Chapter 37 - The New polaroid

Chapter 37 - The New polaroid
CLAIRE

The engine was still running when Dr. Cross grabbed his bag and jumped out. He didn’t wait for me j ust stormed up the porch and through the front door.

“Where is she?” he demanded.

“Upstairs. First door on the right,” I said, following close behind.

When we reached the bedroom, Evan was still there, crouched by Lila’s side. His sleeves were rolled up and his eyes sharp but tired.

“She’s getting weaker,” he said as soon as he saw us. “Her pulse dropped twice. I kept her airway open like Claire said, but—”

Dr. Cross didn’t wait for him to finish. He pushed past me, dropped to his knees beside the bed, and opened his black case. “Step back. I need space.”

He moved fast. His hands shook once, then he calmed down. He muttered. “Infection’s deep. If this tube collapses, she’s done.”

“Tell me what to do,” I said quickly.

He looked at me once“Hold her steady. Mr calder,light.”

Evan flicked on the lamp. He held it close while Dr. Cross worked, murmuring instructions under his breath.

“She’s slipping,” he said through clenched teeth. “I need more pressure here no, not there. Hold it higher.”

I pressed the gauze against Lila’s neck, I could feel her breath “Come on, Lila. Stay with us.”

Evan stood just behind me. “Her pulse is weak, Dr Cross.”

“I know that,” the doctor snapped,but then softened. “Sorry. Just… keep her talking. Anything.”

I swallowed hard and leaned closer to her “Lila… the first day I met you told me once about Mason. About how he used to hum when he worked, how he’d come home soaked from the docks but never complained. You said he laughed easy, that he hated owing anyone.”

My throat burned. “He deserves peace, Lila. I know you wanted to see him avenged,to make sure no one else died like he did.”

Her eyes fluttered weakly,I could see a tear slipping down her cheek. I brushed it away with my thumb. “You’re not done yet, Lila. You stay with me. You stay so we can finish what he started.”

Her lips twitched faintly. The smallest sound came from her throat.

Dr. Cross adjusted the tube again, muttering, “Come on… come on…”

For a heartbeat nothing happened. Then Lila drew in a full breath.I took a sigh of relief and Evan’s shoulders dropped.

“She’s breathing,” I whispered.

“For now,” Dr. Cross said. “But she’s not out of danger. Her fever’s climbing and her airway’s fragile. I need to run antibiotics directly. This is the last thing I can do before she crashes.”

He reached into his bag and loaded a syringe. I steadied Lila’s arm while he slid the needle in, injecting the medication.

Minutes passed in silence except for the sound of rain on the windows. I could feel the adrenaline leaving my body,I only felt exhaustion now.

Finally, Dr. Cross sat back wiping his brow. “She’ll need rest. I’ve done what I can.” He looked at me and Evan. “Now both of you out. Give her space.”

“But—”

“Out,” he repeated. “If her vitals drop again, I’ll call.”

Reluctantly, I nodded. Evan touched my arm gently, guiding me out into the hall.

We stopped near the banister. The morning light had started coming in, but the house still felt tense.

Evan leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. “You okay?”

I nodded slowly. “I don’t know. I thought she was gone. For a second, I really thought”

He tilted his head “You don’t have to pretend you’re fine, Claire. Fear’s not failure,it just means you still care enough to fight.”

I met his eyes. “I keep wondering how much longer I can keep doing this running, fixing what’s broken, waiting for the next thing to go wrong.”

He smiled faintly, a soft curve that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You’ve already done more than anyone else would’ve. Most people run from storms. You walk straighten into them.”

“Maybe it’s stupidity,” I muttered.

“Maybe it’s the reason Lila’s still breathing,” he said softly.

I met his eyes, seeing the calm that always seemed to live there. He had this calm aura that made you believe things could still turn out okay, even when they probably wouldn’t.

I swallowed “Thank you. For helping me. For staying. I know you didn’t really know Lila… I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”

He shrugged lightly. “You didn’t drag me anywhere. I made a choice. Besides…” he gave a faint grin, “Like I told you,if Daniel were still around, he’d be her age by now, right? Maybe I just wanted to do right by someone else for once.”

My chest tightened. I didn’t say anything,I just stepped closer and wrapped my arms around him. He hesitated only a second before hugging me back. It felt comforting

Then, just as I let out breath, the lights flickered and I let go of Evan .

I froze. “Did you see that?”

Before he could answer, the power cut out completely. The hallway fell into darkness, the only light coming was from the morning through the window.

Dr. Cross’s voice shouted from inside the guest room. “What the hell is going on?”

A split second later, Glass shattered everywhere. A brick crashed through the hallway window. I gasped and stumbled back as it almost hit my face.

Before I could react, Evan grabbed me, pulling me hard against his chest. The brick hit the opposite wall and fell with a dull thud.

For a moment, all I could hear was my own heartbeat. Then the lights came back on

“You okay?” he asked.

I nodded quickly feeling breathless. “Yeah. I think so.”

He didn’t let go right away. His hand stayed at my back. Then he stepped forward, crouched, and picked up the brick.

Something was tied to it. A old yellowed Polaroid.

“What the hell…” he muttered untangling it carefully.

I took it from him my fingers trembling. The photo showed the lighthouse. But the structure looked… different. Older. At the bottom, faint handwriting marked the date: 1988.

“That can’t be right,” I whispered. “It looks different than that.”

Dr. Cross came out of the room “What happened?”

“Someone threw this,” Evan said, handing him the brick.

Cross frowned. “A photo?”

But I wasn’t listening anymore. Something in my head clicked. I turned and bolted down the hall, toward the small room Evan had showed me his investigations yesterday

“Claire!” he called after me, but I didn’t stop.

Inside the room, my corkboard still stood against the wall, covered in notes. My fingers tore through them until I found the one I wanted,the old Polaroid I’d taken from the cannery.

On the former Polaroid was : An awards banquet of cheap trophies lined up on a white cloth.

I stepped back into the hallway with the Polaroid Evan came in behind me, Cross right after. “What is it?”

I held both photos side by side. The same jagged rocks. The same blurry background of the lighthouse. But the one with the initials A.P,L.C and D.K showed no writing except the date. The new one, the one thrown through the window had the same cracks.

“It’s the lighthouse in the back,” I said slowly. “But this one” I held up the new one “was taken years later. Someone retook it. Tried to make it look like the same shot.”

Evan’s brow furrowed. “Why? What does it mean?”

I turned the newer photo over again. The handwriting looked faintly familiar.

“Because whoever sent this,” I said, “wants us to investigate the lighthouse. And what happened there.”

Dr. Cross looked between us. “What happened there, Monroe?”

I swallowed hard, staring at the photographs, feeling the chill crawl up my spine. “That’s probably where it all started,” I whispered.

The rain started again outside harder now, like the sea itself was beating against the house.And for the first time in days, I felt it again.That sense that someone was watching.