"Oh my God!" Johanna said as she covered her face with both of her hands while her head buried in Brandon's chest. "Can we just go?" she said as she motioned for them to move. She was distressed, shaken and distraught. "I can't drive my car. No, I can't be alone,” she said aloud, trembling.
"Okay, It's okay. Just calm down, I am here now. Take a hold of yourself, Johanna,” Brandon said as he shook Johanna's body, attempting to snap her out of her fears. He dipped his hands into his pocket and brought out his phone, "Hello, Dominic" he said after the phone rang for a while. They leaned on the side of a car parked close to Johanna's. Johanna still had goose bumps all over her body, her hair standing, as though it was winter. Brandon removed the Jacket he was wearing and covered her with it. "It'll be fine,” he said frequently.
After about ten minutes, Dominic arrived in a cab. He ran over when he saw Brandon wave at him. He looked over towards the store and saw a mess of broken glass and blood. "Are you guys okay?" he asked with concern, mainly concerned for Johanna. "Yes,” Brandon answered, as Johanna was too distraught to answer.
"Okay, I need some explanation of what happened here?" he queried. "Sure, you'd get one, but kindly drive Johanna's car home first. I will take Johanna in my car" Brandon said. Johanna followed Brandon to his car; she shook like a dog that was drenched in the rain. Brandon took his phone again and called 911, and gave an anonymous tip. He mentioned the street and the name of the store.
He was careful not to get Johanna involved in it, since Henry knew his real identity, as Second. He looked at her and thought it was best if he kept her out of it. Johanna knew that she had not told her husband the full story, but she did go to the grocery shop to pick up some things. Despite that, she felt as if she was hiding something.
Brandon took a gentle turn out of the garage onto the road. He drove slowly and cautiously. Johanna fell asleep as they drove down the road. Dominic came up fast to be directly behind them. The traffic light beamed red for them to stop as a train had to cross. In less than two minutes, the train was done crossing. Brandon ignited the car's engine to move when the light turned green, only for the engine to stall. He tried again, but all to no avail, he looked forward and saw heat rise out of the engine. "Johanna,” he said as he woke her up. "Yes?" Johanna woke up, holding a punch in the air, as though she was under attack. "Calm down. It's all right. The car only stalled and I felt like you should know before I got out to check it,” Brandon responded.
He got out of the car and gestured at Dominic to wait, as he needed to examine the engine. He walked towards the hood of the car and opened it, "Ouch!" he shouted, as the cover was hot. Johanna looked back from where she was seated to see Dominic. He contemplated coming down or staying put. After some seconds, he put off the car's engine and came out of the car, locked its doors and walked over. He passed by Johanna, who had already rested her head on the seat's headrest. "Is there anything I can help with?" he asked. "Nothing much. The engine was just overheated. It should be up and running in no time. But you can help keep Johanna company.”
"Knock! Knock!" Dominic said as he knocked the window to the driver's side before opening the door. He sat beside Johanna and looked at her for a few seconds before he spoke. "How are you doing? How are you holding up?” he asked.
Tears dripped down her face in rapid succession as she started to cry. Dominic felt guilty for causing her to cry again. She hugged him and whispered, "Dominic. I almost died. I was almost murdered by the man that was kept under my care. Something seems really off, I suddenly have this strange feeling,” Johanna said. Dominic couldn't find the right words to pacify her and kept repeating, "I am so sorry this happened to you,” as he rubbed her back with his palm. Johanna loosened her hug, wiped her face with her hand and making a serious face, "Dee, I stole a confidential document from the Dr. Simmons office, which contains the records of a particular patient. But the blood records were strange; the patient had no red blood cells, but had a lot of white and synthetic blood cells. I haven't told Brandon, and please don't say anything to him,” she said worriedly. "Okay,” Dominic responded.
Suddenly the car lurched several times. "Brandon? Is there a problem?" Johanna said, panicking. Dominic shouted, but there was no response from where Brandon had been working. "Let me check on him. Stay here and lock the car,” Dominic said as he got out of the car. He got to the front of the car where he only saw the water jug on the ground with its contents spilt. He looked around, but couldn't see anybody. "Brandon,” he called out again. He felt someone walk up behind him; he turned in a defensive stance only to see Johanna, which really startled him. "I thought I asked you to stay in the car?" he shouted. That was the first time in a long time he shouted at her. She looked at him with concern and said, "I know, but I'd rather be with you. Where is Brandon?” she asked. He nodded his head and called out again "Brandon! Brandon!”
Johanna joined in the shouting as well.
They saw an unknown figure sitting in Johanna's car, and Johanna looked at Dominic, "I swear, I locked it,” he quickly said. "Could it be Brandon?" Johanna thought. The engine of the car was running while Dominic had the keys. The lights were turned on in full, so seeing the person's face was difficult. "Go back into Brandon's car and stay in there. I will go check it out.” This time, she listened to him and went back into the car, her eyes were focused on the car, and she was worried. When she got back into the car, she tried calling Brandon's number but there was no service.
