I know it's kind'a short, but here's chapter 4. Please forgive any errors and enjoy!

Mercedes hadn't even thought to tell Sam about what had gone down outside of Milo's Dance Studio once she'd made it home that night. Besides, she was sure that he wouldn't have cared much anyhow. He didn't seem to care about much of anything these days.

Weeks passed with her watching her surroundings intensely every morning and every night and Sam hadn't once noticed her change in behavior. She was afraid and used to having the sense of security of her husband during times like these, but she didn't. She'd told Santana about the incident and she'd made sure not to go anywhere without her again, no matter what.

Mercedes sat at her desk inside of her office, reading over files. Her eyes glanced at the framed photo on the desk and she sighed. They looked so happy, she and Sam, and she wished that it were like that today. Turning the photo down on the desk, she turned to her computer. If there was anything that made her feel better, it was online shopping.

Before she could even add another item to her cart, there was a knock at the door and she straightened up in her seat.

It was her assistant, Tina Cohen-Chang, a beautiful Asian women whom she'd never had the pleasure of learning anymore about except for the fact that she was happily married. At least she looked happy.

"Mrs. Evans, you have a guy here who insist on seeing you."

"Does he have an appointment?" Mercedes asked, her eyebrows raised.

"No, but he says he won't leave until he meets with you." Mrs. Chang answered. "He's kind'a creepy."

Mercedes laughed. "Now, that's no way to treat a client." She looked at her appointments. "Tell him I will see him for only of 15 minutes then he has to leave because I am lined up with clients today and my next appointment is at 2:00."

"I sure will." Mrs. Chang nodded her head before exiting the office and closing the door behind her.

Before long, she was back and she wasn't alone. She entered, holding the door open for a rather dapper man before leaving the two alone.

"Hello." Mercedes greeted, smiling widely at the man approaching her desk now.

"Hello." The man said, sitting down in the seat in front of Mercedes and she raised her eyebrow.

"Your name is?" She asked.

"Oh!" The man answered quickly. "That's right. I'm sorry. I was just really intrigued by your beauty."

Mercedes smiled innocently. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The man answered. "But, I can't believe you don't remember me."

Mercedes looked at him closely. "No, have I worked with you before?" She asked. She usually remembered her clients quite well.

"No," the man shook his head. "Never. You have almost blinded me before though." He laughed and Mercedes shook her head.

"I'm Richard Gordon." He reached his hand over her desk and she hesitated before shaking it.

She knew exactly who he was. He was the creep who had forced her to mace him that night outside of Milo's Dance Studio.

"So, you do remember me, huh?" He smiled and she had to admit that he had a charming smile.

She nodded. "Yes, I-you"

"Yea, you maced me while I was trying to give you one of my cards."

"I only maced you because I felt threatened." Mercedes answered quickly.

"I understand." He nodded with a small smile. "I mean, what woman wouldn't fear for their life if they came outside to an unfamiliar man leaning up against their car."

Mercedes only looked at him.

"I was wrong and I apologize for doing that to you." He held his hands up at her. "Now, I'm just going to reach into my jacket pocket and give you one of my cards, if you're not going to spray me again." He laughed softly and when Mercedes still didn't say anything, he reached into his pocket and retrieved a small card to hand to her.

"My business is on there as well as my address and my cell and home phone number."

Mercedes took the card. "Okay, I'll take a look at it." She nodded. "Now, how may I help you."

"Well, actually all I wanted to do was apologize and give you my card." He answered. "And well, for you to give me a call sometimes. You know, maybe let me take you out."

Mercedes was shocked. How did this even come into the picture. "Take me out?" She chuckled.

Richard nodded. "Yea, why is that funny?"

"You have to be kidding me." She answered.

"Why would I be kidding you?" He asked.

Mercedes said nothing as she held up her hand to him, showing off her ring.

Richard only humped his shoulders. "I don't care about that."

Mercedes laughed again. "You're joking."

"If I were joking, I wouldn't have come here after you maced me." He spoke calmly.

"Im sorry that-"

"Look, I know that you're married. Happily married? I'm not really sure of that but I know that you are a beautiful woman, one who I would really love to get to know."

Mercedes stood up from her desk then. "Okay...hmmm, Richard." She made her way around the desk and held out her hand to him. "You can go now. I have a 2:00 appointment."

Richard ignored the hand in front of him and instead pointed at the picture turned down on her desk. "What's that?" He asked curious.

"That's just...That's a picture. It must have fallen."

"Oh..." Richard laughed. "So, are you not gonna sit it back up or?"

"What?" Mercedes asked, following his gaze. "Oh, yea!" She stumbled over to the desk to sit the picture up and he laughed some more.

"You're really cute." He stood up. "Miss?" He waited.

"Evans." She spoke softly, looking up at him.

"I said Miss meaning I want your first name." He said simply.

"You don't need it." She spoke back.

"Well..." He walked over to her desk to retrieve a small card from a card holder on her desk.

He read over it. "Miss Mercedes." He spoke to himself as of testing her name out on his lips before walking back over to her and holding out his hand.

"It was nice to formally meet you." He said and she shook his hand again.

"Now..." He started towards the door. "I really think you should consider letting me get to know you." He let his hand rest on the door knob, looking back at her. "I could get you out of this here office." He used his free hand to make a circular motion of the room. "Maybe help you to get your own firm started." He smiled.

Mercedes didn't move from her spot as she listened to him speak. Who exactly did he think he was? She wanted to curse at him, tell him to get he fuck out, and to never come back, but she wouldn't dare do that.

"Never in a million years." She answered instead.

Richard smiled slyly then and Mercedes could tell he was one for challenges and proving others wrong. "Never say never, Miss Mercedes."

