Love’n’Lust

Belle just looked outside the window while seated next to Ben as Zina drove. Once in a while, she would look at Zina and wonder how she didn’t know that she was just there to protect her. She was so different now that Ben was with them; she talked less and smiled less even when she managed to speak. Belle sighed.

The car drove by the Crisp-TV media house building before they got to her house. Zina came down first and opened the door for her, she looked at the ground while Belle got down, avoiding eye contact with her.

Ben leaned by the door frame with his hands in his pocket as he watched Belle after she walked into her room. She stood for some seconds and looked at the bed, her phone was still there, where she kept it before leaving. She went and picked it up then went to meet Ben.

“I don’t want to stay here anymore. I can’t.” She sniffed.

“Okay. I will make sure the first house by the media house is vacant by tonight, so you can stay there from tomorrow,” Ben told her while holding her face and stroking her cheeks with both his thumbs.

“No, I don’t want that place either. I don’t want to stay anywhere around here.” She shook her head as she spoke.

“Won’t you rather a place closer to work?”

“I’m not going to work there anymore, I don’t want to be around here. I want someplace quiet.”

Ben stopped caressing her cheeks when she said that. He lifted her face to look into her eyes.

“Okay.” He told her. He was going to give her whatever she wanted.

****

Belle knocked on the door to Brie’s apartment and waited for it to open.

“Belle!” It was Cherry.”Where have you been?!”

“Did you say, Belle?!” She heard Brie ask from inside and soon she was at the door. She pushed Cherry aside so she could see Belle.”Where have you been?!” Belle was met by her sister’s sudden outpour of anger.

“Brie!” Cherry called her name to stop her, and she succeeded because Brie just went back in without saying any other thing to Belle.

After Belle stood outside for a while, drying the little tears that had formed in her eyes, she went inside like Cherry had been begging her to.

She saw Brie’s traveling bag sitting on the couch when she walked in, so she looked at Brie to get an idea of what was happening but Brie said nothing still. She just stood and tapped her feet angrily then she hissed and went to the room.

“Where is she going?” Belle asked Cherry and saw a facial reaction she only saw her have whenever there was bad news.”Where is she going?” She asked again when Cherry’s answer didn’t come the first time.

“She’s going back home, your grandma has been sick since three days ago.”

“O my god.” It was Belle’s reaction.

“Yeah. Brie only got permission from our workplace to take a leave today so she’s packed her things to go stay with your grandma till she gets better. She’s been trying to reach since forever you but to no avail.”

Belle covered her mouth with both her hands as she whimpered with tears dropping down her cheeks more than she could control.

Brie came back out with her hand purse and just picked up her traveling bag, without giving any attention to Belle even if she wanted to.

“Brie, how are your traveling plans, I wanna come with you.” Belle chased after her but she didn’t stop, she was still trying to ignore her sister.”Please, Brie, I’m sorry.” Belle went and stood in front of her, blocking her proposed exit through the door.

Brie stared at her for some time but then sniffed inaudibly.

“There’s a bus waiting outside, it will take us straight to the hospital. I pre-ordered it.” She told Belle.

“Okay.” Belle nodded and got out of the way. As soon as Brie started down the stairs, she followed behind her.

*****

When they got to the hospital, Brie went to the receptionist’s table to ask questions while Belle waited. As she waited, she saw her grandma being carried on a gurney as she was being transferred to a different ward. She went after them.

“Excuse me,” she held the arm of one of the nurses accompanying her grandma.

“Yes? How may I  help you?”

“Uhm, that’s my…”

“Where are you taking her to?!” Brie showed up.

“Who is she?” The nurse panicked because of the way Brie approached her and asked no one in particular.

“My sister,” Belle answered, “That’s my grandmother. May we know where she is being taken?”

“Oh. She is being returned to ward A, she was put in the ICU earlier but since no one showed up as her family to pay the dues…”

“We are here now,” Brie interrupted the nurse speaking.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Well, you should do the necessary. Meet the receptionist over there, you’ll be directed to where to make the necessary payments. Only after doing that, will we continue with the patient’s treatment.”

“Okay, I’ll do that right away,” Brie said and returned to the receptionist’s table while Belle watched them leave with her unconscious grandmother.

She looked towards the receptionist’s table and saw Brie looking worried as she stood there so she went to meet her.

“What’s wrong, Brie? Did you make inquiries yet?” She asked when she got to her but didn’t get a reply from her, she only saw her try to blink away some tears.

“Okay, you are scaring me now, Brie. What did she say?” Belle assumed the receptionist must have said something to make her sister act the way she was.

“Brie?” She shook her when she still didn’t give any reply.

“Where are going to get such an amount from?” Brie finally spoke but sniffed after.

“Did she say how much yet? How much is it? Say something, come on.” Belle urged her to continue.

“I didn’t let her finish…” Brie sniffed again.

“What are you saying, Brie?”

“I didn’t let her finish all she wanted to say because… because she mentioned that the deposit fee is a hundred and fifty thousand… one hundred and…” Brie wanted to repeat the amount but the lump in her throat wouldn’t let her.

“O my god,” Belle covered her mouth with her right palm.

“And that’s just the deposit to be made before she would be transferred back to the ICU. She hasn’t mentioned the other dues.” Brie wiped the tears in her face with the back of her palm.”I don’t even have that much an amount in my account. What I have is a hundred and twelve.” She sniffed again, shaking her head as she looked at Belle.

“We can add mine to yours, plus grandma’s insurance,” Belle suggested.

“Okay, but that is just for the deposit fee, and Grandma’s insurance is expired.”

“…” Belle went silent, she didn’t think of that. After some seconds of silence, she remembered that Brie said she didn’t let the receptionist finish so she turned to the woman to ask about it, just to know where they stood.

“Deposit fee is a hundred and fifty thousand, ward fee is… and that totals to three hundred and thirty-five thousand.” Belle heard the woman read out the total amount they had to pay from the screen in front of her and couldn’t believe her ears.

“But mind you, this isn’t very accurate, when you are ready, I will lead you to the billing department and you could be given more information.” The receptionist added.