Lost and Found Part 1

Finally, tomorrow is the day I go back to Seattle.

And no signs of my fiance. Vincent is avoiding me. And I don't know, maybe he is busy. I did call Andrea. And she said he is very swamped with work. And honestly, I cannot imagine. I didn't know that. Anyways, so tonight is my flight. I cannot wait to see him. I really missed him. The last two days have been so hectic. I had to pick out a ring, walk dad through the proposal ,he was nervous, and he's said he would do it yesterday, and he kind of missed his timing, so he just ended up announcing it instead.

Which was too direct, but after my intervention was perfect. Julia was crying. No, she was happy. Nick was happy. Even I was happy. We are a family now, and it is so surreal. I hate to go this moment, but I've been waiting for the launch for almost two years. And finally it's here.

So here I am. I really hope the Atlas project becomes a great success. I leave tomorrow. I leave. Ashley is happy with her cover story lead. And we are going to meet in Seattle.

I found love for me.... My ringtone?

Oh! it's Vincent!

"Hello. Cassiopeia."

"Vincent, I have been texting you. How are you? Are you eating well?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. Yeah. I've been very busy. Like I've said and There is something that we need to talk about. And I want you to come back to Seattle tonight."

"Tonight, but I have my flight tomorrow. Can you not wait till tomorrow? I have some work to do here."

"No. "

"No? What do you mean? What's the urgency? There is something wrong with the project? I mean, is there some last minute hiccup?"

"No, that's okay. Fine. You can come tomorrow. I'll be waiting by. I have a meeting in two minutes." "Okay, I love you-"

And he cuts the call again. Abruptly. I have a bad feeling about this. I don't know why. I just don't know what it is. He sounds different. His tone was straight. Even with me. his fiancee,

Maybe he's super stressed or something. I can just go and give him a big hug, and everything will be just fine.

"Cassie, come on. We're getting late."

"Coming!. The four of us are going to have lunch. a five star restaurant to celebrate dad's engagement. I cannot believe my dad is getting married.

And I'll be giving him away. Well, not exactly. But yeah, you know what I mean?

So Julia and I discuss wedding details. And Julia has two Older sisters. And they all want to meet dad. It's funny. Apparently, Julia is the black sheep of the family. Which is so unfair. Because based on the picture that she showed, she's definitely not. And apparently her other sisters are quite rich. They're super loaded with their business of makeup and salon chain. Me and Nicklaus keep talking and play video games. Every time I see Nick, I think about someone else.

And my eyes become vulnerably tearful, as if that memory is still fresh in my mind.

As if it happened yesterday. Yes, the therapist had lectured me about letting go and whatnot, but it's not easy. It's not easy to forget

The next day...

Oh, yesterday was tiring. I didn't get much sleep. I had a horrible nightmare. Where I'm screaming for help. And nobody's there. It was so realistic. I broke out in sweat. Everybody was laughing at me. Everybody, including Vincent. I really need to give him that letter and clear things out so that he cannot think that I deceived him or anything when he shared quite a lot with me. But I couldn't do the same.

I pack up my bags. And this make call to vendors for planning for the wedding. It's going to be a small one. A very small one. Intricat,. Outdoorsy. Julia had a husband before he died in a drunken drive case. When Nick was barely four or five years old. And Julia was in her late 20s.

All of a sudden I heard a loud thud! I rush downstairs to see dad..

Oh! My god. "Dad! Dad!! Can you hear me? Dad? Oh, my god!!" Dad is dead faint, and he's lying on the floor. I check his pulse and turn him over. Check his both Heartbeat. I quickly dial 911.

I was about to leave for my flight back now, I don't think so. I hope he is okay. Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay. Okay, Cassie!!!!!! Count prime numbers. Count prime numbers.

Okay, okay.

He is going to be fine. Dad is going to be fine. He's your dad, he cannot leave you.

We reach the hospital in under 10 minutes in the ambulance.

The nurses rush him away,

"Oh my god, what happened?" Julia almost burst into tears.

"I don't know. I came downstairs and I saw him lying on the ground fainted, but this has never happened before. He was fine, sure he's gonna be fine, don't worry"

"No, I'm sure he's going to be fine," she replied and sat down beside me on the lobby bench of the hospital. I hate the stink of the hospital, the disinfectant. After what seemed like a lifetime, the air around me wooshed away. My lungs refused to work. My heart kept racing. Every sense of my body was dialed to 100, everything was blurry. I'm barely holding on, help me.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Carson, are you Mr. Bennett's family?"

"Yeah, I'm his daughter, and I am Cassie, this is Julia, his fiance, what's wrong with my dad?"

"Your dad just had a stroke."

"How? Oh! My god. But why?"

