Her Bodyguard

Chapter Eight

"So, are you guys done?" Calida asked as she walked into the sitting room where James and Han were sitting side by side, talking and laughing.

"Hey, yeah. We did. I got our tickets booked. We'll meet with Roman at the airport and get everything we need," James replied.

Calida shrugged. She was going to sit down, but the sound of a telephone ringing broke the silence. Calida walked to the counter and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" A voice from the other end said.

"Hello. Who am I speaking with?"

"This is detective Reinhart. Am I speaking with Ms. Izar Sterling?"

"Yes. Yes, you are."

"Alright. We're calling from the hospital. Your friend, Ms. Alyssa Stephen, is here. We found you were on her speed dial, so we called to inform you of her current situation."

"How is she? Will she be okay? What happened?"

Calida could hear a heavy sigh on the other end of the line.

"I can't tell. She's at Haven Hospital, just in case you decide to visit."

"Thank..." The line went off before Calida could finish thanking the officer. She dropped the phone and gave James a look. Immediately, he turned to Han.

"We have to go now, Han. We'll communicate with them and find out if your friend is safe. But we have to go now."

"Really? So soon. Can't you both leave tomorrow?"

Everyone turned to Izar, except Calida. Izar walked toward her. Sadness was evident on her face. She gave her friend a tight hug before letting go. Calida waved at her, Han waved back. James shook hands with Calida before walking out. Han followed slowly behind him.

Izar turned to Calida, shoving her aggressively. She stopped when Calida placed her hands on her own. Izar was crying.

"It's alright, Izar. You'll have to act like nothing has happened or changed. Look, the hospital called."

Izar wiped her eyes unceremoniously, "what did they say?"

"Alyssa is alive, but she's in a terrible state. We could go and see her if you'd like that."

Izar frowned, "what do you care about what I like?"

"I'll go change into something better, and we can leave. We're taking your car too. You might want to change into something too."

It wasn't a command, but Izar found herself walking to her room.

°°

Calida wore black pants and a button-up shirt. She wore a black varsity jacket over her shirt. Izar could see her gun holster, but she couldn't see the gun.

"Ms. Sterling, your car keys?"

Izar grumbled before shoving them into Calida's open palm. She could not tell if she hated or loved how Calida calling her Ms. Sterling affected her.

Izar had opted to wear something casual, jeans and a massive t-shirt. She followed Calida out the front doors and into the darkness. She waited for a few minutes for Calida to activate the security around the house and get the car.

When Calida got the car out of the garage, she got out and opened the door to the backseat. Izar walked to the passenger side instead. But before she could open the door, Calida had her hand on the door. She opened it silently, and Izar got in.

The ride to the hospital the detective had mentioned was a quiet one. To break the silence, Izar started playing with the radio. Calida ignored her like she always did. It wasn't her car anyway.

Calida parked the car in the hospital's parking lot. She got out and opened the door for Izar. Together, they walked into the hospital.

Calida could feel the fear and worry oozing out of Izar. She wanted to comfort her at least, but she couldn't. She didn't know how. All the training she had gone through and yet, nothing had prepared her for moments like this while she carried out her missions.

A man was standing at the reception. Calida's eyes caught his badge first, before his eyes. They walked over there, Calida leading the way.

"Hi, good evening. My friend, Izar, and I are here for Alyssa Stephen. She was admitted here. We got a call from the hospital."

"Good evening. Ms. Stephen is currently in the ICU, and we can't let you in to see her," the lady at the reception said.

Calida gave a firm nod, "thank you very much. Is it okay if we wait?"

"Yes, you can wait in the waiting area."

"Thank you once again."

Before the lady could reply, Calida had already started walking toward a seat, with Izar walking sadly behind her. They sat down side by side—Izar sunk deep into her chair before resting her head on Calida's arm. When Calida said nothing, she pulled herself even closer.

A lot had happened in just one day. What could get worse than this? Calida sighed heavily. It would be hours before they would get any information on Alyssa. She moved the arm Izar was resting on, but before Izar could move away, she pulled her closer and wrapped her arm around her.

The police officer left the counter and walked over to them. He had a limp on one leg. Calida watched him with a keen eye as he got closer to them.

"Hi. I'm detective John. My partner was the one who phoned."

"Good evening, detective," Calida said, offering him a hand.

Detective John took it before sitting next to her. "We're sorry about what happened to your friend. We found her in a terrible state."

Calida looked at him. She noticed the tiny scars on his face. One sat next to his eyes. It looked like he had been hit there.

"If you could please not say anything right now about Alyssa, my friend is currently unstable due to how devastating this whole thing is. I'll talk to you later. I do need to know what happened, but not right now."

"I understand. I'll be here until another officer comes to take my place. So, if you need me or anything at all, let me know."

"Thank you," Calida replied.

She watched him as he walked away, his limp even more prominent. On impulse, she pulled Izar closer. When she turned to the more petite woman, she found two beautiful blue eyes staring back at her. And for the first time, those eyes were thankful. Calida smiled.