Dominic moved towards Johanna's car gently and was on guard. He didn't hear the full story but he knew Brandon and Johanna had witnessed something frightening at the grocery store. As he was now some centimeters away, Dominic shouted at the man in the car "Hello? Can I help you with something?" Dominic asked. But there was no motion from the person who sat in the car. He stopped at first as he noticed the person's hands seemed to be under the dashboard, "Does he have a gun?" he thought. "Whoever you are, it would be best if you come out now and talk. I am here to talk,” he said and then raised his hands in the air to surrender. He wasn't sure what else to do as the figure only stared at him. He finally got out of the rays of the bright headlamps to the side of the car where he found Brandon, sitting unconscious in the front seat. He looked as if a hard object knocked him out. Dominic rushed to the car to open it, but it was jammed. He tried further, but to no avail. He ran to the passenger's door, which opened for him to get in. He got inside and checked Brandon's pulse. He was still breathing, but his pulse was weak. "Thank God he is still alive,” he thought. He stopped the car engine and tried to revive Brandon. He called Johanna from inside the car, but she couldn't hear him. He left the car and ran towards Johanna to tell her he found Brandon and needed help. But as he got to the side of Brandon's car, an unknown hand grabbed him from behind. He was lunged off the road and landed near the train tracks. He landed on a stone and hurt his left arm. He looked back and up to see Joey with blood all over him, standing next to where Johanna was. Johanna shrieked as she saw him. She jumped up from her seat and ran out of the car through the driver's side. She gasped for breath as she ran towards Dominic to see if he was okay. "Are you okay?" she asked him. He nodded his head and hid his injured arm.
Johanna saw Joey approaching Brandon, "Don't touch him,” she shouted. She rose up and threw her cell phone at him, but he didn't look back. She looked around for what to hit him with but she found nothing. Then she ran to Brandon's car and started honking the horn irregularly. The noise finally caught his attention and bothered him. He turned back and started walking back towards them. He dragged his right foot behind him as it was badly damaged, and he had a piece of broken glass stuck on the side of his eyes. It missed his eyeball, but his head bled profusely.
Dominic ran from where he was and stood in front of Johanna when Joey got to her. "Don't touch her. I am warning you,” Joey let out a little laugh and grabbed Dominic by the neck. "Trying to be a hero?” Joey asked. “Stop it. Put him down!" Johanna shouted as she tried pulling Dominic down, but she was no match for Joey. Joey grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up. Their legs dangled free in the air. His strength was phenomenal; it was beyond that of a human of his age and physique. Suddenly, he let go of them and they fell to the ground as he was struck with a baseball bat, which had been in the backseat of Johanna's car.
Joey was surprised at who could have garnered the courage to hit him, as he turned around and saw Brandon who was staring at him with vicious eyes. Joey muttered a few words as he motioned to also grab Brandon by the neck. "I will take your life again Second, and this time, there is no coming back.” Johanna and Dominic looked up as they heard him say those words. What did he mean by saying he was going to kill Brandon again? Was he responsible for his accident? How were they related? What could have been the reason?
Brandon grabbed Joey by his shoulders and with his strength, threw him across the road. Where did he get such strength? Joey couldn't recover on time, as it appeared that Brandon was a bit stronger. But when he got up, he charged at Brandon with everything he had. "Argh!" he shouted as he ran towards Brandon like a beast. Johanna noticed the tattoo on Brandon's arm, which she had never noticed before. It looked like it was imprinted by a laser beam, and would only show when he was in his vicious state. The Brandon she saw now had amazing strength, the strength that explained the veracity harbored in him. He was beast-like, just like Henry and Joey. The only difference was that he wasn't attacking her or Dominic.
Joey tried to punch Brandon but he ducked and gave him an uppercut to the jaw in return. He staggered, came back and tried to kick his legs, but Second grabbed his foot and with a fierce move like that of a wrestler, he dislocated his ankle. Then his right leg looked as though it had become two different parts, but that didn't stop him from attacking again. Johanna couldn't watch them fight, it was as if zombies were fighting with bloodstains all over.
Dominic got up unsuspected behind Joey and smashed the bat on Joey's head, which caused him to turn around just as Second had said, "It's time to end your pain.”
Far away, an incoming train was blaring its horn as it approached the junction. Brandon grabbed Joey by his arm and swung him hard where he fell onto the tracks of the train. He fell down tired. He struggled to get himself up when he saw the lights of the train, but it was too late. The train ran over him, crushed his bones and his blood gushed underneath the train as it passed by. The blood splashed onto Brandon’s face. It wasn't like normal blood either; it was somewhat green in color, which left Johanna wondering who the heck they were. Joey and Henry. But the most confusing part was Brandon’s tattoo. How did he get that tattoo?
Brandon stood there turning his back to his wife. He started having flashbacks of his time as Second – The killer Second and got overcharged which made him collapse. He fell to the ground right beside the train track. Johanna and Dominic rushed over to him, He started shaking vigorously and his shoulder was bleeding. "He needs medical attention,” Dominic said as they both knelt down beside him. They carried him into Johanna's car and drove him to the hospital at top speed. They got him to the hospital, and Dominic put him on his back and ran into the hospital. He placed him on an available bed in the Emergency Room and took his blood for testing. Dominic tested his blood and Johanna saw that it was the same as those of Henry and Raphael. Johanna gasped when she saw the results. That meant her husband was not like them, not quite human. What happened to her old Brandon?
“The doctor in charge said he needed blood or he would die. Where do we find matching blood donor?" Johanna said while she cried. "Raphael,” Dominic thought, but they had to follow due process. Time was running out fast, there was no time to follow due process. It was unethical to give another person's blood out without having the necessary documents. They would be punished if they were caught. But Johanna was prepared to take the risk, Human or not, Brandon was her husband, and whatever happened to him, wasn't his fault. He was in an accident. "Dominic, please do whatever you need to do to save my husband. I am certain something must have happened between his accident and his stay at the hospital. We need to find out exactly what,” she said, sobbing. "I will try my best,” Dominic replied as he went away to get the blood.
