The Royal Contract

"Ugh!"

"Damn, that hurts."

He felt like a truck had run him over, leaving him paralyzed in his place.

He could not understand what was happening as he struggled to open his eyes. It probably took him a few more minutes before his memories returned to him, flashing before his eyes.

His friend shot him, realizing what had just happened.

He finally pried his eyes open, wanting to see where he was while fighting the pain.

But he could already guess from the beeping noise and the chaotic sound of the people around him that he was in a hospital.

"Ahhh!" He groaned, feeling the extreme pain of the wound in his left arm.

He could only wonder how bad it was as he assessed his health condition. He attempted to push his shoulder, but the stiffness of his muscles could only allow him to move an inch.

"Anybody out there? He asked as he tried again to push himself into a sitting position, working through his pain, not minding the pain.

He did not live this long in this lifestyle if he could not tolerate a few cuts or gunshot wounds. He had to learn how to overcome the fear of dying and increase his survival instinct to endure a life in the underground world.

"Hey, you." He called to a woman who suddenly passed his bed in a hurry. "Where am I?" He asked, hoping to find some answers.

The woman was wearing some uniform, so he believed it was safe to assume she might be working in this facility.

"Hey, you are awake." The woman acted surprised when she saw him.

Immediately, she moved closer to him and inspected him for his injuries. Afterward, she nodded as if she understood what was wrong with him.

However, he wondered if he was awake or dreaming, seeing the woman in a white blouse and a white coat. Then, he recalled the remaining memories of that night. But in the end, he concluded that this might be real.

"You are in a hospital." Then, she named the hospital, remembering it was a few blocks from where the incident happened.

He could only surmise that the gang brought him here to get treated. It would mean that Gerald's plan work. If not, he should be in a black body bag, already frozen inside the freezer, probably in the lower lever.

"Oh, ok." He appreciated the answer, slightly still feeling a bit disoriented.

"Do you know your name?" The woman asked him as she inspected his eyes, nose, and ears.

"I am Mike." He responded to the question, knowing all too well who he was. "I am a lawyer." And then he stated what he remembered that morning.

"Do you remember getting involved with the shooting," she asked while she put the stethoscope in his chest to listen to his heartbeat.

"Vaguely," Mike answered, mildly shaking his head as he sensed slight dizziness. He wondered if he had also hit his head somewhere.

Suddenly, the incident reminded him that police would get involved since the incident involved a deadly weapon.

But more than that, he could not remember what happened to their boss when he passed out. Everything happened so fast that he barely had time to react.

The last thing he recalled was getting Gerald's signal and assuming he understood his friend's plan. He dove into the car and pulled his boss, so he could save him while pretending to fight for control.

"Somebody shot you on your arm, just beneath your shoulder." The woman pointed the wound to him, which had a temporary cover.

"But it is just a flesh wound. You were lucky that it did not penetrate any of your vital arteries, or you could have bled to death." The woman continued as she stepped on the side of his bed to get his chart.

"That is great to hear." He said, but it did not explain the pain in his head. "What about my head?"

He could not help but think if some stray bullet also grazed his head.

He partially recalled hearing two gunshots before he dropped on the pavement, pulling Don off the car with him until they both landed on the hardened cement.

After that, he must have passed out because the image of Don, lifeless, lying on top of him, was the last thought in his mind of that night.

"We still have to have a CT scan for injuries. The man

who brought you in with another person said somebody ambushed you on the street.

And when you tried to save the other guy, you got shot yourself and bumped your head on the steps behind you."

Suddenly, he wondered if that was what had actually happened since some of the details were off from what he could remember. But he would go for that story for now.

"Where is the man that came with me?" He asked, assuming that she was talking about Don.

He saved Don from Gerald, but he believed it was all stage. His friend wanted him to help Don when he gave him that signal.

A look that said he should know what his friend had in mind. Then, instinct kicked in as he pulled Don from the car.

He guessed Gerald wanted it to appear believable when he shot both of them as they tried to escape. But it was a mere ploy to distract his opponent and give his friend a clean getaway.

"Don't worry about him. His injuries seemed to be the same as yours. He would heal quickly in no time." The woman told him as she put his chart and stepped away.

"I will send someone here to accompany you while getting your tests." The slightly older doctor said, excusing herself. "I still have a few patients to see, but I will return later to check on you."

He nodded, but the movement seemed to increase the pain in his head. Suddenly he could not help but wonder if he had cracked his brain or damaged it while lying on the pavement.

But he liked the idea of tests, giving him time to avoid the police until he could have better answers to their questions.

He did not want to go to jail merely because of petty offenses. He just had to make his story and excuse more plausible.

He attempted to move his head again, still feeling the pain but more or less, it had lessened. Then he turned to stare at his wound with a white covering already plastered on his broken skin.

"Excuse me, Mr... Mmmm...." A voice that sounded familiar walked into his little curtained cubicle.

When he looked up to see who it was, he noticed that her long hair was partially covered by her face in an angle that hid her looks from him.

Still, he could tell that he might know her. Still, the voice alone could not jog his memory. He guessed he needed to see her face.

"Mike Carter. But you can call me Mike for short." He told her as he watched her, waiting until he saw who she was.

"Ok, Mike. It says here that you are experiencing some light headache since the accident." She continued to read his charts without looking at him.

"A nurse would take you to Imaging and have your head scanned as soon as possible." She instructed as she finally put down the chart and looked at him.

He could not believe his eyes as they almost popped out of their sockets. It was that woman that had plagued his dreams.

Admittedly, until now, his eyes could still see the shape of her face. He believed he could still visualize her lips as she smiled. He still longed to hold her again.

"No." What was he saying as he looked away?

"I thought you already consented to the procedure." She suddenly looked again at his charts as if confirming what she already knew.

Then, she finally faced him to clarify the matter. When her eyes bulged and her face drained of its color, he instantly knew that she was the woman he had been looking for.

"You?" She mumbled, sounding like she also remembered who he was. Stay updated with mvl

What a small world.

To find her in such an odd place and an unexpected situation, especially when he had already stopped looking for her, was strange.

"Fancy seeing you here, Doc?" He believed he did not catch her name when she walked into his cubicle.

She seemed lost for words as she stared at him, looking dumbfounded upon seeing him.

But after a few seconds, she seemed to recover from the shock as she closed her mouth and calmed herself down.

"Doctor Sheldon." She supplied, looking away and pretending she was busy reading the charts.

In the meantime, the last name would do. But he would prefer the first name.

"You are one woman that was hard to find." He mumbled but loud enough for her to hear him.

But figuratively speaking, he was curious how she landed on his lap.

But that was the world they lived in. That was how it worked. It was full of unexpected surprises.

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