A/N: Hello my loverlies! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! i know they don't send out gifts for this holiday, but they do send out candy and treats though. So this is my special treat for you! A quick chapter! I want to thank you all for the amazing reviews. They always make me smile. I'm glad some of yall are loving the slow progression of Naley's relationship. I also apologize to those who think I'm making it too slow. But I mean,I'm a big fan of watching a relationship blossom rather than have it go straight to the point. I like progression. And sorry, Haley does not have any musical talent in this story. She probably does but it's not a big issue that will be focused on. She's a painter. She paints. That's her talent. :) I hope to hear more from you! You all always inspire me to continue on!
I hope you really enjoy this chapter!
love
Annie
Chapter 10
Nathan was in bed, staring blankly at his ceiling as he tried to separate his thoughts. He could barely sleep. For some odd reason he couldn't stop thinking about Haley. She was embedded in his mind and he couldn't get her out. He felt something earlier when he saw her trembling at the bus stop soaking wet from the rain and shivering because of the cold. He couldn't take his eyes off her when she looked at him with her hair pulled to the side with the jeweled hair tie he bought her. He felt something. Something that flickered in his chest. Something warm. Something powerful. It was similar to a rush of adrenaline. A rush that he liked but feared.
He quickly sat up in bed and remembered the hug earlier that day. It was the second time they embraced like that. The first one was at the Paint Shop when he agreed to help her become a woman. He was surprised by it and at the same time he liked it. But it was kind of strange because he had negative feelings towards her at the time. Now he found himself slowly growing attached to her which made the second hug more intense than the first one. It sent electricity through his body – through his veins; from his head to his toe; through his chest. He kind of wished it lasted longer than it did.
Then he thought about Jake and Haley and their supposed date. He was angry at the thought of him and her doing something – something unexceptional; something he didn't want them to do. He wanted to know what they were doing and if they were enjoying each others company. He wanted to know what they were talking about and if Haley was laughing at his jokes. He just wanted to know what was happening in general.
He groaned in frustration from all the strange thoughts in his mind and rubbed his face with his hands.
"Why the hell am I feeling this way?" Nathan mumbled through his hands. He removed them from his face and looked up. "I need a drink of water."
Haley was in the middle of eating from her bowl of mashed potatoes and thought about her day earlier. She couldn't help but love how caring and generous Nathan was. He saved her from the rain and bought her new clothes. He even replaced her broken hair tie with one that was ten times more beautiful than the original. The thought of it gave her some kind of breath of fresh air.
"I can't believe I never been to this place," Haley stated, eating her food. "Do you go here often?"
"Every other day. Sometimes I settle for fast food like McDonalds," Jake replied, pleased that he was actually spending some quality time with the girl of his dreams from high school. They talked for a while about old memories and classes. He even successfully made her laugh
"The food is excellent!"
"I figured you'd like it."
Haley tore a piece off of her barbecue chicken wings and paused to cough out the slight tingle in her throat. She coughed about three times before she placed the piece of meat in her mouth.
"Are you okay?" Jake asked concerned.
She shook her head as she chewed on her food. "I'm alright. I think I'm catching something. It's probably because I walked in the cold rain earlier."
Jake's eyes widened. "You what? Why did you do that?"
"I was being stupid and the cabs refused to stop for me. I figured the buses were going to be packed with people so I just walked."
"That's not really the smartest thing to do."
She let out a light laugh and pictured Nathan standing in front of her when she woke up from her slumber at the bus stop. "Good thing Nathan found me."
Jake swallowed his food and observed Haley's expression when she mentioned his boss's name. "That's heroic of him," he stated, hoping he didn't sound too dry.
"I know," she smiled. "It's weird, he's always showing up to save me."
"He's done this more than once?"
"A couple," she replied. "When I was vulnerable and drunk on the sidewalk by the art gallery one night, Nathan appeared and took care of me. Then he saved me at the club when this old man was trying hit on me. He came and pretended to be my boyfriend to keep him away."
He especially saved me from being a broken mess because of Julian. He saved my family from working thrice as hard to pay for his car debt. He's saving me right now.
"He's done a couple of things for me that I am so thankful for. Like this job. It's one of the things I appreciate the most," Haley added. "At first I didn't think he was someone that could be forgiven or tolerated, but it turns out that that jerk 's not as bad as I thought he was."
To Jake it seemed like Haley had already set her eyes on someone. She probably hadn't confirmed it or realized it yet, but Jake could see from the look in her eyes and the curl of her lips that there was someone on her mind. It kind of hurt him to realize that just by listening and watching her. But if he could be this close in proximity to her and talk about things like this, it was good enough for him. There was still a chance for him though. Until she confirms that she's made her choice or rejects him, Jake will continue to do what he wished he had done during high school.
