Chapter 24

New York 8AM

Muscles aren't aching but the head is "oww" Shouldn't have listened to her.

Despite the circumstances, Time Square was very busy last night. Streets were filled. Sidewalks were filled. Huge lighted store displays of different colors brightened the streets. Most wore masks. Many went to hang out. Not everyone wore a disguise but everyone was wearing multiple layers in the 40 degree weather except for the ones who wore a full body costume. It was Jen's idea. A sprained ankle couldn't keep her at home on Halloween night.

"mm" Eating outside in the cold weather under the wooden structure, even with propane heaters, was definitely a bad idea. Regretting now is too late. "urhhh…urhhh"

Any slower, everything she ate last night would've been splattered on the hardwood floor.

"urhhh"

This hasn't happened for a long time. It's usually after drinking too much. This time, that's not the cause of it. One glass of wine wasn't that much. This time, the dizziness feels worse than before.

"Hope"

Having her eyes closed helped a little. Holding on to the toilet is still necessary though since everything feels like it's moving.

"Hope!" Brie called out as loud as her morning voice allowed her to but then realized the reason Hope isn't responding. Hope isn't here. "urrrhhhh" Getting it out feels better than before but now the body feels weak and is shaking. The dizziness is still there. "uhhhh" hmm?

Couldn't hear the doorbell until the toilet finished flushing.

"one sec" Brie said, knowing whoever it is wouldn't been able to hear that. "I'm coming" Brie spoke a little louder after getting outside of the bathroom since the doorbell is ringing again and again and again. The head hurts even more now. Taking deep breaths doesn't help. Using the wall for support, she took each step as fast as she can. Can't open the door yet without looking at the peephole even if that's the voice of Noel behind the door. Oh. It's not Noel.

Brie opens the door, surprised to find that it is. A lot of questions are on her mind but right now, she needs to get to the bathroom again. It's rude not to say 'excuse me' but if she had, saliva and other stuff would've came out instead.

"Don't get so close." Brie warned after flushing the toilet again since Noel is getting too close.

"What's wrong?" Noel asked.

"dizzy, think I'm getting a cold" Brie said while lying on the bathroom floor with her eyes closed since that seems to make it better. The head is not feeling so good. It seems to be affecting the hearing too. "What?" Brie asked, then realized her hearing is fine after Hope repeated the same question that Noel previously asked. "no"

"you sure? Did you take a test?"

"I said NNO." If she asks again, I'm going to throw the toilet scrubber at her. She should know she's not helping. Noel is though since she offered to get some medicine and closed the bathroom door afterwards without having to be asked. She probably knows I'm getting annoyed. Oh no. The urge to vomit is still there but now it needs to come out the other end. "Should've stayed home…uhhhh"

As odd as it feels, it's nice to have a neighbor who's prepared. Noel seems to have everything in her condo including an epipen. Why would she even have that when she's not allergic to anything? Just in case since she's trying out new foods. She said. Sounds like a good reason but who does that? She's not a doctor or nurse but she sure does act like one. Questions are necessary for diagnosis but is asking if any members in my family have a tumor necessary? It's just dizziness. Everyone gets that once a while.

"no fever"

I know that. Is taking my temperature again necessary? She just took it one hour ago.

"Take 1 every 8 hours but only take it if it's necessary."

Dramamine helped with the dizziness. The head still feels heavy. The nose is still stuffy but I'm awake so why is she talking to Hope and not me? And why is Hope acting so differently towards her? It was only yesterday when she didn't even want to let Noel in. Now she's nodding to everything she says? She even agreed to her offer for cooking for lunch. What happened to 'Don't let her in'? She's going to go food shopping with her? What happened to 'Don't tell her anything'?

"I don't think she should be alone."

"I'll be fine." Brie assured the overly concerned neighbor while wondering what she did to Hope to change her attitude towards her.

"Don't go anywhere." Hope said.

What? Does she think I'm pretending to be sick? What's with the command, saying it like she's my boss, in front of Noel too. "I'm going to sleep. Shut the door." Brie said since she's not in the mood to say how she feels at this moment and because saying it loudly would just make the head feel worse and because it would be inappropriate to do that in front of Noel whom she again thanked before pulling the comforter over her shoulders. As warm and comfortable as the bed is, falling asleep is difficult when the mind has not completely returned to normal and thoughts won't go away.

