Maid for Me (11 page)

“Sounds good to me. Thanks, Boss.”

After Mina changed into a pair of jeans and a yellow t-shirt-the dress felt too unnatural on her-they entered the limo parked outside the D.L.P. building.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived in front of Mina’s house. Jaiden exited the limo with Mina. He scrutinized the two-floored house and said, “It’s quaint.” He wondered if Mina ever felt claustrophobic in the tiny house. The front lawn was too small. Even a tiny bichon frise wouldn’t be happy running around here.

“Behold, my humble abode. I won’t invite you inside. Your precious feet might explode on contact with our dirty carpets. Rich Boys don’t belong in this part of town,” she drawled, noticing the earlier look of disgust on Jaiden’s face when they arrived.

Ignoring Mina’s comment, Jaiden said, “This is the house you’re trying to save, right?”

“It’s my Daddy’s house,” Mina said. “He worked hard to buy it. He had a lot of dreams for this place.”

Had?
“So your Dad’s no longer here?”

Mina shook her head. She squinted, noticing gray smoke from the second floor window-Kaila’s bedroom.

“My god.”

The debt collectors must have set the house on fire!

Mina launched herself out the limo and ran into her house. Jaiden, spotting the smoke, followed Mina inside her house, taking out his new cell phone to call for help.

Mina ran up the flight of stairs and kicked her mother’s bedroom door open. Kaila, sprawled on the floor next to a bucket of burning charcoal, appeared unconscious. Mina fanned the air in front of her face and coughed.

“Mom!”

Seeing Mina’s mother out cold on the floor, Jaiden called the police.

Mina dropped to Kaila’s side and scooped her into her arms. She carried her mother out of the bedroom and placed her on the hallway. She dashed into the bathroom and brought back a wet towel to wipe her mother’s face. Jaiden checked Kaila’s wrist pulse and whether she was breathing or not.

“She’s still alive. It’s a good thing the window was open,” Jaiden said.

Mina bit her bottom lip, fighting back tears.

I’ve already lost Daddy. I can’t lose you too, Mom.

To Mina, an eternity passed before the police and EMTs arrived. Two paramedics carried Kaila onto a stretcher. Mina hopped onto the ambulance. Jaiden dismissed Driver and followed Mina.

“What are you doing?” Tears brimmed in her eyes. “Just go home. You don’t need to come with me.” She wiped her face with the back of her hand.

“I know the best doctors at UMC, Mina. Plus, my father knows the President of the hospital. I can help you.” Besides, Jaiden would rather spend the rest of the day at Uptown Medical Center than at the manse. Jameson had given him a mandatory summer reading list, economic and finance tomes Michael had published throughout his career.

Business interested Jaiden, but it did not excite him like the medical field. That and he couldn’t stand back and do nothing when Mina’s mother’s life was in danger.

Jaiden put his hand on Mina’s shoulder. “She should be fine. Her lips and face aren’t blue-which means she has enough oxygen in her system.”

Squeezing Kaila’s hands, Mina exhaled and said, “I hope so.” Face pale and spirit defeated, Mina managed a weak smile. “Thanks for coming along, Boss.”

Miss Marshmallow has a vulnerable side? Interesting.

“I told you, you won’t regret working for me.” Jaiden winked.

It was only Day Two working for Rich Boy but already, Mina felt indebted to him.

~*~

Uptown Medical Center, UMC, in the middle of West Uptown, consisted of five buildings-one of which was an eight-story glass hospital. Five years ago, Kaila took Mina out of class and rushed her to the emergency room here.

The repetitive beeping sounds from machines that looked like primitive-robots, the bright fluorescent rooms, bustling nurses and doctors, and the antiseptic, alcoholic smells were forever etched into Mina’s memories. The dark-blue body bag they had put her father’s stiff body inside made the eleven year old version of her realize death didn’t only happen in the news and movies.

And that bad things happened to really good people.

Five years later, stepping into the hectic emergency room, following the paramedics, Mina shivered. Even after the ER doctor who attended to Kaila told Mina her mother would be fine, Mina fretted, pacing the ER back and forth.

