KIDNAPPING CHARLOTTE 2

     Axel left Ethan there. Ethan ordered that beer. What was wrong with his mom? Who even told her about Axel and how did she find out Axel was still friends with him? He gulped down the beer and took out his phone. He couldn't call his mother with his phone, she would trace the call. He finished his beer, dropped the bill on the table and went outside to a telephone booth. 

      He slotted the coin and dialled the home phone. There was no answer at first and he had to call again. A staff answered it. 

       "Floyd residence, how may I help you?" 

       "Is my mom not at home?" Ethan asked. 

    The servant recognised his voice and he heard her gasp. "I'm so sorry, Mr Floyd, I will get her on the phone right away." 

       There was silence and a shuffle before his mother's voice came on the line. 

        "Ethan, do you want me to die?" 

        "What's going to kill you?" 

        "How could I live when I don't know where you stay? I don't know how you are, you can't even call me on phone to know how I'm faring, you won't answer my calls and you changed your numbers to new ones I can't reach!" 

       "Mom, have you eaten? Are you strong? I hope you are not sick?" 

        "What are you doing right now?" his mother asked her voice unsteady. 

        "Mom, you asked me to find a wife before the end of three months and I am desperately looking for one over here. Do you know how many women I have dated here? I have even fought with men because I date their wives..." 

         "Oh my God, Ethan, you go and date people's wives? What happened to all the single ladies there? Are there no single women in the place you are staying?! What desperation is this?" 

          "Your desperation mom. You hassle me to find a woman to marry and that is what I have devoted all my time doing over here, but you won't still let me rest. Can you at least let me find a woman in peace?" 

        "Stop...stop dating married women, please. It's okay if you don't find a wife, it's okay if the company gets in the hands of others." 

         "I'm sorry mom. But you have to stop tormenting those around me. You called Axel yesterday. How did you even get his number?" 

        "I have my ways. But are you with him right now? Are you in Los Angeles? Are you with him? Tell me so that my mind would be at rest." 

        "Mom, I'm hanging up, bye..." 

        "Wait! Wait! Wait!" his mother said. 

    Ethan held the telephone to his ear. "I'm listening." 

        "I'm sick," his mother said slowly. 

          "Mom, I'm not falling for your tricks. If you get sick, I will know." 

         "I knew it, that that assistant of yours spy on me and give you every detail. It's so unfair, I can't even spy back. I will fire him, I don't care!"    

   "Mom, please don't hassle Tyler. I love you, bye," he said and hung up before she could say anything else and replaced the receiver. 

        Mrs Hernandez was in the room, talking with Charlotte when a female doctor wearing a face mask and a bulky nurse, pushing a wheelchair came in. She had not seen that doctor since Charlotte came to that hospital. Since they came, no female doctor had been assigned to them. The female doctor nodded her greeting and likewise did the nurse. 

       The doctor went over to Charlotte and brought out her stethoscope. She cleared her throat. "Miss Hernandez, how are you today?" 

         Charlotte who was confused answered that she was okay. "But, doctor, I have not seen you since I came here," Charlotte said. 

     Faith placed the stethoscope on her chest and pulled down her mask, she smiled at Charlotte. 

          "Miss Hernandez, if you will keep quiet and let me help you get out of here." 

       Charlotte's mouth opened as she recognized Faith. Faith pulled back the mask. Charlotte glanced at the thick nurse, standing there with a tray. That was Nora. She almost burst into laughter. 

        "Yes, doctor!" she said in fits of snicker. 

       Her mother's brows were still knitted together in a scowl. Faith was nervous. She thought Mrs Hernandez would take out a phone and call the real people. They have to start convincing her about the surgery.

         "She is due for surgery," Faith said to Mrs Hernandez. 

        "Surgery?" Mrs Hernandez asked still confused. 

        "Mama, you don't know about all these things, please. Allow them to do what they know best. You have not seen this doctor before because she is a surgeon," Charlotte spoke to her mother in their language. 

        "Alright, can I come?" the woman asked. 

        "No, you can't," Faith said. She turned to Nora. "Help bring her down. 

      Nora went over to Charlotte and with the help of Faith, they put Charlotte in a wheelchair. She started wheeling her out of the room. Faith turned to Mrs Hernandez who was watching them with fear in her eyes and touched her. 

        "Mrs Hernandez, you don't need to worry yourself. She would be back in no time, we would be careful." 

      Her words seem to soothe the woman a little as she relaxed back in her chair. Charlotte turned to her mother. 

           "Mamá, no llores," (Mama, don't cry). "I will be back very soon." 

       Her mother nodded and Nora wheeled her out of the room. Faith followed suit and closed the door. Once outside the room, they gave Charlotte a mask to cover her face. 

         "Come on, you girls, how did you come up with this?" Charlotte asked. 

        "I told you that we were going to let you see the world again, right?" Nora asked. 

       "Faith acted so well, I didn't even recognize her voice." 

        "You didn't?" Faith asked.

          "Of course, maybe you should consider acting," Charlotte said. Faith shook her head.

        "We are not leaving the hospital in these costumes, we need to change into our casual clothes, so we won't raise suspicion," Nora said as she started wheeling her towards the restroom. 

        They went into the restroom, got dressed up and wore Charlotte casual clothes, they managed their way downstairs and put her inside Nora's car and left the hospital premises. 

          A few minutes after they left, Ethan came to the hospital, his mood was still down from his early conversation with Axel. He knew who his mother was. As long as she had suspected him of being in LA, she would surely come to LA and she would meet Axel and Axel will have no other choice than to bring her to him. He didn't want that. 

      He went into the elevator that would take him to the floor where Charlotte was. Was he going to leave Los Angeles for his mom? He has to start planning afresh. He sighed, he was tired of moving. Who knows what would happen when he moves again? The elevator got to the floor where Charlotte's room was and he stepped out and moved towards Charlotte's room. He peeped from the transparent opening in the door. 

      He saw Charlotte's mom but there was no trace of Charlotte on the bed. He thought Nora and Faith would be there, but they weren't. He went into the door and greeted Mrs Hernandez. She replied with a smile and a nod. He looked at the bed and looked back at the woman. 

        "Where is she?" he asked. 

         "Surgery," the woman said with an accent pointing at the door. 

     Ethan's brow knitted into a frown. "What surgery? Is that a new development? I was with her this morning and no one said anything about it. What of her friends?" 

        "They are not here yet." 

        "I'll quickly go see the doctor and ask him about the sudden change and development." Ethan started leaving the room, then he remembered that he had seen Nora by the door with a leather bag when he was rushing out to answer Axel's call. She was kind of not herself when he saw her. 

       He stopped short and looked back at Mrs Hernandez, she was looking back at him. "Has Nora come here this morning?" 

      "None of them has come today," the woman said in broken English. 

        "Was it her usual doctor that took her out?"

   The woman shook her head before she answered. "A female surgeon and a plump nurse."

     Ethan stood there thinking. If Nora didn't come into the room, where did she go then and about the plan she said she had for Charlotte, was it the plan?

         "Is everything alright?" Mrs Hernandez asked. 

       Ethan jerked and smiled at Mrs Hernandez. "Yes, everything is perfect. I'll go see the doctor now. Have you eaten anything yet?" Mrs Hernandez nodded with a smile. "Alright, I'll see you soon." He started to leave. 

        "Ethan," the woman called. Ethan stopped again and looked at her. "Gracias." 

        "You are welcome, ma'am." Ethan left the room immediately, he was a bit embarrassed. He took out his phone and dialled Faith's number as he went back into the elevator. He needed to be sure that they were with Charlotte, so he would know if he was going to raise an alarm or not.