I'm very sick, very dizzy, just threw up, I have a cold too. Brie typed the message on the phone, then tossed to the other side of the bed after getting no response. (sigh) 8:30AM is early. Maybe he'll call later. Maybe he'll come by later.

Brie takes a sniff of the pajamas sleeve, then again of her palms after blowing air into it. The nose might feel like it's stuffed but the airway isn't entirely blocked. Doesn't smell like vomit but a shower is needed. Mouthwash too. "whoah" Okay. Need to slow down. If Hope were here, she probably would yell at me now. So uncompassionate unlike Noel who was acting like a mother would to her child which was nice and comforting but strange at the same time coming from someone who's only 33 years old. "ahhh"

The hot water and the pressure from the showerhead instantly made a difference. Could be the Dramamine taking its full effect too.

Can't believe her. There's no reason not to be nice to Noel but she's the one who didn't appreciate her help yesterday so why the change? She better not say anything about me.

A quick shower will do. Brie shuts the water off before stepping out of the bathtub, immediately regretting looking down and moving too fast after everything started spinning. "AHH!" Putting her hand against the wall was to balance herself but she made the mistake of grabbing onto the shower curtain too since the shower rod came falling down. "oww" Now the body hurts along with the head. Shutting her eyes is the only way to make it less dizzy so she did until she felt hands on her arm. "How do you get in here?" The light from the ceiling made the dizziness so unbearable, the feeling of wanting to throw up instantly appeared. As much as she wants to keep her eyes opened, she can't. As much as she wants to get up from the wet marble floor to get dressed, her mind prevented her from doing so. Feeling her wet naked body covered, she didn't feel as cold but the head still hurts, the knee is in a bit of pain from the fall, and the arm is aching from getting hit by the shower rod. Saying "get out" is all she can do while waiting for the spinning to stop. "Don't" As much as she wants to continue to resist the help, her body gave in after being lifted up, then carried to the bed.

The one she wanted to see isn't here. The one she didn't expect to see is.

"How did you get in here?" Brie asked after feeling a bit better than a moment ago, then realized the answer to her own question. "You took my keys?" It's a simple question. What's there to be confused about? or is that not a look of confusion?

"I didn't go."

Oh. Would've locked the bathroom door if she didn't. "You should've told me."

"You shouldn't have gone out last night."

Oh, so she knows but who does she think she's talking to? "You said you'd come back later but you didn't." An apology is expected, not the same question. "I didn't go alone. Remember Jen? She wanted to treat you to dinner for helping her." That was one of her reasons for wanting to go out but the main reason is wanting to know more about her and because it's Halloween. "I didn't tell her anything about you. She thinks you're my friend, not my bodyguard." Who would believe that she is? No explanation was needed to explain her male disguise in the strip club. Jen didn't ask. Leo is still upset even though his car wasn't damaged and nothing is missing except for his keys that he didn't know was missing until he got out of the strip club. Cole wasn't there but it seems that Cole didn't tell them about the stranger since they didn't mention it. Jen would have a lot of questions if she knew since she's a curious one. "They didn't see the shooter. So don't worry."

"It wasn't me."

Why is she still denying it? It's not like I'm going to tell anyone. Oh. She doesn't trust me. "you know, prostitutes have" Brie trailed off since Hope is not listening and instead looking around the floor. "What're you looking for?" Whatever it is must be a secret since she's not willing to say. Oh. Is this why she came? She's not scheduled to be here, definitely not at 7AM. It must have kept her awake. Most people sleep late on a Sunday. "What is it? Was it in the jeans? I already threw the trash away. It should still be in the dumpster." It would be hard to find though since there are a lot of condo units here. Why would she think it would be in the closet? Her jeans never made it here. "Did you look in the living room?" That would be more likely since her coat was there. Oh. She did come in to hide from Noel yesterday with the coat on. But why would it be under the bed?

"Get off"

"Excuse me?" Brie asked, then quickly realized why. "Why would it be on the bed?" There's that look again like I just asked a stupid question. She must have sat on it. That's why. "If you get me my pajamas, I will let you check." Did she forget what happened earlier? Or did she expect me to get off the bed with the comforter? So rude. She didn't even ask where, just looking into the dresser drawer like it's no big deal. "Hey" The bed isn't that far. Does she have to throw it at me? "Turn around" It would be easier to get dressed without her here but there's no need to. Doing it under the comforter isn't difficult but it's necessary to do it slowly. Besides she needs to hear this. "Prostitutes have morals too, you know. They have feelings just like you and me. So stop treating them like they're not human." Why is she acting like she didn't hear a single word I said? It seems she can't wait since she's already looking under the pillow after flipping the comforter to the other side.

