Chapter 376: You cannot be my Grandson!!
Miles hurried through the hallway, his footsteps echoing across the quiet corridors of Pearl Villa.
His heart had never raced this fast before.
Every second felt painfully long.
He pushed open the bedroom door.
Nurse Maya was already standing beside the bed, carefully recording the readings on the monitor while keeping one eye fixed on Timothy.
The room was filled with the rhythmic sounds of medical equipment.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Only now the rhythm was stronger.
More alive.
Miles immediately walked to the bedside.
His eyes remained fixed on the old man lying peacefully on the bed.
His eyebrows twitched from time to time, as if trapped inside a terrible dream.
"Grandpa..."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"What is his condition, Nurse Maya?"
Maya quickly glanced at another monitor before answering.
"Boss, his breathing is becoming regular."
"His pulse is responding dynamically."
"His blood pressure is getting normal."
She shook her head in disbelief.
"He is definitely trying to wake up."
"I have never seen anything like this in my entire career."
Miles never took his eyes off Timothy.
"What about the doctor?"
"He is almost here."
Without wasting another second, Miles pulled out his phone and dialed another number.
The call connected almost instantly.
"Olivia?"
"Miles?"
"Grandpa’s condition is changing."
"The doctor is already on the way."
"Bring him through the back entrance."
"I don’t want everyone outside to panic."
Olivia’s tone immediately became serious.
"Understood."
"I’ll handle it."
The call ended.
Miles slowly reached forward and gently held Timothy’s frail hand.
It felt warmer than before.
A sign of life.
A sign he had waited to witness.
His voice softened.
"Please hold on, old man."
"You can do it."
The room fell silent once again.
Only the monitors continued their steady rhythm.
Then...
A faint whisper escaped Timothy’s lips.
"...Where..."
"...Am I...?"
Miles instantly lifted his head.
Maya froze beside the monitor.
Both of them stared at the old man.
Very slowly...
Timothy’s eyelids began to open.
The bright ceiling light immediately made him squint.
Maya quickly walked to the wall and dimmed the room lights.
"There."
"That should be better."
Timothy blinked several times before trying to sit upright.
Miles immediately supported his shoulder.
"Careful."
He gently adjusted the hospital bed until Timothy was sitting comfortably.
The old man’s breathing remained uneven.
His eyes slowly wandered around the unfamiliar room.
Medical equipment.
White walls.
A nurse.
Then...
They finally rested on the young man still holding his hand.
Confusion filled his face.
He frowned before raising a trembling hand to his forehead.
A sharp pain shot through his head.
"What..."
"What is this place...?"
He looked around again.
"Who are you...?"
His breathing became heavier.
"Where is my son...?"
"My son..."
Miles felt something tighten inside his chest.
He swallowed before answering softly.
"Grandpa..."
Timothy immediately looked at him.
"What did you just say?"
"Who..."
"Who are you calling Grandpa?"
His brows knitted together.
"My grandson..."
"He is only one year old."
Miles slowly turned toward Maya.
She quietly whispered.
"Maybe..."
"His memories stopped at the moment before he fell into the coma."
Miles stared at Timothy again.
"How..."
"How can that be?"
"When he fell into the coma..."
"I was already six."
Timothy shook his head repeatedly.
He looked around desperately.
"Boy..."
"Can you help me get back to Star Harbor?"
"My family..."
"My son..."
"My daughter in law..."
"My grandson..."
"They must be worried about me."
Miles lowered his head.
For a long moment...
He couldn’t find the strength to answer.
Finally he spoke.
"Grandpa..."
"This is Star Harbor."
"Our home."
His voice trembled.
"It has been..."
"Seventeen years."
Timothy’s eyes widened.
His breathing became uneven once more.
"No..."
"It can’t be..."
"It can’t..."
"You..."
His heart monitor suddenly began beeping much faster.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Maya immediately looked at the readings.
"Blood pressure is rising."
At that exact moment...
The bedroom door burst open.
Olivia entered first.
Behind her came the doctor along with two nurses pushing emergency equipment.
"Doctor!"
Miles stepped aside immediately.
The doctor quickly moved beside Timothy and examined the monitor.
"Nurse."
"Prepare Labetalol."
"Now."
"Yes, Doctor."
Maya quickly prepared the medication.
Within seconds it was administered.
Timothy’s breathing gradually settled.
His eyelids slowly became heavy again.
Before long...
He drifted back into unconsciousness.
The room finally grew quiet once more.
Miles stood frozen where he was.
Olivia quietly stepped beside him.
She gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"He’ll be alright."
Miles nodded slowly.
"I hope so."
Several minutes later the monitors finally stabilized.
The doctor let out a long breath before removing his gloves.
