Chapter 2: An Unexpected Crisis

She jumped when someone knocked on the car window. She tried to make out who it was, but the darkness enveloped everything around her. What if it was one of the drug dealer’s men she was surveilling? What would she say? How would she justify staying in her car for five hours? She had hidden her car well among the trees, so how had they discovered her? The knock came again. She swallowed hard, placed her right hand on her gun, and slowly rolled down the window to find Alex standing there.

She exhaled sharply and asked, "What are you doing here?"

He motioned with his hand and said seriously, "Get out of the car."

She obeyed without questioning why, sensing from his tone that this was not the time to argue. He got into the driver’s seat after tossing his cane onto the back seat, then patted the seat next to him, saying, "Come on."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise, but soon circled around the car and got into the passenger seat beside him. After a prolonged silence, she asked, "Alright, what’s going on?"

He answered while his eyes remained fixed on the house she had been watching, "To get straight to the point—after the meeting ended today, Craig overheard the conversation between you and the captain about your mother. He understood that if your mother found out you were in the narcotics unit and that you were in danger, she would force you to leave the unit. So..."

She laughed bitterly and asked, "What? Is he planning to blackmail me?"

Alex responded with irritation, "I wish he was. Instead, he called your mother and told her that you’re in the narcotics unit and on a dangerous mission you might not return from alive."

She groaned, closed her eyes, and released her hair from its tie, letting it fall around her face, barely reaching past her shoulders. She ran her fingers through it and then urged him, "I know the story doesn’t end there, so go on."

He spoke quietly, "You know your mother suffers from asthma. When she heard the news, she had a severe attack. Unfortunately, when Craig heard her gasping for breath, he called an ambulance... Don’t worry, she’s in the hospital now, in the ICU, because... she’s in a coma. The doctors say if she wakes up, she’ll be fine."

The only response he received was the sound of the car door opening and then slamming shut. Despite the darkness surrounding the area, he could make out her silhouette as she walked among the trees. What was she doing out there? Was she crying, screaming, groaning, cursing Craig, or praying for her mother? He didn’t know and didn’t want to know. All he wanted was for this day to end without further incident.

She returned to the car after about half an hour. He turned to see her chest rising and falling rapidly. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Are you okay?"

With a hoarse voice, she replied, "If you can drive, take me to the hospital."

After a few moments of thought, he said, "There’s one more thing you should know. Craig did what he did to get back at you for what you did to me."

She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes, responding indifferently, "What am I supposed to make of that?"

He muttered as he started the engine and began driving, "Who knows."

They made the drive to the hospital in silence. What was there to say at a time like this? Alex parked the car in one of the hospital’s lots, and he and Maya got out, walking toward the main entrance, where Bob was waiting for them. He waved at them excitedly and hurried over, shouting, "She’s awake! She’s awake!"

Maya closed her eyes tightly and lifted her face toward the sky, thanking her Lord for this gift. She wanted to speak, to ask about her mother’s condition, but a lump in her throat prevented her from doing so. She swallowed hard, and before she could open her mouth, she heard Alex asking Bob about her mother’s condition. Bob reassured him that she was fine and able to talk. Maya looked at Bob with bright eyes and asked eagerly, "Which room is she in?"

He replied joyfully, "Third floor, room 309."

In her excitement, she wasn’t aware of how she left Alex and Bob behind, how she entered the hospital, or how she reached and entered the room. All she knew was that she now stood looking at her mother’s body lying on the white bed, while a man spoke to her with his back to Maya. She quietly approached until she stood behind him and saw her mother propped up on some pillows, her eyes closed as she listened with a smile on her lips. Maya gently touched the man’s shoulder, trying not to alert her mother, but her effort was in vain as the man said, turning toward her, "Wow! Look who went to all this trouble to visit you."

Their eyes never met. At the moment her mother opened her eyes and looked at her, Maya lowered her gaze to the floor. The man said, "Well, Mrs. Madeline, I’ll see you later," then smiled at Maya and left.

Madeline asked, "Who was that?"

Maya was startled by the unexpected question and replied while looking toward the door, "He was talking to you without you asking who he was?"

Madeline smiled and said, "I didn’t want to interrupt his amusing story about the day they arrested you and you stabbed their leader."

Maya exclaimed in shock, raising her eyes, "And he couldn’t find a better story to tell you? Well, he’s Bernard, my colleague in the unit."

Her mother asked, "And the young man with the black hair who was with him?"