"c'mon" Hope said, extending both hands.

"Is it a diamond ring? I'm not going to take it, you know?" Brie said, regretting talking and moving at the same time. Closing her eyes is a spontaneous response. It didn't help. The body couldn't be controlled. Gravity quickly took over. Everything is still spinning again even with the eyes closed. Don't move. Don't move. Stop moving. It didn't immediately but the moment it did, she realized she should've kept her eyes opened. "I told you I'm not a prostitute." Brie said, pushing Hope off of her then later realized she over-reacted. It wasn't obvious before but now is. It wasn't Hope's fault. She was being grabbed onto. It was hard to tell a moment ago when the mind wasn't balanced. "go check the vacuum" Brie said, letting out a deep breath after the bedroom door closed. The thought of explaining crossed her mind but decided not to since no explanation would be considered to be a good reason for what happened that night other than the need for money or being forced to. It was neither. This time, she threw the phone across the room against the closet door after finding out the message has been read but no response was given.

Three hours of rest helped but not much. The head still feels like it's holding a 100 pound cement block. With an empty stomach, the body feels like it belongs to an 80 year old with arthritis. There's nothing wrong with the legs but taking slow steps is necessary because looking down seems to trigger the 'spinning.'

"Thanks…for all of this." Brie thanked Noel again after satisfying her stomach with a light lunch. Lunch isn't that great but like Noel said, reduce intake of salt and sugar should help with vertigo. Eating small portions but more frequently should too. What's this? Brie takes the paper from Noel. Oh. It's a list of foods to avoid and foods that would help including websites?

"If it doesn't go away by tomorrow, I suggest trying it out. It shows you how to determine what's causing it."

"oh"

"It might not be what you ate. It could be your posture. It could be the crystals inside your ear canals."

"Whaat?" Brie asked, then regretted for asking because Noel is again acting like a medical professional who's very interested in finding out the cause and eager to help but she's using abbreviations that don't make sense. "BVP?"

"BVVP, I knew someone who had it for 7 years, that's how I know"

"7 years?" That's not comforting to hear. It is after Noel explained that the issue was on and off and could've been fixed sooner if that person had searched the internet herself instead of depending on doctors and physical therapists who had no experience with BVVP.

"So don't worry if it doesn't go away after 3 weeks."

"3 weeks!" Brie said, feeling worse than a moment ago now that she realized how serious this could be. It never lasted this long before.

"I'm just saying if. It could be gone by tomorrow and if it doesn't, you'd know what to do. So don't worry. I'm right next door if you need me."

As comforting as that is to hear, this feels strange. Noel is not acting strange but Hope is. Thank you? Well, that's the first. Noel deserved that but I do too. Is there a need to escort her back to her apartment? It's just a few steps next door. It's so close, it only takes a few seconds so why isn't she back yet? "ughhh"

Hearing the sound of the phone, she now wished she didn't throw it at the closet because then she would've remembered to bring it out. It's not a long walk to the bedroom but in the condition she's in, she doesn't feel like walking.

(sigh) Why is she calling? Did she forget that was the last time? "hello" Brie said while sitting on the edge of the bed since walking and talking at the same time could trigger the spinning again like the last time.

"Is Hope there?"

Why is she asking me? For whatever reason, Riley sounds very upset. Anyone would be if their call didn't get returned. "I'll tell her if I see her." There's no need to tell her where Hope is since there must be a reason why Hope didn't return her calls but there's a need to ask if someone told her to call me because she suddenly changed the topic. Calling to ask for Hope is not a good reason since she should know Hope is not scheduled to be here. Calling to tell me she's having a difficult time finding a replacement for Hope is also not a good reason either since she already said that the other day. Asking me if I'm okay because my voice sounds funny makes sense because my voice does sound different with the stuffed up nose but there is no reason for her to be calling me at this hour unless she was told to.

"What? Brie, I really need to talk to Hope. If you know where she is, please have her call me. It's urgent. Okay?"