"Haley!" Vivian called out from the door way as she stuffed one of her textbooks in her back pack.
"Where is she?" Lydia questioned. "She's supposed to be getting ready for work."
Her youngest daughter shrugged her shoulders and zipped up her bag. "I don't know. She's probably still in bed," she answered.
Lydia sighed as she grabbed her bag that was packed with a bunch of colorful fabrics and her sewing kit. A woman needed to get her daughter's debut outfits custom made so Lydia had to be there early to get everything set up. She couldn't be late but she couldn't let Haley be late either. She was always awake at this time.
"Well aren't you going to wake her up!"
"Mom, I'm going to be late for the bus!" Vivian waved her arm outside where the yellow vehicle was nearing the corner of their street.
"Fine. Just go to school," Lydia stated. "Haley will wake up eventually. She's probably taking in a few more minutes of sleep. She's been exhausted all week. It must be from all that work."
"It's her fault for working two jobs. I mean really, who does that?" Vivian complained.
"Vivvy, stop it. Your sister is doing it for us especially for you so appreciate it."
"Whatever," Vivian rolled her eyes. "How long do I have to work at the Paint Shop anyways?"
"Until I say you can stop."
"That's not really fair. Mr. Kim can fire me anytime he wants to. You can't really stop that."
Lydia looked at her daughter curiously and folded her arms across her chest. "Are you planning on getting yourself fired or something?"
"No, I'm just saying. What if he fires me? Then what?"
"That's not going to happen. He's a close friend of ours. Until I tell him that he can release you, you will continue working there."
"Mom, it sounds like you're putting me in jail," she complained. "I have no life now!"
"Tough luck," Lydia smiled, patting her daughter on the back. "Let's go. Your bus is here."
"Ugh!" Vivian complained, stomping down the steps of their porch.
"Haley! We're leaving!" Lydia cried out. She waited for a response but no one answered. She grew concerned because of the silence. It was just odd that Haley wasn't awake at this time. She wanted to walk down the hall to check on her, but she was running late already. "You better wake up or you'll be late for work!" she called out again and heard a few mumbles. She took that as a sign that she was still alive and shut the door behind her.
From her bedroom, Haley was wrapped up in multiple blankets. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and glanced at her digital clock that said 7:30. She moaned at the time and peeled the comforters off her body. She ached as she moved around and struggled to climb out of bed. Then she realized that her hairline was drenched. She must've been sweating all night.
For the past week, Haley was getting ill. She figured it was just a cold because she walked in the cold rain the other day, but now it seemed like it got worse. Her throat was sore, her body ached, and she wasn't feeling good at all. Even if she was feeling ill, she still went to work. She had to work. She couldn't slack. The money was needed for her family. There were a couple of bills that needed to be paid and she couldn't let a simple illness hold her back.
Haley walked over to her bathroom down the hall and splashed cold water on her face. Then she glanced at her pale complexion in the mirror and groaned at the sight. There were dark bags underneath her eyes and her lips were dry.
"Great," she mumbled. "I just had to get extremely sick on open mic night. Nathan is going to kill me if I back down now."
She sighed deeply and prepared a cold shower to at least make her feel better. Then she got ready for work. She wore a thick scarf around her neck with a jacket over a simple t-shirt and some polka dotted pants she didn't even know she put on. Then she took the city bus to the mall.
Everyone looked at her strangely on the bus. They were fascinated and overwhelmed with her bright lime green polka dotted pajama pants and UGGs. She really didn't care because she was trying to cope with her sickness through this developing cold autumn weather. All that mattered was work right now and her loyalty to her bosses.
Clay placed a stack of trays in the corner by the counter and looked over at Nathan who was scratching the back of his head roughly. He was thinking a lot again. He always had the tendency to scratch at the back of neck when he was frustrated or thinking too much. It was either one or both.
"Stressed out?" Clay questioned, approaching the counter.
Nathan turned to Clay and grabbed the blender to make the smoothie he was planning on making. "Just a little. I'm just unsure of how well this open mic night deal is going to turn out."
"You don't need to worry about that," Clay replied, leaning against the marble counter. "I've already advertised to everyone that I know that I'll be singing. It's going to be packed."
Nathan grabbed a few fruits, some ice from the mini ice box, sugar and a small bottle of milk. "You know that many people?"
"I'm Clay Evans, of course I know a lot of people. Just you wait. This place is going to be filled with beautiful women."
Placing all the ingredients inside, Nathan sighed. "Are any of those women from different age groups and are some of them guys?"
Clay furrowed his eyes at Nathan as he watched him close the lid on the blender. "Umm. Yes to the first question and 'I didn't know that you were like that Nate' to the second question," he joked.
