Chapter 93 Awakening in India

Chapter 93 Awakening in India
Chapter 93: Awakening in India 

The first thing Izo felt was sound. Not words yet, just noise, soft beeping, a distant hum, the muted rhythm of machines keeping time for a body that had almost given up. 

His chest felt heavy, like something had been sitting on it for days. His throat was dry, his tongue thick, his eyelids stubborn, as if opening them required permission.

Then he breathed. It wasn’t easy, but it was his.

A sharp inhale cut through the steady machines, uneven and unfamiliar, and instantly the room shifted. Footsteps hurried. Chairs scraped softly against the floor. A hand tightened around his fingers.

“Dad?” Gwen’s voice broke through first, tight with panic and hope tangled together. “Dad, can you hear me?”

Izo’s eyes fluttered. Light stabbed at him when they finally opened, white and harsh, blurring the shapes above him. The ceiling looked unfamiliar and foreign.

“Doctor!” Gwen called out quickly, her voice trembling now. “He’s awake. He’s awake.”

The word awake felt strange to Izo. His body disagreed with it. Every limb felt distant, disconnected, like he was borrowing someone else’s flesh. He tried to move his hand and failed. Panic flickered briefly in his chest, but it was drowned out by exhaustion.

Doctors rushed in, coats crisp, movements efficient. One of them leaned over him, shining a small light into his eyes.

“Mr. Whitmore,” the doctor said calmly. “Can you hear me?”

Izo swallowed. It took effort, real effort, but he nodded, just barely.

“That’s good,” the doctor continued. “You’re in New Delhi. You had a cardiac arrest. You’ve been in a medically induced coma.”

Gwen squeezed his hand harder. “I told you he’s strong,” she said quickly, forcing a smile that trembled at the edges. “I told you.”

The doctor glanced at her briefly, then back at Izo. “You’re stable for now, but you need to remain calm. No sudden movements. No stress.”

Izo’s gaze drifted slowly to Gwen. She looked tired. Too put together for someone who had been sleeping in hospital chairs, but tired all the same. Her eyes were red-rimmed, mascara flawless but strained, like it had been reapplied more than once.

“Gwen,” he croaked.

Her breath hitched immediately. “I’m here, Daddy. I’m right here.”

His throat burned as he swallowed again. “Audrey.”

The name came out rough, barely audible, but it landed in the room like something dropped.

Gwen froze.

The doctor paused, then glanced between them. “We should limit conversation,” he said gently. “But brief responses are okay.”

Izo’s eyes didn’t leave Gwen’s face. “Audrey,” he repeated, more firmly this time. “Where… is she?”

Gwen’s heart kicked hard against her ribs. She had prepared for many things…questions about his health, about business, about time lost but not this. Not so soon.

“She’s… she’s okay,” Gwen said quickly, too quickly. “She’s resting.”

Izo frowned faintly. “Resting where?”

“At the mansion,” Gwen replied. “She hasn’t been herself lately, Daddy. The accident really affected her.”

“What accident?” he asked, confusion creeping into his voice.

Gwen leaned closer, lowering her tone as if sharing a painful truth. “She’s been unstable. Emotionally. Acting out. Refusing help. The doctors said stress wouldn’t be good for you, so we didn’t want to burden you with everything.”

The doctor shifted slightly, uncomfortable, but said nothing.

Izo’s brows knit together. “Unstable how?”

“She’s… inappropriate,” Gwen said softly, carefully. “With Tennessee. Crossing lines. Creating tension in the house.”

The words slid out smoothly, each one measured, rehearsed in the quiet hours she had spent beside his bed waiting for this moment.

Izo closed his eyes briefly, his face tightening. “Tennessee?” he whispered. “My son? Your brother?” 

Gwen nodded solemnly. “I tried to stop it. I really did. But Audrey wouldn’t listen. She pushed everyone away.”

Silence stretched. The machines filled it again, steady, relentless.

When Izo opened his eyes, they looked duller, clouded with something close to grief. “I should have protected her better,” he murmured. “I brought her into all this.”

Gwen felt a sharp stab of irritation but masked it immediately, smoothing her expression into sympathy. “You couldn’t have known, Daddy. You did everything right.”

He shook his head slightly, then inhaled deeply, wincing as his chest protested. “No. I need to see her.”

Gwen stiffened. “Daddy, the doctors…”

“I don’t care what the doctors say,” Izo interrupted, his voice weak but firm. “Prepare the jet. I’m going back.”

The room went still.

The doctor stepped forward immediately. “Mr. Whitmore, with respect, that’s not advisable. You’ve just regained consciousness. You need monitoring, rehabilitation…”

“I said I’m going back,” Izo repeated, forcing more strength into his tone. “I want to see my wife.”

Gwen’s nails dug into her palm.

“Daddy, please,” she said, forcing calm into her voice. “Flying right now could kill you.”

“Then I’ll die seeing her,” he replied flatly. “But I’m not staying here.”

The doctor sighed, exchanging a look with another physician. “We can discuss a transfer,” he said carefully. “But it won’t be immediate.”

“How long?” Izo demanded.

“Days,” the doctor said. “Possibly a week.”

Izo turned his head slightly, staring at the ceiling again. “Too long.”

Gwen leaned closer, her tone softening. “Let me talk to the doctors. We’ll figure something out, okay? Just rest for now.”

He didn’t respond. His eyes drifted shut again, his breathing slowing, the energy that had surged fading as quickly as it came.

The doctor adjusted the IV, checked his vitals, then nodded to Gwen. “He’s sedating again. This is normal.”

She watched as medication flowed into the line, watched as her father slipped back into a controlled stillness. Relief washed over her, followed immediately by something darker.

Once the doctors left and the room settled into silence again, Gwen straightened slowly. Her face hardened, the fragile daughter act dissolving as if it had never existed.

“He wants to go back,” she muttered under her breath. “Of course he does.”

She walked to the window, staring out at the unfamiliar city below, lights blinking against the night like distant warnings. Her phone buzzed softly in her hand, but she ignored it.

“If you come back now,” she said quietly to herself, “everything falls apart.”

She glanced back at Izo, unconscious again, machines doing the work his body couldn’t. Her lips curved into a small, controlled smile.

“Not yet,” she whispered. “You’re not ready to see the truth.”

She turned off the bedside lamp, leaving the room dim and calm, exactly how she needed it to be.