To keep his matters private, Johanna requested that Brandon is moved to a private ward. After about twenty minutes, Dominic came into the private room carrying three pints of blood in a disposable bag. "Get it going. I will make sure no one comes in,” he said as he handed the blood to the doctor. After about three hours, Brandon gasped back to life. He sat up on the bed and started shouting Johanna's name. The last thing on his mind had been her safety. Johanna ran over, "Brandon? Are you okay?" she asked, turning him gently when she noticed he was connected to a blood- transfusion machine. She checked for the cut on his shoulder and saw that it was completely healed. She stepped back, covered her mouth to prevent her from shouting. She remembered his cut with the shaving stick and how it had disappeared in an instant. She was scared. He had the physiology of Joey and Henry, but a different heart. He was a good husband, the man she and her children loved. But she was scared, not of him, but of herself.
Dominic came into the room, relieved that he finally woke up alive. "Thank God you are alright,” he said.
"Thank you for protecting my wife, and for saving me, though I did not deserve to be saved,” Brandon said with a grateful heart.
Johanna felt bad, she could see in his eyes that Brandon knew what was going on with himself but didn't tell her. She went over to sit by him on his bed and held his hands. "Listen, I know you are not the same man I married, I know you better than you think I do. Please tell me what's happening. What happened to you? Joey mentioned that he was the cause of your accident, what did he mean by that? Why did they call you Second? Who is Second?" asked Johanna desperately. She was hoping he would answer truthfully so that they could weather this storm together. She loved him and was ready to go any length for him, but she had to know what she was defending.
Brandon looked away from Johanna; he could already see tears starting to well up. He couldn't resist the sincere look in Johanna's eyes. He looked down and decided it was time to open up to his family. It was time to come clean. If he was to protect his wife from anything, he needed to be honest with her. He looked up again and said, "I am called Second because I am the second clone created.”
Johanna didn't seem surprised, but she was. Did she have a special moment with a hybrid of a husband? Tears flowed down her eyes, as she sat down still holding his hands.
Dominic’s eyes dilated in disbelief at what he just heard. He had only watched it in movies for clones to be created, but there he was, standing by a person who claimed to be one. "Clone, you said? Clone of whom? Brandon? Why would anyone create a clone of Brandon?" she asked.
Second understood her reaction and the questions that followed. He then continued, "The old Brandon was not a nice man and very ordinary, but someone went to great lengths in creating a perfect one. A perfect Brandon – The Second Husband. As to the reason behind my creation, I don't know. Neither do I know my purpose,” he explained calmly.
Johanna wiped her tears and hugged him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and said, "We need to find out the link between you and those two. And we have a lead. It’s Dr. Simmons.”
Watching Brandon tell his story made Johanna somewhat pity him. He was subjected to a life he didn’t want, without his knowledge. His life was taken away and he was given another. The vicious life like that of an animal, controlled by a person he doesn’t know. But a part of this unwanted life was what she wished he had, which was to be a good father to his children and an awesome husband to Johanna. She had to accept who he had become. She would take the good part as a consolation for the bad, waiting until they were able to find a solution to the bad side while retaining the good side. She hoped that would be possible.
Dominic looked at Brandon with envy, he had the things Johanna wanted in a man, which he didn’t have. He thought hard about those things, but couldn’t pinpoint them. He guessed, loving a person isn’t about the good or bad part; you just want the person no matter what.
It was nearly midnight, and Brandon was all healed up at an exceptional rate. The doctor that treated him was surprised at how someone that was terribly injured could look normal in just three hours. He was the only one that was allowed into the room and was paid extra to keep mute about all he had seen. Brandon’s name wasn’t written among the names of people who were admitted that day, and Johanna collected his records from the doctor.
Johanna sprang up from the chair she sat down in, suddenly remembering the kids. “What about the kids?” she asked facing Brandon, who was having a meal of oats.
Brandon looked up from his food and said, “I got Kat to stay with Challis while Martino and Nicola went out to a friend’s party down the street, they should be home already.”
Johanna heaved a sigh of relief as she sank back into the chair, almost making it fall over. “Oh! That’s great.” She went over to the nurses’ desk to use the phone and called the residential number. The phone rang a couple of times before someone picked it up. Kat was already asleep on the sofa when the phone rang. She slept while Challis slept on her chest. Ginger slept on the floor. Nicola and Martino had left their friend’s party late and were glad when they got home and didn’t meet their parents. Kat didn’t know when they came in as they had a spare key.
“Hello,” Kat said as she picked up the phone on the kitchen table having gently placed Challis on the sofa.
“Hey, Kat. I heard you helped stay up with the kids. Thanks so much, sis. We will be home soon,” Johanna said under her breath.
“You’re welcome. Are you okay? You sound a bit off,” Kat replied.
Johanna took a deep breath in covering the phone with her hand and put on a show. “Oh, you know, being in love all over again makes one do silly things,” Johanna said, trying to decrease the tension. “Gross. Just get home soon, okay?” said Kat. What Johanna had said made her sick in the stomach. “Johanna and her love fantasies,” she thought as she disconnected the call. Kat never believed in love. Marriage to her was something basically for reproduction and family. No wonder her marriages never stood, as her previous partners wanted love and affection from her, which she couldn’t give.
Johanna put the phone back on the receiver and stood at the desk lost in a train of thoughts. What she had experienced and the reality that had dawned on her in the past few hours made it seem as if the day had been longer. Twenty-four hours seemed like it was seventy-two. Second was a clone of her husband. That man who was so horrible. He cheated on her and was in a terrible accident, she wasn’t sure if Joey had caused it. But why clone someone like him? Cloning was expensive, really expensive. Why make her a better husband, a husband with his consciousness, who knew right from wrong and loved her and the kids. The perfect husband. What does the person stand to gain?
