18 Kristi's Mysterious Condition
990 Words
Ray looked at Miles, then at Kristi, and then at Miles again. "Mr. Bradford," he hissed, "what is going on here." This was the first time that Ray had seen Miles and Kristi together, and it annoyed him to no end. Not surprisingly, though, his ire seemed not to affect Miles.
Miles smiled and stepped into the box's doorway, creating a barrier between Ray and Kristi. He crossed his arms and said, "Mr. Black, Kristi should not want to see you at this moment. This is the time that I have paid for, so it would be best if you left now. "
Ray snorted and smiled angrily. "I don't think so," he said. "When did your relationship become so intimate, anyway? And since when did I need to get permission from you if I want to see her?"
"Since I paid for her," Miles replied.
"I can't believe you paid for this dirty skank!" Ray growled. "Since when did you acquire a taste in such cheap women, like Kristina Zuniga?"
Miles's expression dimmed, and he said, "Don't be rude, Ray Black." Although Miles was usually a gentle and calm person, once he was angry, he could become like a force of nature, daunting and destructive.
Two men walked by, and Miles closed the door to give Kristi some privacy. Ray's face turned a furious shade of red, and he punched the door. "Open the f*****g door!" he shouted. And just as it looked like the men might end up fighting each other, the elevator at the end of the corridor suddenly opened, and Tianna hurried out. When she saw the two men, her mouth opened in surprise. "Mr. Black, Mr. Bradford, what are you two doing here?"
Before either of them could reply, Tianna said, "Never mind. Just open the box. Kristi is in trouble!"
Tianna pushed her way past the three men, pulled open the door, and hunkered down to help Kristi. The poor girl was lying on the ground, motionless. Her face was pale, her forehead was sweaty, and she looked lifeless. Tianna cried out the girl's name, but she didn't respond.
Miles stepped forward in an attempt to check on Kristi's condition, but Ray wouldn't allow it. "Don't touch her!" he said sternly, but Miles paid him no mind.
Marco frowned and said, "It looks like she's dying."
"She had better not," Miles hissed. He turned to Ray and said, "If anything happens to her, I will hold you personally responsible!"
Ray nodded to Marco, and he quickly pinned Miles to the wall. Once Miles was secured, Ray knelt beside Tianna. He raised his hand, tentatively probed Kristi's neck, and when he noticed that her pulse was still there, albeit very weak, he allowed his body to relax. He turned to Tianna and said, "Don't worry. She is still alive."
Ray carefully hugged Kristi and picked her up. Then, as he walked past Miles, he stopped and stared him in the eyes. After a moment, he said coldly, "Even if she is dying, she can only die in my arms. Miles Bradford, I don't have the patience to have to keep reminding you not to covet those things that aren't yours. The next time I have to, the reminder will come with a lesson – and you wouldn't want that. Now get the f**k out of here!"
Miles watched on morosely and impotently as Ray took Kristi away. Once they were out of sight, he looked at Marco and said, "Get the f**k off of me, you big lug!"
Marco released Miles obediently. He took two steps back, nodded, and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Bradford. I do as I'm told." Marco smiled nervously and followed Ray outside.
Now that the action was over, the club seemed very quiet. After a few minutes had passed, Miles turned to Tianna and asked, "How did you know something was amiss?"
Tianna sighed and said, "I hadn't seen her in a while, and I got nervous. It was a hunch, I guess, or a woman's intuition. Who knows? I'm just glad that I got here when I did, and I hope that Ray gets Kristi to the hospital in time…"
"Me too," Miles said, "But what happened to her anyway?"
"I don't know," Tianna admitted, "but I intend to get to the bottom of it. I know that Alicia had a guest in here earlier, and someone asked Kristi to restock their wine. I don't know what was going on, but my gut tells me there is a connection."
"I will look into it," Miles said, and then he disappeared down the corridor.
***
Keaton was used to Ray's cold demeanor, so when he saw Ray rushing into the hospital with Kristi in his arms, he knew that something was terribly wrong. Ray wore a helpless, worried expression, his face was red, and his forehead was dripping sweat – Keaton had definitely never seen him in such a state of distress. Ray cried out to him from down the hallway: "Keaton, you have to help her!"
Keaton didn't have time to ask Ray what happened. He looked Kristi over quickly and said, "Send her to the operating room."
***
Kristi was in the operating room for two hours, but by the time the surgery was over, Keaton was able to confidently say, "She will make it!"
Ray smiled and said, "So, she's all right?"
Keaton had studied medicine for a few years, but this was the first time he had come out of the operating room sweating. Kristi's situation had been terrible, and he'd never had to work so hard to keep someone alive.
He took off his mask and exhaled slowly. He said, "There was stomach bleeding caused by drinking, malnutrition, and low blood sugar – none of which I have any familiarity with, so she is lucky to have survived the surgery." Keaton frowned and looked at Ray. "Ray, what the hell is going on? If you didn't get her here when you did, she would have died!"
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