The Single Dad's Royal Pursuit

Chapter 9- Enlighten me

“Hello, Ms. Lexi,”  Lexi overheard the familiar man’s voice in front of her. She was fixing her medical kit after checking up one of the last pregnant ladies in her clinic. She didn’t need to look since the owner’s presence gutted her again. It was Manuel.

“Hey,” she simply said while writing on her chart.

“Are you free tonight?” Manuel asked her.

Lexi closed her eyes before inhaling a deep breath. Manuel didn’t really know when to stop annoying her. She had been asked by him many times, and she never heeded. “No,” she simply answered, looking at him this time.

“Why?”

“Because I needed to rest,” Lexi simply answered back. She indeed needed a rest. Her symptoms were getting worst, and just earlier that day, she almost passed out on the road while walking to her work. At nearly eleven weeks, she couldn’t get enough nutrition since she had been vomiting a lot lately.

“You can rest tomorrow,” he replied. “It’s the weekend,”

“I have work tomorrow,” Lexi put her eyes back on her desk. Glad it was nearly lunch, and that meant it was going home time.

“How about lunch today?” Manuel asked again.

Lexi stopped writing and looked at the stubborn guy again. “No, Mr. Smith. I didn’t want to go and have lunch with you or anyone in this orphanage,” she grittily stated. “I am knackered, and I want some sleep,” she added.

Manuel nodded. “Sure. Maybe next time,”

She was clutching her pen tight. “There’s no next time, Mr. Smith,” Lexi added, showing her finger. “I just don’t because of this. My fiancé is coming back soon, and I didn’t want any rumors here, so please understand,” she elaborated this time.

Manuel scoffed. “I don’t care, Ms. Lexi,”

“Well, I care,” Lexi simply replied.

“See you then on Monday,” Manuel winked at her before turning around, leaving her clinic.

Soon as he was out of her sight, Lexi heaved a deep breath and slumped her body on her chair. “What a t**t!?” she couldn’t help herself but vent. Manuel was too hardcore and got no idea how to stop him. Of course, no fiancé was waiting for her. That ring was just a façade, but it seemed not working for him. Lexi rubbed her tummy. She thought maybe if she told him she was pregnant, he would stop. “No, not today,” she huffed before going back to her work.

The next day, Lexi was scheduled to have a check-up with Doctor Yan. She had been working with her for the last two weekends, and her shift tomorrow was canceled since Doctor Yan wouldn’t be available on Sunday.

After fixing her pale face, Lexi left her apartment and hailed a rickshaw guy. “Hospital, please,” she said as she hopped inside. The guy drove her for almost half an hour before they reached the hospital. She paid her bill and headed inside the outpatient wing.

While walking, she couldn’t help but feel green, seeing happy, expecting couples around her made her feel blue. Ever since she found out Andrew had a wife, she never returned to that apartment. Even though she had no right to be sad, there was still a part of her yearned for support though she was determined to continue her pregnancy alone. Her hormones were messing her up, plus nobody knew she was pregnant yet except for doctor Yan. She hasn’t even told Axi about it.

Lexi took her visitation book and was flipping and checking a page when she heard someone call her name.

“Lexi?”

Lexi stopped walking and slowly looked at the person standing in the same hallway as her.  Flickering her eyes, “Hi….” She greeted, looking at the pregnant lady. She was the same lady who answered the door at Andrew’s place.

“Hello!” she greeted her, “Ah…have you found Andrew?” she suddenly asked.

Lexi’s eyes widened as she looked at her before nodding, “Y…yes…” she stuttered, “I’m… I’m sorry for the confusion…” she added, lying. “I didn't….”

“Ms. Alexandra?” Nurse Chida’s voice echoed in the hallway. She looked at the door. She saw Chida standing next to a tall, gorgeous guy. They were looking at them.

 “Excuse me…” Lexi smiled as she continued to walk towards the door.

“It’s okay….”

“Do you know her?” Lexi overheard before the clinic’s door closed. She heaved a deep breath before smiling at Chida. Lexi was slightly wondering who was that tall guy. For a second, she thought it was Andrew since the man was as tall as him.

