Chapter 55: Chapter 55

"There's no need to be concerned about arriving late to the party." Maya hears this from me while I'm still in the cozy confines of my bed.

It's past my bedtime, so I should probably be sleeping. Mark told me that if I'm going to stay up until midnight tonight, I need to make sure that I get as much rest as I possibly can throughout the day. It would be more accurate to say that I slept for the majority of the day.

The day has finally come for me to check myself into the hospital where I'll be staying for the next two weeks. There is a possibility that I will not reappear. Every day I'll receive intensive chemotherapy, and the following Tuesday will be the day that I undergo the bone marrow transplant. It's been a week since then, and I'm crossing my fingers that everything will still be fine when I get home.

"I am aware of this, but I would very much like to be present nonetheless. It's your final day at home before you have to check yourself into the hospital." I readjust my position so that I am lying on my side.

However, in a few days you'll be in this city, and that's all that really matters." I try to make her feel better.

I am aware of this, but..." She abruptly stops speaking, and I can only make out a few mumbled words from what she was saying before she cut herself off. "I gotta go. I'll be seeing you in the next few days." She puts the phone down after a moment of reluctance, but not before I have the chance to respond.

"Are you still in the slumber?" "What's going on here?" Mark asks as he opens the door. I give some thought to lying and acting as though nothing is wrong, but if I do that, I won't be given any food. I smell food.

"No." I communicate with him while sitting up straight and facing him.

"Breakfast?" He asks while bringing the tray closer to where I am standing.

"Are we even talking about the same person?" This is a rhetorical question, by the way.

"You need to just eat what you've been given." He says that he is getting up and heading over to the wardrobe.

"Yes sir." I offered a salute to the back of his head. Before I finally make myself heard, he rummages around in there for a while, looking for something. "Where exactly are you trying to find something?"

"My outfit. Dressing formally is required for the party that's happening tonight." He recommends removing it from its hiding place and affixing it to the door's back.

My question is, "When does it start?"

"Nine, but we're going at ten thirty," the driver said. As he puts it, it's a matter of putting things in order.

"Really? Just a little over an hour and a half?" I am aware that we will be leaving the party shortly after twelve o'clock midnight.

"Undoubtedly, due to the fact that you have a busy schedule ahead of you tomorrow." He gets out of bed and comes to sit on the bed next to me.

"It's more like a significant month," the speaker said. I heave a sigh and continue to munch on a slice of toast while expressing my frustration.

"You never did tell me what your strategy was to acquire the company," the other person said. Mark suggests shifting gears and changing the subject.

"Well..." I drag out. "In point of fact, doing so is not particularly difficult. You must understand that the legal document that your father drafted does not expressly state that he will be given the business. It was stated there that the Hernandez family would receive it. Now, I don't know about you, but I have recently become a Hernandez, and I am also married to a Hernandez, so legally speaking, it is already part of the Hernandez family." While Mark looks at me with wide eyes and his eyebrows raised, I grab another piece of toast from the plate.

"What?" He asks, displaying a continued expression of shock and bewilderment.

"All that is required of us is to hire an attorney and obtain a copy of the document that we initially signed all of those years ago," the speaker said. I attempted to explain everything in an easy to understand manner.

"Is it seriously going to be that easy?" He questions my credibility, indicating that he does not fully accept what I say.

"Yep. One of the original copies is safely stored in my grandfather's office where only he has access to it. When it comes around to being my birthday again, we will make a new contract with an attorney and your dad, and after that, everything will be fine between us. Your father most likely will not suspect that you would try to trick him into signing a different kind of contract than what he initially thought you would be asking him to sign because he still considers you to be on his side and believes that you would never do such a thing." I'm going off on a tangent right now, and I have no idea how to stop myself. I believe that it is making Mark even less clear about what is going on now.

"I believe I have it now." Mark stares off into the distance as he continues to appear somewhat bewildered. "We get a lawyer, they make a new contract saying you get to keep your company canceling out the original contract we had, we trick my dad into signing it, and you get your company back leaving my dad with nothing?" Mark asks.

