Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 128

DEMI

"Are you sure you’re ok? You suddenly disappeared from the hospital."

Anna drags a deep breath on her end of the line. "I’m fine. I’ll be back to see him some other time."

I can’t help but feel like she’s hiding something from me.

"Did someone say something to you, Nessa perhaps? Anna, if that’s the case..."

"No, Demi, it’s nothing like that." Another indulgent sigh. "I don’t know if I can be around him yet. I rushed after you when you got the call but I am not prepared. I know Asher and I ended things on a very rough note but before we even got together, I always promised him I’d be there for him when he finally booked his surgery. He used to worry that he’d be alone at the hospital and I assured him he’d wake up after the surgery and I’d be by his bedside. I broke that promise for good reason but seeing Nessa at the hospital today and learning that she had brought him there...I don’t know how that makes me feel."

I exhale deeply. "You don’t have to force yourself to hate him on my account, Anna."

"I don’t hate him. I strongly dislike him at best and that is owing to the fact that he betrayed you and I. However, I can’t seem to hold on to that dislike seeing his condition. I would love to be there when he wakes up but not with his entire family in the room. I’d like a moment with him if only to fulfil the promise I made to him. I think he’d appreciate it if I do. He would understand if I don’t visit but I feel like he would be hopeful that I do."

"That can easily be arranged. You have nothing to worry about. I’ll let you know when the coast is clear."

"Thank you." The sound of sheets rustling follows. "What’s going on over there? Have your in-laws arrived? Liam is hitting hard with his posts on Billion-Err. I hope you aren’t being suspected for it."

I crane my neck to reaffirm that I am alone in the restroom.

"I don’t think so. Ashley is pissed at me and Ashal is distracted. We’ll have to wait for Brett and his wife to get here to know if any blame or accusation makes it my way."

"How about Nicci? Has she contacted you since then?"

"No." I shake my head and play with the running water from the faucet which I intentionally flicked on to coat the details of my phone call. "I can’t reach her on the same number with which she called me the last time. I am worried. I managed to sway Ashley to let me join him in visiting her but then Asher collapsed. I’m sorry but his timing sucks. I need hard evidence. I am running out of playing cards."

"I’m sure Liam is working on something."

"It’s MY revenge plan. I can’t leave it up to chance. I have to make it happen no matter what. I’m running out of time. I don’t think I can wait six months. I have to find a way to deliver my revenge and be done with the Rollins."

Anna remains silent for a few seconds. "Is this about Ashton? His upcoming wedding with Mila must be a hard pill to swallow."

"I couldn’t care less who he married or when. Sure, it stings to see him with her but as time passes, that’s no longer as painful to watch. I am more worried about losing my rage the longer I take to execute my revenge. I have to avenge my parents without batting an eyelid, just like Brett and his family do when they trample on people’s lives."

The sound of the entrance door to the female restroom swinging open cuts me off. A lady rushes in, crying profusely. She looks startled to see me. Before I can say Jack, she locks herself in one of the stalls and bawls her eyes out. I stand a bit perplexed.

"Turn the damn faucet off. You’re wasting water!" She croaks out from behind the door. When I end my call and turn off the water, she resumes her wailing. Indifferent, I slip my phone in my bag and walk away.

When I return to the waiting room, I am informed that my in-laws already arrived and they were now consulting with doctor Ezra in his office. With a lot of restraint, I refrain from rolling my eyes as I backtrack to the doctor’s office.

"What do you mean by that? He’s been living with it for months and you didn’t deem it necessary to tell me?" I hear father yelling at his friend, the doctor. One of the specialists who assisted doctor Ezra, a young lady in her early to mid-twenties, stands with her head bowed next to her superior. Silently, I let myself into the office and stand mute by the door.

Mother is sunken on the couch, tears streaming down her face. She is flanked by Mila to the left and Ashal to her right, both of whom continue to console her. Ashley is competing with his father in staring daggers at the poor doctor for keeping Asher’s secret irrespective of the fact that the doctor was right to keep his adult patient’s medical info confidential.

