Chapter 1 Chapter 1: Trying her best

Veronica- “You know, you don’t have to come here every day, Vicki. I know you are busy.” My brother Andrew said when I tucked him back into bed. We just returned to his hospital room, after undergoing another round of chemotherapy. He was only ten years old and had benign brain stem glioma. He had his last scan a couple of weeks ago, which showed that his tumor wasn’t spreading. Still, he had to stay in the hospital to keep getting treatments. He hasn’t been able to get around as well as he used to, and the hospital knew of my situation. I worked four jobs to pay for his treatments and his stay in the hospital. One of my jobs was as a certified nurse assistant here, so it made it easier to stay nearby. I also worked as a bartender down the road from the hospital. My waitress job was a little further away. Then there was the fact I was an Uber driver in my spare time. Since I didn’t own a vehicle, my boss at the bar allowed me to use his. I was barely twenty-three years old and taking care of my extremely sick brother. I have a good support system, so it helps a lot. “Are you kidding me? I am never too busy for you.” I smiled at my brother, gently rubbing my hand over his smooth bald head. He used to have great looking hair. It had been a deep brown that had made me wish at times that I didn’t have blonde hair. He also had the biggest and brightest brown eyes I have ever seen. “You work four jobs, Vicki. When you aren’t at work you are here. You need to get some sleep.” Andrew complained, giving me the cutest frown, he could muster. My name was Veronica Reed, but Andrew had started calling me Vicki when our parents abandoned us about five years ago, on my eighteenth birthday. Shortly after we found out Andrew was sick, they left him in my care. We haven’t heard a word from them in the five years since they left, which was fine with me. We were better off without them. I could tell it bothered Andrew still, but I made sure to reassure him that I would never leave him. Three years ago, I adopted him as my legal son. Because there was no way I would allow our parents to come back and try to take him away. They would have to pry him out of my cold dead fingers. “I get plenty of rest. How about you stop worrying about me and prepare yourself for what is about to come? It is my job to worry about you.” I gave him another smile, but my heart broke at his worry over me. “I hate that part.” He mumbled under his breath. “I do too, Bug, but I will be here with you until Lily gets here.” I assured him, sitting on the bed next to him. Once the chemo hit him, it was a matter of time before he was going to start getting sick. Every time he went through this, a piece of my heart broke a little more. Thankfully, my best friend was his nurse. During treatment, I made sure my schedule was clear so I could be here for him. There were times I couldn’t, but Lily was the lead nurse during the day shift. She worked her schedule out so she could come in if I couldn’t be here. Like tonight, I was working at the bar, so she was coming in early to sit with Andrew. I hated that I had to work so much because I would much rather be here with him. If I were going to have any chance of paying for his medical bills and trying to find him a cure, I would need to work as much as I could. “Do you think I will get better?” He asked, gazing up at me with his big brown eyes. “I hope so sweetie.” I placed my hand on his, giving him a comforting squeeze. Right on schedule, Andrew lunged forward and grabbed the vomit bucket I placed on his lap, when I tucked him back into bed. As he held the bucket under his chin and threw up, I got off the bed so I could rub his back. Holding back my tears, I took a few deep breaths to keep myself from crying. When we first started these treatments, I bawled like a baby. If it hadn’t been for Lily telling me that I wasn’t making him feel better by crying, I would still be doing it. She taught me a few breathing exercises that would help calm me down. It didn’t always work, but at least I was trying. While Andrew was throwing up, I reached for the call light to page someone to come in and bring a new hospital gown in. Normally he was particularly good at not throwing up on himself, but this time he hadn’t been so lucky. The nurses knew us well enough that I didn’t have to tell them what I needed, one of the on-duty nurses brought in a new gown and laid it at the foot of the bed. She left shortly after, leaving me to deal with my brother on my own. Not that I minded, I preferred taking care of him when I was here. When he finished throwing up, I set the bucket aside. Helping him out of his gown, I placed it in a trash bag so I could drop it off at the laundry, on my way out. Just as I put the new gown on, Lily came in. “Oh, bummer. How are you feeling today friend?” Lily asked when she moved to the other side of the bed. “Like a million bucks.” Andrew smiled weakly at Lily. I have known Lily since middle school, so she was like a sister to both Andrew and me. We had plans to go to nursing school together, but my responsibility of taking care of Andrew had to come