So I did post this chapter, but it didn't sit well with me, so I rewrote it completely different, I feel much better about this one, please let me know what you think!
Chapter 3
My head snapped back to Trisha so fast I could've got whiplash, my face was corpse white, and I was lost for words. My head began throbbing and I suddenly felt very weak.
"Are you okay? You look pale," Trisha asked, putting her hand to my forehead, feeling my temperature, "Maybe we should slow you down on the drinks, did you not eat before you left?" She laughed. I shook my head no, feeling slightly dazed and nauseous. I tried to pretend he didn't see me, or it wasn't him. They do say there are seven people in the world who look just like you; maybe it's a coincidence, like a doppelgänger I thought to myself. "Oh my God, he's coming over, he's definitely into you," Trisha's eyes were practically popping out of her head in excitement. "I'll get back to the girls and leave you two to mingle," She said cheekily, trying to skulk away.
"No!" I yelped grabbing her arm and attempting to pull her back.
"You'll be fine," She laughed, taking back her arm and melting into the crowd. I wanted to follow after her, disappear among the people. But I also wanted to stay, face him, and not run away like a scolded child. What could he possibly do to me in a crowded bar?
"Are you following me?" A rough voice asked from behind me. I could feel his hot breath on my ear as he spoke. The hairs on arms began to rise along with my heartbeat. Me following him? Is he deranged? I thought to myself. He circled around me and stood in the empty spot Trisha had left behind; he leant on the bar, beer bottle in hand.
"I guess I could ask you the same question!" I protested.
"I thought after our encounter earlier you would have had the sense to stay out of my sight," He hissed, leaning in closer.
"I'm just here with my friends, that's all,"
"I come here every week, and suddenly you turn up today, coincidence?" He asked, glaring down on me.
"It's not a coincidence," I admitted, grabbing my handbag from the bar and hopping off the stool, standing just inches away from him. His face was suddenly very hard and tense. Slowly I leaned up to his ear, he didn't even flinch. "I just have very bad luck," I whispered, slinking off in the direction Trisha disappeared. Quint quickly grabbed my wrist; the man definitely had fast reflexes. He pulled me back towards him effortlessly; I gasped at the sudden movement and found myself plastered against his chest.
"Do you mind?" I stuttered, pushing away from him.
"Not at all," He glared.
"Yeah well I do," I complained, furrowing my brow. Quint glanced around, for what I don't know, probably to check that we weren't causing a scene.
"You're playing with fire girl," Girl? I'm not a child!
"I've faced worse, you're just an egotistical rich boy with daddy issues," I smiled sweetly, my voice laced with venom. Quint smiled, taking one last long gulp of beer.
"Faced worse?" He chuckled, placing his hands on my hips and pulling me back towards him, this time I didn't fight it. "You don't know what I'm capable of," He whispered in my ear. My heart was racing, but I wasn't scared, not anymore. I didn't move, and neither did he, his hands still firmly placed on my hips. My throbbing head began to get worse, and out of the blue I began to feel light headed and nauseous. Quint's grip tightened on me, I think he could tell something was amiss. I reached up to my nose, it had a funny sensation, I looked at my hand to see crimson drops running down my fingers. I reached out for Quint's shoulders, trying to steady myself on my wobbly legs. But my arms began shaking, twitching, I was short of breath and before I knew I was a limp dead weight in his arms.
I blacked out like someone had flipped a switch, everything was dark, cold, I could feel I was short of breath but couldn't do anything about it; I was completely powerless in my own body. What seemed like minutes passed by, but when I opened my eyes to the blinding white light, the fuzzy room before me was a very different one. My vision began to clear and the realisation swept over me that I was in a hospital bed, hooked up to various machines. Sunlight streamed through the window, I must have been out quite some time. I searched for the 'call' button on the little remote and seconds later a doctor appeared through the door.
"Hello, I'm Dr Edwards, you're in St Mary's hospital, and do you remember your name at all?" He asked, shining a flash light intrusively into my eyes.
"Victoria," I confirmed.
"Fantastic, do you know what happened at all Victoria?" He asked, perching on the edge of the bed. I shook my head no.
"You had a seizure Victoria, leading to you to lose consciousness," I shook my head no, not wanting to believe it. It was happening again.
"Your records indicate you had a significant brain tumour removed six years ago," The doctor confirmed, I nodded my head, my eyes welling up. "So we sent you for an immediate MRI, I'm afraid the tumour has returned Victoria," Dr Edwards half whispered, laying his hand on mine as tears trickled down my cheeks.
