CH 6: I Hate My Family

The room was a mixture of too many things to comprehend; it hummed, it reeked, it spun, and it was certainly noisy. At one point, Cosima heard her family, every single one of them, but she couldn't respond; not matter how hard she tried. Soon thereafter, she simply gave up. Cosima drifted in and out of consciousness; she did her best to keep track of time, but that was a damn near impossible feat without the ability to see, speak, and a watch would've helped, too. After an insufferable and long drawn out silence, she heard rustling, again. It was most likely a nurse, so she thought nothing of it, but then, she heard a familiar voice, one that invigorated her senses.

"You're not supposed to be out of bed."

"I'm fine. I'll only stay for a few minutes. Please."

"Fine."

The door clicked. It was followed by gentle steps.

It's the first time since this spell was casted, that Cosima felt an intense urge to break the spell bound to her body. It was a primal need, one she couldn't explain, yet fought valiantly against. She forced herself to open her eyes. She blinked several times to rid the blurriness from her otherwise untainted vision.

"Cosima?"

"Hey, you."

Cosima didn't recognize her own voice. It was deeper, and much raspier than her usual tone. She tried her best to sit up, but as far as her body was concerned, it was perfectly comfortable where it was.

Delphine propped Cosima up on several pillows. She adjusted the bed setting for her. The motor rumbled with life, until Cosima was finally upright.

"Can I have some water, please?"

"Of course."

Cosima watched as Delphine circled around the room, to pour her that precious glass of liquid gold. Even without her glasses, Cosima saw the difficulty Delphine was having with the task. She had to do everything single handedly. Her right arm was heavily bandaged.

When Delphine returned to her bedside, the water wasn't the first thing Cosima grabbed for. "What happened to your arm?! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Really." Delphine handed her the glass, "It's only a few stitches. But the doctors wanted to keep me overnight, pending the results on an X-Ray."

The memory was a bit choppy, but enough for her to recall. And that's when a bolt of guilt struck her. "I can't tell you how sorry I am, Delphine. None of this would've happened if it wasn't for me."

Delphine placed a gentle hand on Cosima's lap. "None of this is your fault, and you know that. And if you think about it, it's one Hell of a welcome party to welcome me into the family. It's definitely a night I won't be forgetting any time soon."

Cosima flinched, ever so slightly, at the brute realization of what those words meant. "Yes. Felix. Right."

"Look, Cosima, I'll be honest with you." Delphine averted her eyes, and stared nervously at her hands. "This is new for me, too. You're the first friend I've made since this whirlwind with Fee. And I actually like you, which isn't something that comes easy for me. It would mean the absolute world to me, if I had your blessing."

This was worse than getting friend-zoned. This was way worse. She just got sister-zoned. Cosima genuinely meant it when she said, "I'm glad Felix found someone."

Delphine smiled, and said, "Trust me. I'll glad I found him, too."

- o -

It was needlessly to say that the masquerade party was definitely memorable, not just for the staff, but for all the guests in attendance as well. How could it not be? The entire hotel had to be evacuated, because a crazed gunman was on the loose, all in an elaborate, yet equally foolish, attempt to kidnap Cosima Niehaus Black. You can't make this shit up.

The entire Black family caught the next available flight from Mont Tremblant back to Toronto. Nobody wanted to leave, not without Cosima, but it was a necessity. They, collectively, cleared their schedule for two days, and two days only. They had far too much on their plate to extend their leave of absence. So with no foreseeable options, they had to leave Cosima behind. Luckily, Cosima was in stable condition. If fact, she was set to be discharged this morning. She was scheduled to join them later this afternoon. Rachel had called an emergency board meeting, and attendance was mandatory, even for Cosima.

In all the years Daniel and Paul had been at Black Crown Corp., this had only happened one time prior. They didn't know what to expect. It didn't take a genius to figure out that an ominous shit-storm was fast approaching, and they were in its warpath.

But the whirlwind of surprises doesn't end there.

Paul had been out of town for two days. In those forty-eight hours, Claire had blown up his phone; he had a total of forty-one missed calls from her. His voicemail didn't fare any better. It was filled to its maximum holding capacity. This was a first. Claire understood the arrangement. It was casual sex, and that was it. Clair understood the rules, and abided by them for three years. And in those three years, never once, has she ever initiated contact. That was a big no-no. First rule of fight club: you do not talk about fight club. Well, the same could be said here.

