Revenge Of The Hidden Boss

Chapter 8

Bruce had already forgotten how to feel comfortable. He couldn't believe Jonathan got shot just a few days after he was discharged from the hospital. He was shot and now Jonathan Gusman also took a bullet. “This is all happening so fast. I think there's a connection to all this. There's a reason why all these shootings are happening.”

The dimly lit hospital hallway felt like a scene from a nightmare. Bruce paced back and forth, the soles of his shoes squeaking softly against the tiles. “I just hope he's gonna be alright.”

A nurse finally emerged from the operating room, her face calm but serious.

“Yes!” Bruce rushed towards her asking “How is he?”

The nurse shook her head and that's all Bruce needed to know that everything wasn't alright.

“Is anything wrong?”

“He’s lost a lot of blood. We’ve managed to stabilize him for now, but he needs a blood transfusion urgently.”

“Then give him one. Do whatever it takes.”

The nurse hesitated, looking at Bruce with sympathy as she said “the problem is we don’t have enough units of his blood type in our bank.”

“What the hell?” Bruce’s stomach twisted. “What’s his blood type?” He asked.

“AB-negative,” the nurse said. “It’s extremely rare. We’ve already sent out calls to other facilities, but it might take too long. Do you know if he has any family who could donate?”

Bruce paused to think. “Family…” His voice trailed off as realization dawned on him. He just remembered that Jonathan told him his story about being the only member of his family to survive after his parents died in a plane crash with a 7 months old baby who was supposed to be his only brother.

Bruce turned back to the nurse. “I don’t think he has any family. At least, I’ve never heard him mention any.”

The nurse gave a small sigh. “If you’re willing, we can test your blood. It’s a long shot, but sometimes unrelated individuals match.”

“Do it,” Bruce said without hesitation. “Test me quickly.”

Bruce followed the nurse to give a blood sample. As he sat in the small, sterile room, waiting for his results, he couldn't help but think about how good Jonathan has been to him without even really knowing him. “After everything he's done for me including paying my hospital bills. And when I was shot he took care of me on the hospital bed and after being discharged. I owe this guy. I owe him big time.

The man had done so much for Bruce, more than anyone ever had. He even gave him a safe place to stay, and treated him like family when Bruce felt like he had none.

A different nurse entered with a clipboard and Bruce immediately stood up to talk to her.

“Mr. Ortiz, thank you for volunteering. We’ve run the tests, and the good news is, your blood is compatible for donation.”

“Yes!” Bruce exhaled in relief. “Thank God.”

“But…” the nurse added, her brow furrowing slightly, “we found something… surprising.”

“Something surprising?” Bruce wondered. “What is it?”

The nurse hesitated for a while before revealing that “When we tested your blood, we ran a full genetic workup to ensure compatibility. In doing so, we found that your DNA matches that of Mr. Jonathan Gusman.”

“You gotta be kidding me!” Bruce blinked, his mind scrambling to make sense of the words. “That's completely impossible! There must be a mix up somewhere.” He wet his lips with his tongue before asking like he didn't know what it meant “What do you mean my DNA matches with him?”

The nurse looked at him directly. “Mr. Ortiz, based on these results, Jonathan Gusman isn’t just compatible with you. He’s your biological brother.”

“Oh my God! This is some crazy scheme!” Bruce’s world tilted on its axis. He stared at the nurse, her words echoing in his head. “Brother?” he repeated with disbelief all over his face.

“Yes,” the nurse confirmed. “Your DNA is nearly identical. You share the same parents.”

Bruce slumped back into the chair he'd just gotten up from, his hands were trembling. He'd grown up with only a father on an island in a far away land, eating fish from the river as a meal three times a day. And at that moment, all he could think about was “is Ortiz really not my father?”

Bruce had always believed he was alone in the world. And now, this man, one of the richest people in the city who had shown him more kindness than most—was his brother.

“Can I see him?” Bruce asked, his voice thick with emotion.

The nurse smiled softly. “After the transfusion. Let’s get started.”

Bruce kept thinking during the transfusion and it went smoothly. But Jonathan’s condition remained critical. Bruce sat beside his hospital bed, staring at the pale face of the man who he was just told to be his blood brother.

When Jonathan finally stirred, his eyes fluttering open, Bruce leaned forward. “Jonathan,” he said softly, his voice filled with both relief and nervousness. “How are you feeling man?”

Jonathan gave a weak smile. “Man I feel like I got run over by a truck. What’s new?”

Bruce chuckled lightly, but his expression quickly turned serious. “Listen, there’s something I need to tell you. The hospital ran some tests, and, uh… it turns out we’re brothers.”

But to Bruce's biggest surprise, Jonathan wasn't surprised!

“Oh finally I've gotten the confirmation I needed.” Jonathan said.

“What? You knew?” Bruce was even more shocked.

“I was told by a nurse some time ago.”

“What?” All Bruce could do was ask questions.

“When I got married to Cassie, we had a little misunderstanding. A misunderstanding that I'm not gonna tell you about. But we had to do a DNA test and in the process, a nurse discovered my DNA matched with someone who has been married to Cassie before.”

“And it was me?”

“And it was you Bruce. From there I wanted to get closer to you.”

“Is that why you texted me saying we should meet at 7 o'clock?”

“Yeah I wanted to tell you about it, but before we could meet, you got shot. You lived in my house for a while but I couldn't tell you cos I felt your health wasn't good enough yet.”

“Oh my God!” Bruce buried his face in his sweaty palms. He always sweated in his palms when he was nervous and tense.

“When that plane crashed and our parents died, you were that 7 months old baby, Bruce you were that 7 months old brother I had and some news outlets reported that the 7 months old baby wasn't dead, it was just lost on the island the plane crashed on.”

“So the man who raised me found me on that island as a baby from a crashed plane.”

“Exactly. I have a brother, and it's you Bruce. You're my brother!”