"Mr. Kinston, we need to take a statement from this young lady according to protocol," the officer said.
Kyle Kinston turned his gaze toward Mabel Quinn.
Mabel Quinn nodded, "Alright, no problem." She also wanted to know the truth behind today’s explosion as soon as possible.
Mabel recounted the events once more to the police, while Kyle remained silent beside her, just calmly listening.
As the police were about to finish taking the statement, Kyle suddenly asked them, "How is Grace Yowell’s condition now?"
"She was also injured and just underwent surgery. She is currently in the intensive care unit, and there are police officers guarding her. A witness had also reported to us earlier that the explosive device was suspected to be something Grace Yowell brought into the store," one of the officers said.
Kyle’s eyes flickered, and he asked a few more questions about the explosion scene. Once the officers left, Mabel’s wound had been mostly treated.
"Take note if you feel uncomfortable tonight, to be safe, it would be best to come back tomorrow for a head CT scan," the nurse said.
"Okay," Mabel replied.
The nurse left to attend to other patients. Due to this explosion, many people were affected. Although there weren’t many severe injuries and most sustained minor ones, it was enough to keep the hospital in a frenzy. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI[F]ire.net
Kyle once again picked Mabel up, "Let’s head back now; you need a good rest."
"Mm," Mabel replied, "Kyle, I can walk myself."
"I feel more at ease carrying you," he said, already striding towards the hospital’s parking lot.
Just as they exited the hospital’s ER door, they ran into the hastily approaching Alice Conley and Dorian Howards. Upon seeing Mabel, Alice immediately rushed towards her, exclaiming, "How are you? I’ve been worried sick! I called you so many times but couldn’t reach you. I kept thinking you might have gone to that exploded café. Why didn’t you call me? I was so scared..."
Alice’s voice choked towards the end, and she couldn’t continue. She was truly afraid of hearing bad news about her friend at the hospital.
When the explosion occurred, the studio’s entire staff evacuated under the security’s guidance.
While worrying about her friend, Dorian had come looking for her in a hurry, so they went to the hospital together to find their friend’s whereabouts.
"Sorry for making you worry," Mabel said, hastily asking Kyle to set her down. She wanted to wipe Alice’s tears, but she had no handkerchief or tissue. Fortunately, Dorian handed over a handkerchief in time.
While wiping her friend’s tears, Mabel said, "I’m alright, just some scratches, and my forehead was bleeding a little—didn’t even need stitches."
"Let me do it myself; I don’t want you to get hurt again," Alice said, taking the handkerchief. Seeing her friend in this condition, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, "But it’s really unlucky; why did you run into the explosion just by going out? Maybe we should visit a temple together sometime?"
Mabel’s expression darkened, "The bomb might have been something Grace Yowell brought over. I was supposed to meet her today..."