"Carlos where the fuck are you? I haven't heard from you in over a week. I have someone interested in that good meth you have." came the sound of a really annoyed tattooed male. The other man on the end blew out a breath he had been holding. "I'm on my way to the old warehouse as we speak. You should learn to keep your temper in check" the other said in a clipped tone. Bromley let out a slow sigh as he narrowed his eyes at the phone in his hand. He was supposed to keep his temper in check?

Why the fuck should he? He had a business to run, and Carlos was slowly making him look like the bad guy. He licked his lips as he put his phone back to his ear. "I'll be there in a couple of hours. I have some things to do, and when I get there, you better be there as well for the hand off. I'm not going to have one of your fucking goons there" he snapped and hung up. He wasn't going to be playing this game anymore. He shouldn't have too.

The male ran his hands over his face slowly, trying to calm down. He had a beautiful blonde in his bed right then, and he wanted her gone. He turned and looked down at her sleeping face. He then reached out, and ripped the blankets off of her naked body. "Get the fuck up. I have shit to do, and I need you gone" he snapped. The blonde sat straight up when the cool air hit her skin. She reached up and rubbed her eyes lightly looking towards him slowly. She as slightly confused.

"Is everything okay? You seem a lot more tense than last night. Do I need to do what I did last night?" she asked lightly as she reached out and touched his back. The male stood and shook his head, as he headed to the bathroom. "No. I need you to leave" was all he said, as he shut the door behind him. He then locked it to keep her at bay. He wanted to be left alone, and he sure as hell didn't need her there to distract him either. Which he knew she would have done.

He didn't even know her name, and he didn't care to know her name either. He stripped out of his boxers and stepped into the shower. He heard the front door slam closed, and knew the blonde had finally left. He was finally alone, and that's all he really cared about. He turned on the water and let the cold water hit his back. He then tilted his head back, and washed the smell of the woman off of his skin. Normally he wouldn't tell the women he slept with to leave right away.

This was slightly different though. He took his time in the shower, and when he was done he shut the water off and climbed out. He wrapped himself in a towel and made his way back into the bedroom. He could still smell the woman in the room. He wanted that smell gone, and opened up the bedroom window. He heard his phone buzz, and he walked over and picked it up. You are a fucking bastard. Kicking someone out like you did. Don't ever call me again. Was what the text message said.

He deleted it right away, not even caring. She didn't want him contacting her, so he wouldn't. He had other things to worry about. That's when another text came through, this time from Carlos. I'll be at the warehouse like you said. I'll be there when you are arriving as well. I promise you I have the good shit, and you won't be disappointed at all with it. Bromley was happy about that one. He had a couple of hours before he had to meet Carlos, so he took his time getting ready.

He didn't live too far from the warehouse they were talking about, so he figured he would walk there. Plus it would kill more time as well. When he was done drying off, he slipped into a pair of clean boxer shorts, and black jeans. He then found a white t-shirt and slid that on over his head. He made sure his wallet was in his pocket, along with his keys, and phone. He then slipped his socks and shoes on, and was finally ready to go. He had about an hour and a half to get there.

He locked up the house when he left, and shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked down the front steps. He was slightly hungry, and wanted to grab a bite to eat, so he made his way into town slowly. As he was walking he got wrapped up in his thoughts about the night before. Something about the blonde was rubbing him the wrong way. She had been amazing in bed, but that was about it. He shook his head lightly as he rounded the corner out of his neighborhood and nearly knocked a smaller woman over in the process.

He let out a small string of cuss words under his breath as he reached out and caught her by the arms. "I'm so sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going" he breathed out. He then took a better look at the woman he was holding onto, and his breath caught in his throat. She was beautiful, and not much younger than he was. It took him a moment to realize he was still holding onto her, and he quickly let her go, shoving his hands into his pockets, keeping silent.

“Maddie, Mr. Rogers is having another episode. Can you handle it? You're so good with him.”

“Of course.”

Of course, she would be good with mentally unstable elderly patients. It's not too hard. You just need to learn what triggers them. If there's a pattern. This patient however is similar to her mother. He's always asking for a drink. Loses his temper when you remind him he can't because of his health. His family dropped seeing him. They used to come frequently but he got verbally violent. One can only handle so much abuse before they toss in the towel. In a way, she can relate. If her mother wasn't sick and possibly dying she would have left year's ago. Perhaps check in on her once a year during a holiday.

His family does supply certain things. Madalyan is quick to make a nonalcoholic drink. This one is going to be a Pomegranate ginger mocktail. The fruit has a rich dreamy color and, is laden with antioxidants, and may contribute to better sports performance, brain health, and lower inflammation. A little agave gives the concoction sweetness and the ginger soothes. Mix it up in sparkling water. Not only is it a no-alcohol drink, but it’s also vegan. It's one of his favorites.

“Dorthy won't see me. Call her. Tell her in dying.”

“I can't do that. Isn't Dorthy having a baby soon?”

“The bitch is pregnant? All you, you females want it to get pregnant and be a stay-at-home mom but neglect the husband because of the kids. What about us? We kill ourselves to take care of everything. Ungrateful skanks.” the resentment towards his ex-wife is truly something.

