Trust. The word burned. I had trusted once, and look where that left me.
Shattered, confused, hollow. Could I really trust him? Could I risk believing again when I was already drowning in disbelief?
But then his words started to slip into my mind, planting seeds of temptation. Escape. Freedom.
A life without their schemes, those fake acts of care.
A life where I was not a pawn in some ugly game.
I closed my eyes, trying to push the storm inside me into silence. I could not give him a direct answer, not yet. I needed to know something first.
Slowly, I opened them again, locking my gaze on him. My voice was quiet, but steady enough to ask the only question clawing its way out.
"What... was your plan, Josh?"
His face lit up instantly, hope sparking like fire in his eyes.
The first thing I felt was this strange heaviness. Not just in my body, but in my chest, in my head, everywhere.
Like I had been sleeping for years. My eyelids fluttered open, light burning into my eyes until they adjusted slowly.
First, some blurry shapes appeared in front of me. Slowly, those blurry images shaped into faces.
And at last, it finally hit me as those faces became clearer.
"Grandpa..." My voice was hoarse as it clawed my dried throat, but somehow managed to escape.
He was sitting right beside my bed, his hands folded. His usual brave and mature face looked strangely worn out, as if he had aged a decade in a single night.
The lines on his forehead seemed deeper, the circles beneath his eyes seemed darker. For a moment, he did not even move, just stared at me like he was not sure if I was real.
My eyes then wandered around the room as my gaze met some more figures.
At the door, I saw Grace and Nicole. They stood a little apart, talking to Caroline. Their voices were hushed, making it harder to interpret exactly what they were talking about.
Caroline’s face was pale, her eyes swollen from crying. Grace had that same guarded expression she always carried, while Nicole’s jaw clenched as tension radiated from his face.
When Grandpa finally leaned forward, his hand brushed mine gently. "Dave," he breathed out, like it was the first real breath he had taken in days.
I tried to sit up, but that instant, a sharp pain shot through my side, mercilessly. I winced, but I controlled myself by gritting my teeth.
I then again pushed myself and forced myself not to fall back. Though the pain was too much to bear without making a sound, I had to do this. I cannot let them see me like that.
I hated myself for looking weak in front of them.
"Don’t move too fast," Grandpa warned, his hand pressing on my arm. "You have been through a lot." The care in his voice soothed the pain, but it also ignited the proud side of me to sit up without his help.
At that moment, Nicole finally walked in my direction with Grace and Caroline following.
Both of the ladies stood beside while he came closer.
Nicole’s eyes narrowed as he bent slightly, "You should stay down," he said, voice firm but not unkind. He slipped an arm under mine, helping Grandpa guide me up into a sitting position.
Though it seemed that he was helping me, my brain screamed to push him away but before I could even open my mouth to make him stay away, it was already too late.
I needed to recover as soon as possible. I noted to myself.
As the thought struck me, the door of the ward opened as James and his team of doctors entered the ward.
One of the doctors checked my vitals, gently pressing on my wrist to feel my pulse, while another measured my blood pressure.
They examined my injuries closely, asking short, direct questions about any pain or discomfort. James leaned in, his eyes scanning every detail, occasionally jotting down notes on his clipboard.
They tested my reflexes, gently moving my limbs, and asked me to take slow, deep breaths.
"You have been unconscious for quite some time, Mr. Morris, but your vitals are stabilizing now. The head injury is healing, and your body is responding well. Though you will still need to rest, you have made it past the critical stage."
Relief washed over the room as Grandpa nodded, his shoulders easing slightly. Nicole only gave a slight nod, folding his hands.
Grace’s face softened, though it only stayed for just a second, before her mask slid back in place.
After some more murmurs and adjustments, the team left, leaving the four of them with me. The silence felt heavy as the tension settled in the surroundings.
When I couldn’t handle it, I broke the silence. "What... happened?" My throat was raw, but the question pushed out anyway, "Why am I here?"
Their expression changed as if they were now staring at a stranger. My stomach dropped at that single glance they shared, knowing something big had happened.
They exchanged looks as if they were silently deciding who should speak.
It was Nicole who finally stepped forward. He rested his hand on the edge of the bed, his voice steady. "You got into an accident. Do you remember anything?"
I closed my eyes for a second, trying to dig through the fog in my head. Flashing headlights. Screeching tires. A jolt so violent it ripped through my body. Elena’s scream..
My eyes snapped open.
"The crash," I whispered.
Nicole gave a short, solemn nod. "Yes... We were being chased. Two cars came after you, blocking your way. Josh drove as fast as he could, trying to get us out, but..."
His voice faltered for a moment, weighed down by the memory. "One of the cars hit your car... hard. You were on the side that took the impact. You were the most injured."
My hand instinctively reached for my bandaged side, "How long?"