Paul didn't have the time or energy to deal with Claire. She was the furthest thought on his mind right now. He was currently on site, doing a final walkthrough with Daniel.

"I'm telling you, you should have been here. Eight seconds." Paul snapped his finger, "And just like that, all five properties, gone."

"I'm pleased. Everything looks good."

"It better be, given the hours we've put in. How was Shanghai?"

The best lies are the ones interlaced with truths. "It was a bit boring, but overall, no complaints."

"You're a lucky guy, you know that? You get to travel the world for work."

"The grass isn't always greener on the other side." Daniel threw a tilted nod, "From what I hear, I missed one Hell of a party. Tell me Alison was exaggerating."

"No. It really was that messed up. Imagine a college frat party, but instead of college kids, they're all snobs wearing monocles. Now add equal parts booze, drugs, a gunman, kidnapping, and that's essentially the weekend we endured."

And that's when Paul's radio buzzed.

"Just a sec." Paul unclipped his walkie, and pressed the press-to-talk. "Go for Paul."

"Hey, Paul, it's Marcus here. I have security at gatehouse that says they have a visitor for you."

This was strange. Paul wasn't expecting anybody today. "Did they leave a name?"

"Security didn't say."

"Have security escort them to my trailer. I'll take the meeting there."

"Copy that."

Daniel overheard everything. He asked, "Is everything okay?"

Paul shook his head, and blinked several times. "Uh, yeah. Is there anything else we need to cover?"

"Yes. I got a confirmation call from Tin Wang this morning. The first shipment of rebar, fired bricks, clay blocks, and adhesive should be here by the end of the week. I know I'm nagging you, Paul, but please, please, make sure you sign off on all the safety and building code requirements. I don't want to give our insurance any excuse to void our policy."

"I've got it."

"Alright." Daniel patted Paul on the shoulder, "I'll see you at four, then. Don't be late. You know how Rach gets."

Paul watched as Daniel walked off site. He then rushed back to his trailer. It was true, he didn't have any scheduled meetings today, but he had an idea who this unexpected guest may be. Paul whipped open his trailer door, and the familiar scent of pungent perfume invaded his lungs.

Without so much as a hello, Claire lunged at Paul with a flurry of scratches. "You fucking asshole! Where the fuck have you been, huh?!"

Paul grabbed Claire, and shoved her back.

Claire stumbled backwards, and was nearly knocked over by a table.

"What the fuck, Claire?!" Paul shouted, "Have you lost your fucking mind?!"

Claire reached into her bag, and threw something at Paul.

Paul didn't move. Whatever it was, it bounced off his chest, and hit the floor.

"See for yourself!"

Paul sighed. He picked it up. But that didn't clear anything up. "What's the meaning of this?"

"That's a home pregnancy test, you stupid idiot!" Claire screamed; as if the implication couldn't be more obvious, "I'm pregnant!"

- o -

"Hi. You've reached the voicemail of Donnie Hendrix. I'm not available to take your call right now. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks. And have a great day."

- o -

The entire Black clan had returned on an earlier flight, including Felix. He was reluctant to leave without Delphine, which was understandable, though he didn't have a say in the matter. Rachel practically had him in a headlock, and threw his skinny ass on the jet; this, according to Sarah's firsthand account. Cosima grew up with Rachel, they all did, and they knew her personality extraordinarily well. Once she sets her mind on something, regardless of what it may be, she'll move mountains to see that her will is done. Felix didn't stand a chance. Cosima wasn't worried though. Rachel's bark was louder than her bite. Once she's had a chance to cool down, she'll come around.

The doctors discharged her earlier this morning. They gave her a clean bill of health, well, except for that GHB she ingested. She had unknowingly ingested GHB, or as it's otherwise known as, the date rape drug. Cosima didn't know when or just exactly how, but the results of her blood test were conclusive.

That dirt bag, Carl de Boer, was going away for a long time. The police found large quantities of GHB on his person. And then there was the unregistered handgun, the attempted kidnapping, the assault with a deadly weapon, and the list goes on. He wasn't going to see the light of day anytime soon. Cosima did not feel bad for him, not for one second. The police found his room; it resembled a sex dungeon. He had power tools, sex toys, gags, and various cameras and tripods. They also found a large quantity of plastic wrap. Carl de Boer had no doubt watched one too many episodes of Dexter. Cosima shuttered to think about it. If it weren't for Delphine's intervention, she would've certainly fallen victim.

