Chapter 2

Just then, a patient walked by and accidentally bumped my shoulder.

He looked apologetic and opened his mouth, and he was probably trying to say sorry.

I didn't catch a word. For a few seconds, it was like my hearing just cut out.

When I finally came to, I numbly repeated, "I'm meeting some friends for dinner. I'm not coming."

This time, all I heard was the sharp beep of the call ending.

I wanted to leave the hospital, but my feet just wouldn't move.

James' bloodied face kept flashing through my mind, along with those three words. "Let's break up."

We had been together for seven years.

The stretcher was wheeled into the elevator.

My hands wouldn't stop shaking as I pulled the face mask out of my coat pocket.

I couldn't tell if it was because I felt sick, or something else entirely.

With the mask covering most of my face, I quickly followed after them.

I watched the elevator doors slide shut, and the floor indicator stopped at the fifth floor.

When I got to the fifth floor, the doors to the emergency room at the end of the hallway were already shut.

A stark red sign glowed outside the heavy doors, warning that resuscitation was in progress.

Ryan was sitting on a chair outside, hunched over, his hands covering his face.

I could see his shoulders trembling, trying to hold it together.

I wanted to keep my distance, afraid he'd notice me.

But my feet had a mind of their own, and I found myself slowly edging closer.

Keeping a few feet between us, I leaned against the wall and stood there quietly.

He never even noticed me, only glancing up at the emergency room doors every now and then.

James was fighting for his life in the ER all night long.

Around 4 a.m., they finally brought him out on a stretcher.

Panicked, I spun around and retreated to the corner of the hallway.

Only after they were gone did I dare to follow them to the inpatient building.

The ward area had a locked entrance, so I couldn't get in.

I just stayed downstairs, slumped into a chair, and before I knew it, I'd drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, the hospital was already bustling again.

I checked the time. It was already one in the afternoon.

I had no idea how James was doing.

I pulled out my phone and wondered whether I should call him and pretend it was a wrong number.

Then a cold voice cut through the noise. "Look who finally decided to show up."

I jerked my head up and saw Ryan standing in front of me, pushing James in a wheelchair, his face cold as ice.

Panic shot through me for a moment.

I forced myself to stay calm, keeping a blank expression as I said, "I'm just here waiting for Dr. Quinn. I have an appointment with him."

The flicker of warmth in James' eyes instantly froze over.

Ryan looked at me, disappointment written all over his face. "So you never even planned to visit James?"

I slowly stood up, genuine confusion in my voice.

"Why would I visit him? I'm just here to meet Dr. Quinn, that's all."

Before I could finish, a sharp slap landed across my face.

For what felt like forever, my mind was just a total blank.

When my vision finally came back into focus, I saw Ryan looming over me, right in my face.

We'd been siblings for twenty-five years.

The brother who'd always had my back, who shielded me from everything time and again, had just slapped me for the very first time.

I watched as the rage on his face slowly faded, and all that anger drained away, leaving nothing but disappointment in his eyes.

When he opened his mouth, I instinctively wanted to cover my ears.

But I still heard his voice, sharp as a blade.

"I wish I'd never had a sister like you," he said.

My stomach started cramping again.

Maybe it was because I couldn't eat anything, and the hunger was just too much.

I just stood there, frozen, unable to move for a long time.

It didn't matter, because he would get his wish soon enough.

Ryan was so furious that he turned around and started pushing James away.

James looked completely calm, his voice just as composed.

"You go ahead. I'll head back to my room myself in a bit," he said.

Ryan's expression was stormy, and he didn't even glance at me as he marched straight to the elevator.

The hospital lobby was massive, people constantly coming and going.

Yet somehow, it felt like only James and I were left in the whole place.

I felt like I had needles pricking my back, desperately searching for any excuse to get out of here.

His stare was so sharp, it felt like it could pierce right through me, I just couldn't look him in the eye.

Even a second of eye contact, and I was scared I'd spill everything.

Honestly, he'd wrecked his car so many times I'd lost track.

It wasn't like I didn't want to stop him, or take care of him.

But I didn't have many days left.

I wouldn't be able to keep stopping him or taking care of him for much longer.

He had to learn to take care of himself, to value his own life.

He needed to get used to not having someone around to stop him from using his life as a way to vent his emotions.

For a long time, neither of us said a word.

After a long, heavy silence, James finally spoke, "Emily, let's break up."