CHAPTER 8
"I got a job" I said slowly, placing the dinner plates on the table.
Alicia looked up surprised, "Oh?".
"…At the hospital" I said and she smiled, "You always did like helping people".
"Did i?" I wondered idly, "Well its not permanent or anything. Just volunteer work. Gives me something to do until I sort my head out".
"Makes sense" she said nodding, "When do you start?".
"Tomorrow… 6am… Tomorrow morning" I replied and she looked up again, "Could you drop of Rosa to playschool on the way?". Rosa. My daughter. Still felt strange to say it.
"Sure" I replied smiling slightly. I wasn't doing anything bad. Just dropping off a kid to playschool. My kid. I was bringing my daughter to playschool… Now that, I thought I'd never say.
"Ah, . Cómo me alegro de verte!" a woman said, bustling up to me. She looked like somebodies grandmother, small, round, grey curly hair. I half expected her to pull out some knitting needles from her cardigan. I'm guessing she was in charge of the playschool then.
(Ah, . How nice to see you!)
"Mi, mi, mi, ha sido un tiempo" she said and I nodded in agreement, "Tiene no es así". Even though I had no idea what she what she was on about.
(My, my, my, it has been a while) (It has, hasn't it)
"Y la pequeña Rosa María. Vaya, ¿no es adulto?" she continued, bending down to look at Rosa, who had once again, decided to clutch onto my leg.
(And little Rosa Maria. My, haven't you grown?)
"¿Está bien si mi mujer la recoge en torno a 15:00?" I asked, choosing my words carefully. The woman nodded, smiling up at me, "Por supuesto . Lo mismo de siempre".
(Is it ok if my wife picks her up around 3pm?) (Of course . Same as always)
I bent down next to Rosa, and she pulled me into a hug. Cute. "You be good ok?" I whispered and she nodded, sucking her thumb again. "Right… well I'll see you later then" I said slowly, standing back up, nodding in thanks to the old lady before making my way back to the car. The Mercedes-Bien. I couldn't ride the motorbike with a four year old could i? So I took one of the cars. And now, I had work.
"Estoy aquí para el-". "El trabajo voluntario. Lo sé. Yo fui el que te dijo. Toma asiento. Alguien estará con usted en breve" the receptionist finished, cutting me off. I sighed and walked over to the corner, sitting down.
(I'm here for the-) (Volunteer work. I know. I was the one who told you. Take a seat. Someone will be with you shortly)
A few minutes later, a doctor appeared. Or someone who I think was a doctor.
"Mr. Gomez " he said and I nodded, standing up.
"Your on time" he said bluntly and I looked around, "Its 6am. That's the time I was told to be here at. So… I'm here".
He smirked, "Yea. But we didn't expect you to be. We've been through a grand total of 19 volunteer workers in the past 3 weeks. Not one of them, turned up on time".
"Kind of defeats the point in getting a job" I said and he laughed, "Yes. It does. So thank you for being on time. I'm Dr. John Martinez".
"Sebatian Gomez" I replied, "Your English is very good".
"So is yours" he replied, "My fathers Mexican, mothers British".
"100% French. But I grew up with English as well" I lied. Well, who knows? It might be a lie. It might not be. I didn't know.
"So have you got any medical experience?" Martinez asked and I shook my head, "I was always the patient. Never the doctor".
"You've been in hospitals then?" he asked and I smirked, "You could say that".
"Ok, I don't mean to go all cliché here" I called, closing the front door behind me, "but Honey I'm Home". A few seconds later Alicia emerged from the kitchen laughing, "No, not all cliché".
I grinned, raising my hands in defeat, "I did warn you".
"Daddy!" Rosa yelled, running past her mother and over to me. I bent down and she pulled me into another hug, "I missed you".
"I missed you too" I replied smiling, "Have a good day?".
She pouted, "I fell".
"You fell?" I gasped, pretending to be shocked. She nodded, lifting her dress up to reveal a small graze on her knee.
I smirked, "Will it kill you?".
She thought for a minute, "…Maybe".
"MAYBE?" I asked amazed, "Would you survive if you got ice-cream?".
She grinned, revealing, perfectly white, straight baby teeth, "Ice-cream?".
"Only if you survive with your leg" I replied and she thought again, "…..I'll survive". I heard laughing and stood back up, turning to face Alicia, "What?".
She smiled, "It just… Your acting more like yourself". More like myself? Offering ice-cream to my daughter. More like myself. Hmmm.
"How was school?" I asked later that night and she looked up, "Same as usual. How was the hospital?".
"…Good. I got puked on by a kid who had too much candy" I replied and she laughed, "And you call that good?".
"Hey, I didn't have to clean it up. And it was pretty horrific" I replied grinning.
"Yea I suppose that is good considering what could have happened" she said yawning, "I'll put Raffy to bed".
"I'll sort out Rosa" I said, standing up and she smiled, "You always did".
"Come on, time for bed" I announced, once I had finally found Rosa. She was playing in her room, a huge, giant, pink, bedroom.
"Awww. Two more minutes?" she asked but I shook my head.
"5 more minutes?" she asked again, "11 more minutes?".
"Time to sleep Rosa" I replied smiling, picking her up. She laughed as I turned her upside-down.
"Are you going to go the sleep?" I asked and she grinned, "NEVER". I smirked, turning her right side up, tickling her, "What about now?".
"Nope" she replied giggling and I sighed, "No ice-cream for a week".
"For a WEEK?" she exclaimed pouting, "But that's forever!".
"Go to bed now and you can have some tomorrow" I shot back and she sighed, crossing her arms, "Fine. But you promised".
"Yes, I did. I promise you can have ice-cream tomorrow. Now come on, lights out" I replied, tucking her into bed. She was asleep within minutes. Smiling, I turned off the light, leaving on the dim lamp next to her bed, before quietly closing the door.
"She asleep?" Alicia asked passing me and I nodded, "Knocked out. Raffy?".
"Sound asleep. Id give him an hour before he starts crying" she replied grinning as she turned to me, "And YOU'RE the one getting up".
A green flash… Gold armour… Guns… Bullets… Bombs… Shouting…. Red Hair… Pale skin… Dangerous green eyes… Four bullet holes… Screaming… Blood… So, so much blood…
"Bas… SEBASTIAN" someone yelled shaking me awake and I shot up alarmed. Blood… there was so much blood. Gasping for breath, I turned to a scared looking Alicia. Alicia. My wife. I was at home. I was ok.
"Calm down, everything's alright" she said gently, softly rubbing my back. I was ok. I was alright. Everything was fine. Just relax. Come on man, snap out of it.
When my shaking finally ceased, I turned to Alicia, "What happened?".
She stared at me, "I was hoping you could answer that. All I know is you started… choking… shaking… fighting…". Fighting? I could fight?
"It was just a bad dream" I mumbled, slowly sitting up, shaking my head to clear the thoughts, "I'll go check on Raffy".
She silently watched me leave, but I could tell this matter wasn't over. And that it wouldn't be until I explained what the… dream… was about. But was it a dream, or was it memories?
