THE NEWS

       Nora dragged Faith into the restroom. Faith was confused. She broke from Nora's grip. 

       "Why are you dragging me like that?" she asked. 

     Nora handed her a leather bag still feigning anger. Faith stared at the bag. 

       "What is this?" 

      "These are costumes we need to kidnap Charlotte," Nora said and looked away. 

       "Okay, so what do you want me to do with them?" 

      "What do people do with costumes?!" Nora snapped. 

       "If you are not ready to be plain with me, then let me be," Faith said and made to leave. 

      Nora had been by Charlotte's ward's door waiting for her to come to the hospital. Once she came, Nora had dragged her away from the door towards the restroom. They had planned to take Charlotte to go out that day, but they knew that the nurses by the reception won't let them go down, so Nora had devised a way to take Charlotte away from the hospital. 

       Nora dragged her back.   "I'm still mad at you, but you have to cooperate with me for now. I stole these costumes from my workplace and you have to wear them and pretend to be a doctor so that we would be able to bring her out of that room without raising any suspicion."

       "Why do I have to wear the costumes? What if I get caught?" 

      "Get caught?"  Nora chuckled.  "Come on Faith, you are too prim and proper. What risk have you ever taken for fun?" She sighed.  "I forgot, you were raised very properly." 

         "Hey, don't make it seem like taking risks is a good thing." 

         "Who said it's not? Life itself is a risk." 

         "Life might be a risk, but you don't need to make it any more difficult." She wrinkled her face.  "Where is the fun in taking risks?" 

         "Forget it and just put on your costume," Nora said and shoved the clothes into her hands. 

        "I am not doing this. I don't know about being a doctor,  I can't even act like a doctor! Why don't you do it, since you are in the field?" 

         "I can't because I'm a figure that can easily be recognized but you are a regular figure that no one would take note of nor remember the next minute." 

       Faith stared at her.  "What are you trying to say?" 

        "Don't look for cracks in the wall right now. Put on the costume. It's just a coat, a mask and a spectacle," Nora said as she picked out each item one after the other.    "These are gloves." 

          "So what are you gonna do?" 

            "I will follow you behind as the nurse and help you carry her out. You have to be swift, we are going to carry out a surgery." 

         "Does Ethan know about this? The doctor never told us about surgery." 

         "He doesn't need to know. That's why it's called taking risks. It is only her mother that is inside that room now and we need to be quick before, someone comes in here or before Ethan comes in or before any other thing happens." 

      Faith wore the white, doctor's coat over her.  "Where did you get these costumes though?" 

      Nora hung the stethoscope on Faith's neck.  "Curiosity kills a cat." 

        "Whatever." Faith said and wore the medical gloves. 

       Nora started to remove her clothes to wear her costume. 

          Ethan sighted Axel at a corner in the bar. He had a bottle of beer in front of him. He had been in the hospital when Axel had called him and had sounded urgent on the phone but had refused to say whatever was bothering him on the phone. He wanted to meet with Ethan in person. Ethan had quickly left the hospital. Axel had not been around for a while now and he was coming back with urgency? 

        Ethan walked up to his table and sat in front of him.   "What's so urgent?" 

        "You are late." 

        "Is that even necessary now, dude?" Ethan watched him to find any trace of depression.  "Are you alright? You sound distressed on the phone." 

         "I am fine." Axel glanced at his watch.  "I don't have much time left, I have about thirty minutes." 

         "So, what you wanted to tell me would take up to that time?" 

         "I will get to it then. I have two news for you." 

         "Start with the bad news." 

         "I never said they were good or bad." 

   Ethan stared at him for a while.  "What's with you? When you have two news to break, you categorize them into good or bad." 

         "That is why I didn't categorize these because I don't know how to classify them." 

         "Start with the outrageous one first." Ethan folded his arms across his chest, leaned back on the seat and looked out of the window. 

         "Do you want a drink?" Axel ask. 

  Ethan looked at him sharply.  "Do you want to die? Are you keeping me in suspense on purpose?" 

         "I am not. Since I'm having a drink, I just thought you should have a drink, but whatever you want to do, it's none of my business."

          "Say what you have to say, my girlfriend is in the hospital and I need to be there." 

         "No wonder, you seem agitated. You guys are finally dating? That's great news. I knew it." 

        "What guys? You knew what?" 

         "Your roommate."

     Ethan glared at him and then relaxed.   "Her name is Charlotte, thanks for asking and get straight to the point." 

         "But, what is wrong with her? Why is she in the hospital?" 

         Ethan glared at him. Axel sighed and repositioned himself in his seat. 

        "Alright, I will say it now. Gosh, you don't need to be so grumpy." 

         "I'm not grumpy." 

         "You are being so grumpy right now." 

    Ethan smiled a very fake smile.  "My dear friend, can you get to the topic of the day? Remember you said you have thirty minutes left and ten minutes are gone already." 

        "The first news is that I found someone related to the landlord." 

        "Which landlord?" 

        "Your landlord. Let me refresh your memory. You were duped by your landlord which..."

        "Axel stop."  Axel stopped talking.  "What did he say? I mean the relative?" 

          "Actually, it's his elder brother. He said his younger brother is a prodigal son." 

 Ethan sat up on the seat. "What has that got to do with anything?" 

         "Can you let me explain?" 

          "Go on."  He leaned back. 

         "He said his brother came back home after many years with no money nor food, as in the Bible. The only difference is the change in father and brother. So the good son decided to give him that apartment for free so that he could focus on getting a job and making a living for himself. But he was wrong, the prodigal son isn't someone you could count on. He stayed there for a while with his girlfriend and her grandmother and moved on. He decided to rent the house out and to make more money, he rented it to two unsuspecting individuals."

         Ethan stared at him for a while then sat up. "So, what's the way forward? Is he going to refund our money?" 

         "The prodigal son?" 

         "Whoever you found." 

   Axel chuckled.   "He can't. He said his brother would soon  come back, it's typical of him to come back when he had squandered all the money." 

        "So what would be left for Faith and I? I think I will get the police involved now that I have one of them at hand. His brother would show up if he hears that his elder brother has been arrested."

         "You don't need to do that. His son is lying in the hospital with a fatal illness," Axel said in a hushed voice.

          "What?" 

          "When I found him at first, I was mad at him too and vented my anger on him, but he told me that he would have wished to pay back because he wasn't a troublesome person, but he needs the money for his son's treatment." 

      Ethan was left speechless and helpless. Why do people have to suffer? He wish he could get hold of the prodigal son or whoever he was, he would gladly strangle the hell out of him. But this brother could be making everything up.  "Did you see this son in the hospital?"

        "He took me there himself, I saw the son, his wife and their little cute daughter. I did the necessary investigations and found out it was true." 

         "When you are free can you take me to them?" 

         "They are in San Diego." 

           "Wherever they are." 

      "Alright, that out of the way, my second news comes in. Your mother called me yesterday and asked about you." 

          Ethan's eyes widened in surprise.  "What? What did she say? How did she get your contact? What did you say?" 

         "Let me answer one first." 

            "Start already." 

             "I don't know how she got my number or how she remembered that we are friends, but one thing is  certain. She traced my call. It didn't come to me until I was done answering the call." 

         "Shit! This is the real bad news," Ethan said.