Before the young doctor could finish, another doctor next to him nudged him, indicating to him to stop talking.
The young doctor realized how inappropriate it was to share such a dire case. Noticing Brandon’s face darkening,he smiled sheepishly and said, “Sorry, Mr. Larson, I didn’t mean anything bad. It just reminded me of a similar situation. Please forgive my mistake.”
Brandon rubbed between his eyebrows tiredly He finished his remaining questions regarding Natalie’s condition and dismissed the doctors.
Frank locked the door and looked at Brandon hesitantly after sending the doctors away.
Brandon was sitting tiredly on the sofa as he rubbed between his eyebrows.
He noticed that Frank wanted to say something but had decided not to. Feeling annoyed, Brandon asked,”What do you want to say? Just say it.”
Walking to the computer, Frank retrieved a document and projected it on the big screen.”The doctor remindedme of several other similar cases. These patients were sick after overdosing on unknown medication.One of the patients was experiencing multiple organ failure due to different drug side effects. Now she is relying on a ventilator to sustain her breathing.”
Brandon opened his eyes abruptly and scanned through the patient’s information. He frowned and asked,”What about the other patients? How are they now?”
Frank retrieved the patients’information one by one and said solemnly,”Apart from the patient I just mentioned, most of them were gone. The only surviving patient is in a coma, as mentioned by the young doctor earlier.”
Brandon felt a chill down his spine, and his face became more and more solemn.”What is the meaning of this? Do these people have anything to do with Natalie’s condition?”
Frank hesitated and nodded.”They appear to attend the samemiddle school as Jeremy’s sister. I looked into their past and found that they were arrogant and overbearing in school. Often bullying the weak They might have… he said and trailed off.
RememberingthebullyingJeremy’s sister suffered on campus before her death,Brandon narrowed his eyes and continued”They might have bulliedJeremy’ssister Were they responsible for his sister’s death in any way?””Yes, they might be,” Frank replied, nodding again.
Brandon clenched hisfists and said through gritted teeth,”It’s him again!”
Frank felt a lingering fear when he thought how sinister and treacherous Jeremy was.
Jeremy was a madman. He could sacrifice his own life to avenge his sister.People would find it difficult to get rid of such entanglement with a madman like him!
After a moment of silence, Frank sighed and asked,”Brandon, what should we do now? It’s obvious that Jeremy enjoys seeing you suffer the pain of losing Natalie.”
Trying his best to suppress his anger,Brandon pondered for a moment and said gravely,”Bring the two surviving patients to your hospital. Say that it is part of your public service program, and treat them while examining the drugs in Jeremy’s lab.If you are lucky enough to find a cure for them, then Natalie can also be healed.”I guess that’s the only way,Frank agreed.He patted Brandon on the shoulder and added,”Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to cure Natalie.”
Brandon closed his eyes in exhaustion. His voice was a little hoarse due to the lack of sleep.”Prepare for it as soon as possible. You can ask the Larson Group to reimburse the treatment fees for the other patients,”he said.
Having been friends with Brandon for a long time, it was rare for Frank to see him so depressed. “Don’t worry.Natalie is just like any other healthy person now.Even if we can’t find a cure for her, she may be lucky enough to maintain her bodily functions her entire life.”Hopefully. Brandon murmured. He took a deep breath as he felt it hard to breathe. The thought of losing Natalie was too painful for him.”You know,I won’t allow anything to happen to Natalie,even if there is only a 1/10000 chance,” he said softly.
Frank understood what was on Brandon’s mind. He could tell that Brandon loved Natalie more than his own life. After comforting him for a while,Frank asked him to return to Natalie’s side. After exiting Frank’s office, Brandon adjusted his mood and went to the lounge next door. When he saw Natalie chatting happily with the nurse, he couldn’t help but smile dotingly.”Natalie, let’s go home,” he said as he waved at. her.
Emerging from the underground parking elevator Brandon and Natalie’s fingers were entwined; their hands seamlessly fit together. Suddenly Natalie’s grip on Brandon tightened as her eyes darted around nervouslyWait, stay put. Let me scope out if those prying reporters are lurking. Once the coast is clear,you can step out.”