Maya replied while rubbing her eyelids with her fingers, "That’s Bob. He’s also in my unit."

"Is he the one who called me?"

"No, that was my dear Craig. I don’t think he had the guts to come here."

Madeline was silent for a few moments before she commanded, "Sit down, Maya."

Maya smiled nervously and looked around, saying, "I’m fine." But she quickly adjusted the chair to make it closer to the bed and sat down.

Madeline whispered, "How long will you avoid looking at me?"

Maya buried her face in her hands, resting her elbows on her knees, and said quietly, "I almost got you killed."

Madeline smiled lovingly, then spoke seriously, "Enough with the nonsense. Let’s imagine I knew you were in the narcotics unit, and someone called me in the middle of the night to tell me you went on a mission you wouldn’t return from alive. What do you think would have happened to me? Believe me, the outcome would have been the same."

Maya mumbled, "Don’t worry, I’ll kill that bastard for sure."

Madeline laughed softly, "You youngsters never think about the consequences of your actions. You also stabbed a man in the thigh without needing to. Just locking the door would have been enough to escape from them."

Maya raised her head, her red eyes meeting her mother’s clear ones, and whispered with a smile, "Believe me, I couldn’t resist the temptation."

Madeline replied slyly, "That’s exactly what happened with your friend Craig."

Maya fell silent, studying her mother’s face. She didn’t inherit her hazel eyes, her large mouth, or her curly hair, but still, anyone could tell they shared the same blood. She whispered as tears welled up in her eyes, "I was so scared for you."

Madeline reached out her arms toward her daughter and said, "Not as scared as I was for you."

Maya stood weakly and walked slowly until she collapsed into her mother’s embrace.

After ensuring her mother had fallen asleep, Maya headed to the hospital café. She desperately needed a cup of black coffee after the day she’d had. She grabbed the coffee the barista handed her, and as she turned to find a seat, she was surprised—not because the café was nearly empty (it was past two in the morning), but because she saw Alex, Bernard, and Bob gathered around a table. She walked over, pulled up a chair, and sat down. After taking a sip of her coffee, she asked, "What are you all doing here?"

Bob pointed to the table, which held coffee cups and pastries, and said, "Eating."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "And you couldn’t find a better place to eat than the hospital café?"

Bernard replied, "Well, we wanted to check on your mom."

She smiled sarcastically and said, "You, of all people, know she’s fine. And by the way, thanks for the story." Then she turned to Alex and confidently said, "Now, why don’t we be honest? You’re here because you want to check on your scumbag friend, to make sure I won’t hurt him. Isn’t that right, Commander?"

Bob interjected, "Hey! Craig didn’t mean any harm. He’s a good guy."

She snapped back, "Oh, he’s definitely a good guy. His goodness is what landed my mom in the hospital, right?"

Bob had nothing to say in response, so he lowered his head in defeat.

Alex said, "Raise your head, Bob." Everyone turned to him as he continued, addressing Bob, "Yes, raise your head and tell her that what she said is true. Craig’s goodness is indeed what put her mother in the hospital. If not for his goodness, her mother would be in the cemetery now." He turned to Maya, noticing the shock on her face at his words, but he didn’t stop. "What! Isn’t Craig the one who called the ambulance? If he were a scumbag, he would’ve left your mother and told no one. And by the way, you really wouldn’t dare touch Craig."

As soon as Alex finished speaking, Maya grabbed her coffee cup and threw its contents at his face, drenching him in bitter, hot coffee.

A scream echoed throughout the hospital, but it wasn’t from Alex. It was from the barista, who had seen the woman pour hot coffee on the handsome man who had been so kind to her when ordering. Two nurses rushed into the café, asking what had happened. The barista wanted to explain, but Alex interrupted, telling them that the coffee had spilled on him and that he needed some burn ointment. He left with the nurses, followed by Bob and Bernard.

Maya left the café after apologizing to the barista for the coffee that had splattered everywhere. The barista didn’t respond—she seemed to hold a grudge. As Maya walked to her car, she wondered why Alex had remained silent and hadn’t reacted at all. He must have felt the pain from the hot coffee; his facial expression had shown it. So why didn’t he retaliate? Bob and Bernard, who had only witnessed the event, had been ready to pounce on her but stopped when they saw Alex didn’t move. She didn’t know what to make of it. Was he tolerant? Numb? Or was he planning something else? Well, she could think about Alexander later. All she wanted to do now was go home and sleep.