Dominic went into the room but couldn’t find Johanna. “Where is Johanna?” he asked Brandon. “She went to make a call at the nurse’s desk,” Brandon responded. “Okay,” Dominic said and proceeded to find Johanna.
He went over to the reception and spotted her leaning against the wall, dazed off. He knew what she could be thinking of, it baffled him also. “Bang!” he shouted as he tapped her on the shoulder, waking her up from her myriad of thoughts. “Oh my! You scared me,” she said, standing against the wall.
“I’m sorry. You okay?” he asked.
She nodded and looked into his beautiful eyes that were a sky blue. “I still don’t understand all of this. I mean, when and how did Second take the place of Brandon?” she asked.
Dominic leaned on the wall, beside her and said after some seconds of thinking, “Hmm. I could come up with a theory for that. I think it happened when Brandon was brought into the hospital after the accident. I didn’t get to work until two hours after he was brought in, then there was another six hours of surgery. It could have happened then. We need to find out who the operating doctor was at the time,” he responded.
There was a bit of silence between them. Johanna understood all he had said. She looked at her watch and stood up “We have to get going. The kids are waiting.” They had to go home and pretend as if nothing happened, at least, in the meantime. “Dominic, can you help me find out who the operating doctor was?” she asked him. He couldn’t refuse her even though he wanted to. “Sure,” he said, giving her a hug and then leaving. She went back to the room and helped Brandon pack his things. He was strong enough to walk. They walked through the reception area and the nurses wondered if that was the man that was brought in covered in blood.
“Where is my car?” Brandon asked when they got to the parking lot. “It will be towed home, I called the towing company already,” she replied as she opened the door to the passenger’s seat for him. The journey back home was quiet, except for the noises cars made as drivers honked. They looked at each other as they journeyed. Brandon’s heart raced whenever he looked at her, she seemed like a newly found wife. He loved the kids, but wasn’t sure if it was a part of the program of Second or it was his free will. Either way, he loved them and wouldn’t do anything to hurt them.
Kat wasn’t able to go back to sleep after Johanna called her; she worked on her laptop, planning the next outing for her boss. She was using a headset when the doorbell rang. The barking of Ginger notified her of their arrival. She opened the door for them and they came in carrying Ginger, who had already jumped on Brandon. “What happened to your face?” Kat looked at herself in the mirror, she saw her face covered in green glitter and purple eye shadow smeared on her eyelids. She cringed at the sight of it and said “Challis happened to my face.” Johanna almost burst into a loud laughter, but remembered that the kids were asleep. She looked at Brandon, who turned his face away from Kat so that he wouldn’t appear to have laughed. “So you guys are making fun of me?” she said, using the hem of her shirt to clean up all that made her look like a clown. Her fixed eyelashes fell in the process.
She looked out through the window and asked Brandon ‘Hey, where is your car? How did both of you come with Johanna’s car?” He wasn’t caught unaware by the question; he had prepared an answer, “That is why you never race against your own wife. You end up losing,” he responded. He walked over to Johanna and slapped her behind. “Oops!” Kat said as she looked away. Johanna was surprised he could do that when her sister was around. But she was happy he did. He walked upstairs carrying Ginger. “Bye, Kat,” he said as he waved. Kat gave Johanna a curious look, and she replied “Yeah. When a man tries to prove a woman wrong, the man suffers and so does his car. Long story. Thanks Kat for looking after the kids. I’ll see you soon?” Johanna asked. Kat nodded and said, “My ride will be here soon. I almost missed a meeting because of you guys. Thank God you came at the time that you did.” Kat said as she sighed in relief. Johanna asked, “A meeting at this time of the night?” Johanna asked surprised. “Yes, my boss has an outing and we haven’t planned any of the security measures. We have all been busy,” she responded. She washed her face and gathered her things and left when the driver honked outside the house.
Nicola stood up when her parents arrived and stood by the window to watch Kat as she left. She had felt an urge to get to know her better, but she didn’t see herself doing so. She regretted going to the party, she wished to have known she was coming to stay with Challis. She wanted to spend time with her; she discovered she wasn’t the evil aunt, she had thought her to be when they first met. She wanted to invite her to her 18th birthday, but she didn’t get a chance to. She watched her as she got into the black Jeep. She dropped her window blind and went back to bed.
Johanna hardly waited for them to settle in the bedroom before she went over to give Brandon a kiss. She didn’t know why. It was a kiss that carried a mix of emotions; grief, love and the unknown. She felt grief for losing her real husband and love, which she had for Second and the future that awaits them.
Brandon pulled her back to her surprise and said “Johanna, stop.” She had a surprised and hurt look on her face “What’s wrong?” she asked sadly. He looked back into her eyes and held her in his arms, “I am Second and not Brandon. I don’t even know my purpose. I don’t want you to feel obligated to love me,” he said. She put her index finger on his lips to stop him from talking. She rose to her feet and kissed him more passionately. She closed her eyes as their lips puckered. When she withdrew her face from his and spoke “You were created to be loved and to start over again. You are the clone of the man I almost left. I fell out of love with him, but I fell in love with you for who you are on the inside.” She placed her hands on his chest and slid downwards to loosen his belted trouser and spoke “So, love me. Love me all night long,” she whispered. Brandon unbuttoned her shirt and bra and carried her to the bed. She stared at him lustfully and Brandon penetrated her body. She moaned softly, as they turned over and over.
