The clouds roared above, and rain hammered down. The evening's darkness had deepened, turning the sky almost black. Zian halted his car in front of the hospital and stepped out, heading straight inside.
He spotted Leo standing outside the room where the girl was kept. Zian's expression hardened the moment Leo's eyes met his. He didn't like Leo, not just because their personalities clashed, but because his father always praised Leo as a so-called responsible man.
Zian scowled mentally. Who was going to tell his dad that Leo was only loyal because his father had been paying for Leo's and his mother Romana's livelihood since Leo's childhood? He was just returning a favor, nothing more.
"Are they inside?" Zian asked, clearly in no mood for small talk. Leo simply nodded.
Zian pushed the door open and stepped inside. This was his second visit to the hospital. He saw his parents sitting beside the bed where the girl lay. This was the first time he would see the one who had risked her life to save his mother.
'Was she brave or just foolish?' he wondered.
He knocked on the doorframe, drawing his parents' attention. Confusion flickered across their faces as they saw him approaching.
"Zian? What are you doing here?" his mother asked. He sighed.
"I was worried about you both. I haven't seen you in the past couple of days," he answered.
A small smile appeared on his mother's face at his words.
"We're fine. Don't worry," she said, smiling softly. Zian was about to ask when they might come home when a knock interrupted him.
"Mr. and Mrs. Karlson, the doctor needs to see you in his cabin immediately. It's about the patient," the nurse informed from the door.
His parents exchanged a worried glance, and his father turned to him.
"Zian, stay with her until we get back."
Zian froze. He hadn't wanted to be left alone with the girl, but he understood the situation and nodded.
Once his parents left, he stood beside the bed, frowning at the girl lying in a coma. Her face was partly hidden by an oxygen mask, and her head and neck were wrapped in white bandages. She looked fragile, almost lifeless, with only the steady beeping of the electrocardiography monitor confirming she was alive.
Not knowing what else to do, Zian pulled out his phone and sat on the bed, passing the time by playing a game.
"Damn!!" he muttered, scowling after losing. His palm landed on the bed beside him in frustration, and then he felt something warm and soft brushing against his hand.
He looked down and saw her fingers moving slowly. Heart racing, he leaned closer. Her eyelids fluttered, and then she blinked open, revealing light brown eyes. She was awake.
Zian's shock made him act fast. He dashed out the door, calling for help.
"Leo, where are Mum and Dad? Tell them the girl's awake."
Leo's eyes widened too. He nodded quickly and called Damien immediately.
Within a minute, the team of doctors and his parents arrived at the ward. They went inside, but Zian didn't feel like going in again. He settled into a chair outside the room and pulled out his phone, deciding to play another round game which he had lost a little while ago.
Inside the room, the girl's vision was blurry and drowsy. She had no idea where she was. All she could feel was a painful numbness running through every nerve in her body.
Blurry figures moved in front of her eyes. She tried to blink, but even that caused pain. Slowly, she managed to clear her vision a little.
She saw a few strangers, but one face seemed familiar. The woman she had saved from the car. Slowly, memories returned of the monsters chasing her, the park, the woman in the middle of the road, and the car speeding toward her. She remembered the brutal impact, the pain, everything.
"Can you hear us?" A man asked. From his coat and tools, she realized he was a doctor. She blinked slowly in response. Nodding hurt, but she tried.
The doctor checked the ECG monitor. Her heartbeat was normal, so he carefully removed the oxygen mask to see if she could breathe on her own.
Luckily, she could.
Her eyesight sharpened. She could see everyone clearly now. Her gaze wandered slowly, stopping at the woman she had saved. Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked down at her.
"What is your name?" the doctor asked again. She parted her lips, trying to answer, but her throat throbbed painfully. She moved her lips, yet no sound came out.
The doctors examined her carefully and asked again.
"What is your name?"
She tried once more, but her voice refused to come. Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes. She couldn't hear herself, couldn't speak.
