Chapter # 42

"Bow before me, Princy." Back in the hospital where the massacre of the Alroy family occurred, little Nathaniel hissed at Prince. "Shut up. Don't you dare to call me Princy!" Prince snarled as he chuckled. "Besides, Me and Nathaniel have decided to start a business instead of this." Prince said. "Really?" Silas asked, almost proudly. "Yeah! I want to be like you, Father." He grinned, admiring his father blindly. To him- He was an honest, most admirable and perfect man. He shook his head and was about to speak but the door opened as Guru entered holding a gun. Before he could speak or do something, they shot Persephone, his dearest sister, right before his eyes. Their hands didn't tremble for a second before shooting down a seven years old child. Leaving a highly negative impact on his mind when the splatter of her blood touched his skin, staining his face with her blood, along with a cry of anguish. "PERSEPHONE!!" Traumatizing him for the rest of his life, implanting an irrecoverable memory on his mind.... "My sister died, he took my family away from me, De Villiers," Coming back from the agonizing memory, Nathaniel pressed his hand harder on his heart. "No one but ME had the right to punish them," Eyes closed to find the darkness being wrapped around him but shook his head and went through the reports from America. "Zariah did wrong by killing Guru and when I came what she did?" He hissed, staying with De Villiers in his cabin who was listening quietly. "Pour water over me? Get angry? Was I wrong? She hit my most sensitive spot. When I killed Alessandra, she got so enraged, I am a human too, I have emotions too, she should understand," He blabbered. Words he would never dare to utter before her again. Hell forbid he would infuriate her further. He didn't want to go home where she wasn't present so to conceal his solitude he came to his best friend after work. "But, no, her emotions are emotions but mine is insensibility? Why don't she- Say something, will you!?" He snapped at De Villiers who kept a stoic face all the time. "I might sound harsh but for your lost family, are you going to lose your future too?" De Villiers questioned. "I swear, if it was someone else, I would have taken the rage on it but..." Pausing angrily, he threw the file he was checking away and groaned, pulling his hair from frustration while confessing. "My heart is so weak in her matters." "Exactly," "I said I would leave her, I failed. I said I won't show my beastly side to her, I failed again... I could never..." Ending with a stressed exhale, he found it extremely hard to focus on work, unable to work on a single report of the shipments. "My head is bursting from distress, De Villiers," He whispered. Failing to do anything and banged his head on the table before rising and grabbing his hospital bag. "Are you going to the hospital?" "Of course. That is the only thing that helps me keep my mind off stress since you have locked this tongue," He taunted. "Oh, I have suffered enough. Please, kindly, Sir, leave," He ridiculed, putting his hands up defensively. "Of course, because unlike you, it helps," "Really? How so?" Taking a pause before telling how this had given him equanimity after Zariah. "Watching patients other doctors give up; I, treating them, being praised that I have natural talent, that am I the top, the best surgeon... all of it feels so good," He smiled faintly, "You fulfilled your dream after a devilishly long time," "True," He was about to leave but abruptly his steps felt hefty. "Dammit," "What now?" A frown came to his lips, leaving the bag and plopping on the couch. "My heart, my soul feels empty, I want Zariah. Now she is here after years, De Villiers, I didn't want her to leave me," "Then you should have thought about it," And they came to their main context again. "I can't change in a heartbeat, dammit! You have seen me, at least you shouldn't say this!" "I know and I understand but what will it do? I am not your damn lover, am I? Does it matter?" He sighed, done with arguing. "I.. am trying to be a better man... that is all I can say," He muttered honestly, praying things would work out for them. "I hope you will succeed," "Is there any sign of Zoran yet?" "Don't tell me you are going to shift all your wrath to him now," De Villiers frowned. After struggles and convincing Zariah, he managed to make her end the hindrance on their path, he won't let it happen again. "If we ever found him, and whatever I do to him, promise me, you won't tell Zariah," Nathaniel demanded seriously. "Do you want to shatter her heart?" "I want to complete her dreams of having a normal life, De Villiers, please... I am requesting you, my brother," His eyes moistened to the point of begging De Villiers. He couldn't raze her heart, destroy her home, dreams anymore. He was all she had after all... "I.. can't lose Zariah," "...Okay, But, let me warn you already," Returning a glare, not trusting his procedures and actions at this point, he warned his friend. "Don't lose her in your hatred," Unable to reply, he merely lowered his head and walked away. Mumbling to create an excuse for himself to hide away from this world in which she was not present. "I have an appointment late at night for an EEA," "What is that?" "Endoscopic Endonasal Approach, EEA, it is surgical technique used to remove brain tumors and lesions, some as large as softballs, all through the nose-" "And I