Layla's POV

I had to think fast. I didn't quite know how to please Michael.

All I knew is I had to do something, and I had to do it fast. I had to beat the press.

Why?

Because the break was about to break him, and break him quick.

I could feel it in my gut.

I looked at Michael, who was just adoring my looks. Little did he know, I was freaking out. We are in fucking Japan. Where am I suppose to go?

I looked down at Michael. "Hey," I used my hand to lift his head up. "I want you to get dressed, and I want you to meet me somewhere. Don't dress to dressy though. We all know you're extra." I rolled my eyes playfully; pushing him.

He giggled slightly. "Okay, well I know whatever you come up with will make me happy. I just know you like to do crazy and wild things." He used his hand to waiver dust in the air; laughing.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, just go get dressed." I smiled.

Michael got up quickly, and skipped to his closet. I got up fast and went outside the hotel door. I shut it soundly; clenching my teeth, scared Michael would hear anything.

I looked to my left and i saw bill resigning, reading his newspaper. I ran my hands atop of my kinky hair. "Hey Bill?" I tapped his shoulder, breathing out.

He looked up from his newspaper, scrutinizing me. "What you need Lay?" He smiled, knowing I needed something important.

I smiled. "So, you've been to Tokyo, right?" I crossed one of my fingers; hoping he has.

I mean he's his bodyguard, why wouldn't he. I guess it depends how long he's been working for him.

He raised a brow. "Yes, I've been to Tokyo, many times actually." He snickered.

I sighed in relief. "Okay, so here is the situation-" I looked left and right whispering in Bills ear.

He nodded to the words flowing from my mouth. I looked peered around bills shoulder, glaring around; ensuring myself that Michael wasn't eavesdropping.

After one last affirmative nod, he finally spoke up. "Okay, I'll help set it up for you, just leave me some notes, so we can find the proper way to set it up. Especially the way you describe it." He laughed.

I punched him in his arm playfully. "I don't want anything corny. I just want something that says Layla. I'll be out in a second to help you set everything up." I pointed at him, as I headed back to my hotel.

Michael's POV

I sat up straight in my bed. I rubbed the crust forming in my eyes, I've been on the verge of tears all day.

I got up and strayed to the closet, picking out an extravagant outfit.

Wait, casual. Right.

I tapped my chin, sliding hangers to the side. "Hmm. What to wear. What should I wear?" I asked myself.

My speech was interrupted by a knock on my door. I ran quickly to it, eager to see if it was Layla.

I ran my fingers through my hair before answering.

I was greeted with some flowers on the ground. They were dark red, almost a black hue. I absolutely love flowers. They remind me of everything magical about the earth. At least what was left of it.

I smiled to myself and gave them a heavy waft, but quickly my nose started to scrunch up.

The strange scent made my nose shrivel up. The aroma literally forced its way into my nose, to my head.

My eyebrows were raised, because it didn't show where it was from. I looked outside to see where these were from, but the person who dropped them off already fled the scene.

My eyes started the drag, and the scene quickly started to blur.

These flowers were poisoned.

I threw the flowers as far as I could away from my hotel before I fell back into my hotel. I attempted to lock my door, but my hands were shaking. Redness started to form on my hands where the flowers resided earlier.

I began to cough profusely, and my vision was in shambles. Eventually my body went into shock, because I passed out. All I could see was cloudiness before my vision completely vanished.

Layla POV

I began to lead bill to my hotel where me and my mom stayed. Of course my mother was always gone doing something, so this privacy was something I needed.

I led him inside, and we conversed about how much this would bring happiness to Michael.

I walked inside my closet, and started pointing out dresses to bill. "This white one with the sparky sleeves, or the plain black one with the leg slit?" I frowned upon my dresses, not knowing what to choose.

Bill looked up from his newspaper to answer me. "Black slit. Michael loves long legs." He shrugged smiling.

I clapped my occupied hands together before smiling. "Thanks bill. You're always gunna be my fashion muse." I smiled.

He cackled slightly, but it still echoed around he entire apartment.

I put my dress on the table, and chose some black stapled heels to match. I was about to run into the shower, but I was interrupted by my mom barging through the door.

Her face was completely inconsolable and traumatic.

I scrunched my face, raising a brow. "What's up Ma?" I asked concerned.

She wiped the tears forming on her face. "MICHAEL IS ON THE FLOOR, AND HE ISN'T BREATHING." She screamed, clutching her pregnant belly.

Me and bill quickly looked at each other before running to Michaels hotel.

I quickly barged the door open only to see Michael collapsed in the middle of the floor. His eyes were puffy, purple, and throbbing, while his hands were blistered.

I put my hand on his neck to feel a pulse. It was thready and weak. I couldn't hear his breath sounds because my mother was hormonal and pregnant, and too busy yelling.

"Mom SHUT UP." I screamed, trying to hear his breath.

My mom stifled her tears, and nodded.

The hotel was completely silent. Michael was struggling to breathe, and was choking on air.

I ran my fingers atop my hair. "Damn it, his airway is obstructed." I cursed to myself.

"Mom, go call 911, and be easy on that baby please. Bill, go get me a knife and the widest straw you can find. He's loosing oxygen to his brain, and if he goes 6 minutes without it, he's brain dead for sure." I gave instructions to all of them.

Yes, I took some medical classes in high school, and couple of semesters in community college before I left.

Bill scattered away to the kitchen, while my mom took her fliphone out of her pocket.

