Chapter 52
“I bet you’ve barely pecked at your food over the past few days, and today you’ve had absolutely nothing so far. I know you’re worried about mom and I understand that. But I think you’re being selfish, Cheryl. Do you think it makes her feel good to see her daughter not taking care of herself? Your mom will need to concentrate on recovering when her surgery is finished, not squandering her time fretting about you.”
Cheryl inhaled deeply at Andre’s words. It really worried her that he was also right. The thought of food turned her off. How could she eat when her mother could possibly be dying? It just seemed all so wrong. “Where are we going?” she finally asked as Andre turned a corner.
“To get you some lunch.”
“I’m not hungry. How many times have I told you that your health is of importance to me?”
“You can either sit here in this cafeteria and eat a decent meal, or I won’t hesitate to take you home. Your choice.” Cheryl stopped outside the cafeteria’s doors and stared at him incredulously. Some of the outrageous things he said to her in a normal, everyday tone of voice never ceased to amaze her.
Even though the building was filled with security, Cheryl couldn’t take the chance that he’d take her away. Then her mother would come back from surgery without her being there. With a growl of frustration she turned from him and walked into the quiet cafeteria. Thankfully, there weren’t too many people around.
She would concentrate fully on trying not to choke on uninviting hospital food. Her stomach was already upset at just the thought of forcing anything down her throat.
Cheryl moved through the limited display of food. Nothing looked remotely appealing. Instead she just grabbed an item. This didn’t seem to please Andre because he added several more items on her tray, then together they shuttled along to the cashier.
After paying the cashier, they went to a table in the back corner of the cafeteria. He tried to comfort her as they shared a private moment together. There were about ten other people sitting around the room, none close enough to be able to hear any of their conversation. After sitting in silence for a while, Andre sighed as he gazed from her to her untouched plate. “Please eat Cheryl.” His softer tone soothed her.
“My father taught me from small that when a woman needs to be taken care of, men always need to step up to the plate,” he answered with a warm smile in addition to a flirtatious wink. Cheryl could see the compassion in his eyes. She was sorely tempted to run straight into his arms. “Take a bite, Cheryl,” Andre consoled. She picked up the turkey sandwich and bit into it. Cheryl chewed the soft whole wheat bread a few extra times in hopes that she could get the lump of food down her throat. “Good girl.” Cheryl could sense his genuine compassion and was grateful. She could handle him like this.
After several minutes, she was surprised to find the sandwich gone. In her state of melancholy she hadn’t even realized she’d been taking bites, chewing and swallowing.
Suddenly several loud explosions thundered through the air. This was followed by the sound of people screaming. Andre was on his feet in seconds, and he pulled Cheryl along with him.
“What was that?”
“Someone has a gun!” a woman shouted as she ran into the room. She went flying forward as red began spreading across her shoulder. Just as Andre was lifting Cheryl into his arms, a sturdy man carrying a semiautomatic weapon entered the cafeteria. Cheryl’s frightened eyes met his ahead of him turning the gun in her direction. As fate would have it he engaged the trigger.
Andre swore trying to shield her body, but it was too late. Cheryl felt as if she’d been punched in the chest. Thinking maybe Andre had dropped her she looked down at herself. It was captivating to see red begin to spread out across her T- shirt. “Too bad this was my favorite shirt,” she gargled before all went black.
Fury immediately engulfed Andre as Cheryl’s blood spread, soaking her soft cotton tee. After gently setting Cheryl down, he bolted through the cafeteria. Nothing was going to stop him from killing the man who’d dared to shoot his Cheryl. The gunman pulled the trigger again as Andre rushed toward him. It was either that he was out of bullets or his weapon was jammed.
Whichever way he had about two seconds before Andre took him down. The man’s eyes popped as Andre flew through the air barreling down on him. The gunman tried pulling another weapon out from his belt, but he neither had the time nor agility before Andre’s body connected with his. More in shock than panic the man gasped when Andre’s fist found his mandible dislocating it with one punch. The next punch had blood spurting from the man’s nose. Andre heard as a satisfying crunch in his ears amidst the room of screaming people.
In his rage Andre swung again. His only intention was finishing this worthless scum bag off. Who would dare to say that this coward of a man was worthy of living after shooting these innocent people down in cold blood? “Mr. Charles we have him. Mr. Charles you can stop. Stop now or you’ll kill him!”
“I intend to,” Andre shouted as his fist thudded downward again. Suddenly, a couple of guards grabbed him yanking him backward and off the man. Andre turned ready to fight off those who had the gall to interfere. He felt a pinch in his arm and everything became blurry. “No…” he shouted before fading.
When he came to, it took a while before he remembered what had actually happened. Hearing some monitors beeping his heartbeat increased. “Cheryl,” he called. “Mr. Charles, I’m Dr. Thomas. Everything is going to be fine. You were shot in the left shoulder. We have successfully removed the bullet and you’ll recover quickly.”
“Where’s Cheryl?”
“Cheryl?”
“Yes, the woman who was shot in the cafeteria whom I was with!”
“Are you related to her, Mr. Charles?” He was the one asking questions now. His fear and temper suddenly shot up as the doctor said nothing more.
“You will tell me how she’s doing, though!”
“Mr. Charles under the health professionals’ regulations I can’t —”
“Don’t make me remind you how much money I assist in raising for this hospital! I want some information now.”
Andre wasn’t in the mood to be stifled by the bureaucracy of the hospital’s rules. He wanted to see Cheryl. He needed to reassure himself that she was OK. The last he remembered was that she was bleeding in his arms. Glaring at the doctor he watched him man struggling in a decision as to what he was going to say. “Cheryl was shot in the chest dangerously close to her heart. For a while her surgery was touch and go, but she made it through safely. However the next forty-eight hours remain decisive for her. She has a good chance of survival at this point.”
Andre sat up in the bed thanking Dr. Thomas. “Fine. Thank you so much Dr. Thomas. When will I be able to go and see her?”
“In about another three hours. This is just a necessary precaution as we don’t want you to catch an infection. Thank you doctor.”
Later a nurse would escort him down the hallway until they reached the elevators. Once inside the nurse pushed the button for the fifth floor. The motion of the rising car made Andre feel