Chapter 21.4: A mission

"Bro!" Jason called out to Nick as Nick looked disappointed and down, watching Jason run towards him.

"What happened? How's she doing?" Jason asked frantically at a stunned Nick as he went to check on Ivy who was still unconscious.

"Nancy just fooled us all. She…she…" Nick pointed at Ivy trying to explain her situation but went speechless thinking of Nancy's tricks. Jason examined Ivy's injury which was still oozing with a patch of blood stain although they were dressed. He winced at his absentminded self.

"Don't worry… I will look after her...you should check on Nancy who is on liquid drip. Once her drip is over then she can be discharged as hers was only a superficial injury." Jason explained as he sat next to Ivy.

"Bro, I drove her here without knowing how deep the cut was on her palm till she collapsed in front of the main door there. How could I? How could we all be fooled by Nancy making a huge fuss over…" Nick was still trying to overcome being caught off guard.

"Nick, that's how Nancy is. Ivy just didn't want to create chaos to irrigate Nancy any further. It wasn't the first time I warned Ivy about it. I will try to keep both of them away from each other. Don't worry about her. Just look after Nancy for me, would you? She has taken her antidepressant pill earlier. She should be fine." Jason stood and gave Nick a brotherly hug.

Ivy began to blink her eyes to clear her blurry vision and realised she was staring at bright white lights that were too glaring for her as she recalled staring into Phoenix's glistening eyes earlier. Nick noticed Ivy shifted as she began to wake up.

"Ivy!" Nick went over to her. Ivy was struggling to open her eyes although she could hear Nick's voice and could tell it was Nick on her left and Jason on her right.

She felt a little dizzy as she scolded herself for giving away her injury and caused a fuss when she could have gone to the emergency unit herself. Her mind drifted to Nancy and wondered how she was doing since both of them were here with her.

"Nancy! What happened to her?" Ivy asked in the midst of adapting to the lights.

"The first thing you asked is about others, seriously Ivy!" Jason scolded while Nick tried to calm Jason.

"Ivy, I'm sorry I didn't know you were bleeding in the car else I would have drove even faster. I'm so sorry about the commotion Nancy made, tricking us to think you weren't injured." Nick apologised as Ivy waved at him to not mind about it.

"It's alright… Is Nancy alright?" Ivy asked, facing Nick who was still apologetic.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier? She is fine on water drip and not as bad as you who is bed ridden with blood drip! Didn't I tell you not to get any close to her? Why didn't you listen?" Jason was furious as his scolding got louder and the nurse had to tell him to lower down his voice. Ivy caught herself blinking back tears at Jason's scolding, which were unexpected as she quickly blinked them dry.

"Nick, you should see Nancy. Don't leave her alone…" Ivy instructed as Nick nodded and left but halted halfway when he saw Nancy walking towards them.

Nick couldn't look at her in the eyes as he was reminded of her sly self. Jason was helping Ivy to sit up in bed when she noticed Nancy who was standing behind Jason with her drip.

"Nancy… You're alright?" Ivy asked weakly as Nancy nodded while she sobbed feeling the guilt kicked into her. Jason eyed Nick to look after her but was interrupted by a nurse instead.

"Are you both their guardians?" The nurse addressed Nick and Jason as they both nodded. "Please head to the counter to make payment before they are discharged. Thank you." Jason wanted to stay and Ivy knew.

"Go.. you can still see us. She cannot do anything since it's a hospital. Go." Ivy urged as he was hesitant for awhile but followed the nurse with Nick which left the girls alone.

"Ivy…" Nancy started to cry. Ivy was too tired to handle her as she let her cry but held her palm instead to comfort her.

"Didn't I tell you not to? You need to control yourself. Take your medication to keep yourself under control. He will definitely take your improvements to be nice to you again." Ivy gently said as she closed her eyes to avoid the bright lights which were still too bright for her to adapt.

"He did accept to let me help him in the roadshows." Ivy opened her eyes to see Nancy and smiled. "Thank you for the suggestion. I'm sorry, I should have listened." Nancy smiled a little but vanished with more sobs due to her guilt.

"Nancy, listen. From now on, if possible take your medication consistently and do no harm. You will be on the right track alright?" Ivy urged as Nancy calmed down and smiled in agreement.

"Thank you. But why are you doing this? Isn't he your boyfriend?" Nancy abruptly asked which had Ivy lost for words for a moment and recalled her forgotten fake relationship she was in.