"I’m sorry Mr. Rollins but Asher is not an infant. He is my patient. It was my duty to keep our sessions confidential. Beyond our relationship as doctor and patient, I encouraged him as a friend of the family to have the surgery on time but despite taking the horse to the stream, I couldn’t force it to drink. You know how stubborn your son can be. I did my very best to sway him but his phobia got the best of him."

"You should have told me, Ezra." Father interjects with red rimmed eyes. I actually find it astonishing that he looks deeply hurt and just a tad bit scared. "I could have lost my son today. Would you have had the heart to tell me this load of bullshit? I don’t care if you have to strap him to the damn table and induce him with anesthetics to get the procedure done. I EXPECT YOU TO SAVE MY BOYS’ LIVES HOWEVER YOU CAN. I’LL HELP YOU DEAL WITH WHATEVER CONSEQUENCES MIGHT ARISE FROM YOUR ACTIONS AS LONG AS THE MOTIVE WAS TO SAVE THE LIFE OF MY SON." He shakes his head regrettably. "I am highly disappointed in you."

"Mr. Rollins, if I may..." Doctor Ezra cuts off the young doctor with a hand on her wrist. Her eyebrows slash up at him, miffed at the restraint.

"Stay out of this, Erin."

"But dad...." Said Erin protests.

"Keep quiet!"

I look between the doctors and start to note the resemblance. I had no idea the doctor had a child that also practiced medicine. Erin apologizes and drops her head. Someone raps on the door and informs us that Asher is finally awake. This helps to diffuse the tension in the room as Ashley bolts out the door, almost knocking me to the side. Father follows suit but not before giving me a hasty, displeased glance.

Mila and Ashal help mother to her feet.

"Where’s Ashton?" She asks worriedly.

"He’s on his way. He’s held up in traffic." Ashal quickly responds. I don’t know if he’s lying to calm his mother’s nerves or telling the truth. Where exactly is Ashton by the way? It’s unlike him to not have showed up here especially given the gravity of Asher’s condition.

When everyone files out, I step forward and apologize to the doctor and his daughter on behalf of the family before we all head over to see Asher. Just then, my phone rings on the way. I slow down to take the call while the doctors rush ahead of me.

"Liam? This isn’t really a good time." I whisper into the phone.

I may have some grievances against my brother-in-law but it won’t look good making that painfully obvious around the hospital by appearing nonchalant over his condition, such as being on my phone while the rest of the family are huddled around Asher’s sick bed.

"I’m keeping up. Of course, I know what it’s like over there." He replies crankily. "Do you want to know the result of the DNA tests run for Brett and his quads or not?"

My eyes quirk up. "Tell me."

My legs almost buckle as he explains everything to me. I knew there was a possibility that it would come out negative but having it confirmed is a different thing. All I can think of right now is how we can use this information to our benefit.

"So, they must be adopted?" I ask him. That will hardly create a huge buzz. It won’t be a big deal if Brett legally adopted the quads as his children.

"Who’s adopted?"

My phone almost slips from my hand as I whirl to face Ashton’s impatient face. I end the call and struggle to breathe properly. How much did he hear? How did he sneak up on me. He surveys the hallway.

"Where’s everyone? How’s Asher doing? My phone died and I couldn’t get updates." The worry is smeared all over his face. His voice is on the brink of shattering but he keeps his cool. All I can do is point down the hall.

"Room 2301, down that way." I sputter.

He hastens in the direction of my hand, his blazer billowing like a superhero’s cape. I dash after him. It’s as I suspected. Doctor Ezra is done checking on his patient and reports that Asher seems just fine.

Asher looks weak and is barely able to keep his eyes open. An oxygen mask is strapped to his nose. Mother grabs one of his hands and holds it to her cheek. Everyone else pulls a sad face even though the doctor has clearly said Asher will live.