“Ms. Lee’s husband is so handsome!” Nurse Chida exclaimed as Lexi sat on the chair.

“Husband?”

“Yes! he left the envelope, so he came back here,” she giggled.

“Oh, I thought….” Lexi mumbled. He must be the man Chida was crushing on. She kept saying Max Ricci’s name last week. One of doctor Yan’s patient husbands. ‘So the lady wasn’t Andrew’s wife,’ She thought.

“Hey, Lexi! How is it going?” Doctor Yan asked Lexi as she came out of her clinic.

Lexi smiled. “Never been better, doc,” she smirked.

“Silly,”

Lexi and Doctor Yan proceeded to her check-up. After retaking some blood tests, doctor Yan asked her some questions.

“Well, I’m great, doc. Feeling great working here except at the orphanage,” She snorted.

“Oh, he never stops, eh?” Doctor Yan asked. Lexi had already told the lady about Manuel. “Poor you and such a t**t, like you, always say,” she chuckled.

“Yes, I love my job, but I hate him,” Lexi snorted.

“Well, let’s see what I can do about it,” Doctor Yan said.

The two talked for more until the next scheduled patient came in. Lexi bade goodbye after speaking with Nurse Chida about her following schedule.

~

“I’m so happy to see you awake, Mics,” Charlene smilingly said to Mickey as he lay in the hospital bed. It had been days since he woke up after sleeping deeply for a week.

 “Thank you, love,” Mickey hoarse, “I’m glad that I’m still alive despite the wreckage I saw on the news,” he added, looking at his twin Andy. The accident he had was indeed terrible, and he wondered how he survived the crash.

Andy snorted,  “I told him not to see the news, but he was stubborn,” she complained as she adjusted her laptop that was resting on the over-bed table resting in front of Mickey,

“I so want to see it, sis,” Mickey replied, smiling at Andy, who was now sitting next to him on his bed, “Be careful,” he added, telling her as she scooted closer to him. The lady was heavily pregnant.

“I know,” Andy huffed, rubbing her large bump, “I can’t even take a second look at those photos as I imagined how you would be able to survive it,” she snorted.

“I agree,” Charlene butted on the screen. Mickey couldn’t be happier he got these ladies by his side. He worried them. That’s why even if he wasn’t feeling alright, he asked Andy to call Charlene.

Mickey smirked. “It's not yet my time, you know,” he confidently mumbled, “And my car only looked bad from the outside, but it's intact inside,” he said, reasoning out to lighten the mood. He didn’t want the two knocked-up ladies to be upset again.

“Whatever, Mics!” Charlene puffed, “You should be careful next time. I know it wasn’t your fault, but I’m glad that you were alert and mindful,” she said in relief.

“I reckon,” Mickey smiled before looking at Andy and Charlene on the screen, “I’m sorry for stressing you, though,” he apologized, “It’s bad for you guys, and I didn’t mean to,” he continued, looking at Andy’s bump, touching it.

“Stop!” Charlene grumbled, “Yes, we got worried about you, but Andy and I are safe and smart,” she held, “We believe you will make it through, and you did, so stop stressing. It’s not your fault,” she calmly stated, making Mickey sigh in relief.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Andy agreed with Charlene’s remarks,

“Thanks, ladies,” Mickey thankfully smiled at the two.

Charlene snorted. “That’s why you should feel better soon, Mics. You need to come back here soon,” she smilingly said, “Your god-kids are waiting for you,”

Then there was silence.

Mickey seemed confused about what Charlene said to return to Thailand. Scowling, “Go back there? What do you mean” he puzzlingly asked, looking at Andy and Charlene.

Charlene huffed, “Oh, stop pretending, Mickey. You have some unfinished business here,” she laughed.

Swallowing a hard lump in his throat, “I…I am not,” Mickey seriously held, frowning at Andy. He didn’t remember going there and having some unfinished business like what Charlene was claiming.

“Stop…” Charlene smiled, “Don’t tell me you don’t remember being here barely three months ago,” she scoffed, “Come on, Mics,”

Mickey’s eyes glistened while his mouth quivered. ‘Three months,’ he inwardly asked. He didn’t remember anything at all. He jogged his memories back, and sooner his head began to throb.