Miles stepped forward.
"Doctor..."
"Is everything alright?"
The doctor nodded.
"His vitals have returned to normal."
He looked toward Timothy with amazement.
"This is nothing short of a miracle."
"The fact that he regained consciousness, even briefly, is remarkable."
"We’ll need to transfer him to the hospital immediately."
"I want a complete neurological examination, full body scans, blood work, everything."
Miles nodded.
"Will he recover?"
The doctor smiled reassuringly.
"Judging by what I have just seen..."
"I believe there is a very good chance."
"He may stand on his own feet again."
For the first time since entering the room...
Miles smiled.
A small one.
But a genuine one.
Then another question entered his mind.
"Doctor..."
"Does a coma affect memories?"
The doctor folded his arms.
"It often does."
"Patients can wake up with fragmented memories."
"Some remember events from years ago."
"Some forget recent decades."
"What exactly did he say?"
Miles looked toward his grandfather.
"He thinks his grandson is only one year old."
"He believes my father is still alive."
"My father died before Grandpa entered the coma."
The doctor nodded thoughtfully.
"That explains it."
"It appears several years of memory are temporarily disconnected."
"We’ll know more after detailed examinations."
He smiled reassuringly.
"Don’t lose hope."
"Memory sometimes returns gradually."
"I’ll arrange his hospital room immediately."
"Thank you, Doctor."
After the doctor stepped outside to make preparations, Miles turned toward Olivia.
"Olivia."
She immediately answered.
"Yes?"
"Please find Mom."
"Don’t let the guests know."
"They’ll only become worried."
Olivia nodded.
"I’ll bring Aunt Elena quietly."
She left the room without another word.
...
Outside...
The laughter around the campfire continued.
Nobody knew what had just happened inside the villa.
Chase noticed someone walking across the garden.
His eyes brightened.
"Isn’t that Cousin Olivia?"
Chloe looked over.
"She came from inside?"
Her smile slowly faded.
"Something is wrong..."
She looked around.
"Where is Miles?"
Chase waved enthusiastically.
"Cousin!"
"Come join us!"
Olivia forced a gentle smile while continuing to walk.
"I’ll be there."
"Just give me a little while."
Cole leaned back in his chair.
"Looks like she’s busy."
Nobody questioned it further.
Olivia calmly walked toward Elena and Daniel, who were standing near the barbecue.
Elena smiled warmly.
"Olivia, dear."
"When did you arrive?"
Instead of answering...
Olivia stepped closer and whispered softly into Elena’s ear.
The smile instantly disappeared from Elena’s face.
Daniel’s expression changed as well.
He looked toward the villa.
Then back at Olivia.
Without hesitation he spoke quietly.
"You go."
"I’ll handle everything here."
Elena nodded.
"Alright."
She immediately started walking toward the villa.
Daniel remained behind, forcing a calm smile so the guests wouldn’t become suspicious.
Before Elena had gone far...
Chloe hurried after her.
"Mom..."
"Is everything alright?"
Elena slowed her steps.
She gently held Chloe’s hand.
"Come with us, dear."
Without another word...
The three women quietly walked toward Pearl Villa together.
Without drawing anyone’s attention, the medical team moved swiftly.
The ambulance had already been positioned behind Pearl Villa, away from the celebration taking place on the front lawn. The flashing emergency lights remained switched off. Only the quiet hum of the engine could be heard in the darkness.
Timothy’s bed was carefully rolled through the rear hallway.
The doctor walked beside him while Nurse Maya constantly monitored the portable equipment.
Miles never left his grandfather’s side.
His eyes remained fixed on the peaceful face resting on the pillow.
Just a few minutes ago, those eyes had opened.
Just for a few moments.
But those few moments had brought hope back into everyone’s hearts.
Outside the back entrance, the ambulance doors opened.
The medical staff carefully lifted the bed inside.
The doctor checked the monitors one last time before nodding.
"We’re leaving."
Miles gave a small nod.
"I’ll follow shortly."
The ambulance doors closed quietly.
Moments later, it disappeared into the night without attracting attention from the guests gathered on the other side of the villa.
...
Only four people remained standing behind the villa.
Miles.
Elena.
Olivia.
And Chloe.
The cool evening breeze carried the distant sounds of laughter and music from the campfire.
It felt strange.
Life continued outside as if nothing had happened.
Yet for the four of them, time had almost stopped.
Elena looked toward the road where the ambulance had disappeared.
Her eyes remained filled with hope.
"He will be alright."
"I believe it."
Olivia slowly nodded.
"I think..."
"He could hear us all these years."
Everyone looked at her.
She smiled faintly.
"You know..."
"When I was little..."
"I used to sit beside him every week."
