Page 43 of Caffeine & Chaos

Ryan reluctantly tore his gaze away from his father’s weary figure, only to meet his brother’s menacing glare. Justin’s face twisted into a combination of a scowl and a smirk; his grey eyes fixed intently on Ryan as he rose from his chair to greet him.

“So good of you to show up, Ryan. Nice to see you brought one of your tramps with you,” Justin spat the words at Ryan and glanced disapprovingly towards Nadia.

“You son of a bitch!” Ryan exploded, “I said I would come when you called and don’t you ever refer to her as anything so ugly again.”

“Oh, please Ryan, we’ve read all about your sexual escapades in the tabloids. If you expect me to refer to your current flavour of the month as ‘your majesty’, you’re dreaming,” Justin said, vitriol seething from every pore.

Ryan’s clenched fist shot out from beside his hip like a whip and caught Justin square in the cheek, sending him momentarily reeling backwards towards the row of chairs in the waiting room.

“Enough!” Ryan’s father’s voice thundered through the room, commanding attention. Both Ryan and Justin straightened up, silenced by the authority in his tone. “You two knock it off right now. We aren’t going to get kicked out of here while your mother is laid up in that bed fighting for her life,” his words trembled with emotion as he mentioned his wife.

He crossed the room and enveloped Ryan in a sudden embrace. Ryan tensed momentarily, taken aback by his father’s rare display of tenderness. After a quick squeeze, they both released each other, just as quickly as it had begun. His father offered a brief pat on the shoulder before turning his attention to Nadia.

“I’m Daniel, Ryan’s father. I’m pleased to meet your acquaintance. You’ll have to excuse Justin’s rudeness, we’ve had a hell of a scare with my Clara’s illness.”

Ryan watched in disbelief while Nadia introduced herself and expressed her condolences. The embrace was so unexpected, Ryan was having trouble making sense of it. He had come prepared for vitriol and disdain, and he certainly received it from Justin, but his father’s unexpected display of affection threw him off balance.

Daniel squeezed Nadia’s hand gently, “would you mind giving me and my boys a moment alone to sort some things out?” he asked.

Ryan was about to protest but thought better of it. Nadia gave him a quick smile and nod and then slipped out of the room, leaving him alone with his father and brother for the first time in ten years.

Her.

Nadia leaned against the cool concrete wall, exhaling a long, shaky breath. Her heart still raced from the tense confrontation between Ryan and his brother. When Daniel had taken her hand and led her out of the room, she had been trembling with nerves. Surely, he must have noticed.

Family tensions were nothing new to Nadia, but she was unaccustomed to physical altercations. Her mother’s admonition from a childhood birthday party echoed in her mind: ‘refined people don’t resort to brute violence, Nadia.’ In her family’s social circle, psychological warfare was the weapon of choice.

Taking a few deep breaths, Nadia tried to calm herself. Despite the confrontation, at least Ryan’s father had been polite. She sensed that his courteous demeanor stemmed more from cultural expectations than genuine warmth toward her. Still, she would take what she could get.

The nurse’s station nearby hummed with activity, a cacophony of voices, bells, and beeps filling the air. Amidst the bustling soundscape, the clicking of keyboards punctuated the background noise. From where Nadia stood against the wall, she could hear the murmur of conversation emanating from Ryan and his family in the waiting room, but the words were indistinct.

It seemed Daniel was asserting his authority, his voice carrying a stern tone as he addressed his sons. Every now and then, Justin’s voice rose in protest, met with a firm response from his father. Whatever was being said in there, it was clear that Daniel was laying down the law.

A few moments later, Ryan popped his head around the corner to find Nadia. He joined her in leaning against the cool stone and let out a long sigh. “Jesus, my brother is a dickhead. Nadia, I will never let anyone speak to you like that, I want you to know that.”

Nadia smiled gently and took his hand, “Don’t worry about it Ryan, I’ve been called worse on occasion. Any update on your mother?”

Ryan rubbed his tired eyes and let out another sigh before responding. “She had a stroke, but it was caught early,” he explained wearily. “The surgeon is optimistic, but we won’t know the extent of the damage until she wakes up for a formal assessment. At least she was able to talk when she arrived, so that’s a positive sign that her speech centers weren’t affected.”

Feeling restless, Ryan pushed himself off the wall and began to pace. “My father is so stubborn,” he continued, frustration evident in his voice. “I’ve tried to help them financially for years, but he wouldn’t accept it. If he had, she could be receiving top-notch care...” Ryan’s voice trailed off as he noticed the sudden quiet around the nurse’s station. It seemed his frustrated tone had caught the attention of the staff nearby.

Nadia reached out for Ryan’s hand again, offering him the reassurance he needed. Surprisingly, she found herself not recoiling from his pain, but instead wanting to comfort him. In the past, she would have fled from emotional intensity in relationships, but with Ryan, she was drawn to it. Dr. Blakely’s advice echoed in her mind: “pay attention, without judging.” She couldn’t help but wonder why she was gravitating towards Ryan’s emotions instead of pulling away.

Ryan held onto Nadia’s hand as they re-entered the waiting room. Justin’s expression was a mix of defeat and indignation, refusing to acknowledge their presence. Nadia sensed that his subdued anger was a result of his father’s reprimand, but she knew it wouldn’t last long.

An awkward silence settled over the room. Ryan’s father stared out the window, Justin focused on a crossword puzzle, and Ryan busied himself with emails on his phone. Nadia, finally checking her phone, found a flood of messages from Mandy and a missed call from her mother. She groaned inwardly.

Scanning Mandy’s messages, a knot formed in her stomach. It had begun. Tabloids were already spreading pictures of her and Ryan from the Gala event, and Mandy’s texts grew more frantic with each passing hour. The last message had arrived two hours ago.

Mandy: look, I know you’re off galivanting with your black stallion, but could you seriously respond? Did you get the pictures I sent? Your picture is everywhere, someone got your name, and there have already been two reporters to the café asking questions!

Nadia realized she should have been upfront with Mandy about her sudden departure with Ryan. She had hesitated at the time, not wanting to betray Ryan’s privacy, but now she considered divulging some details to ease Mandy’s concerns.

Scrolling through the screenshots Mandy had sent, Nadia bristled at the descriptions of herself as a mysterious figure, deemed too short and curvaceous to be a model, possibly hired as arm candy, and worse. The headlines stung, especially the insinuation that she might be an escort. She was on the verge of confronting Ryan when she remembered their current setting and the gravity of the situation.

Surely, he must have a media team who were prepared to spin the story? He had anticipated the press being there, so he should have had the story all set up.

Nadia: Mandy, sorry, we’ve been busy. Have you spoken to the reporters who came to the café?

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