227: TRUTH ARIEL’S POV “Yes, I can, Ariel. You do not have to worry about me. Let’s just get Andre to the hospital as soon as possible.” Luke carried Andre in his arms. “Is your car far from here?” “Not that far,” I replied. “I’ll lead the way.” I walked to Janice, holding her hand. I began to traipse forward. But after seconds, I turned around to check on Luke. He held Andre, walking towards me. He was going through a lot of pain; I could see that. Yet he decided to put up with it, acting like there was nothing wrong. “Don’t feel sorry for me. I’m totally fine. We have to make it to your car as soon as possible. Andre was shot, and we can’t let him die. I’m pretty sure you don’t want that.” I let out a deep sigh. “You’re right. Let’s go. And as we continued walking towards my car, I felt really grateful for Luke’s strength and determination. He was carrying Andre, who was heavy, and yet he didn’t show any signs of struggle. “Are you sure you’re okay, Luke?” I asked, concerned about him. He smiled at me, “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s just focus on getting Andre to the hospital.” After a few more minutes of walking, we finally reached my car. Just when I was about to open the door, I heard Luke stumble behind me. I quickly turned around and saw him struggling to hold onto Andre. “Luke, are you okay?” I asked, rushing towards him. He let go of Andre and leaned against the car for support. “I’m fine, just a bit tired. I’ll be okay once I get some rest.” I helped him to the passenger seat, and he leaned back, closing his eyes. I quickly got into the driver’s seat and started the car. I began to drive to the hospital, worrying about these two men in my car, who risked their lives trying to save mine. They both needed medical attention, and I couldn’t wish to lose any of them. I didn’t know, but I couldn’t be sure if I still wanted terrible shit happening to Luke. When we arrived at the hospital, I parked the car and rushed to the passenger side to help Luke out. He insisted that he was okay and didn’t need any help, but I could see the pain and exhaustion on his face. “Come on, let’s get you both inside,” I said, linking my arm with Luke’s for support. We made our way inside the hospital, and the nurses quickly came to our aid. They took Andre to a room for treatment, and I tried to convince Luke to get himself checked as well. But he stubbornly refused, saying that his wound on the shoulder wasn’t serious and he just needed some rest. After Andre was taken care of, I helped Luke to a nearby bench and sat down next to him. I was just 227 TRUTH staring at him, not knowing the word to utter. “Luke,” I said softly, and he glanced at me. “I’m sorry.” He placed his hand on mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t blame yourself, Ariel. I’m just glad I could help. Plus, I’ve been shot before; I’ll be fine.” I laughed a little, recalling the time when he was shot and I had to be by his side at the hospital. Yeah, you sure have. After a while, the doctor came out of the room. I stood up immediately. “How is he, doctor? Hope he’s doing alright.” The doctor smiled at me. “There’s no need to worry, miss. He’s fine and stable now. He just needs some rest.” I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much.” “Just doing my job.” The doctor wanted to walk away, but then his eyes caught Luke. “Sir, you’re bleeding.” Luke looked around before setting his eyes back on the doctor. “I’m sorry. Are you talking to me?” “Of course, who else would I be talking to? You’ll have to come with me so we can take care of that wound on your shoulder.” “Don’t worry, it’s not that serious,” Luke disagreed. “No, sir. The wound inflicted on the shoulder by a gunshot possesses a dire potential to prove fatal, as it can lead to severe blood loss, damage to vital structures, and potential infection, ultimately jeopardizing your beloved life.” Luke looked at him for a moment, opening his mouth slightly. “Okay, that is serious.” “Exactly,” the doctor brought out. He called several nurses to take Luke to a room in the building, and they did that. I slowly sat down, still thinking about what happened and what I witnessed. Luke saved my daughter; now, I didn’t even know what to say. Was he actually the one who killed Lukel? Was that woman lying to me when she said he took away the life of my son? “Mommy,” Janice uttered, and I turned to her. “You look really worried.” She treaded closer and sat next to me. “It’s nothing, Janice,” I responded softly, wrapping my hand around her shoulder. “I’m just concerned about Andre and your father.” “My father?” Janice gave me a confused face. “That man is my father?” I breathed out deeply. “Yes, Janice. Luke is your father.” “My father has been alive the whole time? Why didn’t you tell me about this, mommy?” 227 TRUTH “I didn’t want to. “Why? Was he a bad man?” I paused for a moment. Then I held her hand. “He saved you, didn’t he?” Janice nodded. “So there, you have your answer.” “If he’s a good man, why did you keep him from us all these years?” “I have my reasons,” I answered in hushed tones. “You stay here, I’ll be back.” I caressed her hair before standing up. I went to the room where Luke was being taken care of. The moment I entered, the nurses left. “Ariel,” he called my name and sat on the bed right away. “How are you doing?” I asked him, walking closer. “Well, I’m doing great. Just can’t spend much time here at this building.” He looked around. “Hmm, that’s too bad. You’ll have to get some rest.” “Rest?” He chuckled. “I’ll be getting the fuck out of here anytime soon.” I shook my head. “You have got to be kidding me. You’re taking your business more seriously than your health?” “Well, I got to do that.” “Health is wealth. I’m sure you’re familiar with the saying. “Wealth is health. If you don’t have money, how will you be able to buy drugs? How will you be able to get surgery done?” “Uhmm, I don’t think that’s how the…” “Okay, okay, no lectures concerning this health stuff. You’re not the doctor here.” “I don’t have to be a doctor first to tell you that. I’m just being concerned.” “Oh, you’re concerned?” Luke smirked. “I thought you wanted to make my life a living hell.” I sighed. “Well, I’m not thinking straight at the moment.” Luke made a confused face. “You’re not thinking straight? Like, you being concerned about me, you’re not…” “Okay, okay, that’s not what I meant.” I cut him off. My tone softened, “I have to ask you a question.” “And what is that?”