Daddy was perfectly fine the day before he died.

Jaiden pulled the ER doctor aside. He offered the young doctor his hand to shake. “Jaiden Daniels,” Jaiden said, eyeing the doctor’s ID. Dr. Wang was a resident, a practicing doctor fresh out of medical school. In a few years, Jaiden hoped to be in this guy’s shoes. Jameson, of course, had other plans for Jaiden, all of which involved Jaiden taking over D.L.P. and becoming a politician.

“Please arrange for Dr. D’atria to be Mrs. Lin’s attending and transfer her to a VIP suite when she’s ready. If this can’t be arranged, I’ll have my father talk to Wendy,” Jaiden said. Everyone in the hospital knew Wendy—she was the President of the hospital.

Dr. Wang adjusted his stethoscope. “Not a problem, I’ll make sure everything will be arranged.”

“Wait,” Mina said, walking toward Jaiden and the doctor. “I can’t afford the VIP suite for Mom.”

“Don’t worry-I’ll take care of the hospital bill.” Jaiden winked.

By five in the afternoon, transporters took Kaila to Room 8118, a VIP suite on the eighth floor-a hospital bedroom that looked more like a five-star hotel suite, complete with a spectacular city-view through the ceiling-high windows, a lounging sofa, a flat-screen TV and twenty-four hour room service. Kaila had a private nurse and aide. She slept like a baby, with an IV connected to her arm.

Mina, napping on a recliner chair next to her mother, woke up when Kaila stirred in bed. Mina planted herself next to her mother, finally smiling.

When her eyelids fluttered open, Kaila sat up on the plush bed.

“Heaven looks good,” she said, touching the soft hospital gown she wore. Her eyes shifted from left to right when she noticed her daughter. “Where’s Brian? You’re here too, Mina? Oh no, I didn’t mean to burn down the entire house.”

Mina hugged her arms around her mother. “You’re alive, Mom. What were you thinking? Why did you try to commit suicide?” Mina released her mother when Kaila wheezed. Kaila patted her chest.

“Because I’m useless.” She covered a pillow over her face and sobbed. “I’m pathetic and I miss your daddy so much. If he could see me now, I know he would be so ashamed.”

Mina took the pillow away and dabbed Kaila’s eyes with a pink tissue. Kaila squeezed her daughter’s hand, breathed heavily, and her lips quivered.

“I’m sorry for putting you through hell all these years.”

Mother and daughter cried, their tears soaking the one pink tissue.

“I was your Daddy’s favorite before you were born. I guess I was jealous of you. When he left us, I just couldn’t pull myself together. Whenever I gambled, it felt like I had this surge of release- like I don’t feel any pain any more, regardless of whether I won or lost.”

Mina listened, ecstatic to hear Kaila finally admitting she had a problem.

“So I thought, if I died, then you’ll get the house and won’t have to worry about paying off my debts. Your dad had purchased life insurance for me too. If I had died, you’d be rich.”

Jaiden, standing in silence by the doorframe, heard everything Kaila had said.

So Mina didn’t lie to me.

“Dying won’t solve anything, Mom. And what good is the house and money when I’m all alone?”

More tears rolled down Mina’s face, creating two thin rivulets flowing down her cheeks. Kaila wiped away Mina’s tears with her thumbs, showing genuine love and concern in her dull, brown eyes.

It took a second chance at life to snap Kaila out of her misery. Mina’s wait for this day was finally over. Mother and daughter embraced each other, leaving Jaiden feeling warm, fuzzy, and envious.

Jaiden could tell Kaila was a horrible mother like Emma Daniels. Unlike Emma, however, Kaila was willing to grow, change, and learn. Jaiden wondered if he would ever forgive Emma and share a moment with her like the one he witnessed now.

Never.

Emma had left him and never looked back. She eloped with Jameson’s young male intern. According to Detective Graham, Emma and William Wickerham were happily nested away in Australia, living off of Jameson’s divorce settlement: a hundred-grand a month.