first. I was glad she stuck with it because it made taking care of Andrew a little easier. “Go on and get out of here, we got it from here.” Lily waved me off. “Alright Kiddo, I will see you in the morning.” I leaned over, to place a soft kiss on the top of his head. “Why don’t you get some rest and I come back the day after tomorrow? I will be fine on my own for a day.” Andrew told me, but I shook my head. “Nice try kid.” I backed out of the room, taking the bag that held his dirty gown. “I will see you tomorrow.” When I turned around to leave, the tears I had fought against showed their ugly face. Walking down the hall, I dropped the bag in the laundry bin before stepping on the elevator. Checking my watch, I noticed it was ten minutes until I needed to be at work. “Crap.” I muttered to myself. As soon as the elevator doors opened, I rushed out to head outside. When my feet hit the pavement, I started running down the block toward the bar. I hated being late, even though I knew my boss wasn’t going to care. “You didn’t have to run here.” Rick Jones, my boss, said the moment I entered through the back door of the bar. Rick was a good guy, he was only a few years older than me. He was a very handsome guy and someone I could see myself being with, if it weren’t for the fact, that he was gay. He didn’t act like he was, not that I would have cared either way. He was so nice that he talked with the other staff members about donating a portion of their tips to help me out. I tried to tell them no, but none of them would listen. Since I refused to take it directly, they gave a portion of their tips to Rick and he wrote a check to the hospital, in my name, every week. Not only that, but he allowed me to use his car when I needed it and let me sleep on the couch in the office when I needed it. Most of the money I made was put into taking care of Andrew, so I couldn’t afford a place to stay. I was lucky to have found this job, with great people. “You know I hate being late.” I told him, before entering the bathroom so I could change into my uniform. “It wouldn’t hurt you to just relax a little bit!” He yelled through the closed door before I heard him walk away, laughing. Quickly changing into my black slacks and white button-up shirt, with the bar logo on it, I looked in the mirror. Wiping away my running mascara, I reached into my bag to get my makeup. Touching up my makeup, I took one last look in the mirror before heading out. Tossing my bag on the couch in the office, I hurried out to the bar to start my shift. It was already crowded here, which was normal for a bar that never closed. It was the nearest bar to the hospital, so this place was usually occupied by staff from the hospital. “You good?” Luke, another of the bartenders that worked here, asked. Nodding my head, I turned to face the customers that lined the bar. “What can I get for you?” I asked a younger female. “Vodka Tonic.” She stated, sounding bored and uninterested. After getting her drink, I returned a short time later and handed it to her. She handed me her card and told me to keep her tab open. Just then a very good-looking man walked up to the bar, squeezing in beside her, and her eyes lit up. He didn’t seem to notice her as he leaned on the bar and gave me the most dazzling smile I have ever seen. If I had been an ordinary girl, he would be just my type. Because I have a sick child and four jobs to worry about, I didn’t have time to worry about men, regardless of how mouth-watering handsome they looked. “What can I get for you?” I asked the gentleman, trying to seem uninterested, but charming at the same time. No matter what I was going through, I had to push away my problems so I could be the best bartender I could be. The more a customer liked me, the better my tip was, which I needed. I hated that I flaunted my assets to get customers to like me. It wasn’t like I was talking about my breasts or ass. I was talking about my looks, my smile, and my personality. Even though half of the guys that came into the bar were creepy. “You can start with your name.” The man leaned forward, and I could tell he was interested in me, it was hard to miss. “Veronica.” I smiled politely, giving him my best smile. “That is a beautiful name. My name is Lyrek, it is a pleasure to meet you.” He reached his hand across the counter for me to take. The female next to him rolled her eyes and sauntered away, obviously annoyed that he wasn’t showing interest in her. Reaching out, I shook his hand. He held on to my hand, for a moment too long, but I ignored the nervous feeling I got. When he released my hand, he spoke again. “This is my first time here, so what would you suggest?” Looking over him, I debated on what kind of guy he looked like. I have been working in this bar for two years now, so I felt like I was a fairly good judge of character when it came to knowing what a customer liked. “You look like a Scotch man.” I suggested.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2: The most beautiful bartender