Madalyn gave him his mocktail before checking his vitals and the drainage bag. So far nothing. He is stubborn. He most likely removed the catheter again. A small sigh escapes her. He managed to hear it. For once he has the stupid hearing aids on. Madalyn left to go tell his nurse he needs a new catheter.

It's easier to work doubles when your mother is admitted. Yet again she stopped taking her medication, canceled two appointments without telling Maddie, and best of all spends the wee hours of the night drinking with the neighbor gossiping. Despite it being easier it's also annoying. The number of times someone or her mother would call her because someone is being rude is ridiculous. Jokingly, a coworker offered to sedate her mother. It was tempting but in her head, she owes her mother for keeping her. For not aborting her when her father asked. For not aborting her or giving her up for adoption after he left them. It's drilled into her head how she ruined their lives. Now it's her turn to care for and spoil her mother.

Growing up was rough. The year's just kept getting worse. More expensive as well according to her mother. Madalyn saved about 12K while growing up. Stupid her thought her mother wouldn't touch her savings. When she turned twenty-one she thought she had enough to get a studio apartment. Lo and behold, her mother spent everything. Lies. There were about two hundred or so left. Linds created the custodial account. It would explain why her mother wouldn't let her pull out money to buy things for herself or school.

Now here they are sharing a one-bedroom apartment. Normally behind the rent. Barely have enough for decent groceries. It didn't seem to bother Linda. She enjoyed processed food anyways. Cups of noodles and microwavable foods are Linda’s go-to. It's cheap and easy to make. Not to mention clean.

“Baby girl, what are you doing here?” Trixie asks walking in for her shift. Maddie loves Trixie. They meet on a field trip that the whole 5th graders took. They stayed in contact through letters and eventually emails. Trixie is gorgeous. A natural redhead with green eyes. She reminds her of that Disney Princess. She was about 5’7, fit, her lips are naturally plumped, and her personality is simply amazing. Trixie doesn't have to work. She married into wealth. Working is her way of keeping busy and a reminder that she's a bad bitch. Her words. Not Maddies.
 

“Mama got admitted again. Her AC1, blood pressure, and cholesterol were off the charts. Iron was super low. Then there is the fact she fell again because she was drunk.” it's almost a routine by now. Despite it being a hassle she wouldn't change it for the world. Again, it's easier to watch her and get more hours to pay the bills. Plus her mother is all she has. Linda is the first and last person she sees and speaks to.

“Alright. Well, I got approval to take over your remaining hours. Go home. Shower. Rest. Then come back to keep your mother company. You what the next two say? Go. I'll handle everything for now. Just walk Sally for us?” her bottom lip began to quiver. She isn't the sweetest. Maddie doesn't feel worthy enough to have such a good friend. With a quick began to give her the rundown on her patients. Especially Mr. Rodgers. He already tried escaping twice.

Trixie walked her out to make sure she left. No quick detour to check up on Mama Linda. Maddie sighs in relief feeling the fresh air greet her. The bus ride to Trixie’s was quick. Empty. Relaxing. Sally was already waiting with the leash under her. Sally is an adorable brown poodle mix. Hyper and sassy like her mother. Yet she can be calm like her father at times.

Madalyn began to walk home from there. Afraid to take the bus or train and risk falling asleep. She can't do that again. She needs to save what's left in her bank account to pay the remaining rent bill. The gas is already cut off. Then again who needs it when all you need is the microwave to what up the food? Mumbling to herself, she began to give herself the rundown of what needed to be done when she gets home as she ties up her hair.

It felt like she's been walking for a lifetime. Her eyes were on the ground. The second she tried side-stepping to avoid stepping on shit, Madalyn collided with someone. She couldn't tell who was cursing. Her or him. All she knows was that she avoided stepping and that someone was holding her arm. Her brown beach waves her drop back down from not being properly tied into a high messy bun. All she was able to do was blink repeatedly. Words caught in the back of her throat. Maddie wanted to apologize but couldn't stop staring. Feeling his warm hands off her arm snapped her back to reality.

“No worries. It was all my fault. I was trying to avoid stepping on dog shit… umm, I'm sorry. Watch out for.” she awkwardly points to what she's hoping is dog shit, “that. Have a good day.”

Stepping towards the side to avoid the very attractive guy and the shit on the ground, she loses balance when slightly bowing down while walking backward. Fucking A! She needs to stopwatch Kdrama for the stupid romance. All she wanted to do was say sorry again and catch one last glimpse of the guy she may never see again. Just be normal. Walk away with what's left of your dignity! Madalyn turns around sighing. Her mother would be quick to tell her how utterly painful that was. How he would think she's special after that encounter? She is going to die alone. The thought of her will living in the one bedroom apartment, in the same bed her mother used with 6 cats made her grow. Time to head home for a shower and some shut-eye. At least then she knows she won't do that somehow made her bump into him.

From that one faithful corner to her futon, Madalyn was chewing on her lips. The way he stared at her… was he checking her out? Thinking about how ugly she is? A guy like him won't think twice about a girl like her. How many tattoos does he have? He looks like he belongs to one of those TV shows for bikers or gang members. They all go for outgoing girls. Not someone vanilla like her. “Stop. Go to sleep!” she shouts covering her face with a pillow. But she couldn't. It was easy to stop replaying that embarrassing encounter. Her head was the issue. It gave her other things to think about.