"What does that mean for me?" I asked, holding back a sob. "I've only just nearly finished paying for the… the…" I broke out into a choking sob.
"I'll give you a minute before we discuss the finances of such a procedure," The doctor said softly scurrying from the room. I brought my knees up to my face, burying myself in them. I tried to regain myself, breathing deeply. There was a soft knock on the door. Quint stood in the doorway, hands in pockets; he stared at me with an unreadable expression before finally entering the room.
"What... are… you doing here?" I choked out, wiping my eyes as he advanced towards me.
"I came with you, in the ambulance," he said monotonously, stopping next to the bed. "Your friends were here, but they left for the office," He stated, pulling up a chair.
"Shit, what time is it," I asked, leaning forward searching the room for a clock of some sort. Quint pushed me back into the mattress of the hospital bed forcibly.
"I already informed my father," He spoke lowly, checking for any eavesdroppers.
"What did he say?" I asked, worried about the security of my job, the only thing I have to actually pay for any of these piling up medical bills.
"He was annoyed. But he said you can go back to your job after the surgery," I sighed out of relief, that job was my life line.
"How do you know about the surgery?" I asked, narrowing my sore eyes on him.
"I told them I was your boyfriend to get in the ambulance," He half chuckled, obvious amused by his lie. I grabbed a tissue, dabbing my damp cheeks and blowing my runny nose.
"I'm surprised they took your word, because you are obviously punching above your weight," I joked, trying to cheer myself up. Quint half smiled.
"That's not what your friends were saying," He countered with a large smirk.
"What did they say?" I asked, biting my lip nervously. A knock on the door eased the tension in the room.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," Dr Edwards smiled, popping his head around the door frame,
"Not at all," I invited the doctor in.
"The tumour can be treated with surgery, we are more than positive it is benign, the same as your previous one. But if left untreated could alter your sight, speech, memory, it will almost definitely lead to more seizure and feelings of nausea," The doctor said, but he didn't have to explain the side effects, I already knew them quite well. I'd already been experiencing them every now and then over the past year or so. I didn't take much notice, throwing myself into denial, and fear of more medical bills.
"I haven't yet paid off my previous surgery, how can I pay for this one?" I asked, my eyes beginning to well again, I began to bite my nails nervously.
"After speaking with the administrators, they have concluded that the surgery can be added onto your outstanding total, and may be paid off monthly as you have been doing currently, but a deposit must be put down for the surgery to be scheduled," He stood at the end of the bed, clipboard in hand. I closed my eyes, taking it all in, breathing deeply to try and keep my wits.
"How much are we talking about?"
"The deposit is $5200. On top of that the outstanding amount including your previous surgery is $58000," The doctor revealed. My heart felt like it stopped, however I was sure it hadn't for the monitor beside my bed was still beeping regularly and annoyingly.
"Can I have a minute just to think about it?" I grimaced, drying my eyes with another tissue.
"Of course, I'll nip to the nurses station and fetch your discharge papers, without any further treatment possible right now you are free to go home today," The doctor informed us, leaving the room.
"At least I can be back to work tomorrow," I sniffled. There was an awkward silence, as the only noise in the room was the incessant beeping.
"Schedule the surgery" Quint ordered.
"I can't afford to, I don't even have rent money. I can't just pull five thousand out of my ass," We sat in silence again; I didn't know what to say to him, I didn't even know him. It was just too much, so I just pretended like he wasn't there. Doctor Edwards returned with clipboard in hand.
"Here we have your release forms," The doctor smiled, handing me the paperwork. "We just need a few signatures next to the marked x's. Have we thought any more on the surgery?" The doctor asked, I hesitated, and then opened my mouth to answer, but was rudely interrupted.
"We'd like to go ahead," Quint said, tapping the chair arm. I was pretty taken aback.
"That's great, we were concerned if it was left another half a year or so, it could get too big to operate on," The doctor tutted, I quickly scribbled my name onto the paperwork. "Would we like to put the deposit down today and secure your operation date?" I handed the clipboard back to Dr Edwards, panicking about my choices and consequences.
"No, I-" Again I was rudely cut off by that ass-hole.
"Actually I'll be covering all the bills this time doctor," Quint spoke, pushing himself out of the chair. "Shall we go to the finance desk while my lovely grateful Victoria get's dressed?"
"Yes of course, your possessions are in the corner chair, we will be just at the desk on the left down the hall," The doctor smiled, leading Quint out of the room. He looked back at me, a smug look on his stupid face. I didn't even know him, and he was forking out almost sixty thousand on my medical bills, my head just couldn't wrap around it, he and his father must have more money than sense. Or he was completely bat shit crazy.