Maxwell died.
If the feeling that ripped through his heart at the sound of that scream was not a sign of sure death, he was sure it must be a sample of what death would feel like.
The sharp cry, then silence.
Unbidden images of his father's still body flooded his mind as he rushed over and saw her lying unmoving.
The difference was that his father had been lying unmarked and peaceful-looking in bed.
She had a gash on her head, bleeding, and her legs were twisted at an odd angle.
"Reyona," he called with his heart in his mouth.
No answer.
His haywire imagination calmed a bit when he realised that she was still breathing, though.
As much as he would have loved to scoop her up and take her to the nearest hospital, Maxwell knew he might cause more damage if he moved her.
"Over here!" his voice boomed in the night.
Yet it was not loud enough for them to hear him over the chaos going on at the front.
Glasses crunched under his shoes as he swore loudly and ran towards the front, where the ambulance was.
"She is over here, damn it! She is not moving!"
The paramedics quickly swung into action as they bid Maxwell to step back.
As much as his heart rebelled against leaving her side for a moment, Maxwell stepped back and quickly got on his phone.
They had her on a stretcher in record time.
Adam asked one of the paramedics what happened.
"It was a bad fall but she is in stable condition," the man said before he hurried off to hold the door open.
"Which hospital is...?"
"Saintwell hospital!" the man tossed over his shoulder as they manoeuvred Reyona into the vehicle.
Maxwell saw the logo of the hospital on the ambulance as they moved. His anxiety when he arrived had not made him realise it.
"Stable condition, my ass. Stable condition and she is unconscious." Maxwell thought in anger as he entered his haphazardly parked car and took off after the ambulance.
He made another call again.
As much as it still irked that they had not let him enter the house when he arrived, Maxwell was super relieved that he had decided to go towards the back despite the firemen's protest that all non-officials should stay as far away as possible from the scene.
The thought that she could have lain there bleeding and unconscious for a moment longer was too much for him to bear.
So he concentrated on driving.
They were already checking Reyona into the emergency room when he got there.
Maxwell stood in the hallway, looking in as the doctor and nurses were administering treatment to Reyona.
A middle-aged woman dressed in corporate wear approached him.
It seemed like she had left where she was in a hurry because she was tucking her hands into her lab coat as she walked hastily.
The nurses and doctors who saw her bent their heads in greeting as they stepped aside for her to pass.
She got to Maxwell and said, in a reverent tone, "President Rohan."
"I want to know everything that happened to her, Andrea. I want your top hands on this. I want her out of here as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir. I will handle this myself," the woman said as she quickly stepped through the motion-detecting glass door.
The doctor and nurses working on Reyona greeted her and she inclined her head to tell the doctor to go ahead.
She collected the chart from one of the nurses and asked her questions.
Then she took over.
Beyond the door, Maxwell was impatient.
Why wasn't she awake yet?
What was taking so damn long?
A regular man would have paced to and fro with the kind of anxiety that was building up in Maxwell as the clock ticked.
Yet the more anxiety Maxwell felt, the stiller he grew.
One could almost mistake him for a statue as he stood there unmoving.
A nurse came out of the room with a handheld torso scanner in her hand.
The forbidden look on Maxwell's face made her avert her eyes and walk briskly toward the lab section of the hospital.
The clock let out a low dong as it clocked 3 am, yet Reyona was not awake yet.
Maxwell was a step away from going in when Andrea finally came out.
She removed her gloves and dabbed at her forehead with a handkerchief.
When she saw the look on Maxwell's face, she started with, "Her vitals are okay."
Maxwell simply looked at her and she quickly relayed the remaining information.
"For how long?" Maxwell asked once she was done.
"I can't say for now. I am sorry. We would just keep our eyes on her."
"Should I get someone who can tell me what I need to hear?" Maxwell asked in a forbidden tone.
Andrea's mouth firmed, but still, she said respectfully, "I'm the best at what I do, sir. It is the reason why you backed my selection as the medical director here too. I am sure whoever you get here will tell you the same thing I just said, sir."
"I didn't ask you to brag, Andrea. I asked for a definite answer. What is the point of my stake in this hospital if it is hard for you to give me something as simple as a definite answer?"
Andrea knew she shouldn't offend him. The result could be disastrous for the whole hospital.
The person in the room must be very important to him.
As much as he was not showing his emotions, Andrea had never seen him react to anything the way he was reacting at the moment.
She didn't want to have to be the reason for the downfall of the hospital.
"I am sorry, sir. Can you please come with me to my office? I would explain everything to you in full detail."
Just as they were talking, the nurse who had left with the handheld body scanner came back holding some files and films.
Andrea motioned to her and said, "The scans are here, sir. I can explain this to you better with these"
Maxwell nodded curtly and followed her.