don't want to hear it. Why are you doing this at night?" "This is an easy one, for me at least but I don't know why, my team isn't competent enough to perform this. Plus, it will help me keep my mind off from Zariah," "Of course, that's why you are doing this at night," "Anyways, I am leaving," The surgery went for three hours, allowing him to shift his mind from his disapproving situation and solely focus on the case. It ended at midnight. "Finally..." Nathaniel exhaled loudly, washing his hands and smiling proudly to himself after another immaculate case. "You did it again, Doctor Alroy," His nurse complimented. "I told you, didn't I?" He held his head high in pride before going out and greeting the patient's family to let them know about the good news. "Doc- Doctor?" "The surgery went successful." The sigh of relief was released from the family, crying from happiness to know their loved one will live. "Don't worry, she will be fine. We will keep her under observation for two days before continuing the treatment," He explained further as his patient's husband cried, admiring him and expressing his endless gratitude. "Oh! Thank you so much, Doctor Alroy! You are a savior!" He only smiled in return and went to his cabin. He just didn't know how to react to those words of being a 'savior'. They always sounded funny, like a fake consolation, a lie to keep himself satisfied. After killing endless and being praised to save one would sound like a mock to anyone... In his cabin, he was going through the patient's file, whistling to himself with his legs over the table until the door opened and his friend came. "Cheers to another successful surgery, Doctor Alroy," Chuckling, Keith came, offering him a covered water bottle. Nathaniel arched an eyebrow, upon peeking he found vodka and smirked. "You have a night shift tonight?" Nathaniel chuckled, knowing this bottle was getting him going for tonight. "Yeah so I thought about rewarding myself." He laughed, sitting on the table. Since it was midnight, they weren't going to have much patients anyways, giving a chance to slip a drink away as Nathaniel took a few sips. He already required another means of solace. "If we get caught, I will place the blame on you, Keith," Nathaniel smirked, handing him the bottle back. "Management knows they cannot fire us. They won't find a neurosurgeon and cardiologist like us," He smirked, closing the lid and putting it away, leaning back. "True that," "Anyways, are you okay? You seem stressed nowadays," Keith asked casually. "Yeah... my girlfriend is with her parents so I am missing her," "My, my, never imagined to find you like this, you are so in love with her," He laughed a little. "Expressing isn't nearly enough," Exhaling, he placed his hand over his heart. Closing his eyes to fall in the imagination of his beloved that soothed his soul and now her absence was agonizing him. "Apart from my one thing- anything I did in my life, Keith, I did it for her." And it was not a lie. "Really?" "Yeah," Intrigued, Keith asked again, "How long do you guys know each other?" "Since we were like fourteen, I used to live with her after my family's death." Swaying along his emotions, his mind went hazy, eyes closing to wrap himself around her thoughts only. "Ah, no woman ever compelled my heart like her, she is my Radiance after all," He continued, eyes getting heavy which he considered the result of tension and remained like this only to get interrupted by Keith who got down and stopped before him, darkly. "Zariah, right?" He opened his one eye questioningly, "Hmm?" 'Did he know?' "You had been crazy for that human killing machine since the beginning." His mouth gaped, straightening his back to hear such unexpected words from Keith as he kept his identity concealed always. Nathaniel believed strongly no one knew... "Even became the plague doctor for her, got her jailed for her good, gave her your power... a blind worshiper for her," Staggering him further, Keith snickered and pushing him away, Nathaniel stood up hastily. "How do you-" Eyes scanning the cabin to watch from getting attention, gripping the pen firmly to use it to stab him if the situation required it. But soon felt his energy being drained, a weakness taking over. 'Must be something in that drink. Shit. He played his role so well,' "...Who are you?" Nathaniel hissed as not many people had seen what Plague Doctor looks like in the first place. Plus, him holding such in-depth information about Zariah was disturbing. Keith smirked darkly at his reaction, resting his one hand in his pocket and opening a button of his shirt with the other. "Why don't we talk somewhere where there won't be any interruptions?" Spilling the vodka on his hand, he rubbed it over his neck, revealing a mark there which made Nathaniel infuriated. 'I can't believe it...' Turning his grip on the pen firm, he glared but before he could take an action in a spur of rage, he lost his strength and fell on the ground. "What the-" Realizing he must have mixed something in his drink, Nathaniel found his sight becoming blurry as Keith laughed evilly at his weakened state. Endeavoring to hit him as he continued laughing, shifting to his one knee and kicking him harshly, blurring his senses. "Sleep well, Plague Doctor," Before he lost his vision, he growled under his breath with blood flowing from his nose, instantly recognizing whose deed it must be. "Damn you... Zoran,"