Daybreak came too early, or rather the night was short. Johanna had a night she would forever remember. A night of extreme pleasure that eroded all the pain the old Brandon had caused her. The alarm rang at exactly 6:30 am, which Brandon turned off. It was disturbing Johanna. Johanna woke up and opened her eyes to Brandon’s waiting eyes. “How was your night?” he asked after she greeted him in the morning. She smiled and had a flashback of all that had happened in the course of the night. She caressed his hair and traced her finger on his face, nose, and ears and then kissed his lips lightly. “Thank you,” she said. “What for? I will do anything to protect my family; to protect you,” he whispered. “I know you would,” she said as she drew closer to him. She thought of how he had thrown Joey onto the rail line and collapsed afterwards. He would protect her with his last bit of strength. “How strong are you?” she asked teasingly. “Stronger than Superman,” he said jokingly. “Yeah, I think you can compare it to that of Superman,” he said showing his biceps. They both laughed heartily.
“I better get up to make breakfast for the kids,” he said. “What do you wish to have this morning?” he continued.
“More of your warmth,” she said.
“Okay, you can hug me from behind while I make breakfast for the kids, I don’t think they want to eat my warmth,” he said laughing.
She made a pouty face but he comforted her and said, “I will make it up to you later.” “When?” she asked.
“Anytime,” he responded.
“Okay. I will have scrambled eggs and some of the red velvet pancakes you make,” she responded.
The Brandon she knew never woke up in the morning and thought of making food for the kids, in the past few years.
When they both got married almost a decade ago, Johanna got pregnant with their first child. It was a baby girl. She came back from the hospital happily holding the test result in her hands. She got home and didn’t meet Brandon, who was out on a job interview. She waited for him at the door, sitting on the stairs. When he walked towards the house, he came in excited to tell her he had just gotten the job. She smiled at the sight of him and went over to meet him and broke the news of her pregnancy. He carried her up in the air and told her the good news about his job as well. The lovers that met in high school went in holding each other. It was a perfect day for the perfect couple.
About two months after, things started falling apart when Brandon left town for a business meeting. Things started going downhill. Johanna had complained about the faulty railing of the stairs, but he had procrastinated the repair. When he left, Johanna was left all alone in the house. She was going down the stairs on the eve of the day he was to arrive; she tripped and laid hold on the railing, which broke away. She rolled down the stairs, hitting her head and landing on her stomach while she was already three months into her pregnancy. She felt an indescribable pain but there was no one to help her get the emergency unit. Dominic came about an hour later and met her in her pool of blood. Her heart almost tore apart when she was told she lost her baby.
Brandon came back earlier when he heard the news. He walked towards the ward she was in but didn’t enter. Their eyes met through the transparent part of the door. The look in her eye blamed him for not repairing the faulty railing, he blamed her for losing the baby. He was distant, cold and hurt. He couldn’t look at her. He wanted to get it off his mind and stop blaming her, so he turned to drinking. But rather than getting better, he got worse. Even when Johanna recovered, he couldn’t. Kat had divorced her third husband so she came to stay with them, but the coldness and unhappiness in the home made her flee.
The issue between Johanna and her husband took another turn as the public got to know about it. Brandon was disappointed, he thought Johanna or someone close had spoken to random persons on the issue of the miscarriage. Brandon decided to act swiftly and suggested adoption to his wife. She hesitated at first, but Teeba talked her into it, saying, “It’s Brandon’s way of building their failing marriage.” They went to an orphanage and signed the papers to get Nicola. Her presence brought back happiness and laughter. They got closer again and eventually had Martino and Challis.
But then things changed again when Johanna was searching for a contact on Brandon’s phone and found a text message from an unfamiliar name and number. She got confused and looked at the name of the sender. She opened the message and saw various other messages that had been exchanged between Brandon and this woman. ”What?” she shouted when she read the text messages. Challis woke up from her sleep. She was but a baby then. Johanna patted her back to sleep. Martino and Nicola came back from school when she wanted to go ask him but she decided to ask him later in bed when the kids were asleep.
Brandon came into bed when he finished watching a basketball match with Bryant, who left almost immediately. “Brandon, who is Alicia?” she asked him. “Alicia? I have never heard of her before,” he responded.
She turned over to the table and took his phone, “What are all these?” she asked pointing at the messages. Brandon knew he was caught and turned her query into a messy fracas.
The fight continued for many months. Johanna thought he finally left the bitch he was dating but got angry when she heard a rumor that the lady had gotten pregnant. She confronted him that night and they had an argument that angered him and he ran for his car key. Johanna received a phone call less than an hour later that Brandon had gotten into a car accident.
Second entered into their lives and everything changed.
Johanna shook her head; she was lost in her thoughts again. It was time to take care of the house. She got up from the bed and put on her nighty. She gathered her clothes and went to have a shower. She had a short shower, as she was eager to eat the meal prepared by Brandon. When she got downstairs, she saw the balloons everywhere and a cake on the dining table. The kids were waiting for her with caps on their heads. “What’s up guys?” she asked confused. Brandon turned around with her breakfast and the kids shouted “Happy birthday, Mom!.” It was then she realized it was her birthday. She had completely forgotten following the stress of the previous day. Brandon had remembered, unlike the previous Brandon, who never gave a damn. Ginger barked around in happiness with a birthday hat on his head.
Brandon dropped the plate and went over to kiss her. “Happy birthday, babe.” “Woo!” the kids exclaimed as they saw their parents seal their lips. She felt loved. The kids hugged her one after the other. Challis gave her the birthday card she had designed for her. “That’s so sweet of you,” she said as she held it to her chest. She carried Challis up and gave her a kiss. The construction paper had carried a painting of the whole family. Of all the paintings Challis made for the family, this was the first that had her father in it. Johanna sobbed as she had, all she had ever wanted. What she deserved. A family she loved. A complete Baxter family.