As soon as Richard had left the office, Mercedes quickly walked over to her desk and picked up her phone.

"Mrs. Chang, I need you to see to it that Mr. Gordon never steps foot into my office again." She spoke into the receiver.


Mercedes was dizzy.

Sitting down in a chair in the corner of the dance studio, she watched as Santana approached her with a bottle of water.

"What the hell did you eat today?" Santana asked her and Mercedes took the bottle from her hand.

"I ate..." She thought hard and couldn't think of one thing in which she'd eaten. "I must have forgotten to eat."

"Mercedes, I swear to God if you're trying to starve yourself, I'll kill you." Santana whispered.

Mercedes drank from the bottle then looked up at Santana, her eyes wide. "Girl, if you don't-"

"I mean, I know you're not stupid enough to do anything like that though." Santana spoke quickly, cutting her off.

Mercedes didn't say anything as she leaned against the wall as she saw Micah quickly approaching.

"Are you okay?" He asked and Mercedes nodded.

"Yea, she's good." Santana spoke up as usual. "I think I'm just gonna run out and get her something to snack on then we're gonna head home."

Mercedes shook her head. "No, Santana. Don't worry about me. I'm good."

Santana sucked her teeth at the comment.

"You are clearly not fine." Micah spoke this time. "You should definitely let her go out and get you something to snack on before driving home." He looked at Santana. "There's a corner store right across the street." He dug into his back pocket and retrieved a bill. "Go get her some chips or something. I'll get her another bottle of water."

Mercedes stood up then. "All of this isn't necessary, really." She swayed a bit before before everything around her went completely dark.


Squinting, Mercedes opened her eyes enough to see Sam moving in close to her.

"Hey." He spoke softly and she frowned from the bright light around her.

"Hey." She spoke back. "What's going on?"

"You fell out." Sam spoke again. "Some guy said he found you lying outside in the parking lot at home and he brought you in. They've been giving you fluids since then. Said you were dehydrated."

Mercedes closed her eyes before slowly opening them again. "Will I be able to go home today?"

"You should be able to." Sam said softly. Just then the beeper on his waist started to go off and he looked down at it. "I have to go to the ER."

Mercedes nodded her head slowly, watching him run out of the room and around a corner.

She must have been drifting off to sleep again because she hadn't even heard the nurse come in to remove he IV.

"You are free to go, Mrs. Evans." The woman spoke with a smile and Mercedes exhaled softly.

"Thank you," She smiled back. "But I'll have to wait for my husband. I didn't drive here."

"I'll take her."

The nurse looked back at the voice and Mercedes looked past her and at the man who had come into her office earlier that morning.

"I brought you in. I'll take you home."

"Oookaay, so I'll just go and get your discharge papers and you're free to go." The nurse spoke slowly before exiting the room.

Mercedes couldn't find words to speak as the man walked towards her now.

"You-you're the one who brought me in?" She asked and he nodded his head.

"Yea, I saw you lying out in the parking lot so I brought you here."

Mercedes shook her head. "How-Why did you even? You know what-I don't even want to know."

The man smiled then. "I followed you home." He answered honestly. "I saw you in the dance studio. You didn't look too well and when your friend offered to drive you home, you fussed a great deal so she let you drive. She trailed you home and made sure you were inside, but for some reason you came back outside after she was gone."

"To check the mailbox." Mercedes whispered, remembering some of what had happened now.

"I guess so." He said. "I was just about to pull off until I saw you and that's when you fell."

Mercedes exhaled softly, listening to the man.

"Why didn't you go in and eat or drink something before coming back out?" He asked her.

"I guess I felt fine, I don't know." Mercedes answered.

Just then the woman came back in with Mercedes' discharge papers and before long, she was being rolled out of the hospital by Richard and he was helping her into his car.

"Thank you." She spoke when he climbed into the other side and started off from the hospital.

"No problem." He replied.

"Even though I think it's creepy as hell that you spy on me." She added.

"I don't spy on you." He chuckled.

"What the hell do you call it then?"

"I was looking out for you."

"What about the day out by the car when you told me you'd been watching me?"

Richard chuckled at that. "You make me sound like a bad guy."

"You-it's just weird. It's not right, you know? Besides, how do you own a business and have time to be invested in my life?"

"Maybe because I am my own boss."

"Oh." Mercedes replied, shrinking back in her seat.

"Yea." He said then all was quiet.

Before long, they were pulling up to her home and he was jumping out of the car to open the door for her-something that Sam no longer did.

"I got it. I can walk." She said when he tried to pick her up after she was completely out of the car.

"Okay." He stepped back a little and allowed her to walk.

"I can make it from here." She looked back and up at him who was following close behind her.

"I know, I just-" He watched her unlock the door. "I want to make sure."

When she opened the door, she went inside only to leave the door open to look out at him. "Thank you." She said again.

"You're welcome." He replied, taking a step backwards. "Oh and, you should probably let your husband know that you made it home safely. He almost looked worried when I saw him at the hospital."

When Mercedes didn't reply, he turned around to leave, only to turn back to her again. "I could, you know, go get you something to eat if you want me to."

"No." Mercedes said quickly. "That won't be necessary. I have plenty of food here."

"Okay." Richard said before turning to leave again.

Mercedes closed the door then hurried to look out of the blinds, watching Richard pull off and down the road. Part of her wanting to make sure that he left her home this time, while another part of her just wanted to watch him leave."

Making her way to the kitchen, she took out a lean cuisine and a bottle of water before gripping the edge of the counter and smiling widely.

Heeeyyy! So did you like it or did you love it? I know this chapter was shorter than the others but I do hope it was still enjoyable. Tell me what you guys thought of this chapter. Are you suspicious of Richard or do you like him? What are your feeling towards Sam? Leave a review, let me know. Until next time. :)