Five minutes later, Kaila rested on the bed, closing her eyes to sleep again. Mina swept wet bangs away from her mother’s face and kissed her on her cheek. She walked to the exit of the room and bumped into Jaiden, not knowing he had been in the room all along. He wore a white lab coat and a stethoscope on his neck. Earlier, he had disappeared to the hospital cafeteria to get some coffee. Coffee not in hand, he looked just like one of the young residents or medical students roaming the bright hallways.

“You okay?” he asked Mina, looking at her bloodshot eyes and reddened nose and cheeks. When Madison cried, she didn’t look half as vulnerable as Mina.

“Peachy.” Mina tapped Jaiden’s stethoscope. “Thanks again. I really appreciate this. I would have jumped out the window earlier if you weren’t here to help out.”

“I understand.”

“So, you’re a doctor now?” Mina grinned.

“I bought these at a supplies store downstairs. It’s better to look like one of the medical staff than be recognized as the Comptroller’s son. Especially when I have a stalker.”

Mina smacked her palm on her forehead. “My god-I would never forgive myself if something had happened to you. I had promised your dad I would protect you.”

Mina looked like a disgraced samurai about to perform seppuku. Jaiden stuck his hands into his coat pocket and grinned. “Don’t worry. What could have happened here? Besides, I’m not too worried about the Stalker-nothing he or she has done had hurt me physically-the doll image, the knife, my car.” Jaiden shrugged. “Think about it this way-the person probably had plenty of chances to hurt me, but all he or she has done is sent me all these threatening messages.”

Mina scratched her head. “What if it’s the calm before the storm? Don’t treat this lightly.”

“I’m not, but I refuse to let it bother me too much. Anyway, we should go out and have some fun.”

Mina looked at Jaiden as if he had just grown a pair of watermelon-sized breasts. “My mom is sleeping right there. Even though this looks like a hotel suite, we’re still inside a hospital. The last thing I’m thinking about now is fun.”

“How old are you?” Jaiden tapped his chin.

“Sixteen.”

“Sixteen? Then how come you act like you’re thirty?”

“What do you mean?” Mina pursed her lips. “I don’t look that old do I?”

“You look like you’re thirteen but you act like an adult. Instead of worrying, you should be celebrating.” Jaiden waved his hands in the air. “Your mom is in good hands-a world famous doctor is her attending. Plus, she’s not on any monitors, which means her vitals are stable.”

“You sound and act like you’re a real doctor. How old are you?”

Plus, he looked good doing so, just like a real Mc Dreamy or Mc Steamy.

Jaiden played with his stethoscope. “Eighteen. Anyway, medicine is my passion. I was a sick kid. I wouldn’t be here today if not for Dr. D’atria and medical advances. So trust me when I say your mom is in good hands.”

“Okay, Boss.” Mina couldn’t imagine Jaiden as a sick child-he looked perfectly healthy now. Fit enough to be an athlete. Handsome enough to be a model.

An underwear model
. Mina gasped internally and berated herself for such dirty thoughts.

“You were really sick as a kid?”

“Yes. When I turned three, I got really sick.” He decided to tell Mina about how he had collapsed face first atop his birthday cake, seconds after he blew out the three candles. Dr. D’atria discovered a plum-sized benign tumor inside Jaiden’s head. As a result, Jaiden suffered seizures and stopped walking. Jameson Daniels had thought his son would be wheelchair bound forever.

Fortunately, under Dr. D’atria’s care and supervision, after a successful surgery and a year of physical and occupational rehabilitation, Jaiden celebrated his fourth birthday like any other normal billionaire’s child would.

In style.

Though Jaiden had little recollection of what had happened that year, his father had kept photos and videos of everything Jaiden had experienced. Jameson even kept the extracted tumor-freeze-dried in an airless jar for his son.

Creepy, sorta. Cool, hell yes.
Other than sports and the news, the only television shows Jaiden currently watched were medical dramas. If his father would allow him to attend medical school, Jaiden had a feeling he would breeze through his courses, thanks to what he had already learned from TV doctors.