"Well, everything that your dad has right now will still be his," your mother said. I take extra precautions to guarantee that he is aware of that fact for some reason.

"Ok. I'm in." Now that I have his attention, he smiles at me and looks over to greet me.

"Good."

"Should I go ahead and start getting ready now?" When I ask Mark this, he is in the process of getting ready.

"Go ahead." He lets out a long sigh. That has been the question that's been on my mind for the past quarter of an hour. After much procrastination, he lost his cool.

"Yes!" It takes a lot of effort for me to get up and take a shower. It's nine o'clock at night, and the only reason I've left my bed is to go to the bathroom. I literally haven't done anything else all day. Mark was kind enough to bring me some food and we watched some movies together.

After taking the shortest possible shower, I change into the dress and leggings that I had previously selected. After tying my scarf around my head, I follow Mark into the living room to continue our conversation.

"I'm prepared for anything." I'm talking about attracting his attention here.

"You have an absolutely stunning appearance." Mark places his arm around my shoulders and ushers me out of the room.

We have to travel a short distance in order to reach a structure that is owned by John. We then drive to our destination and check in. I look up and see my dad and Maddy, so I walk over to talk to them. "Hey." I couldn't help but crack a grin as I wrapped my arms around them both.

"Hey!" "Tighten up," Maddy tells me while putting her hands on my shoulders. "What kind of mood are you in right now?" She inquires while displaying a hint of apprehension in her expression.

"I'd say that it's pretty good." I smile.

"Good. It's really unfortunate, but I have to get going because those crab cakes are calling my name." After some lighthearted banter, she exits, leaving behind my father and I.

"Are you going to tell him?" "Are you going to tell him?" My dad sprung on me.

"Yes. At midnight." I respond, being aware of his inquiry.

"Are you going to back out of this agreement?" He questions me in this manner in an attempt to ensure that I carry out his request.

"No. It's possible that this will be the last opportunity I have to say it while still appearing presentable. I am well aware that this is not a major concern; however, I have always pictured expressing your love for another person in a manner that is both heartfelt and touching. Not in a hospital, all pale and lifeless like they've been there for days." I have provided explanation. My incoherence is a sign that my nerves are frazzled. My dad notices.

"Don't get stressed about it. Even more so than I do, he adores you." He grins and reaches out to give my arm a gentle but reassuring squeeze.

"Hey, I brought you a Diet Coke," you said. Mark walks up to the table while holding a pair of drinks.

"Thanks." I say smiling at him. Before he leaves to find his future wife, my father gives me one last look over his shoulder.

"Are you feeling ok?" Mark asks.

"Yes, I'm doing just fine," the respondent confirmed. I say rolling my eyes. He laughs nervously in an attempt to cover his embarrassment.

"I apologize; I am aware that I have posed that question numerous times. I just want to ensure that everything is correct." As we take our seats at the table, he makes the comment.

"I understand." Before I can think of something else, there is a brief pause in between the two sentences. "Choose three different movies to watch." This is something I say completely unexpectedly.

"What?" Mark asks me, seemingly unsure of what to say.

"Choose three movies that are similar to the ones that you and your mother watched and put them on for all of us to watch. Those that are soothing enough for me to fall asleep to." I make fun of you.

He shows a pleasant expression while yielding nonetheless. "Definitely, Maybe, Sweet Home Alabama, and First Daughter," she said. "Definitely, Maybe." He says.

"Interesting." I say stroking my chin. "Now it's time for me to choose three movies, and I decide to watch all three Ocean's films." I utter those words extremely quickly.

"What are you going to do with that?" While taking the very last swig from his beverage, Mark poses the question.

"Just some random thoughts about movies while we were stuck in the hospital." I'm downing the final swig of my Diet Coke at this point.

"Considering that we are going to be there for two or three weeks, and that you are going to be bedridden for the entirety of that time, I believe that we will be able to watch more than six movies." He says bringing up a point.

I give that a sideways glance and then give some thought to it. I console myself by saying, "Well, at least we have somewhere to begin."

"True." A grin appears on his face. "Want to dance?" He asks.

"I'd be delighted." I smile.