"I would read him stories."
"Sometimes fairy tales."
"Sometimes adventure books."
"And sometimes I simply talked about school."
She laughed softly.
"I always wondered whether he was listening."
Her eyes became slightly moist.
"Maybe..."
"He really was."
Elena gently placed a comforting hand on Olivia’s shoulder.
"He will be alright."
"We’ve already waited seventeen years."
"A little longer doesn’t matter anymore."
Olivia nodded.
"Yes."
"I want him to wake up completely."
Standing quietly beside them, Miles gently wrapped one arm around Chloe.
She instinctively leaned closer.
Without saying anything, she rested her hand over his.
She knew he needed someone beside him.
Not words.
Just someone.
Elena took a slow breath.
"I should go to the hospital."
Before she could take another step, Miles spoke.
"I’ll be there, Mom."
She looked back at him.
"There are still guests outside."
"They came all the way here."
"The doctor already said Grandpa is stable."
"I’ll stay with him tonight."
"I’ll keep you updated every moment."
Elena hesitated.
"But..."
Miles smiled reassuringly.
"Mom."
"Don’t worry."
He looked toward the road.
"Grandpa is the strongest person I’ve ever known."
"He has already fought for seventeen years."
"He won’t lose now."
Those words eased the worry in Elena’s heart.
She finally nodded.
"Alright."
"But promise you’ll call me."
"I promise."
Chloe looked at Miles.
"Then let me come with you."
He gently shook his head.
"You should stay."
"You’ve barely rested."
"Come tomorrow morning."
"We’ll visit Grandpa together."
Chloe wanted to object.
But after looking into his calm eyes...
She simply nodded.
"Okay."
Elena smiled warmly at her.
"Don’t worry, dear."
"He’ll be alright."
Chloe smiled back.
"Yes."
The four of them stood silently for another few moments before turning toward the lawn.
As they approached the celebration, the sounds of laughter became louder once again.
Almost nobody noticed they had been gone.
Only Monica immediately walked over after seeing Elena’s expression.
"Aunt..."
"Is everything alright?"
Elena quietly explained everything that had happened.
When Elena finished, Monica gently held her hand.
"Don’t worry, Aunt."
"Everything will be fine."
She smiled confidently.
"The world’s best doctors are treating him."
Daniel also walked over and quietly stood beside Elena.
Without saying much, he simply wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
Sometimes silence offered more comfort than words ever could.
The campfire continued to burn.
Hope and Asher were still laughing with Chase and the others.
The music never stopped.
...
Several thousand miles away.
Mountain City, Belvoir.
The Winslow Estate.
Lucian had been unable to sit still since returning from Germany.
His thoughts constantly drifted toward New York.
Toward Thea.
The silence inside the estate was suddenly broken by the ringing of his phone.
He answered immediately.
"Olivia?"
"Grandpa."
Lucian’s eyes widened.
"What?"
"He regained consciousness?"
"Yes."
"But only for a short while."
"He spoke."
"He recognized that he was in Star Harbor."
"Although..."
"He seems to have lost many years of memory."
"The doctors think he’ll recover gradually."
Lucian slowly lowered himself into a nearby chair.
For several seconds...
He simply closed his eyes.
A smile finally appeared on his weathered face.
"This..."
"This is the best news I have heard in a very long time."
He looked toward the night sky beyond the large window.
"Believe me."
"The timing couldn’t be more perfect."
Olivia frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Lucian slowly opened his eyes again.
"He is waking up now and..."
"I truly need him."
Olivia immediately understood.
"Is this related to Thea?"
Lucian nodded.
"Yes."
"There are things only Timothy knows."
"Things that may become very important."
A brief silence followed.
Then Olivia asked another question.
"Is Ivy alright?"
Lucian smiled gently.
"Your mother is taking good care of her."
"But..."
He sighed.
"The poor child worries about Thea every single day."
"She keeps pretending she’s fine."
"But every night she asks me the same question."
"When can she talk to her sister?"
Olivia lowered her eyes.
"Tell Ivy..."
"I’ll visit her soon."
"I’ll bring her favorite chocolates."
Lucian chuckled softly.
"She’ll be very happy to hear that."
Then he remembered something.
"Oh."
"Your grandmother will be attending the wedding."
"When everything is over..."
"Come back with her."
Olivia smiled.
"Alright."
"I will."
Lucian’s expression gradually became serious again.
"And Olivia."
"Keep me updated about Timothy’s condition."
"Every little change."
She nodded.
"I will."
Lucian looked into the darkness beyond the window.
His voice became much quieter.
"Believe me..."
"He remembers something."
"Something buried deep inside those seventeen lost years."
"And whatever it is..."
"It may become the key we have been searching for."