CHAPTER 62: THIS CAN’T BE REAL

It rang.

And rang.

On the third ring, Alex picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, hi, is this Alex?" the girl said, almost crying.

"Yes? Who is this?"

"I’m... I’m Emma’s friend. Your sister, she...she collapsed. We’re at General City Hospital. She’s in the ER right now."

Alex’s voice dropped. "What?"

"They just wheeled her in now. You need to come. Please."

There was a pause. Then a sharp breath from Alex.

"I’m on my way."

And the call ended.

The phone call had barely ended before Alex leapt to his feet, his body shaking badly.

"What happened?" Raymond asked, already sensing that something was terribly wrong.

Alex’s voice cracked. "They just called. My sister... Emma. She collapsed. She’s in the hospital."

Raymond didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his keys from the table.

"Let’s go. I’m coming with you."

Finch, who had been standing nearby, looked up in surprise.

"I’ll be back in a while," Raymond told him firmly, already heading for the door.

The three of them, Alex, Raymond, and Finch, hurried out.

*****

At the Hospital...

The air was thick with tension inside the hospital waiting area. Emma’s friends sat silently, worried and whispering among themselves. Sandra paced nearby while her heart was racing. She had left Emma’s inhaler in her car and now had to go fetch it.

A nurse appeared, glancing around.

"Did anyone see her inhaler?" the nurse asked.

Sandra raised her hand. "It’s in my car. I’ll go get it right now."

She quickly turned and rushed out through the outdoor exit.

At that exact moment, the indoor entrance swung open, and Alex stormed in like a man on fire, Raymond close behind him. They missed Sandra by mere seconds.

Alex rushed to the front desk with his pale face and frantic eyes. He could barely keep still. "Please! My sister, Emma Stone, was brought in here. Where is she?!"

"Sir, please calm down."

"I can’t calm down! I need to see my sister right now!"

The nurse behind the desk softened her voice, seeing the fear in his eyes.

"What’s her name again?"

"Emma. Emma Stone," he replied breathlessly.

She checked the computer, then nodded. "She’s here. She was brought in not long ago. She’s in Ward 7."

Alex didn’t wait for another word. He bolted down the hallway, Raymond following swiftly behind.

They reached the hallway near the ward, and Alex immediately spotted two of Emma’s friends sitting outside.

"Where is she?" Alex asked as he moved toward the door.

"She’s inside," one of the girls said quietly. "But they won’t let anyone in. It’s been locked since they started attending to her."

Alex reached for the door handle and tried to turn it... Locked.

"..."

Alex kept pacing around the hospital hallway. Up and down, up and down. His heart raced with every step. He tried sitting, but he jumped right back up almost immediately. At that moment, waiting felt like torture.

He looked at the ward door for the hundredth time that minute. No movement.

Where was the doctor?

Where was someone with answers?

Then, suddenly, the hallway door swung open, and Sarah rushed in.

The moment Alex saw her, he walked straight to her and pulled her into a hug.

She was crying.

Tears rolled freely down her cheeks as she asked through breaths which was Shacky, "Where is she? Where’s Emma?"

"She’s inside," Alex said softly. "They haven’t allowed us in yet."

Sarah wiped her eyes, sniffling. "What happened? How did this happen? I was just with her yesterday... she looked fine."

"I don’t know," Alex replied with a low and heavy voice. "I wish I did."

Just then, the ward door creaked open. A doctor in a white coat stepped out with a calm expression on his face.

Both Alex and Sarah hurried over to him.

"Doctor, please, how is she?" Sarah asked quickly.

"What’s wrong with her? Is she okay?" Alex added, desperate.

The doctor held up a hand to ease their panic. "She’s stable now," he said slowly. "But... she had a severe asthma attack. A very intense one."

Both of them let out a breath of relief, though only slightly.

"She’s resting. Her oxygen levels have normalized, but we’re still monitoring her."

"What caused it?" Sarah asked. "Is she... is she going to be okay?"

The doctor nodded slowly. "She should be, but we still need to assess what triggered the attack. It could be many things, an environmental factor, emotional stress, or possibly even a bad reaction to her inhaler. We’re not sure yet."

He looked between Alex and Sarah.

"I’d like to speak with her mother, if she’s available. We need to go through her medical history properly."

Alex looked down and then up. "Our mother... she’s not alive."

The doctor nodded respectfully. "I’m sorry."

"I’m her brother," Alex added. "I’m her guardian."

The doctor paused for a moment, then asked, "I just assumed it was her mother who brought her in. Or am I confused?"

Sarah and Alex exchanged a confused look.

"Wait, what?" Alex asked. "Someone else brought her in?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes, a woman. She arrived in the ambulance with her. I thought she was family."

Alex narrowed his eyes. "I think I know who she is but she is no family member."

"Alright then, let’s go to my office as I’ll need to discuss with you." The doctor said to Alex, motioning that they head down the hallway.

"..."

"..."

At the Reception Area...

Sandra walked through the hospital’s main reception, holding Emma’s inhaler in one hand and wiping her eyes with the other. She looked exhausted, her steps slow, as if the day had drained her soul.

She didn’t notice Raymond standing at the far end of the room until he stepped forward.

"Sandra Stone."

She stopped.

Turned slowly.

Their eyes met.

She froze. For a while, nothing moved. No one spoke.

Then Sandra found her voice.

"Raymond Carter," she said, almost like a whisper.

Raymond’s face, usually unreadable, broke into a tight, shocked expression.

"So it really is you," he said.