"Yeah, these things happen. This is quite common with his age group. The stroke mainly happened because of less amount of sugar. But if he maintains a proper diet and controls the diet recommended by a nutritionist, perhaps this medication is going to be absolutely fine. There is nothing to worry about. His labs came back alright, we can discuss further recovery." I sat down with him as he explained further.

"Dad is he's out of danger, right. Can we see him?"

" Yes, you can see him. He's mildly sedated."

"Okay, thank you so much, Doctor."

Dad is lying on the hospital bed with an oxygen mask, and fluids are attached to his wrist, and that was the final nail in the coffin for me.

I have a panic attack, I try my best to suppress it. So I go to the restroom and wash my face five times. I take a paper bag from a nurse and breathe in and breathe out of it.

The last time in the hospital was terrifying.

So I am going to spend the next two days with dad at his bedside.

I forgot to give a call to Ash, who I'm pretty sure is in Seattle. I tried to call Vincent. But it did not connect. So I texted him that there was some emergency and I would be delayed. He has yet to reply or see my text.

I don't know what's happening. Maybe my signal or maybe it's my number which is accidentally blocked. I don't know what it is. But I cannot think about that. I just concentrate on dad getting better.

" Sluggers go!"

" No, I'm staying" You've stayed enough, you barely left my sight, and you need to go and fulfill your task, which is your launch. And I've been waiting for your product launch for such a long time. And you cannot miss it. I'm fine. Look at me, I'm absolutely fine."

" You promise?"

" I promise."

" Okay, fine. I'm only going because you asked me to leave. But I'm coming back after the launch. Julia is staying over by the way."

"Okay. Okay, now go. My overbearing daughter. I love you."

' I love you too, dad.

I check to see for any available flights. Alaska Airlines has available seats.

I call for an Uber to the Logan International Boston airport.

I am going back to Seattle.

For the last three days, I don't think I've ever felt so vulnerable. So lonely all of a sudden, I am crying in a fucking Uber?

" Miss, are you okay?"

" Yeah, fine, it's, I think, really I'm just being a little one emotional state ."

" I know yeah happens to the best of us." The driver said and passed me a tissue box.

There's a text message from David.

It seems important.

"Hey, Cass, how are you? Listen, one of our clients would like to see your mood board concept work progress which you made so that we can pitch him something similar the next time that we do his project. It's an architectural project by Ayden Industries, it's Saudi Arabian business."

"Really? " It can't be the Sheikh Zayd -Saalem, right? He owns the Ayden Industries, Ayden is his baby son's name hmm.

"It would be a lot of help if you could share your mood board."

"Yeah, sure, anytime, but I am not in Seattle. I don't have it with me And I didn't bring that with me here, my work laptop." I text him back

" It's kind of urgent. I have the meeting tomorrow. I'm in Washington DC, he will cancel out on us and go to our competitor," he replied.

"Okay, okay. I'll see what I can do. Bye. Bye. Thank you. Let me think, let me think, how can I access my work laptop? If I cannot get through? Anyone in the office?"

"Oh, I can always ask Ashley."

" Hey, I need help."

I call her.

" Hey Cassie, where are you? What happened? Why are you not in Seattle? "

"I'm so sorry Ash. So long story short, I had to stay back in Boston for two more days. Dad got sick. And he had a stroke."

"Oh my god. Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's recovering. Listen, my friend, David, wants my mood board to just in ideas and stuff. But I have the entire presentation on my work laptop. And I have not saved it in my cloud or anything. Because I don't know. I'm an idiot. But can you please go to my office and take a couple of pictures and send them to me so that I can forward them to Daniel?"

" Of course, I can do that. Send me your office address, and I'll go and do that."

" Thank you. You are such a lifesaver. I love you. I don't know what I'm gonna do without you."

"You don't have to bye! "

Meanwhile, I checked the Boston security and check myself in.

"Miss, would you like some refreshments?"

"Yes, just water and tea thanks."

"Of course."

The air hostess served me beverages, and after 2 hours of sleep I finally ate something, but the persistent headache is killing me.

To process the rollercoaster of my days in Boston, I pen them down into my pocket journal Read up on the latest scientific journal.

I am truly exhausted mentally and physically.

After 10 hours of journey from Boston

I am finally here!! It's Saturday morning because Seattle is

hours behind Boston.

There's a text from Ash. "Job done! Okay!"

"Thank you!!"

I quickly hail for a cab and head to Vincent's place. I miss him so much.

The whole time I kept fidgeting with my engagement ring, and now I can finally gift him the designed gold band I bought. There is a special inscription that describes us.

I carry my backpack and head to the elevator of the apartment and press the passcode.

My heart is racing. The letter and the ring are burning a hole in my jacket.

I catch my breath.

"Cassiopeia, I have been waiting for you."

He is standing with his hair ruffled and his white linen shirt opened collar and trousers with a whiskey glass in hand.

"Vincent!!!!" I drop my backpack and launch myself at him.