Since she was admitted, Cosima has had nothing but time on her hand, and that never ended well. She kept thinking; and thinking; and thinking. By the time she was discharged, she's come to realize something undeniable: she was attracted to Delphine. She felt a connection to her; a pull, of sorts. It was one-sided. But she could not deny it, nor could she control it. It was how she felt, and she couldn't change that about herself. But now that she's come to accept it, maybe, just maybe, she could live with it.

Forty-eight hours ago, Cosima didn't even realize Delphine Cormier even existed. But now, now it felt as if she's known her a lifetime. If only this were true. But sadly, it isn't. Delphine's lifetime was reserved for Felix. And though it was hard, Cosima had to respect that. Felix was her brother; a brother she loved with all her heart and soul. She could never bring herself to hurt him, nor betrayal his trust.

But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy herself. Cosima and Delphine shared the same flight. They talked like they were friends, but shared secrets like they were soulmates. Every sentence, word, and syllable that parted from Delphine's lips captured Cosima's attention, and captivated her being. So much so, she had completely forgotten her anxiety about flying.

"So I was right, then?"

"I have to give credit where credit is due. I was at boarding at Blue Mountain with Felix and Donnie. My ACL snapped like a rubber band, when my snowboard hit a patch of dark ice. I wiped out."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Delphine said earnestly, "I hate it when I'm right."

Cosima leaned forward, and spoke with her hands. "But that was, like, seven years ago. How could you even tell I had a limp? And it was pitch dark, too."

"Like I said, trick of the trade."

Cosima could not forget. Everything that was said that night, under that maple tree, she took to heart, and she kept it there, locked in a vault.

"So tell me about this last job of yours. You weren't really a detective, were you?"

Delphine laughed softly. "No. I'm actually an OB/GYN. I was with MSF for the past year."

Cosima squealed. "No way! You were with Médecins Sans Frontières?! Really?!"

Delphine found Cosima's reaction amusing; she was thrilled to hear the news, though she wondered why. "I try to give back as much as I can."

"My best friend's an emergency physician. She's a lifelong MSF supporter, too."

Now it was Delphine's turn, "Really?"

"Yeah! It's bizarre. She just came back from a tour in Nepal."

"As did I."

Cosima threw her hands up, "Shut the front door! What are the chances?!"

"Well, actually, the chances are quite high. The 8.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal devastated the poorest region of the country. MSF deployed as much resources and personnel as fast as they could, at the request of the Nepalese government. I was one of the first responders on scene."

Delphine was so much more than just a pretty face. She was also incredibly smart. And then there was her sense of charity, generosity, and selflessness. Cosima could not help but feel that attraction deepen, much to her dismay.

"What's your friend's name?"

"Shay. Shay Davydov. She does emergency medicine. She was there for, maybe, sixteen months, if I'm not mistaken."

"No. That name doesn't ring a bell."

"Maybe she was at a different camp."

"Yeah. Maybe. I mean, I moved around a lot."

"Wait!" It almost slipped Cosima's mind; her memory was still a bit foggy. "I almost forgot that you're Batman."

Delphine laughed.

With anybody else, Cosima would've felt embarrassed, but she didn't feel that way, not with Delphine. "I didn't mean it like that. Back at the resort, the way you handled that nut bag, is that where you learned to fight?"

"It is." Delphine said rather proudly, "To be able to help others, you must first learn to protect yourself. And trust me, after two kidnapping attempts and countless muggings and harassment, you'll be able to handle yourself as well."

"Wow." Compared to Delphine, Cosima's life was more mundane than vanilla pudding. "Don't worry, Batman, you're secret's safe with me. I mean, it makes sense, for a woman to know how to handle herself when she's putting herself out there. But what does that have to do with your amazeball, superpower of deduction?"

"Well, a lot, actually. My volunteer work has taken me to some of the poor regions in the world. A lot of these makeshift hospitals can't even afford basic medical necessities. And without adequate diagnostic tools, the only way we can help our patients is by relying heavily on our keen observations and deductions, based on their symptoms, however minutiae they may be. Every bump, bruise, ache, or limp tells a story. And it's up to you, as a physician, to read every single line of that tale, and be able to rewrite the story whole again."

Delphine's passion was unmistakable. Cosima marveled at the way she spoke, with such heart and intensity. "But you said it was your last job. You gave it up?"

In an unshakable tone, Delphine said, "Yes. I did."

Cosima was almost afraid to ask, but she did, "But why?"

