AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His brain burst into brilliant lights right before he crumpled to the ground.
Then everything went black.
5
W
HEN CHESS SAW TAZEEM ON the floor, her first reaction was triumph. That’s what he got for trying to kiss her.
Then he didn’t stand up.
“Tazeem.” She crouched over his prone body. “Tazeem.”
There was no response, and he was as still as a log. His head was tilted to one side, his eyes were closed, and the teasing smile was gone.
“Tazeem,” she repeated, panic making her voice tremble. “Wake up. Are you okay?”
He didn’t answer, he didn’t sit up, and his eyes didn’t open.
Oh God! She’d killed him, hadn’t she? Oh God. She shook his shoulder. “Tazeem, wake up. Tazeem. Tazeem.”
No response.
Terror driving her, she rocketed to her feet then yanked the door open. She expected to find an empty hallway, but the curious faces of several coworkers met her.
To no one in particular, she shouted, “Someone call nine-one-one.”
Everything that happened afterward was a blur. Several people got into her office to see what was going on, others pulled out their phones to record the drama, some asked her what had happened or what she’d done to Tazeem. Chess had no answers for any of them. She was too terrified and couldn’t get a word in.
Oh God! What if she’d killed her son’s father? What if he was dead? That meant she had just booked herself an orange jumpsuit, right? Oh God! She was too much of a wimp to go to prison. She’d never make it in there. By lunchtime, she’d already be Big Bertha’s personal punching bag.
And who would take care of Jay when she was in there? Senia? No way. That girl was always so deep in her computers that she’d probably forget to feed Jay. Poor Jay would be a skeleton by the time Chess got out of jail… if she ever got out.
Thankfully, Tazeem regained consciousness some minutes before the paramedics showed up. Though he hadn’t said a word and his eyes were still glazed, his being conscious assuaged some of Chess’s terror.
“What’s his name?” A female paramedic asked when help finally arrived. The male paramedic was busy shooing Chess’s nosy officemates out of the room.
“Tazeem Khan,” Chess responded as she kept an eye on her ex.
He was now seated, and though he still hadn’t spoken, he looked much better. So much better that when his eyes met Chess’s, they glared at her in accusation. She practically heard those eyes threatening, ‘You did this to me, and I’ll make you pay’.
“Mr. Khan.” The lady paramedic who was kneeling beside him asked, “Do you know what day it is today?”
“Monday.” His voice was hoarse. “Monday, the third of August.”
“Good.” The paramedic held up three fingers. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
“She knocked me out,” Tazeem said instead of answering the question. His furious gaze was on Chess. “You knocked me out.”
“Focus, Mr. Khan.” The paramedic forced his attention back to her. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
Slowly and very,veryreluctantly, he drew his gaze away from Chess and to the paramedic. “Three.”
“Great.” The paramedics’ actions were clinical as they questioned and examined him further.
“Is he okay?” Chess asked.
“It looks like just a little knock on the head but we’ll get him checked out anyway,” the male paramedic reassured.
