Chapter 70: Chapter 70

KATHERINE

Katherine eyed the nurse in contempt as she disconnected the tubes they had fixed in her, pulling out the cannula gently.

Hissing, Katherine pushed the nurse aside and stood from the bed. Being in this darn place had felt like being caged, and she longed to teach all these bastards a lesson.

They'd had the audacity to push her around and drug her at will, and once again she still hadn't gotten over the fact that the idiot who called himself a doctor had said she was crazy.

She had a mental illness right? Well she would show them she was really mad by the time she was done with them.

Shutting down the damn hospital should be enough of a lesson to them, and she would do so as soon as she got her bearings. She would get in touch with her lawyer soon, and take matters in her hands.

She had gotten the chance to speak with her father about this, saying bad things about the staffs, and as soon as he could, he had sent someone over to London, calling and ordering the hospital to discharge his daughter.

According to the hospital rules, they were supposed to keep her for further observation, enroll her into therapy with a capable therapist, and administer drugs to her seeing that they had diagnosed her with something so critical.

After that, she would then have weekly sessions with a therapist and all that but Katherine saw all of this as bullshit, calling the doctor fake.

Her father, being as influential as he was, pulled a few strings and greased a few palms and everything else that happened had been easy.

The secretary her father had sent had arrived at the hospital this afternoon and immediately, without any protests the staff had discharged her.

She hated to leave without suing the hospital almost immediately since she had requested for her lawyer to also come, but her father had urged her to calm down, and she grudgingly agreed when he gave some reasons why she should just mellow down a little.

Standing from her bed, Katherine cast a dirty look at the nurse and the ward she was in. It was tiny and painted white from top to bottom and the sight made Katherine sick.

She still didn't know how she had survived days in this place. The stench of drugs and disinfectant made her sick to the stomach, and the fact that she abhorred hospitals as a whole made her case even worse.

Hell, she could count on her fingers the times she had ever been in a hospital, and it was not even up to five times, with this time being the long she’d ever stayed hospitalized and the worst experience actually. But they would pay heavily!

Disgusted with the room, the hospital, and the disgusting gown she still had on, Katherine pushed past the nurse again, “Out of my way, bitch!"

The nurse fell backwards, rubbing her arm as she stared at Katherine in shock and anger, but Katherine couldn't care any less.

She glared at the doctor who was still conversing with the secretary her father had sent.

"Be grateful that I decided not to sue this useless hospital right this instant.” She sneered, pointing her finger at his face, "The only reason you still have a job right now is because my father is generous. But you won't be so lucky next time. You hear me? Just so you know I’m not even done with you!” She finished, and without waiting for his response or some final checkups, she pushed past him and walked out of the room.

"Here ma'am, let me help you.” The secretary quickly said, following as she stepped out of the door.

Katherine rolled her eyes but said nothing, and letting the secretary lead her out of the hospital to the car park where a limousine was waiting for her, she could only keep mute.

Surprisingly she didn't feel as weak and tired as she did since she'd been here, and she was sure the weakness back then was as a result of all the drugs they had pumped into her system. She would need to see her own doctor soon. After all, who knows if she had caught anything from being in this filthy hospital.

She was still more than pissed with how things had gone. The time she had wasted in this hospital would have been used to do something more useful, but now she had done nothing, and she felt so much anger and rage.

Her fists clenched, she took a deep breath and tried to control herself as there was no point getting angry now.

All she had to do was plan, and she had a lot of planning to do. She had wasted too much time, and she didn’t like it at all. Time waited for no one, and certainly not her.

"Good day, ma'am. Are you feeling better today?" The secretary, who happened to be a young lady, asked when Katherine was seated comfortably in the car.

If she heard the concerned question, well Katherine did not say a word as she didn't need anyone asking her stupid questions at the moment.

"Mr Scott booked a suite for you at a bigger, better hotel not too far from here. The suite has already been prepared for your arrival. Would you like us to take you there? Or do you have someplace in mind? We can also take you wherever—"

"Just freaking shut up.” Katherine interrupted, raising her wave the lady off, "I didn't come here for you to talk my ear off so shut the hell up. You've done what you were sent here for so you're discharged. Haven’t you figured that out already?” She questioned with a hiss.

She hated it when employees tried to be cozy or overdo what they had been asked to, and with the way she was sufficiently annoyed already, this was just another reason for her to flip and cuss.

The secretary muttered some apologies which Katherine ignored, "Where are my things?" She demanded, "My phone and clothes, and any other property of mine."

"I have them right here in the car.” The secretary said quickly, eager to please as she brought out her belongings and handed them to her.

Katherine grabbed them out of her hand, checking to see if they were all intact. Once she was satisfied, she turned to the secretary, and said bluntly, “Good. Now, get out."

The secretary's jaw fell open as she stared at Katherine in shock.

“W-what? But ma’am I was ordered to make sure you were safe a-and that you got to the hotel safely, as you still need to rest. I have to..."

Katherine glared at her, surprised that she had the guts to protest, "Are you deaf or do you just want me to push you out?" She asked, anger lacing her voice, "Start the car!" She ordered the driver who immediately obeyed.

The secretary quickly climbed out of the car as fast as she could, "B-but ma'am, you're going to be stranded… it's such a big city, and in this condition you need care. The doctor also said you need to get some rest and that’s why Mr Scott sent me. You have nowhere to go…" She trailed off, pleading profusely.