Ever since knowing Johanna, all Dominic had wished for was a family. He never thought of having one prior to that time, but she changed the way he used to think. She didn’t hold a talk with him on the importance of marriage, but the desire to spend the rest of his life with her made him understand that he needed to have one later in life. He never imagined a life without her. He told her he loved her, but she said she was in love already. “I spoke too late,” he thought. Johanna had known him before she knew Brandon, but they were merely friends. She asked him to move on but he couldn’t and decided to remain by her side as a friend. Johanna had always pitied him when she thought about his relationship life, she was always told that she was the one holding him down, but there was little she could do, and it was his choice to stay.
Theresa had always wondered what was so special about Johanna that made Dominic head over heels for her. Though Johanna was pretty, she was prettier. Well, maybe beauty everything, she thought.
Dominic sat nervously across the dinner table from Theresa and both silently awaiting dinner to arrive. He never imagined himself so timid when in such a situation with women. Atleast, he wasn’t like that with Johanna. To save himself from the anxiety that was overwhelming him, and not run away from the restaurant, he brought out his phone and started going through his pictures. He secretly had taken a lot of pictures of Theresa since he had her on his mind. When they decided to order takeout for dinner, he was confused, as he didn’t know the best choice of food for a date. Theresa saved him and ordered Italian dishes.
Theresa was dressed beautifully, with a light make up on her face. She had on a pink colored lipstick that complimented her complexion perfectly. This day was the day she dreamt of since employed at Driftwood Hospital, a day alone with Dominic. She saw that he was nervous despite that he tried so hard to hide it, and chuckled.
He knew he should be helping Johanna and Brandon as they needed him, but he couldn’t cancel the date with Theresa. During the day, he found out some information, which would serve as a lead in their investigation. He accessed files that were tagged “classified” in the hospital, with the help of his hacking skills. He went into the computer room while the person in charge went for lunch, where he found out that the Doctor that had been in charge of Brandon’s surgery was no other person than Dr. Simmons. The doctor that was contacted before another doctor took over his care was Dr. Simmons. He found that suspicious, as it was the hospital management that decides which doctor treats a particular patient per period. What is Dr. Simmons true identity?
He sent a text to Johanna in the morning stating all the information he found out and sent the pictures of the records he snapped with his phone. Johanna received the information and knew that she and Brandon had to do a thorough investigation of the doctor. They needed to know where he lived and know if he was hiding anything and using the medical profession as a decoy.
Johanna told Brandon about the information she received and he also supported the idea of acting fast, when there seemed to be a lot of dots to connect at the moment. “Nicola’s birthday is in two days,” he said out of the blue. “Yeah, I know. But we both know that this can’t wait,” she responded. She grimaced and mused for a while before she continued, “Maybe I can ask Kat to help handle the preparations.”
Johanna called Kat, who was happy to hear her sister on the phone. “Hello, Kat.”
“Hi, sis,” Kat said, yawning.
“Kat, can you help me plan for Nicola’s birthday? I want to investigate information I received. It’s urgent.” Kat was ecstatic and accepted. She had looked for avenues to get closer to Nicola. She wanted to catch up with her.
“But what information could you be looking for that is more urgent than your daughter’s birthday?” Kat asked curiously.
“It’s not yet time to tell you the details. But it’s an issue with the hospital, and Brandon is coming over to back me up. I will tell you more soon,” Johanna said as she disconnected the call and turned to the door only to find Nicola looking, almost tearing up. It was her 18th birthday and she wanted to have a special one, but her parents didn’t seem to care. What information could be more important than her birthday? She ran into her room and slammed her door shut. Johanna ran over, knocked on the door, but she wouldn’t open up. “What’s the problem?” Brandon asked as he came over to Johanna, who touched her forehead with her left hand. “Nicola heard me talking to Kat about her birthday plans and I think she is angry. She wouldn’t let me explain,” Johanna explained. “Okay, just go get some rest. I will talk to her,” Brandon said. Johanna left and went downstairs to have a seat on the sofa. Brandon knocked but Nicola didn’t answer. Brandon leaned on the door and spoke “Hey dear. Are you angry? Dad and Mom are sorry. Something really urgent came up, and it’s a matter of life and death. It’s about the wellbeing of your Dad and we have to do this. We love you and promise to make it up to you.” Nicola turned the door lock and came out, “Promise?” she asked. “Sure, trust me.” Brandon hugged his daughter.
Kat called Nicola a few minutes later. Nicola wondered how she got her phone number.
“Hello Nicola, it’s your Aunty Kat.”
Nicola didn’t know how to respond, “Okay,” Nicole said.
“I called to tell you about the plans I made for your birthday. Has your mom told you I would be planning it?” Kat asked. “Yes,” Nicola responded blandly. Kat continued “Okay, I think we should have a house party, so you invite your friends home and party until dawn,” Kat said. Nicola was elated at all Kat had mentioned. She was glad it was Kat that would be handling her birthday and not her mother. Her 16th birthday was done in such an old-fashioned way. But now she was a grown up, it was time to break the rules and be an adult. “What about Challis and Martino?” she asked. “We could get a babysitter for them. That shouldn’t be a problem,” Kat said. Nicola began bouncing on her bed. Finally, the kind of birthday party she wanted. She sent a group text message to her friends and posted it on the school’s information page. Martino came in wondering why his 18-year-old sister was jumping up and down on her bed like a kid. “Going abroad?” he asked while he sat at her computer. “No, I am having a party!” Nicola responded. “Whoa! Congratulations. Mom planned that?” Martino asked curiously. “No, Aunty Kat,” she replied. He gazed at her computer for about an hour before he went to have breakfast.