"You know what I mean. We can't just have women as our customers. There needs to be a variety of people to please. Both men and women. Old and young. Chivalry café is a community café. A place where families can enjoy breakfast or brunch."
"Well don't worry about it. There's going to be a variety of people. I'm sure Percy invited some of his older pals. Jake probably invited his buddies. Tim doesn't have any friends other than us. And didn't Haley say that she gave out fliers at the mall?" Nathan nodded. "Then it's going to be a success. Don't stress over it."
Nathan pressed the blend button and held the cap tightly so that it wouldn't rip off. "I know. I'm just. . . I really want this place to be something to be proud of. I don't want it to be tacky or disastrous," he stated.
"Nate, you got this. You have us. This place is going to be bad ass in the next couple of months. Just watch," Clay stated as he turned around to wait the tables.
She coughed and sniffed and dropped many boxes of items in the backroom of the Paint Shop. Haley tried her best to use enough of her strength to push and pull some of the art pieces, but she was too weak to move any of her muscles. She felt drained and exhausted. But she wasn't going to let it interfere with her responsibilities. She was going to fight it out.
"Look, Haley, I brought my guitar!" Mr. Kim stated, walking into the back of the room with his wooden acoustic guitar in his hands. It was obvious that he had it for a long time. The strings were worn out and had been readjusted many times. She knew because she remembered watching her father's own guitar look like that after he tuned it.
"I can't wait to hear what you have prepared for tonight," Haley managed to get out through her stuffy nose.
Mr. Kim stopped messing around with his guitar and looked up at the ill child in front of him. He noticed how oddly discolored Haley looked the moment she walked into the store. He didn't think much of it until now. She looked insanely sick.
"You sure you can work today? I worry about you sickness, Haley," he stated, walking up to her. He placed the back of his hand on her forehead and then to her neck. "You burning up. You need lie down."
"I can do it. I am still walking, breathing and I can still see. That's all I need to be able to work."
"You wanna die?"
"Mr. Kim don't talk like that. I'm fine. I drank a ton of liquids before I came here and I even brought some of my own. I set them under the counter up front. I also took some medicine."
"You sick. No work for you," he stated, grabbing her arm. He wasn't convinced that Haley was able to make it just by drinking liquids and taking medicine. She was seriously sick to the bone. She needed help.
"Mr. Kim!" she complained. "I'm fine. I have a ton of portraits to add to the collection in the store."
"I am wise, Haley. I know what I'm talking about. You drink more water and get more rest. You need it."
"Mr. Kim I am fine," she replied, pulling her arm weakly from his grip. "I have a few more hours and I'll be home."
"But you got work at café."
Haley winced at the thought along with the ache from her migraine and sighed. "Oh yeah."
"Call your boss and say you take off."
"I can't. It's open mic night."
"Haley, why you do this to yourself? You sick! Take care of your body!"
She figured that Mr. Kim wasn't going to accept anything she wanted to do so she lied about calling Nathan. She was going to show up to work whether she was sick or not because that's how loyal she was to him. She couldn't let him down. Open mic night was her idea. She had to be there.
"I will call him."
"Good!" Mr. Kim replied, patting her on the shoulder. "I go buy some juice and icepack. Don't strain yourself."
"Okay," she smiled weakly as she watched him walk out of the backroom.
Once he disappeared, she sighed deeply and let out a few coughs and sniffles. Then she continued to fix all the items around.
Julian sat in his office, examining all his clients' files for his next trial. He's been trying to focus more on work and less on the drama that he's been going through. He was a single man. Both of the girls he loved were gone. They pretty much hated him. He understood Haley's reason, but he still couldn't really understand Alex's.
He sighed deeply and opened one of his drawers where he found a photo of him and Haley at a carnival. She was holding a large stick of pink cotton candy and a large bear under her arm. She looked so happy there. He did too. Then he turned it around and read the writing on the back.
Julian! Honey! Here's a copy of our picture at the carnival. This was one of the best days – scratch that- THE BEST day of my life. It was our first date! It was perfect just like you. Thank you for winning that bear for me and thank you for cheering me on at the water gun game. I will never forget this day. I'm so glad that we got this far. Happy One Year Anniversary honey! I love you!
Love, Haley
He felt a sudden ache in his chest after reading the note. His eyes began to water a little at the memory of her smiling and laughing as they strolled around the carnival. He was actually happy at the time. He felt like he was gifted with someone as angelic as her. But he ruined it because he wanted more than what he was given. He couldn't believe that he destroyed something as perfect as his relationship with Haley. He was going to marry her for God's sakes. Why did he ruin it? Why did he settle for Alex? Was it because of sex? Was it because he was slowly falling out love? He couldn't understand himself either. But now, he was regretting everything he's done. He wanted her back. I wanted to be forgiven. But it was going to be hard after breaking her heart.