Lyrek- “You’re good.” I chuckled, before sliding onto the bar stool next to me. Before walking into this bar, I had no intention of flirting with a woman, but then I saw her. She had a beautiful smile, her complexion was slightly tanned and reminded me of warm honey. Her messy bun just made her look that much more attractive. As she walked away, I couldn’t help but admire her slender figure with curves in all the right places. After the day I had, the last thing I wanted was to be hitting on a female that I knew wasn’t right for me. Then again, there was nothing wrong with flirting and looking. When she returned to place my drink on the table, I decided to stay where I was at. Even though, originally, I had planned to hide in a back corner to drink away the stress of the day. I just flew in from California and the trip had been long and grueling. First, they misplaced my luggage. Then, my grandfather gave me an ultimatum that I didn’t like. He had the audacity to tell me that if I didn’t get married before he died, I could kiss my inheritance goodbye. It wasn’t that I needed the money, but I had planned to donate it to the hospital that I worked at, back in California. I took pride in my work and wanted to do more to help further researching cures for cancer. The thing was, I didn’t want to get married just yet. Call me a fool or whatever, but I believed that marriage should be about love. My grandfather didn’t agree with me. Maybe it was because he was dying, I don’t know. What I did know was that I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of holding my inheritance over my head and bending to his ways. Don’t get me wrong, I adored my grandfather. He had been the one to raise me after my parents died in a car crash when I was fifteen. Now I am nearly thirty and my grandfather is telling me that he wants to die, knowing I won’t be alone after he is gone. In a way, I knew he was just trying to look out for me. Watching Veronica as she worked, I noticed there was a sadness in her eyes, behind that beautiful smile of hers. I don’t know why, but thinking she was sad about something bothered me a great deal. Finishing my drink, I waved her over for a refill. “Tell me, what is a girl like you, doing in a place like this?” I asked, hoping I could convince her to talk to me a little bit. “Other than working? Waiting for handsome men to flirt with me. It makes my night.” She returned with a flirtatious smile. Once again, I saw the sadness in her eyes, even though she did her best to mask it. I was a little stunned when she flirted right back, without missing a beat. It was difficult to tell if it was real or if she was putting on an act to be polite. “Well then, I don’t know about the handsome part, but I could flirt with you all night if it made your night even a little bit better.” I didn’t know why I felt this need to flirt with her this much, but I must admit, I was enjoying it. “I highly doubt you’re the kind of guy that doesn’t know how good looking he is.” She let out a laugh that made my heart skip a beat. Everything about her was stunning. The most alluring thing about her, aside from her smile, had to be her eyes though. They were light blue but looked slightly grey. No doubt it was from the lighting in the bar. Before I could stop myself, my eyes drifted to her left hand, which was ring free. Not wanting to be caught in the act, I forced my eyes back to her face. She didn’t seem to notice I had checked to see if she was married. “I beg to differ. I am okay looking, not good.” Bringing my glass to my lips, I looked at her over the rim. Her head turned to look at another customer that was calling her name. The silky appearance of her neck looked like it would be good to graze my lips over. I imagined she would also taste incredibly good. She walked away to deal with the other customer, and I decided at that moment that it wasn’t a bad idea to flirt with her. She might not be the kind of girl I should marry, more than likely my grandfather would throw a fit about it. That didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy myself a bit. It wasn’t like I would be in town much longer. Since I had no intention of giving in to my grandfather’s request, I planned to return home soon. Until then, I could find pleasure in the beautiful bartender. I kept watching her as she worked, drawn to the way she interacted with the customers. She knew a lot of them by name and talked to them like they were friends. She would ask about their kids, their dogs, and even their husbands or wives. I have been to many bars, but never have I met a bartender that can remember so many customers. She had a way with people that made it hard not to like her. Her smile was contagious as well. On more than one occasion, I found myself smiling as she smiled at other people. That sadness I noticed never seemed to go away though. It only made me want to get to know her more. “Can I help you with something?” A man moved to stand across from me, his eyes narrowed on me when I redirected my attention to him. “I wouldn’t mind another refill.” I shrugged. I wanted Veronica to return and help me, but she did look busy right now. Besides, I had no problem just watching her from a distance. Pushing my glass to the man, I noticed he wasn’t wearing the