Thank you all very much for your feedback in the notes of the previous chapter, it helped me infinitely since we are very close to a very important point in the development of the story, I plan to give spoilers, but if there has to be one it will be a "gift".
Let's look at those theories, without further ado.
Enjoy
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When we finally returned to the hotel, a few minutes after walking through the park, the streets were already lightly covered with snow, and the temperature had dropped several degrees for obvious reasons.
"I know it was my idea, but if I ever suggest walking the streets when it's cold again, drag me into a taxi for hot coffee," Dr. Thomas said as he entered the hotel, feeling the sudden change in temperature with the building's heating, putting his hand on my shoulder with amusement.
"Ah, Dr. Thomas," a moment after we entered the hotel, the manager, Mr. Mosby, who surprisingly seemed to work all day, smiled broadly as he approached with his hands clasped in front of his abdomen, "Allow me to take your coats. Mrs. Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Duncan are currently enjoying the live show by Carey Martin. Allow me to guide you."
The show featured a blonde woman singing various songs really well. Together with my parents and the Thomases, I enjoyed the show while the adults drank, all except for Mom, and chatted happily, occasionally asking me questions or requesting that I narrate a story. Teddy and Gabe, on Mom's orders, had gone up to the suite to get ready for bed even before Dr. Thomas and I arrived at the hotel.
"I think it's time for us to leave before the streets get even more filled with snow," Dottie said, patting Dr. Thomas's leg lightly during one of the artist's breaks. He checked his wristwatch.
"As always, you're absolutely right, dear. It's time for us to go," Dr. Thomas said, standing up and helping Dottie a moment later.
"Then, we'll see you on New Year's at our house. In the meantime, enjoy Boston," always cheerful, Dottie said as she bid farewell to my parents.
Since it was quite late at night and it had snowed, the Thomases wisely decided to use the hotel's transport service, leaving one of their cars in the hotel's care.
Seeing Mom and Bob comfortably enjoying Mrs. Martin's show, I also decided to head up to the suite.
Inside the luxurious apartment, my siblings, who were theoretically sent to get ready for bed, were in the living room watching a Christmas movie on the huge television.
"Oh, it's just you, PJ. You scared me for a moment," Gabe said, jumping up from his comfortable position on the sofa next to Teddy when I closed the suite door.
"Yeah, it's just me. When the ads come on, go change into your pajamas and brush your teeth, kiddo," I said, pushing his head to take a seat on the sofa between him and Teddy.
"All right," Gabe said slowly, exasperated, as the movie paused for commercials, getting up.
Teddy, who fortunately was already in her pajamas, changed her posture, lying completely against my side. "Are you okay?" she asked, not turning to look at me, focused entirely on the television where a Red Sox commercial was playing.
"Mom said you really needed to talk to Dr. Thomas, and Dottie said Dr. Thomas was going to help you," Teddy said softly, pressing her head against my side.
"Oh, Teddy Bear, I was just a bit worried about something I did at the hospital, that's all. Dr. Thomas helped me see it from another perspective, and now I feel much better," I assured her calmly, stroking her hair.
"Are you sure?" Teddy asked in a murmur, seemingly not fully trusting my calmness.
"I promise," I said seriously. "It's nothing you need to worry about," I added, and that seemed enough to finally calm Teddy.
"Has the movie started again?" Gabe returned, running to the sofa with his pajama top half on.
"Not yet," I replied, helping him adjust his shirt.
"Great," Gabe said, completely focused on the television, lying on the sofa with his feet up on me.
With Teddy lying on one side and Gabe's feet on the other, I didn't have much choice but to stay still in the center of the sofa.
The movie continued and ended. Before I knew it, I was engrossed in another movie, and my two siblings, obviously exhausted from the trip and dinner, fell asleep. Teddy used me as a pillow, and Gabe pressed his feet against my face.
The suite door opened a moment later. Mom and Bob entered, laughing and embracing, surprised to see us. "PJ, what are you doing here?" Mom asked, whispering since Teddy and Gabe were snoring lightly.
"We were watching a movie," I explained quietly.
"Aw, look at that, Bob," Mom said sentimentally as she closed the door behind them, approaching the living room and stopping Bob by taking his arm.
I could certainly understand that the scene in front of them was cute, but I hadn't been able to feel my arm for several minutes, and for some reason, Gabe kicked in his sleep.