"Father." All necks snap in the direction of the door as Ashton and I make our way in. His father lunges towards him, along with Ashley.

"Where the hell have you been? Your brother almost died!" Father growls. He grits his teeth silently.

"I’m deeply sorry, father. I had an appointment at the outskirt of town and got stuck in traffic while rushing back." Ashton sidesteps his fuming father, pats Ashley on the shoulder before going to stand by Asher’s bed. By his side, he clenches his fists. "Hey champ, you don’t look so intimidating from this angle."

Asher’s eyes crinkle in a smile. With a little gesture, doctor Ezra helps him take the mask off. He draws in a lungful of air and stares across the room at all the worried faces. On cue, the doctor and his daughter exit to give our family a moment. When father attempts to scold Asher for playing with his life and keeping his family in the dark about such a huge thing, Ashton shields his brother.

"Not now, father. We will discuss all that in due time. He just woke up. Spare him. We don’t need him under any kind of stress that could aggravate his condition." Behind him, I see Asher link his hand with Ashton’s. A small smile finds its way onto my lips. They might not be Brett’s biological children like Josh Randall but they’re definitely brothers.

"He’s right honey. Please, we can talk about that later. Our son just cheated death. Give him a break." Mother adds before planting a kiss on Asher’s forehead. The doting starts. "How are you feeling, my dear? Does it hurt anywhere? Do you need anything at all? Just blink twice for yes and once for no."

"He can talk, Barbara." Father reminds her.

"Does he have to, though?" She responds, making Asher smile.

"I’m okay, mom. I don’t feel any pain." Asher looks round the room. "I didn’t mean to scare you guys. I am sorry for how poorly I handled this. I kept procrastinating. I was partly in denial because I take great care of my health and a sudden brain tumor didn’t seem right to me." Now, his eyes find father’s. "There was always something to do at work that made taking some time off to check into the hospital and get my surgery done pale in significance. I was getting by with my drugs. I didn’t think it had gotten so bad until I was on the brink of collapsing." His eyes track to Nessa at a corner of the room. "Thanks Nessa. You saved my life."

Nessa dabs her tears and nods weakly.

"I’d like a word with Asher." Father says in a low voice that somehow manages to echo in everyone’s head. Silently, we all begin to exit the room. Nessa finally agrees to go home and get some rest while Ashton huddles with his brothers to figure out a way to tackle the media nestled outside.

Mother comes outside with Mila and our eyes meet. It’s been so long since we exchanged warm glances, especially since Nicci’s pregnancy announcement.

I want to get out of here. I don’t belong among them but my hands are tied for now. I watch as Mila makes the effort to cheer mother up and win her heart and all I can think of is how badly that will backfire. Unless a daughter-in-law from a wealthy and influential family like the Spellman family is automatically entitled to a more humane treatment than I have been receiving, I find it sickening to watch how desperately she’s trying to make a place for herself in the Rollins family.

Father steps out and mother rushes back in, with Mila in tow, to be with Asher.

"What are they saying?" Father asks his sons.

"It’s mostly speculations as to our health but so far, nothing concrete. I think they’ll eventually get tired and go away." Ashton replies.

"We can’t leave them guessing for too long or they’ll end up fabricating lies that could hurt us. Let’s give them something believable to run on their blogs so they’ll be sated for a few days and get off our backs."

When his eyes track to me and settle with a dark glint, I instantly realize I am about to be used once again by the family. He doesn’t even have to say anything. One look at his sons and they get the picture. The next thing I know, I am being given a scripted response for the media and being forced to check into the hospital for as long as Asher remains there.

I bite down on my lower lip to stifle my rage as I watch father address the journalists on the plasma TV in my hospital room, assuring them that my pregnancy scare had the family in a panic but that everything was being taken care of.