same uniform as the other bartenders. Unlike the others, he wore a black button-up shirt, with his long sleeves rolled to his elbows and a dark blue tie around his collar. He didn’t take his eyes off me as he reached behind him and grabbed the bottle of scotch from the top shelf. Maybe he was the owner or a manager, it was hard to tell in places like this. “I think after this, you should leave.” The man said, giving me a glare that said he was serious. Keeping my cool, I looked him over to assess him. If I had to guess, he was maybe a few inches shorter than me and he looked exceptionally clean, femininely clean. I didn’t care what kind of sex others were attracted to, but I was getting the impression he wasn’t a straight shooter. I don’t know what I did to piss him off, but he didn’t appear to be too fond of me. The glare he gave me was more than enough to clarify. It was also the way he stood defensively, like he was ready to move quickly if he had to. “Mind if I ask what the issue is?” I kept my calm, waiting until he finished pouring my drink before sliding it back to me. “You aren’t a familiar face, and I don’t like the way you are looking at one of my staff.” He admitted. Turning my head, my eyes fell on Veronica for a moment. “I am not a creep if that is what you are hinting at. I just find that she has a beautiful smile. Is it wrong for me to look and find comfort in getting to know her?” He narrowed his gaze on me once more, his arms crossing over his chest. “She has a lot going on right now and doesn’t need some guy coming in to break her heart. I think it is best for everyone that you just walk away.”“Sorry man, I can’t do that.” I looked him dead in the eye and refused to budge an inch. “I have every intention of getting to know her. She intrigues me. You can throw me out, but I will make sure that I can come back. If I must, I will buy this bar, and then you won't be able to do a thing about it.” I have never been one to throw my money around, but at the same time, I couldn’t let him challenge me the way he was. I didn’t plan to hurt her, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy her company while I was in town. She didn’t seem the type to let a guy get away with hurting her anyway. I must have gotten to him with my statement because his eyes adverted to Veronica, and I could see the way his jaw clenched. If I had to take a guess, he was the bar owner, which meant he had something to lose if he stood in my way. Feeling bad about threatening him, I took a sip of my drink before speaking again. “Look, I don’t believe in hurting women, nor do I have any intentions of doing so. I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but I want to get to know Veronica. I want to find the reason behind the sadness in her eyes and witness her smile which is very pure and rare. You can stand in my way all you want, but I am not one to back down from a challenge.” His expression changed while I spoke, now looking at me as if he were considering me. The way he scrutinized me didn’t sit well with me, but I respected that he was just trying to look after her. Which only made me that much more interested in her. “If you so much as hurt her, there isn’t enough money in the world that will protect you from me.” He finally said after a while, before walking away. Chugging down the rest of my scotch, I looked over at the beautiful bartender again. Her eyes met mine and she moved toward my end of the bar. That smile of hers was plastered on her face and it was like every time I saw her, she grew more stunning. “Would you like another?” She asked when she reached me. “As much as I enjoy sitting here and getting a chance to monopolize your time, I think I should head out. I look forward to seeing you again.” I gave her a smile as I stood up and dug into my pocket for my wallet. Pulling out a hundred-dollar bill, I slid it across the table. She grabbed the money and went to the register before returning with her hand out. I looked from her to her hand and shook my head. “You keep it.” I told her. “This is too much. I can’t accept this.” Her humbleness was a breath of fresh air, but I refused to take the money. “You have more than earned it. You can return the favor and buy me a drink sometime.” I offered. Her smile grew as she pulled her hand back and stuffed the money into her pocket. “I will do that. Please be safe on your way home tonight.” Needing to force myself to turn around, I gave her another smile before pulling myself away. She intrigued me far more than I anticipated. The effort that it took to walk away from her without turning around was difficult. Once I left the bar, I took a deep breath, taking in the fresh air, and started down the sidewalk. I couldn’t stop my eyes from traveling to the window just in hopes of catching another view of her. I saw her standing behind the bar, smiling at another customer. Oh yeah, I was smitten for sure. Sighing, I continued down the sidewalk and walked the short distance to the penthouse I was living in. I was quite sure that no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn’t be able to get her out of my thoughts until the next time I saw her.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Code Blue

