With his arms akimbo, he gazed ahead at the road, lost in thoughts of Natasha. He hoped she would comprehend and not get upset about the canceled date that ruined their perfect evening
Like her, he had looked forward to candlelights and sweet memories.
Unfortunately...
He also wondered if she successfully solved the issue of Evolve. The internet was still buzzing with news. Stretching his right hand to his back pocket, he fished out his phone, hoping they were no longer in the search rankings.
His brows slightly furrowed into a frown as a Volkswagen zoomed in, parking few metres before him. He lifted his eyes in suprise.
"King..." She called anxiously, running into his arms.
"Sorry about mum" She whispered as he held her close.
"I'm glad you came" He replied and for a moment, inhaled her scent. He wished she lingered further but Natasha was worried about other things.
"What are they saying?" She asked looking up at him.
"Doctor Langsten asked about events leading to the occurrence and her medical history. They've decided to run some tests on her" He replied.
"Everything will be alright" She nodded, cupping his cheeks in her palms as she looked at him with adoration.
"Thank you" He replied with a half smile tickling her.
"Hey...stop that!" She blushed looking around, hoping no one was taking pictures.
His eyes raked over her noting the perfect disguise. Covering her head was a woolen cap, that matched the colour of her chuck taylor sneakers. Her top consisted of a white t-shirt and black moto jacket. Perfect disguise.
The cost of being a celebrity...
"I need you to dress like this all the time. You look simple and beautiful like a high school girl" He gushed.
"That's not the problem here, Kingsley" She smiled.
"Anyway, thank you" She added, her right index finger tugging his chest.
"How's Alpha?" He asked turning serious almost immediately.
"I have a meeting with Evolve tomorrow. I hope it ends well" She pursed her lips.
"The Lord doesn't leave his people without help" He found himself saying as he recalled the older woman.
Natasha nodded wondering if she was part of those who could be called "The Lord's people"
An awkward silence followed.
"Let's go in so we don't miss Doctor Langsten" He advised lacing his fingers with hers.
His eyes unconsciously darted to the bags on her left. He collected them from her hand as they made their way into the building. As they did, he stole a look at her and smiled. Natasha was a prized possession and he was more than glad that she belonged to him.
"Have you had something to eat?" She asked snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Yes...in the morning" He replied lifting up the bags with a lopsided grin.
"Is this food?"
She nodded positively as they found a place to sit.
"You should eat" She said.
"I'm not going to eat in an hospital. This place smells terribly" He replied scrunching his nose.
She laughed.
"You can stay in the car" She offered.
"Thank you Love...but Doctor Langsten might see me soon. Besides the twins will soon be here and I'm not sure they've eaten"
"I'll could get some more"
"Here they are, Mother Christmas." He teased. Paul and Paulina stood at the entrance, their eyes searching. He waved and they hurried over.
"Brother, what's wrong?" "Will she be alright?" They asked simultaneously, their faces masked with fear.
Natasha felt sorry for them as she recalled having a similar experience. She was much younger and hers had ended in a terrible state. Mrs Barnett never made it back to the house.
Barely the third day after her admission, she left this world and all it's possessions behind.
She looked at Kingsley as he hugged his siblings, assuring them the best way he could that everything was going to be fine. She could only hope it was so. At this point, he didn't deserve any devastating news. Neither did she nor the twins.
"Good afternoon" They greeted her as she extended her arms.
"How's school?" She asked warmly.
"Fine" They replied full of smiles.
"Is any one troubling you?"
"We're the bullies instead" Paul replied flexing his arms. She grinned. Paulina giggled.
They sat close to her pulling out their phones to take a picture.
She understood. It wasn't everyday you came in close contact with a high profile person. Thanks to their elder brother, they could boast of such acquaintance.
"Have you eaten?" She asked them as Kingsley immediately handed over the packs.
They collected it cheerily. As they ate, chatting away at the same time, she snuggled close to him whispering words of prayer alongside. He held her hand in his, glad at the comfort she gave.
Natasha recalled how worried she was immediately she received the message. Despite the fact that her stomach revolted, she didn't feel like taking anything. All she wanted was for life to return to normal. No issues with Kingsley's mum. No issues with Evolve.
The doors swung open again. This time, Doctor Langsten called him. Natasha watched his unsteady movements and prayed silently.
An apprehensive Kingsley walked into the ER. He looked at his mother briefly and then at the holter monitor that stated her heart rate and rhythm.
"Is she going to be fine?" He found himself asking, not recognizing the voice that was his.
"For now, she is." Doctor Langsten replied with a nod and then continued...
"The most common cause of fainting in older people is inability of the blood pressure to adjust when the person stands. It can be caused by a number of factors- stress or negative news." He further explained looking at her briefly.
Kingsley tried to imagine how stressed she had been lately and nodded.
"We want her to remain here so we can monitor her heart activity for 24 hours" Dr Langsten was saying.
"What else do I need to do? The health insurance will take care of her bills." Kingsley replied, slightly relieved that it wasn't anything drastic.
"HEAMO contacted us already" Dr Langsten stated as they walked out together. Natasha and the twins looked up simultaneously. His face had a blank expression. They feared the worst.
"For now, everything is alright but mama needs to be here until the doctor finds out what's exactly is wrong with her" He said with a smile. They hugged him in relief.
"We're not sure yet though" He cautioned.
"Kingsley! Everything will be perfect. Don't doubt" Natasha replied with a frown, tugging his arm.
"What else are we doing?" Paulina asked with a yawn.
"I'll get some food for mama. Then we'll head home" He replied walking out. Natasha trailed behind.
"I brought some fruits too..." She said after him, pocketing her hands.
He smiled and entered the car.
She came back in flipping through her phone, checking the rankings of Alpha on search engines. In most of them, they ranked fifth or sixth or none at all. The PR had done a smooth job. Hopefully by tomorrow, her meeting with Evolve will bury the issue amicably.
"I don't like Rita Wills" Paulina said looking at her.
"Shhhhh. Don't say that" She cautioned the 16 year old.
"When everyone was talking about it in school, I defended you Natasha" Paulina continued.
"Aren't you sweet?" Natasha asked with a smile, pulling her cheeks.
Kingsley arrived in no time and after seeing mama, she offered to drop them off.
"I'm sorry our anniversary didn't go as planned" He apologized on their way home as he held her close.
"It's alright" She replied, laying her head on his chest. Formaldehyde had replaced the flowers and prayers, the promises. It was good all the same.
As soon as they arrived, Paul and Paulina ran in leaving the both of them at the balcony. Natasha glanced around. It was a different community to hers. A typical black neighborhood . Few of them stared at her.
She tore her eyes away.
"We will be having our dinner soon, right? She asked playing with the buttons on his shirt.
"Maybe the day after tomorrow, I'm waiting for mum's final prognosis" He had a distant expression on his face.
"That's fine" She assured as he enveloped her in a hug.
"Thank you for today, babe" He expressed, his voice laced with emotions.
"Take care of yourself, King..." She replied this time, pulling his beards.
"I love you"He said and pecked her forehead.
Up above, the night sky boasted with twinkling stars.