"Yes, we are in Tokyo Japan and we have a 29 year old male. He's not breathing and my daughter is about to preform an emergency crike. We need medical officials here right away please. I used to be a nurse, but I don't want stress on my baby. Please hurry." She gave a detailed explanation for everything.

She nodded listening to the operator. "We are at the All star hotel?" She peeked around the corner to see which hotel number we were at. "Hotel 3290." She simply stated.

I turned my attention back to Michael. Bill rushed to me with a knife and a straw. "Give me that hand sanitizer on the table." I instructed him.

I slathered it on his throat, and my knife before whispering. "Michael I'm so sorry if you can feel this baby." I said, before slicing his trachea.

I did a one inch incision, and the scarlet liquid quickly oozed out of his neck. I pinched the cut, so it could open more, and I placed the straw directly in his trachea so all of the blood could empty from his throat.

Blood started to ooze down my hands. I tried to make this as clean as possible but from all this blood, he must've been choking for a while.

I put my ear to his mouth to see if he is breathing again, & his breath sounds were equal and clear. His face returned to its regular color.

I looked a bill. "How long has he been down?" I asked simply, trying to hold his neck still

He looked at his watch. "About 4 or 5 minutes maybe?" He wiped the sweat beading on his forehead.

I looked to the ceiling trying to recompose myself. "Bill go get me a flashlight, anything, please." I told him.

He ran to Michaels room, and brought out this large hunters flashlight. I removed my hand from his neck, to grasp the flashlight.

Bill, I need you to listen. Open Michaels eyelids please so I can point this flashlight towards them, and tell me what you see.

Bill shakily picked up the flashlight, and directed it on his pupils. "Okay good, good bill." I told him still looking down at Michaels neck. "Are his pupils strong and reactive, or are his pupils blown." My voice cracked as I said the second answer.

Bill flashed the lights on his eyes, left and right before speaking. "Strong and reactive. Both of them." I smiled ear to ear, and sighed in relief.

Its good to know he isn't brain dead, we've had enough for today.

Almost immediately after, the paramedics rushed in.

One of the ladies tapped my shoulder and asked me to get up. "Ma'am, this crike saved this mans life, but let me control the bleeding and his wound a little better." She calmly said.

I got up as softly as I could, and slid the transition to the paramedic.

The male, started to put an IV in his arm, and put these electronic sensors on his chest to monitor his heartbeat.

My stress was alleviated when the monitor was beeping regularly. The other medical officials started bringing in the gurneys.

However, my stress quickly came back when the monitor started beeping quickly.

Michael went into V-tach? Really?

I started to become hysterical, but in silence. I just stood there and watched the scene unfold.

"Ma'am we're going to need you to stay back okay. We are going to try revive your husband." He rubbed my arm. I still couldn't move.

Try? Husband? I wish he was.

The male paramedic started to rub the sweat off his head. "Start compressions. Amy get the defibrillator." He gave out orders.

He used scissors to cut up his shirt, before starting his compressions again. Michaels face kept caving in with each hard press.

Amy quickly reached in her back, and pulled out the shock paddles. "Okay good. Charge the paddles to 100." He said loudly. "Clear." Michaels body jolted from the currents.

The monitor was beeping quickly, before he flatlined. My heart was in shambles.

Amy started to speak up. "Push 2 of Epi, and 1 of atropine." She said quickly.

She rubbed the paddles together. "Charging to 250." She rubbed the paddles together. "Clear!" She bellowed. Michael jolted harder from the current.

His heart was still flatlining.

"Someone bag him please?" Quickly another medical official put an oxygen bag on his mouth, so he could get more oxygen.

One of the paramedics looked discouraged. "Amy, just call the time of death. He's DOA."

I shook my head not accepting what he said. "No. No he's not. Amy don't do this. REVIVE HIM!" I thought to myself, but I couldn't bring myself to move or speak.

Amy shook her head. "We are not letting this man die. We aren't obstructing his care. We are going to do everything we can. Push another damn Epi." She demanded.

The paramedic quickly pushed another dose of it in his veins. "Starting compressions again." She announced. She did continuous CPR, until she went back to the Fibrillator. "Charging again to 300." She announced.

Everyone else already gave up on Michael but Amy didn't.

She looked back at his STATS and she wasn't happy with what she saw. "He's bradycardic again. Dammit." She cursed.

"His BP is dropping Amy, shock him again." The male paramedic ordered. "No wait, we lost him again. He's flatlining."

She began to whisper to herself. "The world cannot loose you Michael. Cmon, come back." She encouraged herself. "Clear!" She yelled, pushing the paddles into his chest. Michael jolted once again.

The flatline stopped, and the heart monitor stopped beeping loudly, and his heart rate started to come back to normal.

Everyone in the hotel had a smile on their face. "We have sinus tach! Start him on a magnesium drip." The male paramedic said smiling in relief.

Amy put the paddles down, and came over to me. "We got him back ma'am. She tried to shake me from this deep trance I was in but I was still stuck.

She smiled once more before turning her attention back to Michael. "Tell the nearest trauma unit that we have a 29 year old male with a neck laceration from a crike, and we shocked him 3-4 times. His heart must be in shambles so we need to get him to an OR. Order an MRI, and a EKG too" Amy explained to everyone, as they dragged him out on the gurney.

She clapped quickly ordering everyone around. "Cmon people let's go! Let's go save this mans life some more."