Veronica- After finishing my shift at the bar, I went to the hospital to check on Andrew. He had been fast asleep, so I didn’t bother him. Giving him a kiss goodnight, I snuck out to take a quick shower in the locker room that was for staff. I had a shift at the hospital in a few hours, so I wanted to grab my scrubs and get cleaned up. A customer had spilled some alcohol on me, so I stunk like a distillery. After showering, I dropped my bar uniform off with housekeeping. They offered to help me with my laundry, so I didn’t have to spend money on a laundry mat. I was extremely grateful for everything the hospital staff and the bar did for me. It took away some of the stress I had to deal with. They said they would take it up to Andrew’s room after it was cleaned, since I was going to be working. Having a few hours until the start of my shift, I decided to sleep in the chair that was in Andrew’s room. They had offered me a bed a few times, but I had declined it because there were other patients here that might need it or their families. Getting in a few hours of sleep, I woke up to Lily gently shaking me. “It’s time to get up.” She whispered. Groaning, I stretched my limbs out as I looked over at a still sleeping Andrew. Not wanting to wake him, I tossed the blanket I had used, on the back of the chair. Slipping outside with Lily, I gently closed the door. “How was he?” I asked, still feeling exhausted. “He did better last night. Only threw up one more time. He managed to keep some Jell-O down and a small glass of orange juice. You know he is worried about you, as am I. I wish I could help you more with things.” Lily placed her hand on my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “You help plenty. I wouldn’t know what I would do without you.” I fought back the tears that surfaced. “Let’s go get you some coffee before your shift starts.” She offered, taking my hand in hers and leading me down the hall. “How long is your shift?” I asked when we were inside the elevator. “I get off at noon.” She answered. Most of the nurses worked long hours, especially with being short-staffed. If I didn’t need flexible hours, I wouldn’t mind working the long hours. It would help a lot more with paying for things. We went down to the coffee cart that was out front of the hospital. Keeping to small talk as she told me about how Andrew beat her in a game of cards last night. I enjoyed the conversations we had, even though at times it was a constant reminder that Andrew was sick. The older lady at the coffee cart refused to take the money I offered, when she handed me my coffee. She has been doing it for months, but each time I keep trying to pay. I hated feeling like a charity case all the time. “I know what you are thinking, so stop.” Lily chastised me. “No one helps you because they think you are charity. They help because they care. Let them care. You do so much and barely take care of yourself. It is okay to accept help.” Sighing, I knew she was right. Well, not exactly, but she gave me the same speech on a regular basis. Heading back inside, I was surprised when I saw Lyrek getting onto the elevator. He didn’t see me, which was a good thing. The last thing I wanted to do was find out that I had a stalker. Knowing I was probably paranoid, I went to walk up the stairs with Lily. This was our routine when we had shifts together in the morning. It was a chance for us to spend a little time together, drink our coffee, and for us to get our adrenaline pumping, to wake up. Sometimes if I was here with Andrew and she was working, or the other way around, we would still do it together. We talked a little bit about her boyfriend, that she was thinking of breaking up with. There was nothing new there, considering she had been saying she would dump him for months. It wasn’t that she didn’t love him, she just didn’t think he would ever commit. He was loyal, but they had been dating for years but he hadn’t asked her to even move in with him. We were about to open the door to the pediatric floor when her pager went off. She looked down at it and I knew from the look on her face that it was Andrew. Dropping my coffee cup, I jerked the door open and ran to Andrew’s room. “Code blue!” One of the nurses yelled. I was about to enter the room, but I was pulled back by Lily. “You know you can’t go in there!” She yelled over the chaos. Panic gripped my heart, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. As much as I wanted to fight against Lily, I knew she was right. Dr. Davis, Andrew’s doctor, rushed past us and relieved the nurse from doing chest compressions. “Lily, get in here!” Dr. Davis yelled. Pushing her to go, I promised her I would stay out of the room. She rushed in to take over compressions as a crash cart was pushed in by another nurse. Watching in horror, I silently prayed for Andrew not to die. “Charge to two hundred! Clear!” Dr. Davis hollered just before he touched a pair of paddles to Andrew’s chest. The room stilled as everyone, including me, watched the monitor for a sign that it worked. Dr. Davis shook his head before