Chapter 130 The Wait

Chapter 130 The Wait

I stayed where I was on the cold hospital floor long after Mr. Carter disappeared through the ICU doors.

The nurses who had paused to watch quietly resumed pushing trolleys down the hallway; someone called out a patient's name from farther down the corridor, and a little boy complained about the smell of medicine while his mother tried to distract him with a chocolate bar, but as for me, Miranda's words kept replaying inside my head, refusing to leave.

"People have a funny habit of disappearing around me."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Dylan has to wake up.

"Oh Dylan..." I whispered under my breath.

Then the sound of hurried footsteps gradually pulled me back to reality.

"Reet?" Brian called softly.

I slowly lifted my head.

He was walking toward me with quick strides, still dressed in the same clothes from school, though they looked far more wrinkled than they had that morning. His hair was a complete mess, like he'd been dragging his hands through it over and over again.

The moment he saw my face properly, his expression changed.

"What happened?"

I tried to answer, but nothing came out.

Brian frowned harder. "Reet?"

He crouched in front of me. "Hey, what happened?" He asked softly.

I blinked several times before finally managing to speak.

"Miranda was here," I told him quietly.

His eyebrows knitted together. “Here?"

I nodded slowly. "She just left."

His eyes instinctively swept across the corridor as if expecting her to still be standing somewhere nearby.

"You're kidding."

I shook my head. "I'm not."

He let out a long breath through his nose.

"What the hell was she doing here?"

I didn’t respond.

Brian stared at me for another moment before sitting down beside me against the wall.

We stayed like that in silence until Brian eventually bumped my shoulder gently with his.

"I talked to Dylan's doctor."

I glanced at him. "What did he say?"

Brian's lips curved into a small reassuring smile. "The surgery was successful, and he's still alive."

Something hit me instantly.

"He lost a lot of blood..." Brian continued quietly. "And the doctors managed to remove the bullet, but he's still unconscious."

I covered my mouth with both hands. "Oh my God..."

Brian's tone remained calm. "They've transferred him to intensive care for observation."

I closed my eyes as relief washed over me so powerfully that it almost hurt.

A shaky sob suddenly escaped me.

Brian smiled faintly. "I know."

I laughed weakly through my tears. "I seriously thought..."

"I know what you thought." He reached over and squeezed my shoulder. "But I'm glad he's a stubborn idiot."

A watery laugh escaped me.

Brian shrugged. "I've been telling him that for years."

I wiped my cheeks.

"He'll wake up." Brian sounded surprisingly certain. "And he'll complain about the hospital food."

I smiled despite myself.

"He'll probably flirt with the nurses." Brian blurted.

“Brian!” I warned.

He chuckled softly. "And he'll act like getting shot was just another Saturday."

“Stop saying that.” I sniffled.

Brian snorted. "I'd bet money on it."

I smiled again, but it only lasted a second because Miranda's face flashed across my mind again.

Brian noticed immediately. "You're thinking about her."

I nodded. "Brian..." I looked at him. "...something isn't right."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's an understatement."

I shook my head. "I mean..."

I searched for the right words. "The way she talks and how she acts…"

I hugged my knees closer to my chest.

"I just don't understand her."

Brian leaned back against the wall. "I've been thinking the same thing."

I looked at him.

He rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully. "It's unusual, and the more I investigate her, the stranger everything becomes."

"What do you mean?"

He looked down at his hands for a second before speaking. "You remember the little pill container we found?"

Immediately, my thoughts jumped back to a couple of nights ago outside my little house when we rummaged through the wastebin.

That small plastic container that read:

"MC."

I nodded slowly. "Of course I remember."

Brian folded his arms. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about it."

I frowned. “You said you were going to look into it."

He nodded. "I haven't really been able to, but I find it odd."

"Isn't it just pain medication?"

"I believe that's what the container claims."

My confusion deepened. "What do you mean?"

Then he looked directly at me. "Something about those pills doesn't sit right with me."

I frowned harder. "You think they aren't painkillers?"

"I don't know." He sighed. "I honestly don't know."

Then he rubbed his forehead. "But every time I replay everything she's done, my instincts keep telling me that container matters."

I stared at the floor. "You think it's all connected?"

"I think everything is connected." He answered without hesitation. "I just don't know how."

Another silence settled between us.

"Do you still have the container?"

"No."

He raised a brow. "You threw it away?"

I shook my head. "You took it, remember?"

His eyes widened for half a second.

"Oh." Then he laughed quietly. "Right."

I couldn't help smiling a little. "You forgot?"

"I've had approximately ten heart attacks today." He spread both hands dramatically.

"My memory deserves a break."

Despite everything, I laughed.

Brian smiled. "There she is."

"What?"

"A tiny laugh." He nodded. "I was beginning to think I'd forgotten what that sounded like."

My smile disappeared again. "I don't really feel like laughing."

"I know." He looked toward the ICU doors.

"Neither do I."

He became quiet for a long moment.

Then he suddenly straightened himself.

"I'll investigate the pills."

I looked at him.

"I'll figure out exactly what they are."

"You know how?" I asked.

"I know people." He shrugged casually.

"A distant cousin of mine works in a pharmacy."

I raised an eyebrow. "You've never mentioned that."

"You never asked." He joked.

A tiny smile tugged at my lips.

Brian continued. "I'll have someone identify every single thing about those pills."

He tapped an imaginary notebook in the air.

"The manufacturer."

"The prescription."

"Everything."

I ran a hand through my hair. "You think it'll lead somewhere?"

"I don't know." He admitted honestly.

"But it's a lead."

His eyes met mine. "And right now, we need every lead we can get."

I nodded slowly.

He stood up and brushed invisible dust from his jeans. "You stay here."

I looked up at him. "What?"

"Stay with Dylan." Brian pointed toward the ICU. "When he wakes up, the first person he'll probably ask for is you."

A fresh ache settled inside my chest. "What if he doesn't wake up soon?"

Brian didn't hesitate. "Then you'll be here when he does."

I lowered my gaze.

He smiled softly.

"And besides..." He pointed at me again.

"You're emotionally exhausted."

I wanted to argue.

Instead, I realized he was right.

Truly, I felt like I'd aged years in a single afternoon.

Brian shoved both hands into his pockets.

"I'll go figure out what's really inside that container."

I looked back toward the ICU doors and then back at Brian and gave him a small nod.

"Be careful," I mumbled.

He grinned. "When am I ever not?"

I gave him a flat look. "Every day."

He pretended to look offended. "That hurts."

"It should."

He chuckled. "Fair enough."

He turned and started walking down the corridor before lifting one hand over his shoulder in a lazy wave. "I'll call you the second I find anything."

I watched him disappear around the corner until he was completely out of sight.

Then I stood up and wiped the remaining tears from my face before turning toward the ICU doors once more.

"Wake up soon, Dylan..." I whispered so quietly that only I could hear it.

"I'm right here.”