Chapter 7. Distorting The Facts

• Lynda held out her hand with the chain, waiting for the doctor to take it, he took her hand, picked up the chain and placed it in her palm.
• "Lynda, I'm not going to take away the only memory you have of your mother, don't worry, you'll spend the night in the hospital so we can see your progress. Now let me check those bruises and put some cream on them to lighten them up, you'll be as good as new," he smiled.
• At the man's attention, the girl felt a warmth inside her, for the first time she felt important to someone, their eyes met for a moment, she tried to look away, but he did not allow it.
• "Am I so ugly you don't want to see me?" he asked, pouting comically, making Lynda laugh.
• "You are not ugly, you look like the crown princes of the island," the girl said, but the man's body tensed at her words.
• She immediately realized that she had said something inappropriate.
• "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, I didn't think you would mind my comparison," the girl said worriedly, unable to hide a hint of distress in her eyes.
• "Relax, I'm not upset, I could never be upset with such a lovely young lady like you, but I do have a problem with you." She opened her eyes in confusion, he smiled, showing his beautiful teeth. "Don't talk to me as you, now that we are friends, I want you to call me by my name, so I will introduce myself formally."
• He stood up and bowed as if she were some kind of royalty.
• "Nice to meet you, I'm Leonard, although my friends call me Leo, it's a pleasure to meet a beautiful lady like you." Lynda's cheeks flushed at the attention and he smiled. "You look like you have a strawberry on each cheek," he added, laughing.
• "Oh my! You make me blush with your compliments, I'm not used to receiving any, not even affection, I..." she fell silent as her eyes watered.
• "If b0ys your age doesn’t flatter you, they are blind and idiots, unable to see beauty when it is obvious, and those who don't feel affection for you miss out on earning the loyalty and affection of an extraordinary person like you," the man said, smiling at her.
• His words were like an encouragement to her soul, but she couldn't stop two subversive tears from escaping her eyes, the man noticed and made a surprised gesture.
• "No Lynda, don't cry, I know that for your age you live in very hard situations, but sooner or later everything will change and this will be a distant memory, never forget, both good and bad situations pass, nothing is forever, neither pain, sadness, discomfort.” The doctor tried to encourage her, but he never stopped looking at the girl's face with deep affection, from the moment he saw her, she shook the foundations of his heart.
• "You know, I'm glad I..." she stopped herself when she saw the stern expression on Leonard's face.
• She realized why he was looking at her that way, and a faint smile crept across her face as she began to call him by name.
• "Leo, I'm so glad I met you, you were like an angel sent from heaven." She paused for a few seconds. "Maybe it was my mother who sent you, because she saw how lonely I was."
• "Maybe you remind me of a special person in my life, one from whom I learned how strong a woman can become with the right encouragement, she stood up to everyone, her family, a system, she gave it all up for love," she expressed sadly as her gaze was lost in the memories of that past.
• "Now you're the one who's sad because of me," she expressed with a bit of concern.
• "No, you could never make me sad. But now you must rest, tomorrow will be another day, I called your friend to come, I hope she can make it, later I'll come by to see how you are.” Without another minute's thought, he approached the girl and kissed her forehead, covering her with the sheet so she wouldn't feel cold. Neither of them noticed a male figure watching them from the door.
• ******
• Christian was in his office going over the last reports of the day, he had left his house since the moment he had left Sally in the care of the people he had hired, although she was very important to him, he had his obligations and could not put them aside, especially when his revenge against Jonah Johnson was so close, he could already taste it, which made him feel in anticipation.
• Without realizing it, the force of his fingers on the pencil broke it, and he threw the remains into the wastebasket. He got up from the chair and watched the breathtaking view and the lights of the city, while in his mind the young girl crept into his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about her, those piercing eyes, that fire colored hair and those provocative thick lips, he couldn't help but feel his heart racing, to the point that he ended up blaming himself.
• "That's enough Christian, stop thinking about that girl, she's the daughter of your worst enemy, you can't feel anything for any of them, besides she's too young for you," he said to himself, trying to control the rage he felt just thinking about her.
• He tried to distract himself by checking other folders, but he couldn't, it was impossible to stop thinking about the young girl, he hadn't been attentive to her at all, he had behaved like a jerk, he had left her alone twice when she needed him, although if she wasn't the daughter of that damned Jonah he might have treated her better.
• Frustrated by these thoughts, he decided to visit her in the hospital, she was probably still there, he could approach her to know how she was after the accident; besides, it would be nothing wrong if he was interested in her state of health.
• Feeling a slight emotion as he had never felt it before, he left his office and got into the car, his heart beating fast, he drove the whole way thinking about what he would say to her, how he would get her attention. "Hell! "He knew where he had seen her, so he had no doubt where her room was, he went there, but as he did, he saw her with the doctor who was running his hand over her face, He kissed her, he could not control the anger inside him, How could it be so easy to let yourself be touched by someone you had just met he thought, he drew a hard expression on his face and withdrew clutching his hands in annoyance, thinking he had made a mistake coming to see her.
• *****
• Lynda was left alone in the room, but she could not fall asleep, every little noise made her start, she wished the dawn would come early so she could see her friend. In her mind she saw the man she had seen in the morning, he looked like an angel, with those blue eyes as beautiful and stormy as the ocean, her heart was beating hard in her chest, in her mind she imagined a lot of romantic scenes, while a smile was drawn on her face, thinking about him relaxed her so much that she finally fell asleep.
• In the morning, she awoke to the sound of the door opening, followed by a raucous voice that she recognized very well; as she approached the bed, she saw her friend Abigail coming in like a storm and with an excess of energy, especially for such an early hour.
• "My dearest friend!" she exclaimed, running to hug Lynda, who, seeing her friend's joy, caught her energy and began to smile.
• "My Abby, I have missed you so much, you are the energy that enlivens my life," she expressed as she hugged her friend. "I have a problem, I have no money to pay the hospital bill, the doctor called my father and sister, as usual they refused to help me. He even came and made a big fuss, he even hit me, he does not care about people," she pointed out in a low tone of voice.
• She thought about her situation for a moment.
• "I don't know what to do, I can't leave here without paying, even though the doctor offered to help me, I don't want to abuse his trust, I need to sell my necklace," she took it off and handed it to her friend. "I need you to help me."
• "No Lynda, you can't do that, it's the only thing you have from your mother and it's something important, she only gave you one piece of clothing like that, I don't know about clothing, I've never had big material goods, but this is valuable, it's an heirloom, you can't lose it."
• "But how am I going to pay for the hospital? I don't have anywhere to go either, I'm afraid of reprisals from my father and Lynnet, I don't want to face them, not now when I feel so sad and vulnerable."
• "Don't worry, I will help you, I have some savings and I will put them at your disposal, we can also take advantage of my roommate's absence and I will take you to my residence so you can stay with me for a few days, I will take care of you," the girl manifested as she wiped away Lynda's tears. "Don't cry little girl, I am the sister life gave you."
• "I know, I'm happy to have you in my life, but your landlady may end up kicking us both out, she doesn't like visitors in her apartment," she explained with a worried face.
• "You don't have to worry about that, I'll find a way to solve it, for now rest and in a while, we'll go to the administration to ask for the bill and see how much we can afford to pay."
• At Abby's words, she felt optimistic and a glimmer of hope was born in her, praying to the heavens that there would be no more unpleasant surprises, for she felt unprepared for the series of misfortunes that were coming one after another in her life.
• When misfortune comes, it never comes alone, but in battalions. William Shakespeare.