"Let me help you with your sister, champ. Can you carry Gabe to his bed?" Bob asked, approaching with a smile.
"No, wait, where's Teddy's camera?" Mom asked nervously, stopping Bob and anxiously looking around the suite. "Got it," she exclaimed excitedly but still quietly, loading film into the camera before taking a photo. "There we go," she said, satisfied, placing the camera carefully on a small table.
Finally feeling my side free when Bob gently lifted Teddy, I slowly lowered Gabe's feet to avoid waking him, allowing me to stretch and try to restore circulation to my arm.
After placing Gabe in his bed and Mom tucking him in, I got ready for bed too, as I was also tired.
The next day, a bit later than I usually wake up outside of vacation time, I was ready with Gabe to go for a run. Mom and Teddy had left several minutes earlier, apparently to get a massage at the hotel spa, while Bob had gone out much earlier, excited to find some kind of insect in the park.
"Can we run in the park?" Gabe asked, unusually excited, as we warmed up lightly while descending in the elevator.
"Sure, why not?" I responded, lightly pushing the kid's head.
"Cool," Gabe said, smiling cheerfully.
The hotel lobby was relatively empty, with just a couple of hotel workers and a few other guests. Thanking the doorman—Esteban, if I remembered correctly—Gabe and I stepped out into the chilly air.
"Oh no, it's cold," Gabe said immediately upon stepping outside. He wasn't wrong; despite wearing thermal clothing, the cold wind was still biting at our faces.
"You'll get used to it after a few minutes once you warm up," I said, hugging Gabe's head and dragging him along the sidewalk to the crosswalk leading to the park.
The run in the park was pleasant after the first few minutes as we got used to the cold air entering our lungs.
"It's much more fun to run in a park than in our neighborhood," Gabe said, soaked in sweat and likely some melted snow, after we finished our usual run and entered the hotel.
"Yeah, I like it better too," I replied, now feeling a bit warm inside the heated hotel. As I took off my heavy thermal jacket, I could feel my sweaty sports clothes sticking to my torso—an unpleasant sensation.
The lobby was livelier than it had been a few minutes earlier, with more guests and workers present. Among them was Maddie, who, from her small shop across the lobby, was incredulously looking in our direction. Feeling a bit uncomfortable being stared at so intently, I raised a hand to greet her. She seemed to snap out of a trance and quickly ducked under her desk.
Stolen novel; please report.
"Told you, you stink. She could smell you from there," Gabe said arrogantly, having witnessed the girl's reaction.
"Oh yeah?" I asked Gabe, raising my eyebrows. He laughed and ran away without looking, avoiding my grasp.
The kid only took a couple of steps before bumping into someone.
"Please, no running in the lobby," Mr. Mosby said, forcing a smile after Gabe had bumped into him.
"Watch where you're going, Gabe," I reprimanded, helping him up. "Sorry, Mr. Mosby," I added, pushing my brother's head slightly to prompt him to apologize.
"I'm sorry," Gabe said quickly, a bit embarrassed.
"It's alright, no harm done," Mr. Mosby said slowly, his eye twitching involuntarily. "I see you went for a run," he added, suddenly taking a deep breath. "I can recommend the treadmill in the gym."
"Thanks, but we wanted to see the park," I explained, making the man nod kindly.
"I understand perfectly. Well, don't let me keep you any longer. Excuse me," he said professionally, bowing slightly before heading to his desk.
"He's strange," Gabe said quietly once Mr. Mosby was far enough away.
"No, he just enjoys his job," I said, pushing Gabe's head a bit exasperated. "Don't run without looking where you're going. It could have been dangerous," I reprimanded again as we waited for the elevator.
"He just appeared there," Gabe murmured, avoiding my gaze when the elevator doors opened.
"Maybe if you opened your eyes—" I started to say, but like a bad joke, I accidentally bumped into someone exiting the elevator. "Oh, sorry," I said, managing to catch the girl's arm before she fell.
"Can't you see where you walk?" asked an Asian girl dressed extravagantly in pink, a little taller than Gabe, looking annoyed as she rubbed her forehead, which was likely sore.
"I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you?" I doubted I had caused any significant harm—her head had at most bumped my chest—but I could see she was holding a small mirror in her other hand, which she was obviously using to look at herself.