yelling again. “Again! Clear!” He yelled and shocked Andrew again. Unable to hold back my tears, I squeezed my hand to my chest. “Please, please, please, don’t die.” The monitor started beeping normally and Andrew gasped for breath. I realized that I had been holding my breath and exhaling at the same moment. Dropping to my knees, I burst into tears. “Let’s run some tests on him.” I heard Dr. Davis say, but I couldn’t stop crying. A few moments later, Lily returned to my side and helped me to my feet. “Come on. He is fine, they took him down to run every possible test on him to find out what happened.” Going into Andrew’s room, I still couldn’t stop crying. Lily sat me down on the chair in the room, then sat next to me on the arm. She rubbed my back as I cried, doing her best to comfort me. I didn’t know how long we were in there, but sometime later, Andrew was wheeled back into the room. Jumping from the bed, I flung myself on him, careful not to hurt him. He squeezed his small arms around me as he joined me in crying. “Veronica?” Dr. Davis’s voice filled the room a bit later. Standing up, I saw a grave look on his face and knew that what he was about to tell me was bad. Placing a kiss on Andrew’s forehead, I follow Dr. Davis out into the hall. He seemed uncomfortable, so I knew it was going to be a lot worse than I thought. “Just tell me.” I demanded, swiping at the tears still rolling down my face. “His tumor is now malignant. Up until now, we have been lucky with it not spreading. In the past three weeks, since the last scan, it has become more aggressive. At this point, chemo and radiation are no longer effective. The best it is doing is slowing down the progression.” He explained. I felt numb all over, but I couldn’t break down right now. My eyes traveled to look through the viewing window, of Andrew’s room. “What are our options?”“Where it is located, you already knew it was inoperable. Now with how quickly it has spread, I am afraid that treatment options are not going to do much. If he is lucky, he might make it another six months. We can make him comfortable, or we can try the clinical trial.” My head snapped at him. “I will not put him through the clinical trial. Every patient that has entered it, has died after the first treatment.”“Then the best option we have is to make him comfortable. I am sorry I couldn’t give you better news.” He sounded sincere, but right now I felt pissed. Unable to respond, I let him walk away as I stood there watching Andrew through the window. Lily looked up and saw me, so she slipped out into the hall with me. Telling her what the doctor told me, I kept my attention on my brother as I watched him breathe. “There has to be another way.” She said, sounding just as panicked as I felt. “I am not going to rest until I find it.” I told her, before going into the room, to spend time with Andrew. Knowing I just missed my shift, when Lily returned later in the evening, I didn’t care at the moment. I needed the money, now more than ever, but I couldn’t deal with other patients right now. It was almost time for my shift at the bar, but I was afraid to leave Andrew. “I promise I won’t leave his side. I talked to HR, and they said not to worry about your shifts here. They will pay you still since you still have sick days and vacation days to use up. Even if you don’t go to the bar, at least go for a walk or something. It isn’t good for you to be stressing this much.” Lily tried to reason with me. Knowing she was right, I looked over at the laundry bag with my work clothes in it. Placing my hand against Andrew’s face, I just looked at how peaceful he looked asleep. He didn’t look like he was in pain or anything. “I will try to work at the bar. I will be back in the morning, but if something goes wrong, let me know immediately.” I said to Lily as I grabbed my uniform and headed out of the room. “I promise. I will stay with him all night.” She assured me once more before I left. When I arrived at the bar, everyone noticed I wasn’t in a good mood. Rick didn’t tell me to take the night off, because he knew that working outside of the hospital helped ease my mind. At least at the bar, I wasn’t surrounded by the smell of the hospital. After changing, I was making my way to the bar, attempting to smile, but it was futile. For the next hour, I managed to work on autopilot. Lyrek came into the bar and sat down in the place he had sat last night. When I was making my way over to him, I overheard a female voice that stopped me in my tracks. “It is so sad that there is nothing they can do for him. He is so young. To have a brain tumor and a death sentence is dreadful. I feel wretched for Andrew and what he is going through.” Looking over I saw one of the nurses that works on the pediatric floor. Frozen in place, I was sure all the blood drained from my face. She was talking to a group of people that I knew worked on another floor. “Veronica? Are you okay?” I barely registered Lyrek talking to me. Feeling angered, I slammed the dirty glass, I was holding, down on the counter. Stomping around the bar, I approached the table. It was like I was someone else entirely, I barely recognized myself as I smashed my hand on the table and got right in the nurse’s face. “You have no right to be talking about a patient outside of the hospital, especially my brother!” I screamed, making a scene in the bar. “I am so sorry Vicki!” The nurse tried to apologize but I was beyond pissed. “You don’t get to call me Vicki! Only my brother has that right! Now, get out!” I yelled. Not waiting for her to respond, I ran toward the back of the bar, in tears. I heard Lyrek’s voice call after me, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Needing to get out, I shoved my way through the back door and crumbled on the pavement outside.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4: A marriage of convenience

