Chapter 2 Genesis Connor

• The moment the car arrived at the hospital, the husband ran out with the girl in his arms. His wife ran in front of him, calling the attention of nurses and doctors.
• I strode behind and when I reached them, I heard the couple was pleading with the nurses and doctors.
• “Ma’am, you need to get registered,” I heard the nurse said unconcerned.
• “Come-on please, someone should attend to her first, please,” the husband pleaded.
• “You have been delaying. If she dies, it’s on you,” the nurse said.
• That’s enough for the day. I was irritated by her attitude. How could they treat patients with such a cold-heart. Couldn’t they see how pale the little girl is?
• “Is that the way you speak to people around here?” I yelled harshly from behind. They all turned around.
• “Ma’am....I....do you.....” the nurse behind the desk stuttered like she had seen a ghost.
• “Get them immediate attention now!” I barked.
• The nurse promptly walked out from her post, and urged the couple to follow, then she pointed them to a different nurse, who took them to an unfamiliar room and there, they laid the little girl in bed.
• “Leave the room please,” a doctor walked in shortly followed by various nurses.
• “Please save her.” Before the wife could say more, her husband pulled her out of the room.
• “Oh, my baby...what are we going to do? I can't lose her,” she cried as her husband gathered her in his arms and patted her. He seemed like a loving husband and dad. I felt for their pain.
• “Shhh, we ain’t losing anyone. We are going to be fine. Now you have to be strong for Genesis, for Ava, for me,” he sounded scared but I could tell he was trying all he could to soothe his wife.
• For some reason, I didn’t leave the hospital. I felt terrible for the child. I could see the helplessness in the eyes of her parents. I understood the fear and tension they were going through, I understood the panic and the pain they were experiencing. I had been there several times; it wasn’t an alien feeling to me, and I still had not gotten rid of that feeling. My thoughts went to Jordan, my poor Jordan, and my heart ached.
• I felt strangely connected to them, so I stayed behind and watched from behind the scenes as they both shed tears like children, even without knowing the condition of their daughter yet. I watched them for a while until my phone rang, and I had to walk away from where I stood to pick it up immediately. It was my P.A.; she was always efficient and effective when it came to her work.
• "Go on," I said in my usual tone, awaiting her update.
• “Samantha Brandon is currently in the Netherlands. I managed to reach her, but she's unwilling to reschedule for an official meeting,” she reported, and I immediately started feeling a migraine coming on.
• I remained quiet while thoughts raced through my head. If she wouldn’t agree to meet, how else was I supposed to persuade her to marry Jordan?
• “Can you get me in line with her?” That was the only way I can think of.
• “Yes, give me a few minutes,” she said, and I hung up. I sighed in clear frustration when I remembered I still needed to find Jordan a wife in two weeks.
• Just as my thoughts ran to and fro, I decided to get some painkillers for my migraine before I left for home. So I headed to the pharmaceutical department. As I looked around, my heart ached for the sick and helpless people I saw. But at the same time, it felt light. At least they were getting the help. Not everyone had a cure to their problems.
• As I leisurely strolled down the hallway, something—or rather, someone—caught my eye.
• She lay on a sickbed in one of the hospital rooms, the door left ajar. I couldn't help but pause and gaze at her. Though she appeared unwell and somewhat pale, her beauty was ethereal. The more I looked at her, the more I couldn't help but envision her as a potential daughter-in-law. Her beauty alone seemed to meet the standards of our family.
• "I can’t believe you fell sick after graduation. Your mom would be so worried," remarked a girl around her age.
• “I mean, they have your sister to take care of, and now you,” added another girl seated beside her.
• “Guys... they don’t know I am here, and you can’t tell them I am sick,” the girl I admired spoke weakly. Even her voice was sweet to the ears, and I immediately found myself drawn to her.
• “They didn’t make it to my graduation ceremony because of Ava. I don’t want them worrying about me,” she added, her voice trailing off.
• The girls beside her fell silent, their gazes fixed on her.
• “Nate, Tiana and I gathered some money, but that won’t be enough for your hospital bill,” one of the girls said and they all went quiet again.
