Chapter 28

Half-truths.
CHRISTOPHER'S POV
I entered my car and drove off. I wanted to tell the gateman not to let any one of them out of the house again if they eventually came back but it slipped my mind. I only remembered when I had already taken the turn from the street.
While driving, I started smelling a fragrance that I was not familiar with. I looked around the car and I could not get a clue of what it was or where it was coming from.
I had to pull over in front of a grocery shop I saw on the road and did a thorough search. The fragrance was not offensive in any way. It was just strange and I was not comfortable with it.
My whole car smelled of strawberry and no matter what, I will never get an air freshener with such fragrance. I looked at the air freshener in my car and it was still the same one I had, so I started searching.
After turning and looking for this perfume everywhere without success, I had to forget about it and move on with my journey to the hospital. The drive was long since I didn't speed. Apart from my leg that hurts, I decided to spend some alone time in the car.
I was just busy thinking of what to do about the whole situation I had at hand. I have never been this bothered all my life. However, I was very much optimistic that I will get through it.
As I pulled over to the hospital, I saw Michael's car driving out of the hospital. I was certain he was in there with Emily, Louise and her friend. I wanted to go after them but then, I needed to see the doctor and check on Mr. James so I decided otherwise and drove into the hospital. Besides, we all need a break.
As I entered the hospital, I parked as directed by the security and limped out of the car to the reception.
"Hi, please I need to see a doctor." I told the nurse I met there and she took me in. The doctor attended to me shortly after waiting for him in his office.
I demanded I needed to see Mr. James and I was led to the room he was kept. He was still lying unconscious although I could hear him breathe.
I stood by his bed side for a while watching him take every breath slowly. His eyes were shut and he looked stone dead. I tried to touch his hand but as I looked at him again, I couldn't get myself to touch him. He looked pale and I wondered if he still had some blood in his body.
I prayed silently for his recovery and I hoped that he would never push me this far again. I really didn't need his help and for anything, there was nothing I was fighting for save my position as alpha and no one outside my pack could contend with me.
"I am ready to face anyone and anything." I said in a whisper as I walked towards the door. I need to go back home so I can start sorting the issues I have.
"This is also an issue." My wolf said and I smiled.
"The very least of them." I responded and I walked to the door.
"I suppose you have not come to suck the little life you left in me." Mr. James' voice came to me and I was shocked, although I felt glad that he was awake.
"You are awake?" I asked Mr. James as I turned to look at him.
"I have been awake." He responded and I was surprised.
"What do you mean by you have been awake? I have literally watched you lie cold for days and you say you have been awake?" I asked him and he started laughing.
"What's funny? Why are you laughing now?" I asked as I was already fuming with anger.
"That is a weakness, you know and you have no time to deal with it." He stated as he sat up on his bed.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I roared as I walked closer to him but I did my best not to get too close as it might end up worse than the other day.
"What I am saying is that you need to control your anger. It has a greater part of you and that is not the best. Your brother was."
"Don't you dare talk about my brother." I interrupted him as I even moved closer. He then dragged his legs closer to himself and moved close to the wall.
"Your eyes are red." He said in almost a whisper and I used my hand to cover my face as I turned in the opposite direction just so I could avoid eye contact with him.
"Like I was saying, I have been awake. I just faked everything and I was glad I got what I wanted." He stated and began to laugh again. I just stood there wondering what exactly was amazing about this man.
I took quite a while to process what he just said and it was then that I realized he said he had been faking everything.
"Wait a minute, you have been faking what? Gosh, you weren't hurt yet you have been pretending that you were unconscious?" I turned around and asked him but he said nothing. He just kept his hand under his chin and was chewing something.
I didn't see him put anything in his mouth so I was surprised that he was chewing, anyway, that is none of my business.
"How could you be so mean? To think I have been working myself up because I felt I put you in that pathetic condition is something I don't want to think about right now." I said to him as I moved to the wall on the other side and hit the wall with my fist.
"You could pull down that wall if you continue with what you are doing." He said and I was just mad at him although I tried not to raise my voice beyond a certain level.
"You are in no position to tell me what to do and what not to do." I retorted and he smiled.
"Please pass me that glass." He said pointing at the glass on the water dispenser that sat at a corner in the room.
"Should I get you water too?" I asked him, not because I care, I just wanted to calm myself down.
"No, I have some water here." He said and I grabbed the cup and took it to him.
"Thank you." He said as he took the cup and emptied the bottle of water he had in his hand.
"One thing about you is that you never listen. You should be more than this if you ever get to listen and take instructions as well as corrections." He said and took the cup to his mouth and finished its content.
"Before you start telling me what to do, kindly tell me how you did this." I said as I sat on the stool in the room.
"I can see you are ready to learn." He said and I could see the pride in his voice and expression. He should be grateful I have decided to be at my best right now, else he would have seen the beast in me.