Brandon drove his wife to the hospital after he transferred money to Kat for planning the birthday party. The duo entered the hospital and saw only two nurses at the desk. Johanna fell to the ground while Brandon called the nurses for help. The two nurses ran from the desk to interfere with the emergency. Johanna winked at Brandon to go search the doctor’s office. Brandon left the nurses when they were about to enter the Emergency Room. He looked at the paper in his hands that had the room number of Dr. Simmons. He was expected to be in New York for a conference. Brandon applied the knowledge he got from his escapades with Johanna in high school and picked the door lock. He got into the office that was filled with shelves of books and ransacked the whole length and breadth, in search of any file that could reveal who he was working for, and how he was connected to the clones. He looked through all the drawers, but found nothing. He went through the shelf of books but still nothing. He sat on the desk and while he bowed down in defeat to the search, he saw a paper crumpled in the trashcan beside the desk. He tilted his head, trying to focus his eyes on what was written on it, but had to get down, picked it up and opened it. It was a paper that contained the minute of a meeting Dr. Simmons had with Dr. Dinardo - the psychiatrist. It was a well-detailed record of what had been discussed in the meeting. She was known for recording everything and will never disclose a patient’s information. Could she know the real identity of Dr. Simmons? Could she be a part of it too?
Brandon sneaked out of the doctor’s office and came down the reception where Johanna was having a talk with the nurses. She was discharged from the ER when the doctor told her collapse was due to stress and that she needed to rest. She congratulated Theresa, who told her that she was going on a dinner date with Dominic that night. Brandon walked over and asked how she was feeling. He then handed her a paper and left. “Excuse me,” Johanna said as she walked towards the elevator. She was going to check out the top floor of the hospital building where the human resources office was located. She got into the elevator and read, “Headed to Dr. Dinardo’s office,” she is his shrink. She might know what he is hiding. Johanna hoped to find some clue where she was going.
Brandon couldn’t wait for the elevator that was still on the 23rd floor and ran up the stairs at a great speed, without panting when he got to the floor he was going. It was part of his modification as a clone. He walked to the door of the doctor. He knocked a couple of times, but there was no answer from within. He placed his ears on the door but he wasn’t sure if he heard sounds from within or elsewhere. He brought out his cellphone and called her number. “Hello?” she said in a low tone. “Good afternoon, Doctor. I called to ask when you would be free. I would like another appointment with you,” Brandon said. “Oh! I am not in the hospital right now, as I am currently in the middle of a meeting. Kindly call me back in the evening,” she said. “Okay,” Brandon said as he hung up the call. He was sure that she wasn’t in the office. He picked the door lock and entered. He ran through drawers and shelves but found nothing. He went to her desk where he saw a drawer that was locked. He picked the lock and was surprised at what he saw in there. What a woman, he thought. In the drawer, he found lots of files and tape recordings. They were records of different sessions and meeting she had had in her office, labeled with the name of the client in question.
He flipped through the various files and tapes until he spotted a file with his name on it. He opened the file and saw that it was a record of his last session with her. It contained nothing out of the ordinary, just her diagnoses and conclusion. He closed the file to return it and then a sheet dropped from the file. He picked it up and took a look at it. It was his blood test results. “I don’t remember her taking my blood for a test that day. How come?” he mused. The result showed the same anomaly as Henry and Raphael. When he looked through the drawer again, he found their files including Joey’s. “What’s going on here?” he asked himself. He saw the details of his treatment in the hospital. It was when he was a teenager that he had an accident and was required to see her. He had the same surgery done at that time and the lead doctor was Dr. Simmons. “There’s surely something connecting all of these. We are finally getting somewhere,” he said to himself. He used the photocopy machine in the office and made copies of the papers.
Johanna came out of the elevator and peeped through the door of the Human Resources office. The manager was always at the branch hospital at that time of the day and Carissa, the assistant, was taking time off for a vacation. Of all the assistants in the office, Carissa was the only one who was diligent with her work. They knew Carissa loved her work and exploited that. Moreover, there was not much work that was done at the Human Resources office. As usual, the other workers were out on their frivolous adventures. She picked the lock of the door and made herself comfortable in Carissa’s seat. She had pictures of her dog all over her desk. She always talked about how cute the dog was to Johanna. Johanna turned on Carissa’s computer, which had a password. She guessed correctly that her password would be the name of her dog. She tried remembering the name, “Yes, Pete.” She typed it in, and open it was.
She logged on to the database and searched for Dr. Simmons under the category of permanent employees, but she couldn’t find him there. She tried again, still nothing. She went under the temporary employee’s category and found him on the first search. “What the…” she said. How come a respected doctor of his caliber is on temporary employment? He was hired as a temporary doctor from an investment company called Global Investments. That’s strange. She was confused on what she had just discovered. Global Investments was Bryant’s company. He was a second-generation billionaire. His family ran the company for about 60 years and the company was handed over to him after his father retired. Bryant owned many properties and houses all over the country. The cottage he gave Brandon to use for the two days was the least of those he had all over the nation. Bryant’s company was now in the picture. “Where is this investigation going? Why would the hospital hire a doctor from an investment firm?” Johanna asked herself.