• “Excuse me, ma'am,” a voice interrupted, snapping me out of my curious stare. I tore my gaze away from the girls and turned to find a man standing before me, holding a carton of pizza. I frowned at the sight of him, a familiar ache returning to my heart. He looked awfully familiar and reminded me of someone I never wanted to see in my life.
• “Can I help you?” he asked, and I stared at him, unsure of what I needed help with. My eyes flickered down to his hands and then back to the girl.
• “You know her, right?” I inquired, and he looked at me, momentarily unsure. Yet his gaze remained bold, unwavering—much like hers. I wondered if he knew who I was, and what I was to him.
• “Yes, ma’am,” he replied, stealing glances at the guards surrounding me.
• “What’s her name?” I asked, and again he hesitated.
• “Genesis Connor,” he finally answered, a faint smile spreading across my lips.
• “Such a beautiful name.”
• My phone rang again, and once more, my PA proved to be efficient. I picked up the call and waited for her to speak.
• “I will be putting you through to her, ma’am,” she said, and the phone beeped.
• “Yes, Samantha Brandon here,” her voice came through the other end of the line, and I exhaled in relief.
• “It’s Leona Chase,” I simply said and waited for her reaction.
• “Good day, ma’am,” she replied with a voice that insinuated that she didn’t want to speak to me. It was sharp and terrible to the ears, unlike Genesis. What my son saw in her, I have no clue.
• “I have been told that you are too busy to schedule a meeting between us,” I ignored her tone. My son wanted her, and I needed him to get married.
• “Yes, ma’am,” she simply said, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at Jordan’s choice of a wife. I just didn’t like that girl.
• “Well, let me go straight to the point then,” I started.
• “You and Jordan were a thing for a long time, I guess, before you broke his heart and left the city,” I stated the obvious.
• “The universe has given you a second chance, so to speak,” I said in the nicest way possible.
• “A chance at what?” She sounded irritated.
• “A chance to be Jordan’s bride. Before he comes forward with his request, I want to be sure of what you want. Will you be his wife?” I asked, and the phone went silent. I hoped she would be the one to end my dilemma.
• “No,” her voice came strong and firm. I knew immediately that she didn’t need more time to think about the request; she knew what she was doing, and she sounded sure of it.
• “Okay,” my voice remained unchanged, as if I wasn’t affected by her actions. Weakness was never a strong point for me.
• Then I ended the call.
• The pain in my head increased immensely and I hastened my footstep to the pharmacy.
• I got the drugs and decided it was time to leave the hospital. I had to pick a bride soon, so far Samantha was out of the picture. So I had more work cut out for me. Finding a bride wasn’t the problem. Jordan, my son was.
• As I walked towards the entrance, I saw the couples I had brought earlier to the hospital and went closer to them.
• “What are we going to do?” the wife cried.
• “We don’t have such an amount of money. How is she supposed to get a kidney transplant? Even if we sell everything we own, we still can’t raise such an amount,” she cried bitterly, and my heart went out to them.
• “Should we call Genesis?” the wife suddenly asked and my ears perked up in a strange way. It was the third time I had heard that name in the hospital. It was the same name as the pretty girl I had seen, and I couldn’t help but smile a little at the thought that came to my head.
• “We missed her graduation, Abigail, because we were busy taking care of Ava. She has been through a lot and deserves a little bit of peace before returning home. Let her be for now,” the husband replied firmly, and I moved closer to them.
• “But—”
• “Her presence here won’t fetch us the money we need, will it?” he interjected.
• “Connor...” the wife whimpered.
• At the thought of their conversation and the conversation I had just heard from the pretty young lady I saw earlier, I couldn’t help but find a connection between them.
• I turned toward the entrance of the building immediately with a smile on my face. I didn’t need the painkillers to ease my pain; that day was a lucky day for me. I made my way to the car while calling my PA.
• “Yes, ma’am...” she responded directly.
• “Get me all you can find on Genesis Connor by morning,” I said and entered my car.
• “And I won’t be leaving the country anymore; let the plane have a rest. I found my treasure right here,” I said and dropped the phone.
• A smile remained on my face as the convoy started moving. If things were as I thought they were, then I found my bride after all.
• Genesis Connor