Lyrek- I didn’t have the faintest clue what was going on, other than Veronica was in distress and I had an overwhelming urge to be there for her. When I rushed after her, I didn’t even think about what I was doing or about to do. When I saw her fall to the ground outside, I felt a tight pain in my chest. “Hey, what is wrong?” I asked gently, lowering myself to the ground to sit next to her. “He is dying and there is nothing I can do about it.” She sobbed as she leaned toward me. Turning my upper body, I adjusted my body so I could wrap my arms around her. She cried into my chest, my shirt fisted into one of her hands. Not entirely sure what she was talking about, I just held her while she cried. The guy that told me to leave last night, came outside but paused when he saw us on the ground. It looked as if he was unsure of what to do. I mouthed the words, I got this, to him. He looked unsure at first, before nodding his head and heading back inside. With my arms wrapped around her shoulders, I just held her for a while. She was affecting me in ways I didn’t understand, but there was no way I could walk away now. Somehow, she managed to find her way under my skin. “Tell me what is going on, maybe I can find a way to help you.” I placed the side of my face against the top of her head and whispered. “No one can help me with this!” Her sobs became louder, and she seemed to be struggling to breathe. “Let me try.” I persisted. “Unless you know of a way to get a brain tumor out of my brother’s head, there is nothing you can do.” The pain in her voice was almost too much to bear. Her words, on the other hand, were ironic as hell. I just met this woman, and I was perhaps the exact person she needed. Gently, I moved my hands to her shoulders and pushed her away but kept my hold on her. “I am a neurosurgeon.” I spoke carefully when her red and swollen eyes looked up at me. Her cries immediately halted as she looked at me incredulously. “You what?” She asked in shock. “I am a neurosurgeon.” I repeated, then added, “Not to sound like I am arrogant or anything, but I am one of the best surgeons in the world. I came here from California because my grandfather is dying. So, I might be able to help you if you want.” Veronica sniffled as she raised a palm to her eyes to wipe away her tears. I never was one to believe in fate, but at this point in time, I am wondering if it had been fate that brought me here. This beautiful woman was in pain, and I might have the power to rid her of her tears. I had to at least try, even if it was a long shot. I have removed many complicated tumors before. I didn’t think I was a surgical god, but others have said that about me. For a moment I thought I saw a little hope in her eyes, then it disappeared as she looked down at the ground. “I can barely afford his treatments. I doubt I can afford the surgery.”“What kind of tumor is it?” I asked while I tucked a strand of hair, which fell loose from her messy bun, behind her ear. “He has brain stem glioma. It was benign, but I was just told today that it is much worse. Now it is killing h-him.” She choked on her last word, but she kept herself from crying. I took a moment to think about the situation. It wasn’t that I didn’t think I could do it. I have dealt with that kind of tumor many times. Before I could process everything, my mouth decided at that moment to blurt something out. “Marry me.” The look on her face was priceless, her jaw became slack as her eyes widened at me. For the life of me, I don’t know why I said that. Yet now it was out and oddly enough, I didn’t hate the idea. “You have got to be kidding.” She managed to say through the shock on her face. “Here me out. I can help your brother with the surgery, and I have more money than I know what to do with half the time. My grandfather is dying and told me I need to get married before he dies. Obviously, you need help and I need a wife. I know it sounds crazy, but I will provide anything and everything you and your brother need.” I explained. “Why do you have to get married for your grandfather's sake?” She asked, her brows pulled together in confusion. Damn, she was absolutely beautiful. Even with puffy eyes and snot running down her nose. In all my thirty years, I couldn't think of a single woman I have met that was this stunning to me. “He is telling me that if I don’t marry, he will take away my inheritance. It isn’t that I need the money, but that kind of money would be able to help a lot of sick people. I had planned to donate the money to a cancer research center.”