Saved by the Billionaire

Chapter Five

I had another Asthma attack during the night. It was gradual and I thought I could handle it.

"Emmett?" I heard a groggy voice. I turned to see Mr Richard waking up. When he saw me, he shot up from the couch and hurried to my side. "What's wrong?" He asked me. Reaching for the buzzer, he pressed it frantically. "Hang in there. Help is on the way, okay?" He kept one hand on my back, instructing me to try and take deep breaths.

Two nurses walked into the room. "He's having an Asthma attack," he told them immediately.

Immediately, they had me taking an inhaler. It wasn't the one I normally use. Waiting for a few minutes to see if I'm getting better, they gave me two more shots of the inhaler. I could breath better now.

"Don't lie down all the way, okay? You need to sleep upright," one of them instructed me.

"Yes," they left shortly after. I snuggled into the covers, feeling drained.

"Are you feeling okay now?" Mr Richard asked me. I turned to look at him. I've noticed the change of clothes. He wasn't wearing the black suit he had on yesterday. He was wearing black pants and a black tshirt that hugged his muscles.

"Yes," I looked away, realizing I'm doing something inappropriate. "Were you here this whole time?" I asked him, my voice weak.

"Oh, I went to change and get some food while you were sleeping," he said sitting down on the chair. I frowned at that. Why would he stay? He barely knows me. He's a billionaire for God's sake, and I'm...me. It doesn't make sense.

"Why?" It was barely above a whisper. I had gathered enough courage to look him in the eyes, wanting to know why he'd stick around for so long. I had expected him to drop me off and then leave.

Mr Richard gave me a smile, "Someone has to make sure you're okay, isn't it?" He tilted his head to the side, looking at me.

I still don't understand. He could easily walk away and never come back. Never bother with me. Yet, he's here. Not to mention, he didn't think having Mr Biggie is weird. Unlike the nurse earlier, he wasn't judging. It made me feel at ease.

I would have worn my onesie but I don't want to push my luck. Being tall and bulky and having a teddy isn't exactly what people want to see. Neither is seeing me in a onesie. I can only wear that in the comfort of my place, where no one would look at me like I'm crazy. I'm grateful to Amandla for packing it for me though.

"I got you something," Mr Richard's voice pulled me out of my head.

"What is it?" I asked him, not seeing anything. He opened the drawer on my right and pulled out a grey small stuffie. It was lighter than Mr Biggie, and had a white front with a rainbow colored horn. A unicorn.

"It's a unicorn," I gasped, smiling widely. Seeming happy with my reaction, he handed me the stuffie. I hugged it, smiling at Mr Richard. "For me?"

"Of course," he smiled. His smile was bigger. Bigger than the one he usually shows. I blushed, suddenly aware of how weird I must look. I eyed the unicorn and it suddenly dawned on me. Besides Amandla, no one has ever gotten me anything. "Do you like it?" He asked me softly. I nodded, holding it.

"Thank you. I love it," I smiled at him. "No one has ever gotten me something like this," I admitted shyly.

"Well, I'm happy to be the first one," he said.

I laid back down, still feeling tired, and snuggling my new friend. "I'm going to name him...Bright," I said softly, touching his little horn.

"Bright it is then," Mr Richard said. "Get some sleep, okay? I'll be over there," he said.

"Okay," I watched him go to lie down on the couch. He moved around, trying to fit into the small couch. It must be uncomfortable. I felt bad that he had to sleep in a such a crampy place. "Mr Richard?"

"Yes Emmett?" He turned to look at me. I let out a small smile, which he returned right away.

"Thank you," I said softly.

"You're welcome," he said. He's really handsome. I blushed at the thought. "Goodnight,"

"Goodnight,"

●

"Okay, here's your medication. Make sure to take them, okay? And take it easy," the doctor instructed me the next day. "If anything happens, you come back. No excuses. Your health comes first, alright?" I nodded. I was happy to be out of here.

I went to change into khaki pants and a white tee that Amandla packed for me. I slid on my crappy shoes. I should probably buy new shoes.

When I came out, Mr Richard was packing everything into the duffel bag for me. I watched in awe, not knowing whether to stop him or not. It's so strange.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked me. I looked up to see him looking at me.

"Uh, yeah," I nodded, going over to where he was.

"I got it," he said when I reached for the bag. He carried as we walked out the hospital to his car. Holy s**t, I was in this car yesterday. This expensive looking SUV. How did I get here?

Mr Richard opened the front door for me and of course, I blushed. "Thank you," I said on my way in. He went to put the bag in the back seat before walking around to his side.

"Okay, I need you to put your safety belt on, okay?" He said starting the car. I grabbed the belt and draped it around me, securing it. "Good," he said in satisfaction and reversed out of the parking lot.

There was silence, saved by the soft sound of the car. I texted Amandla.

Me: I'm on my way home now. Doctor let me go.

Amandla?: That's great Emy. I'll stop by your place to see you, okay?

Amandla?: I've let Mrs Dorcas know that you are sick and she'll take care of you.

Amandla?: Emy, it's so boring here without you. We have a new staff and she doesn't know a thing about working, in general.

I couldn't help laughing as Amandla ranted out. The chances of her doing the double work are high.

Texting Amandla has made me unaware of my surrounding and when the car stop, I looked up to see the most fanciest restaurant before my eyes. I turned to look at Mr Richard. "What are we doing here, Mr Richard?" I asked him.

"Well," he took off his seatbelt and turned to me. "You haven't eaten, isn't it?" He said, getting out of the car. I stay rooted in my seat, frozen in shock. I jumped a little when he opened my door. "Come on," he urged. I grabbed my phone and got out, looking around.

He led me inside and I immediately cringed when I saw well dresses people in here. Mr Richard were in just our tshirts. Why would he bring me in a place like this when I'm underdressed?