With a confident gaitBrandonunfolded his lengthy limbs,striding forth from the elevator’s cocoon.He reassuringly pulled Natalie beside him, his smile softening his chiseled features.”Relax. I’ve already ensured the reporters are miles. away.”
Natalie’s hand instinctively flew to her chest, her heart rate decelerating from its frenzied pace.”I was terrified they’d hound us endlessly.”
She thenslylytilted her head, surveying Brandon’s empty hands. Feigning nonchalance, she inquired, “What did the doctors instruct earlier? Weren’t there medications or some follow-up guidelines for me?”
Perceiving the barely concealed anxiety that clouded her gaze, Brandon’s lips curled into a playful smirk.He affectionately ruffled her hair, saying,”Ah, thanks for jogging my memory! I entirely forgot about fetching the prescribed meds.”
The realization that Brandon hadn’t collected any medicine set Natalie’s heart at ease. But her brief relief was abruptly eclipsed by a storm of agonizing memories.
The echoesofherpastmanifestedas fragmented visionsof a desolategirl trapped within a cold, confining lab.Adaunting array of untested drugs lay sprawled before her,while haunting laughterreverberatedmenacingly.”Swallow them,do it now.
Thespectralrecollectionsgrewdarker, showcasing the unwilling girl’s resistance being met with brutal force.Sinister hands throttled her neck,pouring the entire concoction down her throat,each drop an embodiment of torture. Upon ingestion,the medication’s sinister dance began. Excruciating agony radiated throughout her being, each pulse feeling like a cascade of needles or a blade’s cruel intrusion. Her perception grew hazy, the boundary between existence and oblivion growing perilously thin. Who was this tormented soul?
While Natalie couldn’t discern the spectral girl’s identity,she viscerally felt her heart-wrenching despair.
The pain was unbearable A paralyzing terror rooted Natalie to the spot,her psyche ensnared by the traumatic vestiges of her past.
Oblivious to Natalie’sinternalmaelstrom, Brandon playfully tapped her cheek,his voice drenched in jest.Lostinthought?Atad anxious about meds?”
Yet Natalie was miles away, her eyes vacant and her form quivering uncontrollably.Her voice,a mere whisper, repeated, “No. Please, no.”
It was only then that Brandon’s light-hearted demeanor dissolved, replaced by rising panic. Grasping her shoulders, he searched her eyes, desperately seeking a tether to her reality.”Natalie, what’s going on?”
The soothing timbreof Brandon’s voice enveloped Natalie, serving as a beacon and banishing the shadows that threatened to consume her. As her gaze, previously lost in tumultuous memories, refocused, she found herself drowning in the depths of Brandon’s concerned stare. Mustering strength, she offered a feeble smile.”I’m alright. My mind just wandered to unsettling places for a moment. I’m back now..
While the specifics of her haunting reverie remained unknown to Brandon, the raw terror evident in her eyes was undeniable.
It became glaringly evidentto him that her aversion wasn’t solely anchored in the fear of medication.It ilwas visceral reaction, seemingly rooted in traumatic events from her past in Jeremy’slab. The mere mention of medicine triggered an avalanche of dread in her.
Witnessing Natalie’s frail figure tremble before him, Brandon instinctively enveloped her, his embrace serving as a shield against her inner demons. His hand glided across her back in an attempt to soothe the storm within.”Shh, don’t fret. I was merely joking earlier. No medication for you; the doctors confirmed your exemplary health.
Emerging from the sanctuary of his embrace, Natalie’s eyes, tinged with a hint of red, gleamed with astonishment.”Really? No medicine? You promise you weren’t lying?”
Brandon’s heart swelled at witnessing her earnestness. A warm smile played on his lips as he tenderly pinched her cheek, reaffirming,”I swear, no medication for you.”
A surge of relief washed over Natalie. Feigning annoyance, she playfully prodded Brandon’s cheek,saying,”You misled me earlier!My heart nearly leapt out of my chest. You owe me big time.”
Brandon’s laughter echoed, unabashedly indulging her antics.”How might I atone for my misdeeds?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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