Thalia’s Pov
He gave me a disappointed look, which I did not believe he had ever given me before. My daughter’s life was on the line, and I didn’t have time for a pep talk. Yes, he was walking and it was a wonderful sight to watch, but all I needed was for him to take the urgency of my daughter’s predicament as seriously as I did his.
“Thalia, your impoliteness is getting unbecoming, and all I have left is a shred of thick skin,” he said.
“I’m sorry, but my baby is in a lot of pain and I just want it to stop,” I cried as I wiped away my tears.
“Our baby,” he corrected.
“I’m sorry I know she is, and I apologize for what I said earlier but you are willing to punish our baby for what exactly? when a liver is just a phone call away.” I asked him.
He let out a sigh and climbed into bed. For some reason, I felt compelled to move. Even though he had lost weight, he was towering over my tiny body and we were both in seated positions. I could guess I’d grown accustomed to him being frail and helpless in bed. He gripped my hand tightly and stared me down.
“Yes I didn’t want the whale’s liver in my daughter, but after seeing her, I’m going to get it, but we’ll try to avoid a situation where Josh holds us at knifepoint,” he expressed himself.
“That is why we must speak with him and confess everything we have done to him, as well as ask for forgiveness. We need to make a truce for the sake of our baby,” I tried to explain, but he burst out laughing, much to my displeasure.
“Thalia Josh never wanted a baby with you in the first place, do you know what he will do to you once you confess?”
“I’m willing to take my chances,” I replied.
“Okay first hear my plan, a plan that will not involve him knowing. Please have you thought of what he will ask for in exchange for the liver?”
“That’s where you come in and make sure he does not,” I replied.
“No no Thalia, what if we did what we did to him when we cut off his balls,” he suggested.
I glanced at him, perplexed, not understanding what he was saying. If my memory served me well, we had to stage two accidents and place him on an operating table. We made certain that the procedure we wanted was performed on him.
“While I was walking here, the best plan came to me,” he said while I merely averted my gaze as he continued. I’m not sure why, but I was sick of lying, manipulating, and removing people’s body parts without their consent.
“Thalia, be attentive, the plan is sound, and it can be implemented in a matter of minutes, ” he mentioned. “We’re all familiar with Josh’s drinking habits.” I merely nodded when he asked.
“I can have my men put something in his meals that causes o*gan failure, then we hire surgeons to cut a portion of his liver to see if it’s in good shape, and they’ll inform him it’s damaged, therefore they had no option rather than to cut it because of his previous alcohol abuse,” he explained.
I locked my gaze on him; the man was shrewd, if not malevolent. I’d always worried what type of hell I’d be in if he exchanged rows with Josh, and which river my body would rot in. But, to be honest, all he wanted to do was save our Princess. “Or we could just abduct him and force him to have the surgery. There’s no way that could be linked to us,” he continued.
I cleared my throat; “Or maybe we can just ask him and tell him everything we have done,” I said as I shifted into a sitting position and gazed into his eyes. “Brandon, I’m exhausted, and I believe G*d is punishing our child for the sins we’ve committed.”
He was enraged and asked, “Since when did you believe in G*d?”
”I’ve been lying in this bed for the past few days, pondering my life choices over the past nine months,” I replied.
He scoffed, “So in short, you regret meeting me, can I just remind you that if I was not on that bridge you would be dead!” He yelled at me.
“We would both be dead Brandon and I do not regret meeting you. Josh and his father needed to be taught a life lesson and we did that but I think enough is enough. I do not want to live this life of c*nning and hurting people Brandon. I do not want my daughter to one day find out how her life was based on stealing body parts from her father,” I replied.
I could see the disappointment in his eyes but I was tired, I wanted to bury the hatchet, I wanted a clean slate for the sake of our daughter.
“What if he refuses to donate the river? What next? There is a big chance that he will decide to punish you by denying you the chance to see that baby live,” he replied.
I averted my gaze; I had considered that option, but Josh was putting his life in order based on my evaluation. His main focus was his mother and he was never spotted gambling or f*cking around. There was no way he was going to let the baby die, that was his sperm and chance at fathering a child.
The worst he could do was file a lawsuit and try to take complete custody of my child, but the good news was that I had had the backup to win the case. I tried to explain that to Brandon but he didn’t care; he just wanted his way, which included kidnapping and stealing the liver.
What he didn’t realize was that his scheme would backfire in a variety of ways; we were lucky Josh didn’t die the first time, but what if we weren’t so lucky the second time? It was time to pick up after ourselves and confront the repercussions of our actions. Josh had already paid for his, it was our turn.