Understanding immediately, the doctors tried asking her other questions, hoping she could respond. All she could do was move her lips. No sound. Tears poured abruptly, and she couldn't understand what was happening. Why couldn't she speak?
Helpless whimpers escaped her, but even they turned into short, broken gasps. Her throat ached, sobs trembling silently through her. Her breathing grew fast and shallow.
The doctors hurriedly placed the oxygen mask back on her face, but she grew restless, thrashing and trying to pull it off. Her movements became so violent that the doctors had to give her anesthesia to prevent her from harming herself.
Zia and Damien, watching everything with startled, bewildered expressions, saw the girl go completely numb again.
"What happened to her, doctor? Why can't she speak?" Damien asked, desperate for answers.
The doctor sighed, glancing at the patient.
"We feared this might happen once she woke up," he said. "There was a high chance of memory or voice loss because of the injuries to her head and vocal cords. It looks like her vocal cords were the most affected." He took a deep breath before continuing.
"She has lost her ability to speak."
Both Zia's and Damien's eyes widened at his words.
"And there's no guarantee she'll ever regain her voice, even with therapy or medical help."
The couple exchanged terrified looks, trying to process the gravity of what they'd just heard.
"We don't know yet if the loss is permanent or temporary. To find out, we'd need to run tests and examinations, but she's not in the right state of mind at the moment. So this will have to be delayed," the doctor added.
Damien sighed and nodded.
"Doctor, do everything possible to restore her health in every way," he said.
"We are trying, Mr. Karlson. The good news is that her life is no longer in danger," the doctor reassured them before leaving.
Damien noticed his wife tearing up, blaming herself for the girl's condition. He wrapped his arms around her and placed her head against his chest.
"She will be alright, Zia. Don't worry, please," he murmured.
She didn't reply, clinging to him tightly. How could she ever forgive herself if that innocent, selfless girl never regained her voice? The thought weighed heavily on her heart. Damien, too, felt the ache of worry for the girl's condition. Both of them wished they could undo the pain and restore everything for the courageous soul who had risked her life for a stranger.
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The next morning, the girl regained consciousness again. The couple noticed how broken she looked, unable to speak or communicate. What stunned them, however, was the courage she showed, trying to cope with her condition and face it head-on. She truly was a brave girl.
Her back rested against the headboard as she sat on the bed. When she tried to get up, the doctors helped her settle properly. Zia and Damien sat beside her. Damien had been trying to find out about the girl's family since the beginning, but his men couldn't discover anything about her background.
Zia gently caressed her face. At first, they hadn't tried to talk, knowing it would hurt her both physically and emotionally. But the girl herself gestured for something to write on, to answer questions. Each passing second made the couple more astonished by her courage.
They brought her a pen and notebook. She indicated that they should write their questions, and she would respond in the notebook. Despite everything, there was no trace of remorse in her golden brown eyes. In fact, they gleamed with happiness when she realized Zia was completely fine. The girl even asked Zia about her wellbeing, and that simple gesture pierced the couple's hearts.
"What is your name and how old are you, dear?" Zia asked gently. The girl wrote her answer and showed it to them.
'My name is Kaya Haiden. I am 15 years old.'
Her name stunned them, especially Damien, because Kaya had been his deceased mother's name. What a coincidence. Somehow, hearing her name made the couple feel an even deeper emotional connection to her, particularly Damien, whose painful past had left him without his mother, Kaya Karlson.
He sighed and smiled gently at the fifteen-year-old girl.
"Kaya, what are your parents' names and where is your home, dear?" Damien asked. But her face darkened, and her eyes grew gloomy as soon as he asked.
"What happened..." Damien's words stopped abruptly at a knock on the door. Everyone turned, and they saw Leo standing there.
"Mr. Karlson, a man named Paul Haiden is here. He claims to be this girl's uncle."
Kaya froze. The name sent terror through her.... Paul Haiden.... Her worst nightmare.
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Thank you for reading... 𓆩❤︎𓆪
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