"Both mother and child are fine." He reiterates while Ashley stands next to him like a robot, bobbing his head in agreement. I almost fling a pillow at the TV. Once again, my feelings don’t matter. I am only a puppet for the Rollins to pull in whatever direction they deem fit.

After the journalists are dismissed, I scowl at Ashley as he comes into my room.

"Father is going to have Asher discreetly transported home. His treatment will continue there."

"Good." I leap off my bed and begin to gather my things. Good thing I don’t have to spend another second in here.

"Demi."

Something about the way he calls my name makes my muscles slack. I hope it’s not what I am thinking.

"What?"

Ashley is rubbing the spot between his eyes when I turn to him.

"I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you. Ashal was right. It’s not your fault that I failed to see the signs. My brother was literally dying and I didn’t know." He sighs deeply. The worry lines on his head indicate he is still not over the stress of the situation. "I understand why you couldn’t tell anyone about Asher’s secret. I hope you can forgive me."

I don’t want to, at least not so soon but I recall I am going to need his help with visiting Nicola so I cave. With a lazy shrug of my shoulder, I mumble a response that he discerns as forgiveness.

"Thank you." He silently walks out. I wait a bit before calling Liam back. He is amazed at how easy it is for my in-laws to use me for their selfish ends. I cut him off as my impatience grows.

"Release the pictures."

"What? The ones of Brett and his biological son?"

"No. Not yet. That’s our trump card for now." I take a deep breath. "The ones with him and Mrs. Randall on dates. They managed to suppress Asher’s health condition by using me. They’re about to regret it. Let’s shake things up a bit with a cheating scandal about the patriarch of the Rollins empire."

This will also be my payback to mother for how she switched up on me the second I was no longer having her grandchild. Let’s see how she feels after learning that her husband has been lying to her about not knowing Josh or his mother very well. Even if Brett manages to fool the public and deny the pictures, his wife being an overthinker won’t be so easy to convince. I am hoping this is the beginning of cracks in their marriage.

"Release a bunch of them at once so Brett can’t deny that there is some kind of relationship between him and Josh’s mom." Something flits across my mind. "Oh, Liam, sell the pics anonymously to another blog and let them release the posts first. I don’t want too much heat on you from the Rollins. Lately, they’re convinced you’re out to get them and want your head on a pike."

Liam laughs to that. "They won’t be the first. Wow. A cheating scandal about THE Brett Rollins, a model husband and father sounds refreshing. I’ll pay big bucks to see how Barbara reacts to Brett and his baby mama." He pauses. "Mrs. Randall and her son will jump on this."

"I’m hoping they do. I’ll work on them so they both itch to reveal the big secret."

"Ok, I like this energy, Demi. Keep it up."

"Oh, I intend to."

I hang up and put up my best devious smile. This should be fun. Asher, the ultimate problem fixer is bedridden and mostly drowsy from medication. I’d like to see how his family manages to clean this mess up, especially from within.

That night when we arrive home, my bones ache badly. While everyone caters to Asher, I retire to my room for a much-needed bath but while I am taking off my jewelry in front of my dresser, someone knocks on my door.

"Go away!" I yell. I have no energy to talk to anyone right now.

"It’s Halle." A soft whisper sails through.

Halle? Then it must be urgent. I unlock my door and let her in.

"Halle, what’s wrong?"

"Someone came looking for you today but fortunately, everyone had already left to the hospital."

My mind goes blank. Who would come looking for me at the mansion without calling me first?

"Who did?"

"He claimed he was your uncle, your father’s brother." Halle watches as my vision blurs. "He promised emphatically to return to meet his billionaire in-laws to make a proper introduction." Halle wrings her hands nervously now. "Demi, wont this pose a problem? I don’t think that man means well. What if he reveals your identity as the daughter of a former employee of the Rollins group who died controversially? We’ll be done for."

My brain turns to mush as I stagger to my bed. Uncle Marcel is in Danvarr? Fuck. How did he find me?