgive her for that. I'd quit my old job, stepped out of the debutante circle. I'd given up my old life because of what she'd done. I'd even broken off my engagement and ghosted my ex-fiance. And she was asking for forgiveness?  

"I can't. There's too much damage done. And on top of that you didn't even to intend to tell me to begin with. You would've taken this to the grave if you didn't have the accident. I guess I should go thank that truck driver that he hit you. My life will be better without you in it. Caleb's will be as well." 

Her face went back to one of shock. She began gripping her heart. I walked out of the room as she began coding. A nurse stopped me halfway out the door to the ICU.

"What did you do to her?!?"

"Excuse me? What did I do to her? Why aren't you asking what she did to me? She drugged me, got me r***d and pregnant, and when I gave birth gave away one of my children to my r****t who she can't even identify and then had the audacity to ask for forgiveness! All I said was that I couldn't! I've done nothing wrong. Now before you go accusing me keep in mind my son was in the same car accident, and I've yet to see him."

The nurse looked stunned. But I suppose I had just dumped all the chaos that had just been handed to me on him... It's not his fault, but it made me feel better, even if only for a little while. I ran down the stairs and to the pediatric ward. Once I was there, I saw him. Wheelchair being pushed around by a nurse, an IV drip attached to the metal pole sticking out of the chair, a cast around his left foot, his right arm in a sling, stitches all bandaged up on his left forearms, and a special brace around his torso likely supporting broken ribs. All that damage to his body, and he still had the energy to smile at the younger kids. It looked like he was telling them a story.

As I walked over to Caleb, I began admiring many of his features. His golden hair hung in loose curls. With my hair being brown and wavy, he couldn’t have gotten the blonde from me. His jawline was already sharper than that of his peers. Another thing he’d have gotten from his father. His eyes were both ice blue. Part of me was glad he didn’t get the heterochromia. 

All of these thoughts made me consider something I never thought I’d give any thought to. I wanted to know who his father was. Originally I thought that searching for his father would make me relive the trauma all over again in my mind, and as a result I hadn’t cared about finding him. Caleb had never asked me about his father but he was still young. I never told him about what happened because he was still too young. I supposed I’d have to tell him a kid friendly version sooner rather than later. He deserved to know he had a sister out there, and to tell him about her would probably raise the “daddy” questions. Better to tell him part of the story to sate his curiosity.

As I got closer Caleb turned my way and saw me walking towards him. 

“Mamma! Mamma! Did I call them in time?” His face was suddenly filled with concern and fear. 

“Yes. You called the cops and the ambulance in time, but I’m afraid we won’t be seeing Aunty Cathy anymore. I’ll take you to your room and explain why in a bit.” I tried to reassure him, but I might have made him worry more.

“Oh. OK. Hey, Mamma?” His face quickly changed to one of curiosity.

“Yes?”

“What’s a Tooth Fairy?”

Why would he be asking about a Tooth fair- Wait. Did he?

“Did you lose a tooth in the accident?”

“No, it came out when they had me in a- What was it again, miss?” he glanced up at the nurse with an inquisitive look.

“It’s called an Operating Room, dear.” She sounded sincere in her response but she had a face of forced amusement.

“Where is this missing tooth at Caleb?” I asked.

“In a plastic tooth necklace that looks like it was made by a 3 year old… I have it on the table beside my bed.” He seemed to have completely forgotten about his audience, and I would have too if one of them hadn’t spoken up. 

“Ooh I know! Tooth Fairies are the people who take your baby teeth and put a present in its place!” The kid was only a year or two older than Caleb. “My older sister got a small makeup kit and my brother got money that he used to get new wheels for his skateboard.”

“Ah. It's been many years since I’ve heard of the Tooth Fairies, even longer since I've needed a visit from them.” I spoke in a soft tone. “When I was a little girl, the Tooth Fairies used to give me presents. I’ve found that the better you take care of your teeth the better the present you get. Always a good idea to brush them even after they fall out. Tooth Fairies don’t like bloody teeth.”

“So, when do I get to meet a Tooth Fairy?” Caleb’s eyes were filled with wonder and excitement.

“You don’t.” His excitement began to fade. “What you do is you put your tooth under a pillow and while you are sleeping they take the tooth and replace it with a present. They’re very shy creatures and they’re very small. They are deathly afraid that if they are seen, you’ll mistake them for an ordinary bug and crush them in fear. Thus they visit while you sleep.”

Caleb's eyes once again became wide. This time however they were wide with understanding and acceptance. “They’re nocturnal aren’t they? I mean, after many many years of only visiting at night.” he asked.

“Well, I suppose they would be wouldn’t they?” I laughed. It was actually a funny concept I never thought of as a kid, and it would have made sense if they were real. “Alright Caleb, it’s time to head to your room now. Say goodbye to the other kids.”

“Aww, Mamma…” He looked at me, pleading with his eyes and sticking his bottom lip out just a bit.

“Caleb.” I raised my voice with an inflection in my tone as I dragged out his name.

“OK. Bye everybody.” He waved as best as he could before I took hold of the wheelchair and pushed him to his room. The nurse followed behind and when we reached his room she helped me get him into the bed. The effort of getting him into the bed wasn’t that hard, but Caleb was in a lot of pain, even with the morphine in his IV. 

Once he was settled and comfortable, the nurse left. No sooner than she was outside and shut the door she was on her phone, complaining to her girls. As I put her unprofessional behavior out of my mind, I turned to Caleb. I explained that before I got pregnant with him, a very bad lady did a very bad thing, and tricked me into a very bad situation. A very bad man did very bad things to me and as a result I ended up pregnant with him. 

“Why are you telling me this stuff Mamma?”

“Aunty Cathy told me today, that she was the very bad lady that tricked me.”

“Why would Aunty Cathy do that?”

“She said she was jealous. You see, I was a very pretty lady when this happened. My Mamma and Papa loved me very much. They doted on me. More so than they did my older brother. I had everything I wanted. I was rich, desired by many guys my age, and I ran a couple businesses myself when I wasn't studying. She wanted to either get what I had or to make me lose it all so she could at least be considered more desirable. When that bad thing happened, I told my Mamma and Papa. They didn’t believe me. I hadn’t told them about it until I found out I was going to have you. They kicked me out with nothing but my car and my old things. In order to afford my first place I sold most of my old really expensive dresses. To afford furniture for you and me, I sold my best jewelry. To afford food I had to sell my most prized possessions. It took 6 months to find a job that would take me as an employee, considering I was going to need maternity leave soon. Two years after you were born my brother called to tell me that our parents had been killed in a car accident with a semi. They were enjoying their wedding anniversary. They’d left me half of their money and estates. But in order to get it I had to find your father and tell him about you. I’ve been afraid to find him.”

“Why are we talking about this stuff Mamma?”

“Caleb, you have a twin sister and your father has her.”

“Wait, why isn’t she with us?”

“Because Aunty Cathy saw your dad at the hospital and lied to him saying I gave birth to her and left her at the hospital. He doesn’t know about you and neither does she. I wanted to tell you now, so if we find him, you aren't surprised.”

He seemed to be processing this. It wasn't long before he spoke again.

“So I gotta find my baby sister so I can protect her from bad men who would hurt her like daddy hurt you.”

“Yes. You can be her protector. If that makes you happy. Now go to sleep Caleb, you need to regain your energy so you can get better, and so a Tooth Fairy can visit.” I kissed the top of his head and stroked his hair until he fell asleep. Once he had, I took a 20 dollar bill out of my wallet and swapped it out for his tooth. I then moved to the recliner across the room and fell asleep.