He coughed out uncontrollably and tried to stand up but I noticed he was too weak too. He was all sweaty all of a sudden and his hands were shaking. “Brandon, I think it’s time to get strapped in,” I said.
“No, I still have some minutes,” he replied.
“Brandon you do not look good,”
“Do not try to change the subject!” He yelled. “Okay let’s say he agrees and demands to be given visitation rights? Are you two going to turn into best friends for the sake of the child and live happily ever after. Have you thought of that?”
“Yes, I have thought of that possibility and if he has changed, I will grant him a day or two. I do not have to be friends with him” I replied.
“What the f*ck Thalia! Who did you make that f*cking decision with or did you think I was dying so you had to make the decision alone because according to you the child is not mine!”
“Well someone has to be mature between the two of us and put the baby first! We will deal with f*cking Josh after he gives that dying baby a liver!” I yelled.
The door opened and Nestor walked in, “Boss?”
“What? Can’t you see that we are busy?” Brandon yelled at him.
“Your time is almost up and I would suggest you take your quarrel on the empty floor. This is a ward full of mothers,” he warned us and grabbed a wheelchair. I only looked down in shame. “Can you walk?” he asked me.
“I think so,” I replied and he explained to me about the arrangement he had made with the hospital. It was a very good idea, he really cared for his annoying boss.
“Brandon get on the wheelchair,” he ordered. I do not know why but I always found it funny when he called Brandon by his name.
“Can’t you see we are in the middle of something!”
“You can continue arguing your points while you do your filtration session unless you want to die leaving Josh with all the freedom to your baby…?” He mocked. The joke was not funny even though he said it in a serious tone.
“Shut up!” Brandon yelled and got on the wheelchair. The words somehow hit him and he decided to do the session. I searched for my slippers and joined them. I was still sore but I needed the exercise. I had been lying on the bed for three days straight.
“Nestor, what do you think of this nonsense? Please tell me you do not support this madness?” Brandon asked.
“I’m in support of the baby, the more you two argue, the more hours that baby is suffering,” he replied and pushed the elevator button. He wheeled Brandon first and I followed suit. “Yes you are right, now pump some sense into Thalia. She is the one wasting time,” Brandon replied.
I only rolled my eyes and kept quiet all the way to the floor he was given. He kept talking about how he was correct and how I was wrong. He wanted Nestor to side with him, like he always did but Nestor kept quiet too.
We walked into the room and found it already equipped. All the needed machines were moved from the beach house to the hospital room. The room was going to be Brandon’s new home until I and the baby were released.
“Should I change you or you will change yourself?” Nestor asked.
“Can’t you go a day without seeing my nakedness?” Brandon asked and ordered him to h*ok him to the machine in his clothes. I just stood there watching him, trying to come up with a solution. My daughter needed a liver tomorrow Asap. I needed to get Josh to agree to the donation but I did not want to seem like I was ungrateful for everything Brandon had done for me.
“Thalia, are you with us?” Nestor asked
“She is probably realizing that I’m correct,” Brandon replied.
I gazed at him with a serious face, “What if we try my plan and if he refuses, you can kidnap him and steal the liver,” I suggested. He laughed out loud and asked if my brain was intact.
“Please Brandon we are only wasting time, ain’t you tired of the st*pid revenge? We won, Josh, lost don’t you want to live a life where it’s just the three of us with you just teaching the baby how to be a strong young lady rather than spying on that tablet of yours?” I inquired.
He kept quiet
“I’m not asking you to be friends with Josh and if he will not be repentant, I will not allow him near our daughter.”
“Okay let’s say he agreed to donate and repents who the f*ck will be allowing him to enter my house and visit our baby? What if he pretends to be nice and runs off with the baby?”
“Nestor, yes Nestor will be supervising the visits,” I replied
“Wait a minute?? I’m a pilot, not a social care service,” Nestor quickly jumped in but I ignored him, concentrating my attention on Brandon “Just think about it please,” I pleaded.
He only turned and looked away, Nestor had turned on the machine and signaled me to stop talking. We all knew how uncomfortable and painful the machine was. I stayed for some hours and we just stared at each other.
He knew I had already made up my mind and I was not going to change it. After another one, I said my goodbye and went to check on the little angel. I could only hope Brandon was going to make the right decision because I was ready to contact Josh with or without his blessing. I only brought the issue to him out of respect.