"For Felix."

"I see." That's what Cosima thought, too. But it's one thing to know, and another to hear it out loud. Before they had had this conversation, there was at one point where Cosima wanted to ask, point blank, if she loved Felix. She honestly wanted — no, she needed — to know. But that wasn't necessary. Not anymore. Delphine had given up her medical career, and perhaps more importantly, her passion, for Felix. Cosima had no doubt in her mind, whatsoever. This could never be. And perhaps, it was never meant to be.

Delphine answered all of Cosima's questions truthfully. She didn't have a reason to lie, not about her past, anyway. But that last question. She couldn't bring herself to be truthful, for many reasons. She didn't give up her medical practice for Felix, but Cosima won't know that, not until it was too late.

- o -

The tension in the board room was palpable. The entire world was present, minus Cosima. Not only was everybody present, they were on time as well. They all knew how Rachel felt about tardiness. And at this point, nobody dared agitate the hibernating bear any more so than they already have.

At the head of the table sat Rachel. On one side, were Alison and Felix. And on the other side, were Daniel, followed by Sarah and Paul. They all kept to themselves until the clock winded down. Rachel had called the emergency meeting the moment they touched down in Toronto. And worse yet, she personally phoned each and every one of them; there was no room for escape, or miscommunication.

When the clock finally struck four, and Cosima was nowhere to be seen, Felix took it upon himself to break word, and the tension.

"Can we just get this over with, Rach?"

Though all the Black sisters shared an uncanny resemblance with each other, Rachel was the only one with a stern face, or as it's otherwise known as, bitch face. Rachel's thin lips trembled, and her nostrils flared; she was vexed, and it was plain as day obvious. That was their cue: shit was about to hit the fan.

"Get this over with?! Are you getting a flu shot? There is no over with, Felix." Rachel's tone was razor sharp, "We gave you time off because you burned out. You said you wanted to backpack across Asia? Fine! We were more than willing to accommodate you, and take on your share of the work. We expected you to come back refreshed, energized, and anew. Not with a God damn wife you know nothing about!"

Felix wanted to rebuttal, but was cut off by Alison before he had the chance.

"Rachel's right, Fee. We don't want to see you get hurt. You have to see things from our standpoint, and be in our shoes."

"I'm not a child anymore, Ali."

Rachel added, "You may not be a child, but you're still a petulant boy."

"Oh, please, Rach, save your condescending tone. It's not appreciated." Felix said. "This is my life, and it's my decision. You'll just have to respect that."

Sarah had been dying to know, "So how long have you actually known each other?"

Felix said nothing at first. But on second thought, answered weakly, "A month. Maybe two."

"Jesus, Felix." Paul rarely took sides when it came down to their sibling squabbles. But Paul genuinely cared for Felix; he was like a brother to him. "You can understand where our concerns are coming from, then."

This wasn't a fair fight. It was one against four. Daniel was the only one that kept to himself. But regardless, Felix defended himself vehemently. "We met in Thailand. I was passing through Bangkok when I dropped into a nearby hotel to shower. It was unexpected, I admit, but in the best way possible. Delphine was there to raise money for a local woman's shelter. And it was love at first sight. Can't you get that? Is that really such a preposterous notion?"

Felix was the youngest of all five siblings. The man was twenty-four years old, and most definitely not a child anymore. And yet, Rachel could not believe his brother's naïvety. This was worse than that time he wanted to join a wicca coven during his emo, rebellious years.

There was a knock at the door. And in walked Cosima, with the woman of the hour.

"Sorry, Rach. I don't have an excuse for being late. Well, you know, besides the fact that I was drugged, almost kidnapped at gunpoint by a deranged madman, and could've potentially been sexually assaulted. Oh, and the fact that I just flew in from Montréal only moments ago."

"Sit down, Cosima." Rachel said seriously, "I don't have time for your witty sarcasm."

On first impulse, Cosima wanted to sit next to Felix, but on second thought, she left that seat for Delphine. It was appropriate. Cosima pulled the chair out for her.

"Thank you."

"So what's so urgent that this can't wait?" Cosima sensed the palpable electricity the moment she set foot in the room, but she wanted to take a lighter approach. "I'm, technically, still on sick leave. I've even got a doctor's note."

Felix was beyond annoyed; he was irritated. "You can disapprove of this union all you like. And you can shove that dissatisfaction in a jam jar and mail it to Istanbul. This is a personal matter. And whether you choose to accept this marriage or not, I don't care, and quite frankly, it does not concern any of you."