A lady walked over to us and she spoke with Mr Richard. She seemed to know him. I was too busy trying to shrink myself because of the eyes on us.

The lady led us to a private spot, away from the eyes. Mr Richard pulled out a chair for me. The lady's shocked expression didn't go unnoticed. We were given the menu and I had no clue what to get.

"I'm not sure what to get, Mr Richard," I admitted to Mr Richard.

"Jackson," I looked up at him, confused. "It's Jackson. No need for the formalities, okay?" I blinked at him, not knowing what to say.

"Uh...well, I'm not sure what to order," I said sheepishly.

"Would you like me to order for you?" He suggested. I nodded quickly, happy to have him choose for me. He knows best when it comes to this. "Okay, how about this? What do you like?"

"Pasta," I said immediately. I live for pasta. Amandla says it's a little weird how I love everything that is pasta. It's true. Mr Richard nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer. When the waitress came to take our orders, he named something so foreign, I fought the urge to blanche my face. Prior to ordering our meal, we'd ordered drinks and I chose juice. I don't drink, so I can't exactly ask for alcohol.

The sweet aroma hit my nose as our food came. I eyed the plate and immediately smiled. "I take it you like it," Mr Richard said, eyeing me. Neither of us reached out for our cutlery and I bowed my head to pray for the food. Something I do automatically. I could be mouthing the prayer or whispering or even thinking it. It's been a habit I don't ever want to forget. It's not long and it's nothing special.

"Lord, bless this food I'm about to have and bless the hands that prepared it. Amen."

I reached for my fork, eager to have a taste of the dish I'll probably never eat again. The fork was halfway into my mouth when I noticed Mr Richard looking at me; his food still untouched. Blushing, I placed the fork down. "What?" I inquired quietly.

"Nothing Emmett. Have your food," he said, shaking his head.

"Okay," as soon as the food touched my palette, I hummed to myself. It's so good and so creamy. Oh my God, I've never tasted something so amazing ever in my life. The flavours exploded in my mouth. I was so in the moment that I jumped a little when I heard Mr Richard chuckled. I looked up at him to see him smiling, his eyes on me.

It dawned on me that I was doing a little dance and humming because the food is so good. I hadn't realized that I was doing something inappropriate. And so I stopped immediately. "Sorry," I whispered. I tried to contain my excitement and focused on the food instead. If I was good at cooking, I would have attempted the dish at home.

"You're so adorable," my eyes widened when I heard Mr Richard say lowly. He held my gaze while I turned into a tomato. My dummy self smiled at the compliment because I didn't have a clue what else to do.

And then the food choked. I grabbed the napkin, spitting out some of it by mistake. "f**k," I heard Mr Richard say, getting up. He was by my side in a second, rubbing my back as I coughed. "I'm sorry," he apologized quickly. I don't even know why he's apologizing. "Here, drink this," he handed me a glass of water. I gulped half the glass. After a minute, it finally stopped. "Okay?" I nodded. He looked at me for a second, contemplating whether to believe me or not.

"I'm okay now. Thank you," I smiled at him. He nodded and walked back to his seat. "You said a bad word," I pouted. He probably say it all the time.

"I apologize. I'll try to stop, how about that?" I nodded quickly, smiling. He returned the smile.

●

"Are you going to be okay by yourself?" Mr Richard inquired when he parked right in front of my crappy apartment building. I had nothing to hide. He probably already knows that I'm struggling financially and of course I'd be expected to live in a place like this.

"Well, Amandla has told Mrs Dorcas that I'm sick, so she'll probably check on me at least a hundred times per hour," I smiled at the thought. I remember when I got sick, she slept in my place, making sure 'I don't die on her'.

"Who's Mrs Dorcas?" Mr Richard frowned at that. From my peripheral vision, I saw the doors opening and there she was, coming out, with her small purse.

"There she is," I pointed out. Mr Richard watched her as she stood outside, looking around.

"Alright then," he said with a sigh. "Let me get your bag," he got out of the car and I did the same.

"Mrs Dorcas," I called out, earning her attention. Her face lit up and she walked over to me.

"Oh my boy, you're okay," she hugged. I had to bent a little to accommodate her height. "I was so worried when Amandla told me you were at the hospital. You know, I was just about to go visit," she said pulling back.

"Really?"

"Of course. How are you feeling now?" She inquired.

"Better," she finally noticed Mr Richard, walking over to us. "Uh, this is Mr Richard-"

"Jackson Richard, nice to meet you, ma'am," he introduced himself, holding out his hand for her. Mrs Dorcas eyed him up and down, sizing him up.

"What business do you have with my boy, Jackson?" My face heated up as I watched her interrogate him.

"Oh, I happened to be there when Emmett got sick. And so I helped him," Jackson said. Mrs Dorcas hummed to herself, nodding.

"Well thank you kind sir. This one can be careless at times," she said, embarrassing me.

"That's not true, Mrs Dorcas," I said laughing at her.

"Well then, I guess I better go and make a soup for you. Come along now," she said and walked back into the building.

"Well, she's a little scary," Mr Richard said watching her.

"I don't think she is," I said softly. "I guess you could say she loves giving people trouble,"

"She cares about you,"

"Yeah, I guess," I turned to him. "Thank you for bringing me here," I told him. I felt an unfamiliar feeling in my chest. A feeling of sadness. I was getting used to him and now we might never cross paths. "And for Bright," I remembered, smiling widely at my new friend. "It really means a lot,"

"I'm glad to hear that, Emmett," I grabbed my bag from him. "Take care of yourself, alright? You heard what the doctor said," he said, serious.

"Yes, I will," I watched him reverse back to his car, his eyes still on me. "Bye,"

"See you soon, Emmett,"

●

UNEDITED