John's Domination

Chapter 9

Anthony occasionally checked the left and right side mirrors to ensure they weren't being tailed. He sighed in relief when he was satisfied they weren't. Glancing at the rearview mirror above him, he saw Richard's pale face, with John holding down on the injury and whispering into his father's ear. Although John's words weren't audible from where he sat, a faint smile curved on Richard's lips.

John glanced up and met Anthony's eyes. The other man nodded at him and then turned his gaze back to the road.

"Just make sure you don't die," John whispered into Richard's ear. "We have a lot to talk about." Richard could only grunt in response, feeling a tingling sensation in his body as goosebumps spread all around him, a reaction that didn't go unnoticed by Alice, whose eyes widened with concern.

"How much longer until we reach his place?" Alice inquired urgently. "He's getting worse!"

"We're here!" Anthony exclaimed. Alice and John looked outside.

A white skyscraper came into view, its name "Rockbed" visible from a distance. Two nurses in pale green scrubs stood outside the building with a stretcher. The car pulled up beside them. John swung the door open and helped them transfer Richard onto the stretcher. Three men exited the building, two of them in green scrubs rushed to assist with the stretcher. The third man was older, wearing a white lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck.

"James! How's the family?" Anthony greeted the man and clasped his shoulder.

The stretcher was quickly wheeled into the building. The smell of antiseptic and cleaning agents used on the floor hit John as he stepped inside. They rushed Richard into one of the rooms on the first floor, where two more nurses stood at the door, preventing John and Alice from entering.

"You didn't have to become a pastor," James remarked. "I thought you'd end up running a restaurant after that day. You certainly have a talent for cooking."

Anthony chuckled. "Well, I ended up in a different kind of service. But that means the family is doing well."

"You should visit one of these days. The kids would love to see you," James suggested as they reached the door to Richard's room.

"That sounds like a plan," Anthony replied. He folded his hands and glanced at John and Alice sitting on a silver bench in the hallway.

"Richard will be fine, but you can try to lift their spirits," James whispered, then entered the room.

Anthony considered James's words. He shook his head and left. The fresh air outside was a relief; he had never been comfortable in a hospital.

John surveyed the hospital hallway, its dull tiles leading onward past identical doorways edged in gray, and the walls that simply grew from the floor and stretched up to the matching ceiling. Beside him, Alice sat with her legs crossed and her back relaxed on the bench. Her hand was stained with blood, but she didn't seem to mind, placing it on her lap.

John's gaze lifted to the lights installed at the center of the ceiling. They progressed with equal spacing. He forced his back to rest on the cold bench and slid his hands into his pockets. With the blood out of sight, he proceeded to count the lights mentally, each count helping him relax further into the bench.

"After my parents died, I was taken into an orphanage. We were attacked in our house, and the only reason I survived was because I hid in the kitchen's cabinet," Alice said. Her voice held a deep sadness, and she looked fragile in that moment, sitting in that position. John's hands itched to reach out and pull her into a tight embrace, whispering that everything would be alright, but he kept them within his pockets.

"I thought that was going to be my new life. I was so shocked; I cried myself to sleep every night. But three days later, your father showed up with Sam, and they signed a mountain of paperwork. So much paperwork." She chuckled at the end of her sentence and looked up at John.

"Your father was there for me through every single moment. Two weeks later, I was living with Sam and Rachel. We'd spend weekends at Richard's place, and they taught me everything I know."

John couldn't help but admire Richard even more. "That's one hell of an amazing guy," he whispered, and he was relieved when Alice smiled.

John continued, "I ran away from the orphanage I was in when I turned eighteen. I was the oldest, and nobody wanted me. To them, I just wasn't good enough. It started to feel like I was being auctioned off."

They watched a series of nurses pass by, Alice refused one who tried to lead her away for cleaning. Alone again, she looked at John with a faint smile.

"It wasn't all that bad," he whispered. "I can't even begin to tell you about all the homeless bonfires I've witnessed. I was always drifting, even when I decided to get a life. But here, right now, this feels final."

Alice nodded. John felt like saying that out loud would have made it less meaningful.

"Maybe you'll end up liking it," she suggested. Just then, a nurse in a white lab coat approached them with two others. The ones Alice had previously rejected. Alice stood up and smiled at them. She rolled her eyes at John when two male nurses approached him. 

"John, you have an appointment," the nurse said.

John nodded, "Yeah, I know. An appointment with the cleaning agents." This made Alice laugh, and he was glad to hear her laughter.

John and Alice were led into a room with the word "Staff" on the doors. Inside, a row of hand washing basins lined the walls, each with its own dispenser of liquid hand soap.

Alice began to wash her hands and asked John, "What's next?"

"We'll find out eventually," John replied, watching the blood wash away under the running water.

The female nurses took Alice into a separate ward, while the men guided John to an empty one.

"Sir," one of the men said, "the man outside, Mr. Anthony, provided a new set of clothes for you to change into after you've had your shower."

The other nurse rolled his eyes. "I don't know why you like to talk like a robot. I think your wife is really gorgeous. I'm David, and this other fellow is Collins."

David extended his hand, and John smiled and shook it. "Thank you."

The two nurses left, and John turned his attention to the bathroom, ready to clean up and change.

When John emerged from the room, he had changed into a black pair of jeans and a matching T-shirt. He looked over to the bench, where Alice was now seated in a red crop top and matching blue jeans. Her hair flowed freely behind her. He smiled at her and sat down next to her, getting comfortable in his new attire.

Alice, noticing his intense gaze, asked, "Is anything wrong?" John shook his head and replied, still smiling, "You're beautiful."

The compliment made Alice blush, and she returned his smile. John continued, "I want to take you out."

Surprised but intrigued, Alice glanced around, realizing they were in a hospital, but John insisted, "Yeah, wrong place but the right time. It'll be amazing."

Alice felt her heart race, and warmth spread through her. She was about to respond when James appeared, coming out of Richard's ward with two nurses and a stretcher. John immediately stood up.

James reassured them, saying, "He's okay. We're just transferring him to the VIP floor. When he's conscious, you'll be able to visit him. For now, you both should go home. I'll look after him. Anthony will be waiting outside. Please say goodbye to him on my behalf."

Alice nodded, and she held John's hand as they watched James lead the nurses to an elevator that they entered. 

"He'll be alright," Alice whispered, squeezing John's hand. "You'll have to step in until he's back."

"Yeah, he will," John agreed, and he hugged Alice. "I don't want to, but I'll need to deal with Xavier. Let's go."

Hand in hand, Alice and John left the building.