Mickey shifted his eyes between the two. Charlene and Andy suddenly knew there was something wrong.

“Are you sure?” Andy asked her twin,

Mickey shook his head. “No…” he said, “I don’t remember anything about that,” he honestly told. Not a single memory.

Inhaling sharply, “Do you recall we had Miggy’s second birthday party about two months ago?” Andy then asked, “Anything you vividly remember what happened that day,” she added

Closing his eyes, Mickey tried to remember, “Miggy? Birthday party?” he checked. The pain became awful in his head.

“Yes,” Charlene seconded.

Mickey heaved a deep breath before shaking his head. He knew he must know because it was his son’s second birthday, but he couldn’t think or produce any significant memories, “No,” he mumbled.

Andy heaved a deep breath as she shook her head. She then took her phone and dialed it. She carefully got out of the bed as she spoke to someone. Mickey watched his twin move away and called on her phone.

“I don’t know what’s really happening, but I think they need to recheck you, Mics,” Charlene sadly held as Mickey looked at the screen again. “You might’ve had lost some memories, but you’ll be fine,” she assured, albeit worried for some things about Mickey.

Mickey nodded. “I know…I do remember you are pregnant, but I…I didn't recall going to Thailand…” he openly said. It must be fun if he did.

Charlene nodded, “Take your time to remember Mics,” she advised, “Don’t force yourself,”

Mickey went silent. “Enlighten me, Charlene….”

Charlene cleared her throat. “Well, you visited me since I was having trouble with Max after our divorce,” she started.

“You and Max divorced?”

“You don’t remember, do you?”

“No, f**k!” Mickey raked his hair.

“Mickey, stop, okay…don’t force yourself to remember,” Charlene concernedly said. “Where is Andy?”

Mickey looked and saw no Andy in the room. “Outside,” he answered. “What else?”

“Mickey, no. I am not telling you anything,” Charlene said.

“Please,”

“Nothing much. You helped me heal, and we hung out with our friends. Perhaps you met a lady…I don’t know what else. Maybe I have a brainfart,” Charlene kidded.

Mickey inhaled a deep breath. “I must know,” he said before wincing as he tried to recall some stuff.

“Mics, you aren’t okay, chill….”

“Are you and Max okay now?” Mickey asked.

“Yup, oh! You even beat him in the pulp when he came here while you were here,” Charlene said.

“Beat?!”

“Yup, you and Diego beat him black and blue,” Charlene sneered.

“Damn…That must be bad?”

“Oh, it was…you and Andy did it actually,”

“Oh…. Of course, Andy did,” he smirked.

“So, yeah. Relax, Mics, you’ll remember everything eventually,” Charlene calmly stated.

“I will,” Mickey said as he looked at Andy, who had just come back from the outside.

“Doctors are coming to check you, and I called mom and dad to come here soon,” Andy informed. Mickey nodded as he scooted again to let Andy sit on the bed.

The trio spoke for more until the doctor came in. They ran some tests on Mickey, and after about an hour or two, all they said was suffering retrograde amnesia. It meant he lost existing and previously made memories. Mickey couldn’t remember anything that happened between the past six months.

It was devastating for Mickey to know, but he kept his thoughts and frustrations inside. He didn’t want anyone to get worried about him.

Andy kissed Mickey’s forehead. “Don’t push yourself, okay?”  she mumbled. “You will remember them soon,” she added, albeit inwardly worried since Micky made some drastic transaction and decision in their company's business. Sadly, they couldn’t trace them so far. Andy was worried since Damien mentioned to her that it seemed a mess.

“Thanks, Andy…” Mickey smiled. “I don’t know what to do without you, sissy,” he said. Andy had been his life for years, and their bond as twins never ceased. “Say goodnight to Miggy, tell him daddy will be home soon,” he added.

Mickey was glad he never forgot his son. Although he may have had forgotten his birthday, which Andy said was a special party he prepared by himself.

“I will, love. Goodnight, yes?”

“Yes, goodnight and love you,” Mickey murmured as he felt sleepy from the medicine he had intaken to relieve the pain in his head.