"Shut up and get out!" Katherine screamed, “Your job here is finished. Whether I'm stranded or not, it's none of your business. So shut the hell up and go back to New York!"

The secretary backed away from the car in fear as Katherine shut the door in her face, but even then the puny thing didn’t give up as she quickly moved to the window, knocking and begging Katherine to listen to her, but her pleading was a lost cause since Katherine simply didn't care.

Instead she turned to the driver and ordered, "Start the car.”

As the driver turned on the ignition and began to drive away from the hospital, Katherine picked up her phone, sorting through her belongings at the same time.

She sighted the pack of medications prescribed for her by the doctor and irritation filling her momentarily, she lowered the window and tossed the drugs out of the car.

Satisfied, she unlocked her phone and went straight to her contacts. Finding the number she was searching for, she dialed and brought the phone to her ear.

It was the leader of the men she had hired and he quickly picked up.

"Hello ma'am. You have been away for so long. We've all been a little worried. We've been trying to reach you with no luck whatsoever. Is all well?" He asked as soon as he picked up.

Katherine hesitated for a few seconds, understanding why they would be worried.

He was right of course. It had been days since she'd been absent, but not wanting them to know about her breakdown and the fiasco at the hotel, she cleared her throat and instead said,

"There were a few things I had to take care of personally, that didn't require your assistance and that's why I didn't inform you. The issues were minor and they have been settled now."

"Okay then. We're glad you're okay."

For some reason his concern annoyed Katherine, but she chose not to speak further about it, and instead she dropped the subtle reminder, "Good. I hope you all are prepared. Meet me at our usual place. We have something to discuss concerning the second phase of the plan...”

…….

Damien tried not to sigh as he took a gulp of his water.

One thing he hated was sitting around for long and doing absolutely nothing. The car ride from London to Birmingham was a long one, and they still hadn't gotten to their destination.

He had departed from the hotel around 11am, and they had just crossed into Birmingham.

Since it was 1PM now, they had been on the road for over 2 hours. The car was comfortable enough but Damien still didn't like sitting around for that long.

As soon as they got to a restaurant, Damien ordered the driver to stop. He asked them all to join him as he walked into the restaurant.

They hadn't had anything else to eat after breakfast and it had been a few hours, so he ordered food for them all which they quickly dug into.

They took about thirty minutes to eat and freshen up in the restroom, and once they were relieved, they headed back to the car and continued on their journey.

Before long, they were on the streets of Kettlesworth, and the small town brought back a strange feeling up Damien’s chest as the familiar surroundings came into sight.

He couldn't help but notice all the buildings, and even though there were a few ones that looked new and not to familiar, it didn’t bother Damien as it was to be expected.

After all, it had been so long, and surely new things would have sprang up. He could remember all the places he used to go to, and as the car drove past each one, the memories would flood him.

He couldn't believe he was back here after so long, and he vividly remembered the night he had vowed never to come back to this hell hole. Leaving Birmingham was the best decision he had ever made, and he didn't regret it one bit, but now he was back and being here again came with a feeling he still couldn't put a name to.

Was it nostalgia? Anxiety? He wasn't sure. But surprisingly he knew it wasn't anger. It was just the feeling of being in a familiar place and looking through the familiar streets, sinking into his chair, his eyes continued to roam still.

A smile crossed his lips as the car drove past the notorious Kettlesworth high school. It was the same one Madison had attended, and he remembered racing from his workplace to the school each day to wait for her at the start of their relationship.

It was usually when he got to see her and spend time with her, and the best part of it had been the abandoned playground behind the school. He and Madison used to sneak off there sometimes.

He smirked again remembering all the illicit things they had done in that playground, and how shy Madison had been when she indulged him. It was such a long time ago, and painfully Damien acknowledged that indeed time passed so quickly, and now all he had were just fleeting memories.

Turning his attention back to the road, he realized that each familiar street they passed attracted the attention of people watching, and it was understandable.

Cars like this were not common in these parts of the small town, and he could see that the eyes of everyone were pointed directly at his car.

They couldn't see who was inside though as the windows of the car glasses were tinted, but Damien had a very clear view of them. He wondered what could be going through their minds, but honestly he didn’t care.

It was not like they would recognize him if they’d see him, or whatever actually.

Turning to the driver, he gave him directions to where they were headed, and as he belted out the address he knew even after all these years a tight feeling rose up his chest.

He wanted to go to his old family house. The first thing he had done as soon as he left London and began to work was to buy the place, as soon as he had enough money.

He didn't want strangers living in the house he grew up in, and his memories there had been the best.

Sure, there were lots of bad memories there but still the good memories far surpassed, and nothing could beat the time when his family had been complete.

Which was why he wondered how things would have been now, if they were still together.

His father, his mother, his sister, Madison, and him. Just one big family.

“Damn!” He hissed, the back of his eyes burning up.

Well, no matter what he wanted to see that place first. See it again after so many years and check it out before going to check into a hotel.

After driving for about five minutes, the driver approached the house and stopped in front of the now renovated building.

Letting his eyes roam the surroundings Damien heaved a huge sigh before stepping out, and his private investigator followed suit.