Staring out the window had become her habit nowadays. Ever since she was admitted here, she’d been nothing but a troubled patient. Refused to take her meds, sometimes she would talk to herself and referred to wind as ‘Jimmy’ and at times she would scream for no apparent reason.

Little that everybody knows she still had someone out there who owed her a freedom but she didn’t want all that. She didn’t want to live in the real world if Brian is happy with somebody else. In fact, she didn’t want Brian to be happy at all. She’d like if Brian is as miserable as her.

A chuckle escaped from her mouth softly. Soon it turned into a devilish laughter, with her eyes fixed upon whatever it is outside the window. A nurse came into her room suddenly, making her laugh halted.

“DB, what did I tell you about standing by the window? It’s dangerous. Come back to bed.”

Michelle put on her mask again, pouting for mercy from the good hearted nurse before she turned her body around and gasped.

“What?” the nurse asked, startled. Michelle stared at the vase of flower in her hand. Her finger slowly pointed to it with her eyes widened.

“Oh this? A special delivery for you. I guess there’s still someone out there who loves you. I told you not to give up.”

The nurse placed the vase of black tulips gently on the bedside table, with frown on her forehead.

“But black tulips? That’s a bit odd. Usually people would give roses or daisies. I guess you’re allergic to pollen huh?”

Michelle chuckled nervously but eager to touch the flowers as she knew exactly what they meant.

“So, you haven’t taken your meds for 2 pm yet, I see? DB, you have to take your meds. Or you won’t get better.”

Michelle hissed in annoyance. She wished the good hearted nurse would just go away instead of calling her DB from her surname.

“Do you want me to call the doctor?”

She quickly shook her head. She hated the doctors here. They did some tests on her, which were both cruel and painful. Sometimes they would sit her on an electric chair just to test her brain’s reaction.

She was sane. Sane enough to know that the black tulips mean ‘the deed is done.’

Michelle quickly downed her 2pm meds from the small cup that rested on the table and hid them underneath her tongue. She drank the water and pretended like the pills had gotten down her throat.

“Good girl. Well, I’ll come by again around 6 okay?”

As soon as the nurse left, she spat out all of the pills from her mouth and ran towards the vase. There was no card whatsoever, but she was convinced that her one and only request to someone who owed her the freedom was done. That someone was the prison officer, the same guy who helped her to poison her assassin, the same guy that she once helped through with money.

“Finally.” She mumbled, satisfied as her prime target was killed. “Fucking rot in hell, cunt. If I can’t have Brian, no one can.”

She plucked a stem of the black tulips and smelled them. It was significantly odorless, just as her crime deed.

---

The heart monitor beeped wearily, letting the room know that she couldn’t pump her blood fast enough and the tube that connecting her throat to the oxygen tank beside her, marking that she couldn’t breathe on her own. She had been induced in a coma for two weeks, and during these two weeks, he never stopped being here.

Her father had flown all the way from Florida and he met him regrettably, unable to explain the condition of her in full detail.

“I’m sorry, Mr Wayne,”

“Call me Edward.”

“…Edward. I couldn’t do anything. She was…standing in front of me yet I couldn’t stop this from happening.”

“It’s not your fault, Brian, is it? Not your fault. Being an agent, surely she made some enemy along the way. We never knew, anything could happen.”

“Part of it, is completely my fault. I shouldn’t have known her. Shouldn’t let myself become so close to her. We should never-”

“So what, you’re going to leave my daughter now?”

Brian staggered and frozen on his feet. If leaving was a choice, he had left her long time ago. But he couldn’t stay away, let alone leaving her.

“No. I’m not leaving her again. I’m going to be by her side until she wakes up.”

“Good, I don’t want to see my daughter risks her life for a mere loser. Chin up, Brian. If fate brought you together, it will do it again.”

Brian smiled weakly at Edward and immediately taken a liking to him. Edward was a tall man, with grey hair proceeding along his wavy locks and a sharp jaw line to match the stern look he wears everytime. He might have looked like a retired army man.

Maybe he is, maybe that’s why Addie is completely able to take care of herself.

Edward patted him on the back and walked forward to Addie’s bed. Brian watched him smiled to his daughter and his rigid look instantly softened. If only Addie can see this. Addie always complained to him that her father was too rough in her childhood days, sometimes treating her like she was in the army when in fact she was only nine years old at the time. Being a single parent, Addie said, her father tried to be both mom and dad role for her but he pretty much failed at it.