“There is no way I can convince him that I have known you for a long time and that we are in love.” She sniffled once more. “You don’t have to. He won’t care that I just met you, nor how we met. He only wants me to get married.” I don’t know why I felt so desperate for her to say yes. Yet, I didn’t care if I had to sit outside all night to convince her to marry me. I had to be the biggest fool in the world for giving into my grandfather’s wishes and marrying someone I barely knew. “So, if I marry you, you will help my brother survive?” She asked, her eyes darting between mine as she studied me. “I will do absolutely everything I can.” I promised her. I thought she would need more time to process this, but then she answered without hesitation. “Okay. I will marry you.” The sense of relief inside me was more than I expected. Yes, she was beautiful, and I enjoyed her company, but what in the hell made me ask her to marry her? More than that, why in the hell was I happy about it? “Come on, let me take you to your new home and we will go to the courthouse first thing in the morning. Afterward, we will visit my grandfather and your brother. I will look over his case to see what I can do.” Pushing myself off the ground, I held out my hand to help her off the ground. Placing her small hand in mine, I pulled her up gently. Her attention moved to the bar, and she looked as if she was about to back out of our deal. If the courthouse were opened right now, I would take her there. The last thing I wanted was for her to change her mind. Not sure what to say, I bit my tongue as I waited for her to say something. “I need to return to work.” She finally said. “You are in no condition to work right now. I am sure your boss will understand.” I said, my hand still holding hers. “Okay. I just need to go in to grab my stuff.” My hand felt like it was missing something important when she pulled hers from mine and started toward the door. Following her in, I waited outside the door to the room she entered. Leaning against the wall, I noticed the man from earlier approaching me. “Is she okay?” He asked, his gaze falling to the door she had gone through. “No. She will be though. I am taking her back to my place to get some sleep.”“The hell you will. I will not allow you to take advantage of her like that.” He turned to me, his fist clenched at his side. Rolling my eyes at him, I tried to keep calm as I took a deep breath. “I am not taking advantage of her like that. She has agreed to marry me, and I am going to help her save her brother.”“You are taking advantage of her. You are holding her brother over her head so she will marry you.” The man glared at me. He wasn’t entirely wrong I realized. Yet, I wasn’t turning back now. Sighing, my eyes returned to the door that hid my future wife. “I need a wife and I am a neurosurgeon that can help her. Plus, I have more money than I know what to do with. I don’t really see it as me taking advantage of her. It is more that I have the means to help her, and I need a wife. She needs me more than I need her. Trust me, I am not going to do anything she doesn’t want to do.” The man stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the door. “I meant it when I said that if you hurt her, there isn’t enough money in the world that can protect you.” Feeling slightly annoyed, I looked into his eyes and saw that he was just being a concerned friend. If I were going to marry Veronica, I doubt she would like me to mess with him. Cooling my temper, I shoved my hands in my pocket. “I have no intention of hurting her. I only want to help her. Now, we can learn to get along or not, either way, I am going to marry her. My name is Lyrek, by the way.” I saw his jaw clench before he responded. “You’re an ass is what you are.”“Typically, when someone gives you their name, it is only polite for you to return the favor.”“Rick.” He said through clenched teeth. “Nice to meet you, Rick. Now if you don’t mind, I am going to take my bride home.” I said the moment the door opened. Rick turned around just as Veronica stepped out. “Are you seriously going to marry this guy?”“If it helps Andrew, then yes. Please understand and don’t make this more difficult than it already is. I promise I will be okay.” She responded, placing her hand on his shoulder. I could see that she cared for him, so I couldn’t fault the guy for looking out for her. If I were in his shoes, I would do the exact same thing. This wasn’t a normal situation by any means. “If you get into any trouble, just call me.” Rick told her, pulling her in for a hug. Jealousy seared through my blood at them hugging. It didn’t bother me, but after holding her in my arms, I hated the idea of another man holding her. When she stepped back, she slung a large bag over her shoulder. Taking her hand in mine once more, I lead her out the back of the bar. She waved back at Rick as we left him standing in the hall. She gave me a small smile when we were outside, and I saw the sadness in her eyes. This time, I knew why she looked so sad.