Chapter 130: The Hospital Incident.

CALEB. I sat in the hospital waiting room with Brielle beside me, relief flooding through my veins. After what felt like forever, Kyle was finally out of danger. The antidote had worked. He was safe. I let out a deep breath, relaxing in the euphoria of accomplishment. 'You look like you just ran a marathon," Brielle teased, a small grin spreading across her face. She had that playful glint in her eyes, the one she always had when she was trying to lighten the mood. 'Well, considering what we went through to get that antidote, it might as well have been." I said, chuckling. The weight of the past few days had been heavy on my shoulders, but now it felt lighter, almost bearable. No more monodragons, thank God. 'Yeah, I mean, who knew gathering rare ingredients in the middle of nowhere could be so much fun? You haven't told me about it yet, but you will." she joked, rolling her eyes. 'Next time, maybe we should just go to the supermarket." I laughed. 'If only it were that easy, Brielle. ‘Excuse me, where can I find Bloodroot and Phoenix Feather ash?'" She snorted, and I felt the tension in my chest ease a little more. It was good to laugh, especially after everything. I relaxed further, and began running over events that happened during our hunt. Both the good, and the bad. 'There was even a time Marcus almost fell into the ravine trying to grab moonflower petals. We had already gotten the amount he needed, but he was like, how often do we get to see a rare flower?" I continued, chuckling. 'How could I forget? He screamed like a little girl." I imitated Marcus's high-pitched yell, and Brielle burst into laughter. Her laughter was infectious, and soon we were both laughing so hard that people started giving us weird looks. But I didn't care. It felt good to share this moment with her. It felt good to feel good. After a few minutes, our laughter died down, and we sat in comfortable silence for a while. I leaned back in the chair, staring up at the ceiling. 'You know," I started, my voice more serious now. 'I didn't think we'd actually make it in time. I thought we might lose him." Brielle's smile faded a little, and she nodded. 'Yeah, me too. It was close. Too close." A shadow crossed her face, and I knew she was thinking about Dr. Flora. I clenched my fists at the thought of her. 'How could she do it?" I asked, my voice low. 'What kind of person poisons someone like that?" Brielle sighed. 'Someone who's desperate, I guess. Or someone who's just plain evil. I don't understand it though." 'Or both," I muttered. 'Do you think she knew how close she came to killing him?" 'I don't know," Brielle replied softly. 'But I'm guessing she didn't care." I nodded, my jaw clenched. She probably didn't. Using Kyle as a lab rat was more important to her, apparently. 'We need to find out more about her. About why she did it." She looked at me, her expression serious. 'Yeah, we do. But right now, let's just be glad that Kyle's okay. We can deal with Flora later." I knew she was right. There was a time and place for everything. Right now, we needed to focus on Kyle's recovery. But I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this than we knew. 'Do you remember the look on Uncle Kelly's face he heard about Flora?" I asked, changing the subject slightly. I still didn't know who gave him that information, but I didn't mind. 'I swear, I've never seen him so angry." Not even at us. Brielle chuckled. 'Yeah, he looked like he was about to explode. I thought he might punch a wall or something." 'Or someone," I added with a smirk. 'Maybe Flora, if he gets the chance." Brielle laughed again, shaking her head. 'Yeah, well, I wouldn't want to be in her shoes right now, that's for sure." We shared a smile, and for a moment, it felt like everything was normal. Like we were just two siblings hanging out, cracking jokes. But then there was a sudden change of atmosphere, and I heard a commotion from the front of the hospital. I turned my head, frowning. 'What's going on over there?" Brielle looked in the same direction, her smile fading. 'I don't know. Maybe an emergency?" 'Yeah, maybe." I stood up, curiosity getting the better of me. 'I'm gonna go check it out. I'll be right back." She nodded, her expression curious but unconcerned. 'Okay, don't take too long. I don't want to be left here alone with my thoughts." I chuckled and patted her shoulder. 'Don't worry, I'll be quick." I made my way through the crowded waiting room, weaving between chairs and people. As I got closer to the entrance, I could see a group of nurses and doctors rushing around. Something was definitely up. Then I saw her. Cynthia. She was being wheeled in on a stretcher, unconscious and covered in blood. My heart stopped. For a moment, all I could do was stare, frozen in place. What happened? What kind of trouble did she get into now? The nurses were shouting, trying to get her into a room as quickly as possible. I felt my legs move on their own, pushing through the crowd to get closer. I had to know what happened. I had to see her. 'Cynthia!" I called out, but she didn't respond. She was out cold, her face pale, blood staining her clothes and the stretcher. My chest tightened with panic. 'Sir, you need to stay back," one of the nurses said, blocking my path. 'That's my—" I choked on the word, not even sure how to finish the sentence. I didn't know who she was to me. Friends? 'What happened to her?" 'Car accident," the nurse replied briskly. 'We're doing everything we can. Please stay back." I watched helplessly as they wheeled Cynthia away, disappearing through a set of double doors. My mind was spinning. A car accident? How? When? Why? I stood there, feeling like the ground had been pulled out from under me. Everything was a blur. I could hear the sounds of the hospital, the beeping of machines, the murmur of voices, but it all seemed distant, like I was underwater. I forced myself to take a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside me. I needed to keep it together. I turned back, heading towards where Brielle was waiting. She looked up as I approached, her eyes wide with concern. 'Caleb? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." 'It's Cynthia," I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. 'She's been in an accident. They just brought her in." Brielle's eyes widened in shock. 'Um, I don't know who Cynthia is, but it's obvious you care about her. Is she okay?" 'I don't know," I admitted, feeling a lump form in my throat. 'I don't know." Brielle stood up, reaching for my hand. 'Hey, it's gonna be okay. At least she's in good hands here." I nodded, though I wasn't sure if I believed it. All I could think about was Cynthia, lying there on that stretcher, covered in blood. I needed to know she was going to be okay. I needed to know that this wasn't all for nothing. Something in me couldn't stay still. I wanted and needed answers. Why was this happening?