Chapter 72: Irreparable Damage
Torin ¬ The Next Morning
My father and I returned to the hospital after our unsuccessful attempt to retrieve my mother’s dashcam footage. The moment we returned Father Jacob made it a point to shout at me the moment he saw Cedric’s burns. I was scolded like a little child and all I could do was keep my head down. He blamed me for not listening when he told me to stay, and now Cedric was hurt because of it.
The atmosphere was so tense after he shouted at me that it felt like the walls were closing in around me and one wrong me would have me killed.
I was almost relieved when Cedric finally passed out from the lack of medical attention he refused to get, insisting he would wait for my mother to come out of surgery. It was foolish, and now my other two fathers are scrambling to get him treated. They left me in the waiting room not long ago, telling me to alert them if anything happens.
I chug down the bitter coffee, grimacing at the taste before crunching the paper cup in my hand and tossing it into the small brown bin in the corner. I sink into a nearby chair, exhausted yet unable to sleep. Stress coils inside me, as I remember the events of last night. I never told my fathers that I smelt petrol moments before the car exploded. I kept that detail buried, mostly because I don’t want to put them in danger. My relationship with them may be complicated, but that doesn’t mean I want any of them to die. They are my parents, after all.
I know these events are connected to Lorali’s disappearance, but the question that claws at me is how my mother is involved. What did she know that made her a target?
My thoughts are cut short when the surgery light flicks off. Moments later, Dr. Quid steps out, his old features looking drawn and tired. The sight opens a gaping hole in my stomach, dread threatening to swallow me whole. I am afraid to even ask how the surgery went. His eyes meet mine, and he clears his throat.
"She’s alive, Torin."
Relief washes over me, so strong I nearly collapse. But then he pauses, and the pause is worse than any words.
"But—" he continues, his voice heavy. "Her spine has taken irreparable damage from the crash. The pupil in her left eye has combusted, and there are several other complications, but those two are the most severe. I’m afraid she will never be able to walk or see from her left eye again in this life."
The world shakes beneath my feet. His words echo again and again in my ears, each repetition striking harder.
"She is still under," Dr. Quid adds. "We are moving her to a different ward. She should regain consciousness soon. There is a chance she won’t remember much about the accident, so don’t press her about it."
I nod, forcing myself to regain composure. "Thank you for all you’ve done, Dr. Quid," I say, my voice tight.
He offers me a slight nod. "It’s just my job."
"Was your apprentice with you? I should thank him as well for helping save my mother," I say quickly, clinging to the memory of the doctor that helped Lorali the other day.
Dr. Quid tilts his head, adjusting his glasses. "What apprentice? I don’t have one." His tone is confused, almost wary. I frown, just as confused. "Yes, you do. Doctor Rose is his name, if I recall correctly."
"There is no Doctor Rose here, let alone an apprentice of mine."
"No, that can’t be right. Not long ago you told me to come to the hospital so Lorali could have a full body check. That doctor was in your office, and he said you told him to do the checkup as your apprentice."
"Torin," Dr. Quid says firmly, "a couple of minutes after telling you to come, I messaged you again, telling you not to. I wouldn’t have been there. The police mistakenly arrested me on my way to the hospital, thinking I was someone else."
"So you weren’t on vacation?" I ask, my brows furrowing.
He shakes his head. "When have I ever gone on vacation near the end of the year?"
My stomach twists. If Dr. Quid was never there, then who the heck was Doctor Rose?
Keion Pov
"Am I the only one who feels off?" I ask, sipping my coffee. I had the worst night’s sleep, mostly because my omega has been away from me for far too long. I would have brought him back already if I didn’t think it would do more damage than good. I still remember the look on his face that day, he looked like he was a second away from falling apart. I keep telling myself that him being at his parents’ place in the countryside will do him some good even if it puts me in a world of pain.
"No, you’re not. I feel it too. Things have been off since Oril and Torin’s fallout,"Augi sighs, somehow still devouring the breakfast takeaway he ordered because we haven’t bought groceries. His plate is piled high, and he eats like nothing is wrong, which makes me want to throw the cup in my hand against the wall.
"The reason those two fought makes no sense. I don’t think Oril is capable of... you know what. I know my brother, he’s not one for violence," Oracle mutters, his voice heavy. He looks more stressed than usual, ever since I told him what happened, since he wasn’t there when the fight broke out.
"I don’t know, man. Why would Lorali lie about this? She literally has nothing to gain," I sigh, shaking my head. It pains me that I can even suspect Oril, but it makes no sense for Lorali to invent something like this.
"My brother isn’t like that, Kei," Oracle groans, running his hand through his hair, pacing back and forth.
"I also can’t believe Oril did that to Lorali. It just doesn’t sound like him," Augi says take a moment away from gobbling his meal and sipping his hot chocolate, wearing a sleeping gown in contrast to me, who is stark naked.
"Have any of you tried talking to Aunty to get answers? If Lorali is saying Aunty and Oril were involved, wouldn’t Aunty know?" Oracle points out, and we all shake our heads. We haven’t done that. We really are stupid, this could all be clarified by asking Yurena directly, in a smart way.
"I can’t believe you guys haven’t done this and are already believing my brother did it," Oracle snaps, rolling his eyes as he pulls his phone from his pocket and dials Yurena’s contact. The phone rings and rings... until it goes to voicemail.
"Is she still sleeping?" Augi mumbles, his mouth full, still chewing. How he can eat such a heavy breakfast with all this going on is beyond me.
"I’ll call Uncle Miles and ask him to pass her the phone," Oracle says, already dialing. That call also goes to voicemail. Weird.
"What is happening? Why aren’t they answering their phones?" Oracle huffs, frustrated, clearly desperate to prove Oril’s innocence.
"They’re probably all still at the hospital." We all turn our heads toward the small voice, accompanied by a yawn.
Lorali walks into the kitchen, wiping her eyes with her hand. She looks like she had the worst sleep of her life, just like me, and I can’t help but notice the slight limp in her step. Did she get hurt? Strange, she didn’t have that limp yesterday when she came back drenched.
"Why would they be at the hospital?" Oracle asks first, his voice laced with panic. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him speak directly to Lorali. She meets his eyes. "Umm... Torin said there was an accident of some sort last night before he left for the hospital. I thought he went with you guys."
"Torin went to the hospital?!" Augi exclaims, and Lorali nods.
"That means something happened last night. We need to go to the hospital," Oracle says, already turning to go change. Augi follows him, and I stand opposite the island, setting my cup back into the sink.
"Aren’t you going as well?" Lorali asks suddenly, avoiding looking at me, probably because I’m naked.
"Nope. Augi and Oracle are fine, just the two of them. I should stay in case Oril comes back. He’ll need someone to tell him what happened, and I doubt he’ll talk to you," I say.
For a brief second, I see her smile falter before she turns around and heads back upstairs without another word. Weird.
What was that about? And why did she even come down if she was just going to disappear again? Was it only to tell us Torin’s in the hospital? This girl is so strange.