Little Rose – Chapter 9 – Christmas party and revelation of identity

A week before Christmas Day was the Christmas party that was to be held at the Westin New York at Times Square. As it was drizzling on the Christmas party day, father asked Mr. Brown to drop me in front of the hotel. Father was so worried and kept insisting that I must leave the party latest by ten in the night. As it was my usual habit, I had worn a long sleeves white blouse with black trousers and a long red down jacket to keep myself warm throughout the night. It was almost seven-thirty in the night when Mr. Brown alighted me right in front of the hotel. As I was alighting, I saw Kim and her husband alighting too. After exchanging greetings and Christmas wishes, we walked into the hotel and up the Reception Hall where the party was held. Surprisingly Keith, Bob and Angela were there earlier to greet the staff. On seeing me, Angela came forward and hugged me. I exchanged greetings with Keith and Bob and excused myself to mingle with the other staff and was astonished when Angela insisted on being at my side.

I gently turned down any offer of alcohol or wine drinks and went for apple juice only. At one point, Bob came over and took Angela away to introduce her to some of his clients and I was left standing alone near the buffet table. As I wondering what to eat, I heard two familiar voices that sent a shivering chill right down to my spine. I stood frozen for a second and do not know what to do. My hands were shaking so badly that I dropped my apple juice glass on the carpet. I was terrified but forced myself to calm down by breathing slowly. I looked back and forth, looking for the person with the familiar voices. Suddenly at the corner of my eyes, I saw two gentlemen and had a gut feeling that one of them was Mad Dog and the other one was Grey Wolf. They were talking and laughing away with an elderly man whom I recognized as Keith father’s secretary.

I panicked like a trapped rabbit in a cage. My heart was beating loudly in my ears. I was sick in my stomach. Flashes of my battered body and me lying in the grave came haunting back to me. I could taste my own blood in my mouth. My legs were wobbling and I was forcing myself to move and to run as soon as possible. For once, my deep breathing exercises did not work on me. I was once again the eighteen years old Rose. I started to move fast, bumping into people and ignoring greetings from people who know me. My mind was telling me to bolt and run as fast as I could. I was frantic about my safety. I needed to get out and kept telling myself to run and to keep on running. I was out of my mind and in cold sweat. As I started moving nearer to the exit, Mad Dog or Grey Wolf bumped into my side. I opened my mouth to scream but no sound comes out. Instead I heard the familiar voice saying, “Excuse me.” As For me, I care less and with a terrified look on my face, I ran out from the reception hall.

Unknown to me, Keith had been observing my distressed state. Keith calmly walked over to Mad Dog and Grey Wolf and greeted them casually and called Bob over to their side and excused himself to fetch a drink. As for me, I ran down the steps as fast as my legs could carry me. I was now sobbing my heart out, oblivious of my surrounding. I did not hear Keith calling my name from behind. My mind was telling me to run and hide from them. My survival was very important. I was the desperate little eighteen years Rose, begging for her life. I ran from the hotel and darted across the street. Heavy rain hit my face as I ran wildly, not knowing where to go. I heard cars honk but dashed blindly across the road regardless of my safety. I could hear someone calling my name, followed by footsteps. My survival instinct was telling me not to stop and keep running. Suddenly someone grabbed me from my waist. I fought with my assailant, begging him not to hurt me or kill me. I was hyperventilating and was struggling with such force to free myself. I kept begging my assailant for my life. I begged him to let me live and not to kill me again. I was being shaken like a rag doll. I could not breathe and was choking on my own saliva. I saw a hand lifted and immediately I cringed and went on my knees to beg. The moment my knees touched the ground, I lost my consciousness.

Keith was puzzled by my frantic state of mine and was lost. He kept saying, “Miss Watson. Miss Watson. For goodness sake wake up and come to your senses. Can you hear me Miss Watson?” When Keith realized that I had fainted, he carried me to a sheltered bus stop and immediately called Bob from his cell phone. He asked Bob to bring the car over. He gave directions to Bob and told Bob to leave the party secretly. When the sleek black car came to a halt, Bob quickly alight and opened the rear door for Keith. He looked at Keith with questions in his eyes. Keith lifted me in his arms and sat me in the rear seat of the car. I was soaking wet and cold. I was raving in incomplete sentences. Subconsciously I was crying my heart out and calling for father to save me. I was also calling on God to save me from my terrible death and fighting with the devils to escape the death.

Both Keith and Bob were very perplexed. Bob sat behind the wheels while Keith sat next to me, covering me with his and Bob’s jacket. Bob turned around with a worried look on his face and asked Keith, “Where to brother. She is delirious. What had happened to her and what trigger all these?” Keith shook his head and said, “I don’t know brother. Lets bring her home first. No Bob, drive her to our guest and I will call her father. I got Professor Watsons’s number in my cell phone. Bob drove in silence while Keith kept trying to console and comfort me. The moment Bob parked the car in the garage; Keith sprang out and lifted me out from the car. I was now whimpering in my unconscious state. My body was hot and cold to touch. One moment I was rambling and next was talking to the children in the orphanage and the next moment I was violently crying and begging to be saved. Keith tried to soothe and console me but in vain.

Bob quickly open the main wooden door and ran over to open the bedroom door for Keith. Keith laid me down on the bed and ordered Bob to light the fire in the fireplace. Keith went over the chest drawer to pull out as many thick blankets as he could and started covering me. I kept shivering due to the damp cloths and also because of my fear in my delirious state. Seeing my uncontrollable shivers, Bob turned to Keith and said, “Damn it brother. You need to remove her wet clothing otherwise we will not be able to control her shivering regardless of the blankets and the fire in the fireplace. Keith reluctantly agreed. “Keith, Bob said. “Keep her covered as much as you can while you are removing her clothing. We do not want her dying of hypothermia or pneumonia. Okay.”

As Keith removed my wet blouse, he suddenly stopped and froze in his action. He quickly turned to Bob and said urgently, “Bob. Come over here brother.” There was a disbelieve look on his face. Bob was surprised at Keith action and walked over to the bed. “Bob, Keith said. Look at the tattoo. She is my Rose, Bob but her face is not of my Rose. Who the hell is she?” Bob put a firm hand on Keith’s shoulder and said firmly, “Later brother. Remove her wet clothing first and keep her warm. Call her father over urgently. We will have all our answers later. Change her first.” Bob stayed by my bedside while Keith went into the drawing room and dialed father’s number. “Professor Watsons. This is Keith O’Heir and I need you to come over my place urgently. It’s concerning your daughter, Miss Watsons. She is delirious and running a temperature. I will explain things to you later. Please hurry over and bring some of Miss Watsons’s personal clothing.

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