Brandon read all the files of the others and then decided to listen to his session with the doctor. He listened to everything until he said goodbye. Something caught his attention on the bookshelf, so he went over to check it out, forgetting to turn off the cassette player. What he thought he saw on the shelf was a to-do list she left there. Then he heard another voice on the tape which was neither his nor hers. “So Patricia, do you think Second will remember his protocols? He has a strict mission to shoot and kill Stan Barkton. I want you to make sure he does that without any distractions. And the leader gave orders stating we send J-Dwag as a backup, to make sure he gets the job done or he dies.” He moved closer to the cassette player to get a more audible sound. The lady paused and Dr. Dinardo spoke. “He seems like a capable man. However, the damage that Dr. Gellar has caused might be irreversible.” The other woman sighed. “We thought creating Second would bring about the perfect clone. Hmm, we need to keep those clones under control, lest we are implicated.” Brandon felt betrayed and depressed. No one could be trusted; his psychiatrist was plotting against him, working with the enemy – Dr. Simmons. The appointment she called him for was only to confirm if he would comply or not. But why did they need to kill the CEO of Berkshire Affiliates? He knew that J-Dwag was Henry, who was sent to kill him if he didn’t kill the CEO.
Johanna rested her back into the chair, dazed at the information she had just found out. She was seeing things she doesn’t expect. The conspiracy that was going on was unimaginable. She called Brandon who said he was coming out of the elevator on the ground floor. “Let’s meet up at the hospital restaurant,” she said. He got back into the elevator and headed for the 10th floor. He met Johanna at the restaurant sitting at a table at the extreme end. They ordered coffee as they had both lost their appetite for food. “Okay, so what have you found out?” Johanna asked not wanting to waste time.
“Okay, I found some files in her drawer and some tapes as well. I saw one with my name and read through it, but it contained only minutes of my last meeting with her and my blood test results. But then, I listened to a tape and what I heard baffled me. I heard her talk to a woman about me and some other clones they had created. She reminded Dr. Dinardo of my mission and asked someone to kill me if I failed,” Brandon said.
“And what mission was that?” she asked.
“To kill the CEO of Berkshire Affiliates,” he responded.
“Wait, isn’t that the CEO of the company Kat works for? And have you?” Johanna asked.
“I was taken there on that day, but I was able to control myself and didn’t,” he said and asked, “What’ve you got?”
“I found out that Dr. Simmons was hired from an investment company, and that company belongs to your friend, Bryant.”
“Whoa! That’s huge. Bryant?” Brandon asked, surprised.
“I think the next thing to do is question Bryant,” she said sipping her coffee.
They relaxed on the chair while they sipped their coffee. Johanna checked her wristwatch and saw that it was past seven. She thought of Dominic, he how he said he would be going on his date with Theresa around this time. “I hope it all goes well,” she thought to herself.
Dominic couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw that Theresa was almost finished drinking the bottle of wine. He couldn’t have imagined the reserved, beautiful nurse to be a good drinker. She was small and petite, but her appetite for a drink was the opposite. She was of Filipino descent, with short hair, beautiful eyes and a soft voice. Finally, he got to know what he liked about her, she was cute all around.
She drank so much that she began feeling light-headed and later had feelings of nausea. Dominic noticed she wasn’t feeling too good, and offered to drive her home, and she obliged. She dozed off in the car and snored. Dominic had let down the chair into a flat form, so she could be conveniently throughout the one-hour drive. He walked her up to her door and asked, “Will you be okay?.” “Yes, I will be fine. Thanks for driving me home,” she stated. He smiled as she belched, which smelled of liquor. He stood there waiting for her to step in, but instead, she turned and stole a kiss from him but he liked it. She wanted to leave, but he drew her back and really kissed her. They kissed for almost a minute and separated.
“Goodbye,” he said and went into his car.
Theresa staggered inside and turned on the lights in her apartment. Dominic got into his car and called Johanna, “Hey Jojo, how did it go? Did you find anything?” Dominic asked. “Yes, we found a bit. Where are you? Can you come to the store beside the hospital?” she asked. “Okay,” he said and ignited the engine of his car. Theresa shut the door and leaned against it. She was happy she finally kissed Dominic after five years of waiting. She hoped things got better between them. She held her stomach in pain, as it felt uneasy. She later ran to the toilet to vomit. She hadn’t drunk this much in a long time. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She splashed some water on her face, which washed off all of her makeup. She looked herself up in the mirror, but was surprised at what she saw. The extraordinary beauty at the restaurant was gone, she was back to the normal beauty she was.
Suddenly, a pain surged through her body and she felt like her body was being ripped apart. She groaned in pain and her eyes turned red. She stood still and appeared like a robot in the mirror. Then she spoke aloud “Number 4 activated. Mission: Destroy anyone who will prevent us from destroying Second and his family.”
Theresa got out of her house, leaving the door wide open. Her real self was revealed she left behind her days masquerading as a nurse. Her mission had started. She got to the café outside the store Brandon, Johanna and Dominic sat to talk. The street was somewhat dark, so they couldn’t see her standing afar. She was an upgraded robot, clothed in human flesh. She had advanced capabilities like picking up sound within a ten-mile radius. She heard them planning to question Bryant regarding Simmons. Her CPU processed the information and returned that she needed to eliminate Bryant, Dr. Simmons and Dr. Dinardo. A part of her program was to terminate anyone that could link any investigation back to her creator.
Brandon called Bryant and heard loud background music blaring. He sounded drunk and as if he was in a club. The club was more of a strip club rather than a bar. Bryant frequented the bar whenever he experienced a hard time. He spent more lavishly whenever he was there. Theresa, through her system, scanned the location of the caller and imputed it into her built-in GPS. She needed to get to him first before the trio.