36:26 A Chase Encounter

Chapter 1

Before

"Everything is going to be fine Brian, I'm going to drive you back home so you can stay with Lucy ok?" Jayda said, trying to soothe little Brian from thinking the worst of their current situation.

"No, I want to stay here Godmother, " He said, firmly.

Jayda exhaled a deep breath and just simply pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Everything is going to be fine okay?" She assured

Brian although far too young, understands life way better than an adult and it's mostly because he learned to appreciate life from the moment he could say 'mom'.

"Are they going to die?" He asked, his voice trembling with uncertainty.

"No, I promise they won't. God would never take them away from you"

Even Jayda wasn't so sure but she was willing to say anything to keep the nine-year-old sane.

"Did you talk to him?" He asked slowly pulling away from the hug. His eyes looked like a deep blue ocean trapped in a glass.

"Every second sweetheart" she gave him a kissed on the centre of his eyebrows.

"I want to talk to him too, " He said

"Sure you can" Her cell phone began to ring "give me a minute"

She took a few steps from the little boy to receive her boyfriend's call.

"Hi, how's Lucy?" She asked.

"She's fine. How's Kyle and Adeline?"

"It's bad Donnie, I couldn't break the dire situation to Brian. I tried to persuade him to come over but he wouldn't even budge. They're still in the O-R"

"What are the chances?"

"There could be a severe head injury from the tumbling." She said, her hands trembling from the fear of losing her best friends.

"I wish I could be there"

"Just take care of Lucy, I'll be back after the surgery and they're stable"

"You ate?"

"I can't even stomach my saliva and poor Brian wouldn't eat anything"

A little twirl made Jayda see the Doctor exit the Operation room.

"I gotta go, Doc is here"

"You take care J, I love you." He said

"I love you too" she hung up and hurried to where the Doctor stood.

"The operation went successfully but they are not out of danger yet, we still need to conduct more internal tests to be sure nothing has been missed"

"Thank you so much Doctor, can we see them?" She asked while Brian gripped on to her fingers tightly.

"I suggest you come back tomorrow morning, you both need to rest" He bent down to meet Brian's height.

"You are one tough dude" He complimented before leaving the both of them in the long and empty hallway.

"Mommy and Daddy are going to be fine and the Doctor is right, you need to rest. We'll be back as early as possible in the morning"

He was hesitant as though some kind of force was pulling him to stay back but deep down he knows better.

He gave her a nod and together they exit the hallway.

They arrived at Jayda's home half an hour later to meet Lucy asleep in the arms of Donnie her father.

"Hey Don" Jayda whispered trying not to wake her sleeping beauty up.

"How did it go?" Donnie asked

"They're stable at the moment and more tests will be conducted once they're out of anaesthesia"

"Hey buddy, come here" He signalled for Brian to come over which he did.

"Your parents are going to be fine ok?"

He returned with a nod.

"I'll sleep on the couch, you can sleep with Lucy in our bedroom so Brian can take Lucy's"

"No, I don't want to sleep alone. I want to be with you Godmother" He pleaded and they couldn't say no.

"Ok sweetheart" to Donnie "you can sleep in our room, we'll be in Lucy's"

Donnie properly lifted Lucy on his shoulder and went up the stairs with Jayda and Brian following behind.

TWO HOURS LATER.

Jayda stepped out of the house to join Donnie who is seated on a rocking chair at the porch with a cigarette in hand.

"He finally slept, " she said, taking a seat beside Donnie.

The duo had met during their final year in high school with Adeline as the trio and eventually Kyle as the quartet. They all came out of families that didn't have much or no finance. Adeline grew up in the orphanage and attended the community public high school where she met Jayda whose parents are also dead and was leaving with her grandma before shamefully getting pregnant with three years old Lucy and kicked out of granny's house who later died a year after. Jayda still carries the guilt of not being able to settle the differences they had before her death. Like Jayda, Adeline who is a year older was raped at the age of eleven by her first foster dad who was later paedophile convicted got pregnant out of wedlock with Brian before meeting Kyle, the love of her life.

Kyle and Donnie both high school dropouts are the hood's sweet boys. Easygoing, caring, super nice and every girl's dream. They both work in a car repair shop and hell-bent on providing a convenient life for their sweethearts and children. A life they never had.

"Give me that" She collected the cigarette from his hand and began to puff.

"Kyle was drinking" He suddenly confessed

"What!" She said while trying to keep her voice on the lowest tone.

"He was drinking?" She asked

"Yes. He seemed to be caught up in some sort of deep thought and I suggested he wait for me to finish so I can drive him to pick Adeline from work and Brian from school but next thing I knew he already drove off"

"How could he do that?!" She looked up at the ceiling "I'm so disappointed"

"I'm sorry I let you down" He apologized

Her cell phone began to ring.

"It's the hospital" she picked immediately.

"Hello" She gasped in shock and abruptly stood up "I'll be there right away"

"What happened?" Donnie asked after she hung up.

"It's Adeline, she went into shock. I have to go"

"I'm coming with"

"What about the children?" She asked

"I'll take them to the neighbour's house"