"Duh, of course, you hurt me," the girl said, clearly annoyed, finally moving her hand from her forehead and falling silent upon seeing me. I could see her eyes quickly wandering over my torso.
With her injury now visible, I inspected it. There was a mark consistent with the edge of the handheld mirror, but it wasn't pronounced enough to be truly concerning.
"It doesn't look like it'll leave a mark, but if you want to be sure, you can use a cold compress," I assured her, smiling.
"I think you broke her," Gabe said, amused.
"Are you okay?" I asked the girl, lightly tapping the back of my brother's head.
"Of course I'm fine, never been better," she quickly recovered, striking a strange pose and adjusting a small bag in her hand.
"I'm glad," I said, relieved. "Again, I'm so sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention," I apologized once more.
"Oh, that?" she asked dismissively, waving her hand. "No worries," she added, placing her hand on my arm seriously.
I could feel her shamelessly squeezing my bicep slightly. There was something about East Coast girls.
"Well..." I said, slowly removing her hand from my arm and discreetly pushing Gabe into the elevator. "I'm glad you didn't get hurt," I added, smiling, waiting for her to step out of the elevator completely.
Since the girl was standing right where the elevator doors closed, there was an awkward moment of silence where she just stood there, smiling broadly as if she had no concerns.
Fortunately, I wasn't the only one waiting for the elevator doors to close. Pretending to cough, Gabe caught the girl's attention, who immediately exclaimed, "Sorry, I've been quite rude. I'm London," she said, raising her hand and showing only the back, eyes closed, still smiling.
"Ah, PJ," I said, taking her hand and forcing it into a weak handshake before letting it go, making London put on a strange expression.
"And I'm Gabe. Can we go up now?" my brother asked, completely shameless, wiping the sweat from his eyes with a bit of exasperation.
"Oh yeah, sorry," London said, a bit embarrassed, stepping back, "See you later," she added with a broad smile as the elevator doors closed.
"Yeah," I said, smiling forcibly as the elevator doors closed.
"That was awkward," Gabe said, amused.
"Yeah," I agreed.
Suddenly, inside the same elevator, a small bark made Gabe and me jump in surprise.
"Is that a dog?" Gabe asked, surprised. In one corner of the elevator, a very small, fluffy dog dressed in pink was sitting.
"Either that or a very furry rat," I responded sarcastically, picking up the little animal. "Hello, little buddy, let's see what's your name," I read from a small, seemingly expensive dog collar with a name tag. "Ivana Tipton," I read, sighing, knowing I would have to return it to its owner.
"Ha! Like the hotel," Gabe exclaimed, amused.
"Yeah, like the hotel," I said, noticing the dog's clothes were strangely similar to London's outfit, at least the same shade of pink.
When the elevator reached our suite's floor, I opened the door for Gabe and returned to the elevator to bring the dog back to its owner.
Back in the lobby, I found London and Maddie engaged in an argument. It was surprising to see a fight between a staff member and a guest without anyone trying to stop it, not even the hotel manager.
"You can't call dibs, even if you could, I saw him first!" Maddie shouted.
"I'm sorry," I said, trying to interrupt the girls' argument as I approached.
"Wait a moment," London said exasperatedly, raising her hand toward my face without looking at me. "It doesn't matter who saw him first; the first to call dibs has dibs, it's in the phrase!" London yelled back at Maddie.
"Is this your dog?" I said, putting the dog between the two girls, fortunately stopping their shouting.
"Ivana!" London exclaimed happily, taking the dog in her hands. "Where have you been?" she asked seriously, holding the dog in front of her face as if she expected it to respond.
"You left her in the elevator," I said, catching the attention of both girls.
"PJ!" they exclaimed in surprise, synchronizing as they saw me.
"Oh PJ, thank you so much for saving Ivana's life," London said quickly, coming to my side and speaking in a forced sweet tone as she hugged my forearm, then arrogantly smiled at Maddie.
Oh, now I understand.
"I didn't save her life. I don't think her life was ever in danger," I assured her, patting the hands that were tightly gripping my forearm, hoping she would let go.
Frowning for a second at seeing London pressed against my arm, Maddie said, "No, London is right, you saved Ivana's life. Thank you," mimicking the other girl's actions and running to grab my other forearm.
As each girl held my forearms tightly, their nails dug in enough to cause a bit of pain. I could see them sending silent threats, glaring at each other.