Brian smiled for the last time before making his way out of the room to let Edward have a little personal time with his daughter. He was about to take a seat on the bench when he saw Andy was coming towards him.

“Brian,” Andy nodded curtly at him and he just raised his eyebrows once.

“Her dad’s in there.” Brian said, when he saw Andy was about to open the door.

“Edward? Oh great. Haven’t seen him in a while.”

Brian groaned with utter jealousy because Andy got to know Addie’s family long before him. Andy peeked through the door and saw Edward was crying beside his daughter. He decided it was probably wise not to disturb them right now.

“Didn’t you have a concert to do or something?” he landed his rear on the bench next to Brian and Brian tousled his hair in a mess.

“Tomorrow night.” He answered briefly.

They both sat in awkward silence for a minute or two.

“You? Don’t you have a bad guy to catch or something?”

“They can wait. Speaking about bad guy, I have something to discuss with you.”

Brian leaned his body forward in a rush. “Why? Have you found the culprit yet?”

Andy let out a hefty sigh. “Close. All we know right now is that the shooter is known as ‘The Black Tulips’. He’s a hired assassin, which means he’s working under someone.”

“Who the hell hired an assassin to kill Ad-” Brian paused, his creased forehead settled and rage built within him in mere seconds. He couldn’t believe his own thoughts and suspicions right now but who else had the power and guts to do things like this?

“Why? Do you have anybody in mind?”

“I’m gonna fucking kill her.”

“Her? You mean..”

“Michelle.”

~*.*~

Brian signed off a visitor form at the front reception, with Andy tagged along behind him, walking towards a chamber barred with metals and white doors. A prison guard and a nurse led them the way, and they could see all the mentally disabled people scattered about in the foyer doing ridiculous things and some were staring at them.

“You’re next.”

One of the patient whispered to them, making Andy flinched a little. Brian ignored the patient’s remark and just moved on with his pace towards his ex-best friend’s chamber.

“DB is rarely out these days. She always stood by the window for hours. She won’t take her meds either. Maybe you can convince her to do it.”

“And make her sane again? I’ll pass.” Brian mumbled under his breath, making sure the nurse didn’t hear him.

The prison guard unlocked the chamber and opened the door, but Brian and Andy didn’t immediately step in. They watched as the door creaked and revealed a hauntingly figure of Michelle, standing by the window with her blue asylum gown tied to her back and her hair was shambled in a most disheveled way.

“DB, you have visitors.”

Michelle spun around, and instantly withdrew her steps back in a hurry. She tried to run but her back slammed against the wall behind her when she saw Brian’s face. Her mouth whispered remorseful things, her head shook slowly and her eyes widened to the point where she almost burst out into tears.

Brian and Andy glanced at each other before he stepped further a little but no more than that. His eyes fell on a vase beside her bed - a vase of black tulips and curses immediately fell through Andy’s lips.

“YOU FUCKING BITCH!! WHAT DID SHE EVER DO TO YOU?!” Brian roared, eager to pounce on Michelle angrily but Andy held him back, struggled against his weight and preventing him from attacking Michelle. The prison guard also had to withdraw the both out them out of the room.

“Brian! Calm down! Calm down!!” Andy succeeded in bringing him out of the room to the foyer. All patients who were scattered there stopped doing their insane things and glared at them. As though they were the ones with mental problem.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here.” He pulled Brian’s shoulder and off they went out from the asylum’s door.

“I can’t fucking believe she still hold that grudge. What..what do I have to do to make her let me go? Let us go?”

Andy took a deep breath as he leaned his back against his car. “I don’t know but you can’t go attacking her like that. She’s a prisoner for God’s sake. Do you want to end up in a cell?”

“I’m gonna fucking kill her. I don’t care if I’m going to end up in jail or what.”

“And let Addie wake up alone and sad? No way. I won’t let you go down to the same level as Michelle. I admit I hated you at first Brian. But you make Addie happy. There is nothing more that I wish than Addie to be happy.”

“But Michelle needs to die. She fucking needs to rot in hell for all her doings. God, I wish I could turn back time and just ignore her..”

Andy crossed his arms and let his deep thoughts took over for a while. A few moments later, his expression changed, a pang of brilliant idea came into his head and he immediately smiled a bright grin at Brian.

“What are you smiling for?”

“I know what we’re gonna do. This is like killing two birds with one stone. I just need something from you.”

“What?”

“Your money.”

Notes

A/N: heheheh. well so..it's not that easy to take the villain down..muahaha XD