"He is." Ivy said briefly while thinking of excuses but decided perhaps she should know the truth.

"Then why? Unless you don't love him enough?" Nancy asked as Ivy eyed Jason's direction and pondered on her question. She thought awhile about her heavy feelings; were they real or fake as this huge lump she felt at the thought of leaving Jason seemed to be overwhelming.

"Nancy, my time is short here. I won't be here when I head to my second year of college and that's a few months away. That's up to you to decide by then if your love is strong enough to get him back. I will let go by then if it's your destiny." Nancy was absent-minded at Ivy's blatant truth as she wanted to quickly leave, knowing that both Jason and Nick were coming back.

"Ivy, promise me you will." Nancy understood her intentions as she decided to agree to Ivy's arrangements.

Ivy nodded and smiled as she watched Nancy leave, meeting Nick halfway to her ward while a fuming Jason was heading her way.

"You!" Jason stood pointing at a pale looking Ivy not knowing to scold her or to urge her to rest. Ivy smiled and hid herself in the blanket to sleep.

"Don't think you can run away from this. Am not finished with you. I will wake you up when your drip is done." He whispered by her side as he sat and held her palm, trying to get some sleep too. Ivy smiled under the blanket feeling the warm refuge.

By the time her drip was done, it was nearly four in the morning. Nick has updated Jason that both he and Nancy had headed home and Jason had texted Nancy the roadshow address while updating Marcel on his situation. He decided not to let Ivy participate in the roadshows this round but has not told her about it. She woke up when the nurse took the needle of the drip off from her as she winced at the bruise mark on her arm. Jason held her in his embrace to comfort her before walking her to his car and drove to his house with her asleep.

He carried her to the guest room as she stopped him. "Let me shower first?" She asked as he nodded and let her down.

"You're sure you can manage? Don't get your wound wet." He whispered as he looked at her pale self worrily. "I'm fine. Go shower and sleep. We have a roadshow to catch in a few hours. Wake me up if I can't hear my alarm." She said as she continued to walk into her room, leaving him no chance but to shower as well.

He went to check on her after his shower and found her sound asleep. He sneaked her phone to his room and when the alarm rang he turned it off before getting ready for the roadshow. He returned her phone and tugged her into the blanket she kicked off before leaving for the roadshow.

When she woke up it was nearly ten in the morning and she panicked but she saw his text message telling her to rest and sleep in. She frantically thought of ideas as her replacement just when Andrew and Sandra called in.

"Ivy! Where are you?" Andrew greeted cheerfully. "Not home. Why?" Ivy chirped trying to figure out their call intention.

"Working?" Sandra asked. "Yes! Hey, are you both free? Remember the roadshows I mentioned? We could use some help in the roadshows. I will get them to pay you my rate per hour." Ivy quickly suggested.

"How much is that?" Andrew asked. "Ten dollars per hour?" Ivy said. "Alright, I'm in!" Andrew agreed.

"Hmm… sure since I have nothing to do after exams, why not earn some money." Sandra said. "Great! Thanks! I will text you the address and Marcel's contact alright? I won't be seeing you both though. I am in another roadshow." She hastily came up with a lie as she knew if they saw her with her injuries and having Nancy at site as well, it would create chaos.

"Alright, sure! Thanks babe!" Sandra hung up first. "Andrew, wait!" Ivy ensured Sandra had left the call and Andrew was still on the line. "What?" Andrew asked. "Happy dating!" Ivy teased.

"So, this was your setup! Thanks babe!" Andrew cheered as he hung up and she was smiling to herself while texting Marcel about the details.

She thought about heading to the second roadshow but it will be a dead end too since Nancy will be there with Jason and she wanted to give them space for him to acknowledge her improvements. She thought to herself, there were no ways for her to participate in this roadshow this time round.

Her mind wandered back to her conversation with Nancy.

Sometimes, she finds herself forgetting about the fake relationship but she knew Nancy's love for Jason was still burning. She hoped Jason would find ways to resolve his love life when it's time for her to leave. She felt down at the thought of leaving as Jason was an important person in pulling her through her toughest days after her grandma left and while she is still coping with her sleep paralysis.

"Will I be alright when I leave? Will he be too?" She asked herself as she watched the sky in bed while hugging Lucky by her side.