Chapter 11 Alex Silver Lake Forest Memorial Hospital Earlier that night, 6-7 pm

"Who is this," My mother said with a curious tone.

"This is Markus, mother," I smiled as my mother walked closer to him with her brown hair in a dirty bun and her brown eyes showing that she had not slept well.

"Hello ma'am," Markus smiled as he slightly bowed. Sometimes I forget he is a bodyguard sometimes.

"Oh, yes, nice to meet you too," laughed Mother with a smile as she looked at Markus, "my name is Beth Cinder."

"Let's go and see Karen, mom," I said with a smile as I wrapped my arm around my mother's arm and pulled her to the entrance door.

"What about that man," Beth said, looking at Markus still standing next to the car, "he is not leaving."

"I am young master Alex's driver for the day," smiled Markus as he looked at Beth, "I will be here waiting for his return."

"You have a personal driver," Beth said, looking at me with confusion in her tone, "how do you have the money for that."

"He is not paying me, ma'am," Markus said, still smiling, "my employer told me to be his driver for the day."

"It's a long story, mother," I murmured as I shook my head so that I would not think of River and the casino, "let's go see Karen; she is waiting for us; I will tell you later."

"Fine, okay," Beth said as she turned and started to walk to the door with me as our arms were stilled wrapped together.

"I'll be back later," I said as I looked behind to look at Markus as he still stood there.

When mother and I walked into the hospital, leaving Markus outside. The hospital was the only one in this city except for the minor walk-in clinics, so it was big, not big like the hospitals with 38 floors but big, only having 14 floors. So I could see that there were not that many people at the hospital when we walked in. All the chairs except for four had someone sitting on them. One had a Mother holding a sleeping baby. Next to her was this little boy with his back on the seat where you sit. Also, his legs were going back and forth through the air as he laughed. The last two chairs had an older couple holding each other on the woman's left side with the baby in her arms.

"Looks slow today," I smiled as I got to the receptionist's desk seeing two women that were sitting and looking at the computer.

"Yes, it is," said the receptionist from the right of me as she looked up from her computer, "and how are you, Alex."

"I'm doing good, Jessica," I smiled as I looked at her, "how about you, Sarah."

"I'm doing good," Sarah said from the other side of me.

"That's good to hear," I laughed with a smile, "also, I have money for my sister's surgery as well."

"Okay, I will take that from you and tell you how much you need before you leave," Sarah said as she looked at me with a smile.

"Thank you," I smiled when I handed Sarah the yellow envelope, "I will see you before I leave."

"I will see you when you come back," laughed Sarah, still smiling at me as I started to leave, "have a nice time with your sister."

"She has been asking for ya too," smiled Jessica as she looked at my mother and me.

"I will," laughed Alex with a smile as he started to walk to the elevators with his mom.

When we got to the elevator, my mother pressed the up button. When the elevator opened, a nurse and two other people came out, leaving the elevator empty. So when I walked into the elevator, I pushed the 12th-floor button letting the doors close.

Right when the doors closed, my mother looked at me as she smiled and said, "So how much did you get this time from work."

"I got more this time than last because we had some high businessmen come in today," I sighed as I looked at my mother, "hopefully, it's enough."

"I'm sorry you have to do that type of work," Beth said with a sadness in her tone as she looked down at her feet. I know what she is thinking half the time when my mother does this.

"It's okay, mom," I smiled as I hugged her tight, "when I get the money we need for Karen's surgery, I can leave that job, I promise."

"I know it's just, um..," Beth hesitated to say when she hugged me back, "I just don't want anyone to find out and hurt you because of what you do."

"Mom, it's the 20th century," I laughed with a smile as I looked at her, "the world is different people are different, and if they find out, I can deal with them."

"Just promise me you will be okay," laughed Beth weakly when the elevator stopped.

"Yes, I promise," I smiled as the doors opened to the 12th floor of the hospital, "let's go see Karen."

When we got out of the elevator, we turned right to go down a hallway with doors with numbers next to them, letting us know which room was which. The 12 floor of the hospital on the right side is the LTAC ICU (Long term intensive care units) for people that have been in the hospital for a long time. When we got to the room with the number 206 on the side next to the glass door, I slid the door open to Karen's room. "Hey, sis," I said as I moved the curtain that was blocking the way into the room with a smile.

"Alex, where have you been," sighed Karen as she looked drained with her brown hair down and her brown eyes looking hollow from being ill, "you told me you'd be here this morning."

"Sorry Karen, I got called into work," I said, still smiling as I got close to my sister and hugged her," you look better today."

"You're full of shit," Karen laughed as she looked like she would break at any minute, "I look like a death with my real pail skin."

"So I brought more money in today," I smiled as I let go of my sister, still smiling at me from her bed.

"Thank brother, I'm sorry you're doing all this," Karen weakly smiled.

"Before you, both talk more," smiled Beth as she looked at me with the look hoping that I would finally talk. knowing it was about Markus. "who is this Markus."

"Markus?" laughed Karen as she lifted one of her eyebrows, looking at me with, did you finally find the one, "did big brother get a man. So jealous right now."

"No, I didn't," I said as I rolled my eyes at both of them, "he is a driver that brought me here."

"You have a personal driver," Karen said with shock in her voice, "where did you get that kind of money."

"He is not his driver," smiled Beth as she walked over to a chair that was next to Karen's bed, "the driver's employee told the driver to drive Alex wherever he needs to go for the day."

"Damn, that has to be nice. I would make the driver take me everywhere all day, every minute. Not to drive, but relax before you get to where you need to go," laughed Karen with a smile, "So who is your rich friend, even though I never knew you had friends."

"Well, I was at a café to get some coffee on my lunch break," I smiled. Then, trying to make my lie sound real, "the café was super busy, and I wanted to sit down to relax my legs from running around. All morning."

Before continuing my conversation, I turned around to sit on the bench under the room's window next to me. "Well, I found an empty chair and walked over there asking the man if I can share this table with him," I laughed as I looked at My sister and my mother, "and he told me it was all mine."

"Then what happened," said Karen, sounding like a bit of a kid hearing a love store for the first time, "give me more."

"Well, we started talking," I smiled, still laughing, making it sound like it was the best time of my life. Even though it's a lie, "and when the conversation was over, he asked if I wanted to use his driver because he was going to drive with a relative to a family reunion. So I should use his driver to talk me to the hospital and then home because I told him I am going to walk to see you here at the hospital."

"Damn boy, your hella lucky," said Karen with a big smile as she looked at me with an expression saying wish I was right now, "Did you get his name and number."

"Yes to the name, but no to his number," I smile, thanking God that my lie is working so well, "his name is River. Also did not get his last name. If you're going to ask."

"That's a hot name," smiled Karen with a laugh. Knowing she just what to be a smart ass anytime she gets

"So that is how you ended up with a driver," Beth smiled as she shook her head, "I thought you finally found a sugar daddy, and your life would be better."

"Mom, you wish," I laughed as I rolled my eyes, "if I find a sugar daddy, I would not be working at Uncle Frank's Club."

Before Beth said another word, there was a knock on the door.