Jake and Tim started setting up the stage area by pulling away all the tables and chairs from the corner of the room. They placed a mic stand and a key board by the window so people could see from the outside patio. Then they placed a stool so the performer could sit and play if they wanted to.
Nathan glanced at his watch, realizing that Haley hadn't showed up to work yet. She was supposed to be at work around four and it was already a quarter to seven. He needed her here to help organize the place. He needed her to help make this open mic night a success. They already had a few prepared performances for tonight like Clay, a couple solos, two local teen bands, and Mr. Kim. But he was scared that after all of that, no one's going to go up there and sing.
"Where the hell is Haley?" he whispered to himself.
Then he moved his eyes towards Jake. For the past week, Jake and Haley had been awfully close. It seemed like something happened between them during their little barbecue outing. Jake beamed every time Haley was around, but he always beamed when she was around. Except his time he seemed more comfortable around her presence. More relaxed and outgoing. Nathan figured he probably knew why she wasn't showing up to work.
"Hey Jake!" he called out.
The wavy haired brunette finished adjusting the keyboard and looked up to his approaching boss.
"Yes?"
"Do you know where Haley is? She was supposed to be at work a couple of hours ago."
Jake shrugged. "I don't know. I know that she's been sick all week. Maybe she's resting."
"If that's the case, she should've just called me."
"Then you should call her," he suggested.
"I thought you two were close now."
"We are," Jake answered. "I just don't know where she is at this moment. But if you want me to, I'll call her."
Nathan shook his head. "No, I'll do it. Just get everything ready."
Jake nodded, unsatisfied by Nathan's attitude and walked towards the rest of the guys who were fixing all the tables.
Pulling out his phone, Nathan pressed on Haley's name in his phone book and walked up the stairs towards his office. He heard it ring four times, but no answer. He waited a little longer, but still no answer. Finally, before hanging up, Haley finally answered the phone.
"Hello?" she greeted her voice hoarse.
"Where the hell are you?"
"Home. I'm sorry, I should've called."
"Yes you should've!" he snapped.
"I came home straight from the Paint Shop to change into my work clothes but the moment I laid on my bed I fell asleep. I'm a little sick right now, but I'll be there. I promise. I'm sorry if I made you stressed out."
Nathan sighed as he looked out the window and noticed all the customers coming towards the café in packs.
"No you didn't worry me. Just get here, okay?"
"I will."
They both hung up and he continued gazing at the amount of people walking into the coffee shop. He couldn't believe the sight. It was a magnificent amount of people. Hopefully the night turns out better than what he expects.
Vivian quickly climbed out of Mr. Kim's vehicle to run up to the café which had the biggest crowd she's ever seen. They arrived straight from the Paint Shop after closing. Lydia was still busy with the debut dresses so she couldn't come along. So she asked Mr. Kim to just bring Vivian with him. Mr. Kim followed Vivian after he grabbed his ancient acoustic guitar from the back seat and entered the café filled with people.
Vivian looked around the place to search for the one guy she was waiting to see all week. It was unfair for her to be working straight after school during the week because she never got to see Clay. Finally the day has found him serving a couple of people at a table with a tray of coffees and she sighed at how handsome he looked wearing that black and white uniform. Clay looked up from the table and noticed Vivian at the entrance. He smiled at her and she waved happily back.
"I hope you enjoy it," he stated to the table he was serving and started walking towards Vivian.
She could feel her heart beating rapidly beneath her chest as he came nearer. She wasn't sure how to cope with the way her body was trembling at the sight of him. It was like a dream come true. But she didn't know how to handle it.
"Hey Vivian!" he greeted, embracing her in a tight hug. She nearly melted in his arms from the scent of his sweet cologne. "I haven't seen you in ages. Did your sister come along?"
She smiled nervously but then she stopped. She was confused. "What? She's not here?"
"No. I thought she was with you."
"No," Vivian answered slowly.
"We've been looking for her all day. Do you think something happened to her?"
"I don't know. She's been acting strange lately. This morning she didn't even wake up early for work."
"Let's hope she comes. We need her," Clay stated.
"Yeah, I'll call her if you want me to?" she smiled.
He looked down at the young girl in front of him. She was cute. It was obvious that she had a huge crush on him. He could tell by the way eyes gazed at him and by her body language. But she was way too young for him to be hitting on. He wanted to make sure that he didn't lead her into thinking he liked her in that way.
"Sure," he said. "You go call her and I'll get back to work. Tell me if you can get a hold of her."
"I will," she grinned.
"Alright, kiddo. I'll talk to you later," he stated, turning around. But then he paused and looked back at her. "Oh, are you staying the whole night?"
She was about to dial Haley's number but then she stopped and she nodded at him. "Yes."
"Good. I'll be singing tonight. I don't want you to miss it. It's going to be awesome!"
Vivian giggled softly. "I can't wait!"
He chuckled at her giddiness. "K, I'll see you later."
Once he was out of her sight, she sighed deeply and placed her hand against her chest. Vivian needed a moment to soak in what just happened. He hugged her and wanted her to stay to hear him sing. It was all too perfect.
In the middle of her moment, she felt someone push her aside. She was distraught and looked behind her at the people walking through the entrance.
"Hey! Watch it!" she cried out as they pushed her further to the side.
She stumbled on her feet and glared at everyone that past her by. Then after a couple of people, she found Haley dragging herself through the entrance. This was the first time she's seen her all day. She looked awful. Haggard. Exhausted. Pale. Dead.
"Haley!" Vivian called out, holding her sister's shoulders. "You look horrible!"
Haley struggled to widen her eyes and she pushed a strand of her hair from her face. "Thanks," she answered dryly.
"Are you sick?" she questioned as people rudely pushed them out of the way. Again, Vivian glared at them.
"I'm just a little sick."
"You don't look a little sick. You look deathly ill!"
"I'm fine," Haley snapped, removing her sister's hands off her. "I need to get to work. So behave."
"Haley!" Vivian called out as her older sister walked past her towards the kitchen.
"Vivian! I'm fine! I'm going to clean myself up and work. Don't worry about me!" Haley snapped, pushing through the swinging doors.
Vivian groaned, forgetting her stubborn sister and searched around for her friends.
Haley was in the middle of washing her hands when Nathan walked into the kitchen.
"There you are!" he stated in relief. "I need you to organize who's going to perform first and. . ." he stopped when she turned to him. He's never seen such a drained out complexion than the one in front of him. "Haley, what happened to you?"
"Nothing. I'm just falling ill. But I can still work," she smiled.
He furrowed his eyes at her and observed the bags under her eyes and the sound of her coughs. "You sound contagious."
"No, no. It's just a cold. Nothing serious."
He lifted an eyebrow. "For my customers' safety, I think you should just stay in the kitchen."
"What?" she snapped.
"You're coughing like crazy!"
"No I'm-"she stopped to let out a raspy cough. "Okay, maybe I am. But I'm fine. Let me just pick up the cups and plates so that I can clean them. I won't make coffee or anything."
"Are you sure you can work?"
"Yes!" she answered, annoyed. "I'm tired of people worrying about me today."
"Well what do you expect? You look like death."
She scoffed. "You need me right now. You can't send me away."
He thought about it for a second and realized that she was right. But he had this gut feeling that he couldn't let Haley suffer with her sickness. Her health was more important than the success of open mic night. Yet he couldn't refuse it.
"Fine," he gave in. "But if you can't handle it anymore just stop and sit down for a while."
"I'll be okay, I promise," she smiled weakly as she patted him on the shoulder to walk out towards the crowded cafe.
"I hope so," he mumbled to himself before following her out.
The old Asian man slowly walked up on stage with his guitar. He sat on the stool with one knee on the little attachment at the bottom. Then he pulled out his red pick from his jacket pocket and glanced up at the crowd. He didn't look nervous or worried. He just stared out at everyone, looking them straight in the eyes with such glee and happiness as if he knew each one of them individually. Like he was looking deep into their soul, hoping to gain their full attention.
Haley leaned against the counter to focus on him. Mr. Kim closed his eyes and took in one deep breath before he began to play a tune. She wasn't sure what song he was playing, but it sounded really familiar. She figured it could've been a song he played with her father when she was younger. It was a very vague memory, but she was glad that she was able to listen to the song clearly now.
She watched as he glided his fingers along the neck of the guitar and continued to play a beautiful melodic song. There were no words, just notes and the smoothness of the music. Everyone didn't seem interested in the old man's performance. It irritated Haley because they were supposed to be paying attention to him. But everyone kept moving around and talking as if he wasn't there. After his instrumental intro, Mr. Kim finally started singing the lyrics. At first it surprised everyone because it was in Korean, but after a while, they all slowly stopped what they were doing to listen to the man's magnificent voice. That's when Haley grew pleased. The man was singing in a different language for goodness sakes, but they didn't care. Music was music. If it sounded amazing, it was amazing. And Mr. Kim was definitely amazing.
Nathan was by the entrance, leaning back against the wall and his arms folded across his chest. He couldn't help but stay still at the sound of the foreign music coming from the mic. The melody was soothing to his ears and obviously to everyone else's in the café as well. Then he turned to the side and found Haley sitting on a stool by the counter, still pale as can be, but with a smile displayed on her lips.
He couldn't believe how strong and loyal she was. Despite her illness, she was still supporting him and smiling. That wasn't easy to do. Usually when Nathan was sick, he wouldn't care about anything or anyone. He'd be upset all day because he wasn't at his healthiest. But seeing Haley walking around the cafe, smiling at people, and covering up whatever illness she had was impressive. It made him realize that Haley was stronger than he ever was. He always thought she was weak because of the break up, but other than that, she was strong. She just a fragile heart. That was all.
Haley winced from her current migraine and coughed a little bit. Then she felt like someone was watching her so she turned to the side and found Nathan looking at her. Their eyes met for a split second until he quickly looked away. She furrowed her eyes at him and continued staring. It was pretty obvious he was staring at her. She saw him.
Nathan knew he kept his eyes on her too long so he looked away, but Haley never turned around. She kept looking at him. He grew a bit nervous and a little irritated so he slowly glanced at her. Then he looked away. Then he looked back at her again after realizing that she was still staring at him.
"What?" he mouthed.
"You were looking at me," she whispered quietly.
He shook his head. "No I wasn't."
"I saw you!" she mouth.
Nathan chuckled quietly and signaled that she was crazy. Haley scoffed and watched as he looked towards the mic and started clapping. She did the same when she realized that Mr. Kim was finished. When Haley finally stopped clapping, she turned her head towards Nathan, but he disappeared. Her eyes furrowed and started looking around for him. She stepped down from her stool and suddenly felt herself grow dizzy. She quickly grabbed the edge of the counter to keep her balanced and took in deep breaths.
"Haley. Are you okay, sweetie?" Mr. Percy questioned from behind her.
Haley rubbed her eyes and turned around to give him a smile. "I'm fine. I'm just having a minor head ache."
That was a lie, Haley. It was a major head ache. I should be resting right now. I should be taking medicine and drinking more water. But as much as I love staying healthy, I have to be here. I have to be loyal. Gosh! Why do I have to be such a stupid girl?
Mr. Percy looked at her, unconvinced by her answer and nodded. "I know a nice drink that can sooth that migraine."
"Really? Because that would be wonderful right now."
"Yes ma'm. I will make it just for you. It's usually for hangovers, but it does the same thing for regular head aches too."
"Thank you," she smiled.
Mr. Percy nodded and returned the gesture. "It'll be done in just a few minutes."
Haley nodded and found an empty table with dishes just laying around. She told Mr. Percy that she'd be right back and walked over to grab the plates and cups. Once she did, her head began to throb again. She groaned to herself and stood there for a few seconds so she could deal with the pain. Then she held the dishes and returned to the kitchen.
While she was there, she could hear the feedback from the stage. Looking out the window opening from the kitchen to the main room of the cafe, she could see Tim adjusting the mic stand.
"That was Mr. Kim with um. . . . "
"Arirang!" Mr. Kim cut in.
Tim raised an eyebrow, confused by what he said. "Airy rang," he stated.
"No, Arirang," the Korean man corrected.
"That's what I said, airy rang."
"A-ri-rang," he said slowly.
"I said that! Airy rang!"
Mr. Kim sighed deeply and gave up. He walked off the stage with his guitar and disappeared into the crowd. Haley laughed at the interaction between the two and turned back around to finish cleaning the dishes. Then she heard Tim clearing his throat and continued talking.
"Alright, um, let's give Mr. Kim another round of applause." A roar of claps were heard. "Now our next brave performer will be another solo act. It's our very own Chivalry Café employee, Clay Evans." An even bigger roar of screams and claps were heard. It was like you were at a real concert or something. "Here he is!"
Clay nervously held his guitar and stepped next to Tim. "Thanks Tim," he whispered.
"No prob," Tim replied. "Good luck."
Clay nodded and settled himself on to the stool. He readjusted his strap around his shoulder and smiled nervously at everyone in the crowd. Seeing this many people was kind of nerve-racking. At first, he thought he wasn't going to be fazed by the size of the crowd or who was in the crowd. But now, sitting in front of them, all eyes on him, he felt two inches tall.l
"How are you guys doing tonight!"
"GOOD!" the crowd hollered.
"Mr. Kim was excellent, wasn't he? If only I could be as talented as that guy right there," he complimented.
Vivian squealed at the sound of his voice and watched him dreamily from her table by the window. It wasn't exactly the place she wanted to be seated in, but she was able to be see his face clearly. Plus they were able to have eye contact if he ever looked her way.
"I haven't played in front of an audience in a while so bear with me, okay?" he began. He settled his guitar on his knee and then strummed the strings once just like Mr. Kim did. "I wrote this a long time ago. I haven't sung it to anyone yet, so you guys get to be the first ones to listen. I hope you enjoy it!"
Nathan was serving the customers on the outside patio as he listened to his best friend sing. He was impressed and surprised. He thought he was going to back down last minute, but he was actually better than he expected. Well he was always good. It was just the fact that it been a long time since he got the courage to stand up on stage again. After that incident a while back when he stood at one of the local bars with a guitar ready in his hands and ran off stage, he wasn't sure he was ever going to return. That's why he was afraid that he'd choke. By surprise, Clay actually worked on his courage. It was kind of ironic how the confident flirty player was the shy, self-conscious musical performer. People had their flaws. Not everyone was perfect.
After serving everyone their preferred coffee, Clay was finishing up his song. Nathan walked inside the café and placed his empty tray on the counter where Mr. Percy was chatting it up with Mr. Kim about the war or something. Then he heard a loud roar of claps and screams from behind him. He could literally hear all the girls screaming just for him. He chuckled at the sight of all the ogling women and shook his head.
In the middle of all the cheers, Nathan heard a crash from inside the kitchen. The two older men quickly turned their heads at the sound as well.
"What was that?" Mr. Percy questioned.
Nathan quickly grew concerned and realized that Haley was washing the dishes. He hurried through the swinging doors, ready to yell at her for breaking the dishes but he found her lying on the ground. He had never felt so scared and worried than in that moment in his life. He hurriedly rushed to her side and pushed all the broken dishes away from her body.
"Haley, Haley," he repeated, holding her body up a little bit. From the touch of her skin on his, he felt the heat burning through him. She was hot. Her fever rose and her skin was paler than before. "Oh my God, come on, wake up!"
He heard her moan a little bit which made him relieved that she was still conscious.
"What's going on Nathan?" Mr. Percy asked, leaning over the ledge of the kitchen window. When he noticed Haley limp in his arms, he figured it out. "What happened?"
"We need to bring her to the hospital," Nathan panicked, ignoring his questioned. He slipped his arms underneath her legs in order to carry her and kicked the broken dishes out of the way again.
"Okay. I'll take care of the café while you're gone," the worried chubby man replied.
Mr. Kim was surprised to see Haley there. I didn't notice that she was even working while he was singing. He thought she was going to take the rest of the day off, but obviously she didn't listen. If only she listened to him.
"I'll call her mom," Mr. Kim stated.
"Please," Nathan replied as he pushed through the swinging doors to rush her to his car. Good thing the hospital wasn't far from the café or they would've been screwed.
A few people began to grow curious at the sight of Nathan carrying Haley out in such a hurry. Jake was especially worried at the sight of her limp body in his arms. He wanted to ask what happened, but Nathan was a bit too fast for him to catch up.
"What happened to Haley?" Tim questioned, approaching the counter. "Is she okay?" he panicked.
"Her illness must've taken a toll on her," Mr. Percy answered.
Nathan held her tightly to him as he jogged around the parking lot to find his car. He needed to get her some help quick. She wasn't looking good at all. The bags under her eyes were darker and she was burning up. When his mother was sick, her fever was never this hot. He couldn't believe that Haley actually went to work this way. She should've been thinking about her body and health more than the cafe. Chivalry cafe shouldn't be the first thing on her mind.
"Nathan?" he heard her whisper.
He finally found his car and glanced down at her. Her eyes were slightly opened. "Thank God, you're awake."
"I don't feel good."
Nathan opened the passenger seat and placed her gently inside. "I figured. That's why I'm bringing you to the hospital, okay? You'll be fine, Haley. Don't worry. You'll be fine."
Haley could hear him vaguely but then her eyes began to close slowly again, making everything fade out into blackness. Nathan sighed deeply as he shut the door quickly and rushed to the driver's seat.
Mr. Kim finished speaking to Lydia on the phone and squeezed his way through the crowd of people to get Vivian. She had no clue what was going on right now. She was too busy admiring Clay on stage.
"Vivian!" Mr. Kim called out.
"Huh?" she responded as her eyes stayed glued on Clay.
"Let's go. Your sister at the hospital."
Suddenly the thought of Clay was no longer important and she turned to Mr. Kim quickly. "What? What happened?"
"She collapsed. Your mom meet us there. Let's go."
She nonchalantly grabbed her purse and went with him to go to the hospital.
Clay noticed how half the crowd was talking about something that just happened. Some were looking out the window and others were talking amongst themselves. He was proud of his performance. He was happy. He was confident. And he was glad that everyone loved it. If it weren't for Haley's supportive words, he wouldn't have gotten the courage to actually get up there to pursue his dream.
He carried his guitar towards the counter where most of his coworkers were located. Nathan and Haley were no where in sight. When he passed a few people, he heard them say something along the lines of, Is she okay? Was that her boyfriend? What happened?
He furrowed his eyes and met up with Tim who looked distressed about something.
"Hey, what's going on? Did something happen?"
Tim turned to him and shook his head nervously. "Nathan just brought Haley to the hospital."
Clay's eyes widened. "What? Why?"
"She collapsed in the kitchen."
"Then we better go with him!" Clay suggested.
"No, we can't, son," Mr. Percy stated. "Look at this place right now. We can't leave it like this. We have to keep working."
"But Haley's hurt."
"We know Haley's hurt, but we still have to work. Nathan's got it taken care of. Haley will be fine. So let's continue working the rest of the night and we can all visit her later," Mr. Percy advised. "So go on. Chivalry Café's knights need to do their jobs."
Tim and Clay went back to work, both clearly upset about Haley's issue while Jake was thinking about walking out to take the next taxi to the hospital. But the moment he looked at the crowded cafe, he knew he couldn't do that. He had to work. He had to make this day a success. Not for Nathan but for Haley.
She could hear distant voices but she couldn't see anything or anyone. It was pitch black. But then her eyes began to flutter open and she found her mother, Vivian and Mr. Kim standing on her bedside. Haley grew confused and then observed her surroundings. She was in a hospital gown covered in wires. Then she glanced out the window and noticed that it was dark.
"Why you go to work?" Mr. Kim questioned.
She turned away from the window and looked at her troubled Korean boss. "I'm sorry," she replied in a raspy. "What happened?" She had no memory of what brought her here. Not one single second could be remembered.
"You collapsed, honey," her mother answered, placing her hand over hers. "Why didn't you tell me you were falling sick? You scared us to death you know."
"Again, I am truly sorry. I didn't want to worry you, but that obviously didn't work out."
"Good thing you're alive!" Vivian stated, chewing on a piece of gum. "If Nathan didn't rush you to the hospital like he did, you would've been a goner."
Haley grew curious. "What? Nathan brought me here?"
"Yeah. You didn't know? He said you were talking to him a little bit when he brought you here."
Haley tried to remember, but nothing seemed to come to mind. Her sickness probably made her forget. His body was obviously not functioning correctly at the time.
"He's a real gentleman and savior," Lydia stated, admiring the young man after talking to him earlier.
"Where is he?" Haley questioned, looking around the room to find the familiar man.
"Oh he went back to work. He said it was too busy to stay here and that he'd be back tomorrow to visit you with the rest of the guys," Lydia answered and glared at her daughter playfully. "You're in big trouble, Missy. I still can't believe you went to work all day in this condition. Don't you know when your body needs to rest?"
"I was going to do it during the weekend. I needed to do my job."
"You're really smart, aren't you?" Vivian groaned.
"I figured that," Haley answered, dryly.
"Ma'm, visiting hours are over," the nurse stated from behind the door.
Lydia nodded and they all turned to Haley. "We have to go. Just go back to sleep. We'll see you in the morning."
"Okay, but how long am I staying here?" Haley questioned.
"The doctor said that you were pretty close to getting pneumonia, so they want you stay in for a couple of days."
"What about work?"
"You sick. Take time off," Mr. Kim answered.
"And Nathan said that he'll give you however many days you need to rest before going back to work," Vivian stated.
"So next time, listen to Mr. Kim and stay home and rest. I still can't believe you let your body get this far."
"I promise that I'll take care of myself next time, mama,."
"You better keep that promise, kiddo."
"I will," Haley smiled, feeling a little weak and ill
"I guess we'll see you later, sweetie. Have a good night sleep and I'll pray for your health."
Lydia leaned over to kiss her eldest daughter on the forehead and walked out with Vivian and Mr. Kim beside her. Once they disappeared from Haley's sight, she turned around towards the window and she began to think about Nathan. He saved her once again for the nth time. He was always saving her and he was always there when she needed him the most. If it weren't for him, so many things would've happened to her already. She would've been raped or kidnapped if he didn't show up at the gallery to bring her to his house. She would've been assaulted against her will if he didn't save her from that drunken old man. She would've died or gotten worse if he didn't save her from the cold rain and found her in the kitchen. She never felt so guilty for making him do all this for her. She kind of felt like she was taking advantage of him. But she was very thankful to have met a man that was willing to care for her in such heroic ways. It was all too overwhelming. Like her mother said, he was truly her savior.
What did you think? You like? Keep me inspired!