"Where would you want us to start from?" He asked as he winked at me giving me a friendly gaze and the truth is that I was not in any way interested in whatever was doing.
I am sitting here listening to him because I felt I needed some information from him and this was the best time to get it.
"Tell me how you pretended to be unconscious." I told him as I folded my arms just so that my claws which were already out at the moment could go back in.
Yes, I am high tempered and I was already angry that he was beating around the bush instead of hitting the nail.
"You know, when I was much younger, my parents used to,"
"Please Mr. James, I am not seated here because I want you to bore me with stories of your life. You can keep those details for people that care to hear them. As for me, I will never give a fuck about them." I said standing on my feet and looking him straight in the eyes.
My whole body was hot already and even the air conditioning in the room could do any good. The balls of sweat that rolled down my face was something I have not experienced in a while.
This only happens when I am scared and I wasn't at the moment.
"Alright if you say so." He responded to me and I just started pacing around the room.
"I don't know what to tell you Chris. It's obvious you don't want to work with me against your enemies." He said and he got off the bed and moved towards the convenience.
"I have no damn enemies." I screamed and he turned back and gave me a look that suggests I didn't know what was going on and to be honest, I was oblivious of the truth.
He went in and closed the door behind him after that look. Then I heard a knock on the door. It was the doctor so I let him in.
"Is everything okay with you both?" He asked as he walked into the room and started scanning the whole place with his eyes.
"Yes, we are fine." I stated and he asked if, I was sure.
"I just told you we are fine. What else do you need to hear?" I asked him with a rude tune and he gave me a smirk.
"I'm sorry I sounded rude, what I am saying is that we are doing good." I said again as his eyes never left my face.
"Where is my patient?" He asked, pointing to the empty bed Mr. James just walked out of.
"In the convenience" I responded immediately pointing at the door Mr. James walked into.
Instead of leaving, this doctor said he was going to stay back until Mr. James came out of the bathroom. He stood at the door while I went back to the stool I was sitting on. As he stood there, he kept giving me a strange look at intervals.
I ignored him as I tried to recall all the questions I had prepared to ask Mr. James when he returned.
Mr. James took a long time in the convenience. When he finally got out, I felt like giving him a punch for keeping me waiting.
"How are you doing?" The doctor asked Mr. James as he got out of the convenience.
"Pretty good." Mr. James replied and I just sat there watching the both of them talk and laugh.
"You thought you harmed me, right?" He asked me but I ignored the question because I felt he already had an answer to the question.
"Well, I wasn't. I just did that so I don't get to harm you because if you haven't let go of me, the narrative will be different today." He continued and I just kept imagining how possible what he was saying could be. I obviously had the advantage and here he is saying he did that to save me.
"I was able to discern what kind of person you were and I am fully convinced that I can work with you." He said and took his seat.
"What do you even mean? I have told you before now that I don't want any business with you yet you keep pushing me. " I responded and he folded his arms and stared at me for a few seconds.
"Tell me Chris, what do you want?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" I asked him because I clearly did not understand what he was saying.
"It seems you want to walk the path of your brother." He stated as he laid down on the bed.
"Don't you dare threaten me." I told him as I pointed a finger at him.
"Don't come running to me when the plot is full blown because it might be too late. " He added and I walked out of the room.
As I walked through the hallway to the reception, I just kept thinking about what he had just told me although I could not totally understand him.
I was in a cloud of confusion and it was so thick that I could not see where I was going. I went right instead of left and so I missed my way. Instead of going out of the hospital, I was moving from one room to another.
Everyone that passed by started looking at me in an awkward manner. I guess they think I am insane or I have some mental defects and they were absolutely correct. There was something really wrong with me and it was something I could not share with anyone else.
"Excuse me, Christopher." I heard a feminine voice call my name just when I was about to find my way out of here.
I turned back and I saw a lady standing at one of the doors. I walked up to her and asked her if she was the one calling me.
"Hi, I am.." she started and before she could continue, I recognized her. It was Louise's friend.
"Yeah, I remember you. So why did you call me?" I stated immediately and I was actually running out of patience.
"I just wanted to say I am sorry about what happened yesterday. It was not intentional." She apologized and I was surprised she did.
"I am sorry too. I allowed my emotions take charge of my actions." I apologized and walked away immediately.
I guessed she still wanted to say something else but I wasn't interested in anything else. I walked out on her and headed straight to my car.
As soon as I opened the door, the annoying strawberry fragrance greeted me and with that anger I reached for the air freshener I had in the car and threw it out of the car before I entered.
There was no trash can around so I threw it on the ground. I entered the car and drove off. Immediately I moved out of the hospital gate, I felt the urge to go back and talk to the lady I just left. So, I parked the car right in front of the gate and jumped off the car.
I knocked on the gate and the gateman opened up. I ran in as soon as he did.
"Please you have to repark sir." He screamed as I ran off pretending not to hear him.