Doesn't sound like she's lying. Maybe she wasn't told to then. "Okay" Brie responded, then realized how urgent it must be since Riley hung up before she could even ask a question about Hope. What is so urgent? Did someone died? Ohh...shoot. Maybe someone did, someone at the strip club. She must have known Hope is the shooter. That is urgent then.

Brie quickly called Hope's phone while walking back to the living room, ignoring the risk of getting another dizziness episode since she wants to see if there is news about the shooting in the strip club. Why isn't she answering? She must be at Noel's since her coat is still here. It would only take a few steps to find out but it would be faster to just call Noel since she left her number on the list.

"Noel? It's Brie. Is Hope there?" Asking is necessary in case she's not. Just because she didn't take her coat doesn't mean… oh she is. What is she doing there? Ask later. Relay Riley's message is more important. That's odd though. There's nothing about the shooting on tv. For whatever reason, Hope came back to make the call. Noel's place might not be a good place to talk but why does she need my phone?

"She's not picking up."

Oh. That's strange. Why wouldn't she? "Is it broken?...okay, fine." There's that look again. It's not a stupid question. "Take the call here or you're not getting it." There's personal information in there. Did she expect me to trust her? She agreed so okay. Whatever Riley said, it seems that Hope didn't like it. She didn't yell but her facial expression shows. Her tone shows. A broken phone is a good reason for not returning the call since she didn't get the message but why is she blaming Riley for it? If Noel were here, she probably don't know what they're talking about because I don't.

"No I didn't. Ghost did."

huh? Did she say a ghost? Or does she mean a person named Ghost was the shooter?

"The last time I saw her, she was safe."

Who is she?

"That's your problem."

If Noel were here, she would be wondering why she's talking this way to her boss because I am.

"How do you expect me to find her?"

Are they still talking about the shooting? Hope looks disappointed. She didn't curse at Riley though which is odd. It's also odd that she didn't mention to Riley that she was calling from a new phone earlier. Maybe she'll tell her later. What is she thinking of?

"Sso…did someone get kidnapped?" That's what it sounded like. The job of a bodyguard is to protect. It sounds like Riley failed in this case.

"no"

That's it? No? Oh I get it. It's none of my business. "So, she's okay?...Noel I mean." There's only one reason why she's acting normally towards Noel. It's because she no longer suspects Noel in having another motive other than wanting to get along with her neighbor. Like Riley said, she's good in her job as a bodyguard but she definitely has a poor judgment of character. "You didn't tell her about me, did you?" Getting the pregnancy question from Noel was a bit unexpected. There's no reason for her to ask even if I was throwing up. The only reason is if she knows about me.

"no"

No? Oh. Maybe she didn't then. It does seem strange that she would since she's not the nosy, talkative type but having just witnessed her behavior towards Noel, that thought didn't seem so impossible. "So what does she do?" Noel did say she hasn't worked for awhile but didn't elaborate on it. "Did she say what she used to do?" Does she not know or does she think I don't need to know? One thing is certain, she's no longer suspicious of Noel.

"Don't go anywhere."

Clearly, she loves giving me commands. "You're leaving?" It wasn't obvious before but now is since she's putting her coat on.

"Don't open the door for anybody…including Noel. Understand?"

"What?" How could she still suspect Noel?

"We don't know anything about her yet so don't say anything."

Huhhh? So she was acting to get close to her so she can find more about her? Is that necessary? "I really don't think she wants to hurt me." She should know Noel would've already if she did. "She could've killed me last night you know, if she wanted to." I shouldn't have said that. Now she has that narrow-eyed, disappointed look again. She's not thinking of staying for the night, is she?

"Why do you need a bodyguard?"

Well, that's another odd question. Doesn't she know? Guess not. A bodyguard doesn't need to know why. A bodyguard only needs to protect and be suspicious of everyone but she's right. It would help if she knows why but the fact is I don't know who wants to kill me.

"I got robbed once. So my father doesn't want me to go anywhere without a bodyguard." Good enough? It should. This is New York. Crime rate is high. Why does she look like she doesn't believe me? What is she staring at? Brie looks down at herself until she realized why. "I'm not" It's too late to say what's in her mind since Hope had just closed the door behind her. A student without a job wouldn't be able to afford this place but a prostitute can. (sigh)