Looking for help from the hotel staff, I made eye contact with Mr. Mosby, who for some reason pretended not to see what was happening and immediately turned his gaze to furiously clean his desk.
"I just came to return the dog," I said, trying to break the battle of glares, looking at each girl. "Now, I don't know if you noticed, but I'm quite sweaty," I added, hoping for a reaction of disgust.
"Yeah, we know," the two girls responded again in sync, annoyed but not taking their eyes off each other.
There's something wrong with these girls.
"Well, I was going to take a bath. Do you plan to join me there?" I asked, shaking my arms slightly.
"Yeah," they both responded immediately, completely shameless.
Yes, there is definitely something wrong with these girls.
"Okay, you two need to resolve your conflict. I need to take a bath," I said, raising my arms and surprisingly easily lifting the girls off the ground for about half an inch until they let go of my arms. "Have a good day. Ivana," I added, slightly bowing to the dog that was now calmly sitting on the floor, and took my leave.
On my way to the elevator, I shook my head in disappointment at Mr. Mosby, who, noticing my look, tried to nervously ignore it by obsessively cleaning the small reception bell.
The lobby was silent since the girls had stopped shouting. Surely, aside from the girls' screams, no one else had been talking. When the elevator doors opened once more, I checked to ensure there was no dog inside before entering and pressing the button for our suite floor. A moment later, when the doors were closing, the shouting began again.
I didn't even understand why they were fighting. Calling dibs on another person made no sense; nothing could be forced... unless, they wouldn't attack me, right?
With thoughts like that, I reentered the suite. Gabe, whom I had left a few minutes ago, was sitting on the sofa in the living room with wet hair, obviously having just finished his bath.
"Did you really clean yourself?" I asked incredulously. It was impossible for him to have bathed so quickly.
"Yeah, head, armpits, feet, butt, and forehead," Gabe said, changing TV channels without paying me any attention.
Not wanting to bother further on the topic, I shook my head and walked to our room to take a proper bath.
After a relaxing hot bath and completing my routine, I found Teddy sitting next to Gabe, looking extremely bored watching TV. "Where's Mom?" I asked, ruffling my sister's hair, avoiding her annoyed hand.
"She's taking a bath. Her room has a tub," Teddy said enviously, managing to stop my hand while rearranging her hair.
In my parents' room, which was somewhat messy with clothes on the floor, I knocked on the bathroom door. "Mom," I said without opening the door.
"Yeah?" completely relaxed, almost sounding like she was about to fall asleep, Mom responded.
"I'm going downstairs with Teddy and Gabe for breakfast. Do you want to join us?" I asked, leaning against the bathroom door.
"Oh no, you guys go and spend some quality time. Your dad and I... I mean, I'll order room service," Mom corrected herself, laughing slightly at her mistake as another voice chuckled with her. Bob was there. Oh no.
"Okay,"I quickly backed away from the bathroom door with shivers down my spine and a bit of disgust, noticing the clothes on the floor. There were Mom's clothes and the boots Bob used for work, along with another pile of clothes "then I'll see you guys-mom later" I added, correcting myself immediately.
Quickly leaving the room and closing the door behind me, I smiled forcibly innocently at my siblings, who looked at me strangely. "Shall we go for breakfast?" I asked, clapping my hands, making Gabe stand up immediately.
"It's about time. I didn't know what I had to do to get some breakfast," he said excitedly, walking quickly towards the suite door.
"Aren't we going to call Mom?" Teddy asked, puzzled, walking towards me, near the door of our parents' room.
"Oh no, she said she'll wait for Dad and that they'll order room service. Don't worry," I said, taking my sister by the shoulders and guiding her to the door.
"But—" Teddy began, trying to change direction, but my experience with Maddie and London a few minutes ago had shown me I had enough strength, "No PJ, put me down!" I carried Teddy over my shoulder and quickly walked out of the suite, where Gabe was eagerly waiting for breakfast.
I didn't need my sister to be traumatized for life.
Fortunately, Mom was already pregnant... oh, disgusting mental images.
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Author Thoughts:
As always, I'm not American, not a doctor, and not a fighter.
With this being the third chapter of Boston, I plan to do at least 2 more depending on the situation.
With that said,
I think that's all. As always, if you find any errors, please let me know, and I'll correct them immediately.
Thank you for reading! :D
PS: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW.