He turned, eyes wide—and saw her. Eleanor's eyes were cracked open, their soft blue glimmer dulled by exhaustion, but alive. She was looking at him.
"M–Mother?" Rei gasped, jumping off the desk and hurrying to her side. "You're awake!"
Eleanor blinked slowly, breathing shallow and weak. "H–How long... How long was I asleep, dear?"
Rei climbed into the chair beside her bed—the one where Ethan always sat—and leaned closer. "I–I don't know exactly... maybe a month and a half?"
She tried to sit up, but her body refused. Her muscles trembled and gave up. She let herself fall back onto the pillow, eyes drifting toward him again. "Are you okay, Rei?"
Rei nodded, trying to sound braver than he felt. "Yeah... just waiting for you to be okay too."
Eleanor smiled softly. It was barely a curve of her lips, but it took all her strength. That alone made Rei's chest tighten with worry.
"Where's your father?" she asked, her voice paper-thin.
"...He's working," Rei replied. "He's got to pay a lot of bills..."
Eleanor's face fell. Her smile faded, and something heavy filled her gaze—guilt.
Rei noticed. "It's not your fault"
She turned toward him slowly and reached out. Her fingers brushed his, and he took her hand gently in his.
"You're the best, Rei," she whispered. She closed her eyes, still holding his hand as she rested. Rei held on tightly, afraid to let go.
Later That Day
Ethan returned to the hospital, walking quickly down the long hallway. He'd just come back from handling urgent financial matters—battling banks, deals, debts. He was heading toward the lab to continue his work but stopped at the hallway corner.
Before anything else...he had to see Eleanor.
Inside the room, Rei sat quietly in the chair beside her. Eleanor was asleep again. In his hands, Rei held the same piece of paper—but now it was open.
And a single tear slid down onto it.
Just as Ethan reached for the handle, a tap landed on his shoulder.
He turned to see a doctor.
"Sorry to interrupt, sir, but Olivia asked me to show you something,"
Ethan blinked. "What is it?"
"It's urgent. Please—come to the lab."
Ethan hesitated for only a second, then nodded.
In the Lab.
The doctor led him inside and pointed to a laptop sitting open on the desk. "It's a video, a recording... from her."
Ethan's stomach tightened. "Why?"
The doctor didn't answer. He clicked the file, then stepped out, quietly closing the door behind him.
The room fell into silence.The screen flickered, then came to life. Olivia's face appeared, calm but expressionless. There was something haunting in her stillness.
"This recording is meant to bring you good news, Ethan..." she began. "But first, I need to apologize."
She took a breath. Her eyes dropped. "I... I broke into your lab."
Ethan blinked. His brow furrowed slightly, caught off guard.
"I read through your notes," Olivia said. "The equations... your sketches... You already found a solution, Ethan, haven't you? You just... didn't have the means to make it."
There was a pause."I know you're drowning in debt. So... I helped."