NEW LIFE : A SECOND CHANCE

Kyle watched as the man started having a seizure on the ground.

The bodyguard that wasn't holding him went to the man and turned him gently to one side so as to help him to breathe. He looked around the man, clearing the area of anything hard or sharp so that the man would not accidentally hurt himself.

The bodyguard then took off his jacket, revealing the gun holster and gun that was strapped on. He folded the jacket and placed it under the man's head. The bodyguard that was holding Kyle was timing the seizure.

Just then, Delilah came over, carrying Kay.

"How long has it been?" she asked.

"3 minutes," the bodyguard answered.

Delilah took out her phone and said, "Tell me the moment it is five minutes."

She was ready to call the ambulance if that was so. However, just as it reached 4 minutes 30 seconds, the guy stopped. Kyle struggled in the bodyguard's arms, pointing downwards. Obeying, he put Kyle down. The moment his little feet touched the ground, Kyle walked over to the man and crouched down next to him.

It took the guy a bit of time before he opened his eyes and he looked about in confusion. He blinked rapidly for a while before sitting up, noticing the folded jacket.

"Thank you," he said to everyone around him as he rubbed his head.

Kyle frowned at that gesture, pursing his lips. He touched the man's head, and the guy looked at him with a gentle gaze.

"I'm fine, little one," he said, patting Kyle's head.

Kyle rolled his eyes internally but did not have any change in his expression.

Instead, Kyle tilted his head at the man, observing him closely.

They say that to know how good a person is, one should look at how he treats animals. Kyle believes that is true, but that it also applies to how one treats babies. It's not how one is able to take care of a baby or not, but rather, how that person acts towards one.

The man in front of him looked tough, but there was a gentleness to him that showed his kind heart. The fact that he had been looking at him (and most likely, Kay) meant that he was pining for a family - or he had lost his.

Kyle had a hunch, and wanted to dig up information on this guy but for that, he needed to know his name. Delilah was unlikely to ask, for she was not the type to be sociable to strangers, more so if they would not be meeting again.

"What's your name, mister?" asked Kyle clearly.

The guy looked at him gently, and answered, "Ralph. And you?"

"I'm Kyle. Kyle Smith," Kyle replied, "You don't have a family name?"

The guy laughed and answered, "It's Macchio. Ralph Macchio".

Kyle nodded, committing the name to memory.

In the meantime, everyone around was shocked senseless. Kay clapped her hands and said, "Brother is so cool!"

Delilah almost fainted.

You see, that was the first time either of the twins talked.

Not only did they talk now, but they were also forming perfect sentences. Delilah had just been thinking of sending them to speech therapists and a behaviour specialist for the twins was spending too much in their own world.

That night, Kyle was up in the wee hours of the morning, cursing at the computer. Rather, cursing at his small finger and short legs and height. It made trying to use the computer extremely hard. Still, he persevered and after several hours, finally managed to get the information on Ralph.

Ex-military man, discharged after sustaining an injury. Wife died and a young daughter that had the sickle stem disease. It was a disease she inherited from her mother's side of the family, and is a blood disorder. The condition arises from a genetic defect which alters the structure of hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying protein found in red blood cells).

The only way of a cure was through stem cell transplant, but the likelihood of there being an unrelated donor was extremely slim. Ralph didn't have any other children and he was not a match for her. So, essentially, all he could do was simply wait for her to die.

When Kyle found this out, he understood the reason behind that longing look, and the tears that came to Ralph's eyes when Kyle hugged him. He must have been thinking of his daughter, who he had to watch die slowly everyday.

Kyle decided that he wanted Ralph in his team. He was a highly respected soldier, but those seizures were a problem. Using a voice changer, Kyle made some arrangements at a hospital. Once that was done, he contacted Ralph.

In a bar at the other side of town, Ralph looked at his phone and frowned at the unknown number. Nonetheless, he picked it up.

"Hello?" he said gruffly.

"Mr. Machhio," came a rather young-sounding voice. Ralph estimated it to be in the late teens or young 20s.

"Yes, that's me," he replied.

"I have a proposition for you,"

"Not interested," Ralph said quickly, thinking this was a spam call. Unsolicited and wanting to sell stuff that he didn't need - or could afford. He was just about to put down the phone when he heard the voice say, "Blood clot in the brain."

Ralph's hand stilled.

"What are you talking about?" he growled on the phone, as he stood up and headed out of the bar. It was too noisy inside and he didn't want to be shouting over the phone in such a public place.

"I have a proposition for you," the voice said again.

Ralph found a quiet spot and took a deep breath.

"What is it?" he asked, as he reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette pack.

"No smoking, please," the guy on the other end said.

Ralph was in the midst of opening the pack when he frowned. He looked around and eventually saw a security camera. Staring at it, he said, "It depends on what you have to say."

"I can sponsor you to have your condition treated."

"And in return?" he asked.

"Be my man in MIB."

"What the fuck is MIB?" Ralph said with a laugh, "Making it Big? That clothing company? I don't think I'm your man for that!"

"No, it's my own new organisation," the guy explained patiently, "I need good men. You were the Hero of the Nation, but you can't fight in your current condition. I can help you get cured."

Ralph closed his eyes, tapping his forehead. This was something he wanted more than anything, but this MIB was just too suspicious. Just what sort of thing would it entail?

"You could be a terrorist group for all I know," Ralph said with a sigh after several minutes had passed, "Not interested."

He then hung up.

Kyle, on the other end of the phone, wasn't surprised. In fact, he would have been suspicious if Ralph had taken up the offer quickly. This meant that his assessment about Ralph was not wrong and it made Kyle want him working for him even more.

Kyle smiled. Looks like Plan B needed to be put into motion.

~ Two days later ~

Ralph went to the hospital to get some medication for his daughter. He carefully counted his money, glad to know that he managed to save enough again for this month's supply. The hospital bills were high, and everything he had went to pay for her treatment.

He didn't know who would go first, him with his blood clot in his brain, or his daughter. Both options were not to his liking, though the latter would be better. If he was to go first, what would happen to his daughter? Who would take care of her? Love her like he does? No one.

His heart ached at the thought.

A nurse came by and handed him a drink, saying, "Here, Mr. Macchio. You look like you need this."

Ralphed thanked her and drank it without a thought. A minute later, he fell to the floor, passed out.

The nurse quickly called for help. A group put him on a stretcher and she told them that he was a patient there but had wanted to escape. Understanding the situation, they wheeled him into his room and secured him on the bed.

Once everyone was out, the nurse nervously took out her phone and made a call.

"It's done," she whispered.

"Good," Kyle answered, "Don't worry. We're doing this for his own good. He needs that operation, right? You saw the medical report and scans. His daughter needs him."

The nurse nodded, even though Kyle couldn't see it.

The nurse was one of those that took care of Ralph's daughter, and she had grown quite attached to the little girl. So when this mysterious stranger told her about Ralph's condition, she didn't hesitate to agree. She didn't think this was against the Hippocratic Oath,* for she justified it as giving Ralph the best treatment in order to be there for his daughter.

Though a lot may disagree with her for it was unethical to have him go for the operation without his consent.

The nurse shook her head and decided that she would bear the sin and guilt if it meant the little girl would still have her father.

Ralph was kept unconscious until the operation itself. It wasn't anything harmful, and since all the paper documents were in order, no one questioned anything. The operation went by smoothly, and the blood clot was removed successfully. Now, all that was needed was healing.

When Ralph opened his eyes a day after the surgery, he was disoriented.

Where the fuck was he??!