Delphine rubbed Felix's arm, and did her best to quell his rage. "Don't say that, Fee. They're your family. They care about you."

Rachel tossed a document on the table. "That's where you're wrong."

Alison grabbed the papers, and gave it a look-see. She recognized it almost immediately. "It's a prenup."

"A prenup?"

Alison nodded. "Yeah. It's the ones the corporate lawyers drew up. You know Steve, or Stephen, or whatever the Hell is name is."

"That's the prenup all your sisters and I had our husbands sign, before our nuptials." Rachel explained, "I couldn't care less about your measly assets. That's not what this is about. That prenup serves one purpose, and one purpose only."

And that's when Cosima came to the realization, like a bag of bricks to the face. That's why Rachel was going berserk, more so than her usual cranky self.

"Shite." Sarah came to the same foregone conclusion, too. "Your 10% stake in Black Crown Corp., Felix. You didn't sign a prenup. Which means Delphine will retain 5% of Black Crown Corp., should your marriage dissolve."

Cosima didn't like this witch hunt. The way they spoke about Delphine, they made it seem like she was a gold digger. It was downright rude, to both Delphine and Felix. And that's when she spoke up, "Guys, Delphine's sitting right here. Come on."

Felix was at his wit's end. "She's not after my bloody money, if that's what you're worried about!"

"Don't do it, Fee." Delphine pleaded.

Rachel prodded further, "Please share, Felix, and put our worries to rest."

"Her mother is the daughter of Charles E. Johnston; the founder of Johnston and Johnston. So if it's money you're worried about, don't be, cause she has plenty of it!"

That was the one thing Delphine didn't want Felix to disclose. Felix was taking things from bad, to worse, to now DEFCON five. Delphine needed the Black family to trust her, to treat her like one of their very own. This was the exact opposite of that.

"Now if we're done here, I've gone plenty of work to catch up on."

"You're not excused. Now sit down."

Felix reluctantly did as he was told.

Rachel continued, "Consider this an official notice. I've raised a closed seed round for the Emerald City project."

Daniel's greedy eyes lit up brighter than Christmas lights. "You did?"

Rachel pressed on the intercom, and said, "Send her in, please."

Nobody saw this coming.

In walked none other than Kára Lang.

Everyone, except Delphine, recognized her. But nobody expected her.

Kára strutted her stuff like she was a model on a runway for Paris Fashion week.

Rachel stood up, "Everybody, please meet Kára."

"Pleasure to be here."

Sarah's mouth dropped to the floor, "You're shitting us, right, Rach?"

"No. She gave us the highest valuation for the project. We've accepted her proposal. Kára Lang will retain 18.5% ownership of the final project."

Cosima's heart dropped to the pits of her stomach. Rachel had not only betrayed her trust, she had essentially slapped her in the face.

Rachel couldn't miss the blatant hurt written on Cosima's face. This was business, but still, it pained her to see her baby sister like that. Rachel tossed the agreement in Sarah's direction. She then left without another word, or so much as an explanation. Sometimes she hated her job, and sometimes her family. But today, Rachel loathed herself.

The moment Rachel was out of sight, Sarah jumped, she physically jumped, from her seat and lunged at Kára. Paul's lightning reflexes was the only thing that kept her at bay.

"Stop it, Sarah!"

Sarah screamed, "I ought to deck you, you cunt!"

"I hope you can put all your prejudice for me aside, and focus on this amazing project we have at hand."

Kara followed that with a smile.

Alison was the most levelheaded, and definitely the most reserved, one of the lot but she, too, lost it. "Sarah's right. You are a cunt."

Cosima tipped her chair back, and bolted for the doors. She hadn't taken more than five steps, when she felt Kára grab her.

"Please, Cosima, hear me out."

Cosima spun around, and without so much as a warning, she decked Kára square in the jaw.

Kára went down hard.

Nobody said a word, nor were they surprised. Nobody got up to intervene, nor did they extend a helping hand.

The only person that was taken aback was Delphine. She was also the only person left in the dark about the history Cosima and Kára Lang shared.

"I warned you, Kára, to never lay a hand on me, ever again." Cosima seethed, "I meant it."

Sarah stood up, and she literally clapped.

Sometimes she hated this job, and sometimes her family. But today, Cosima loathed Rachel.

- o -

A/N: Rate me.