Early the next morning, the soft hum of the medical equipment filled the quiet room. Bella's eyes fluttered open.
For a moment, she stared blankly at the white ceiling above her, her mind slow to process where she was. Her body felt heavy, her limbs sore. When she shifted slightly, she felt the tug of the IV still connected to her arm. Another drip. The second one. She vaguely remembered someone changing it during the night, but everything after that was a blur.
Then she felt something warm and solid resting against her right hand.
Turning her head slowly, she saw Officer Ethan—his head resting on the side of the bed, fast asleep, his hand still holding hers. He looked peaceful in a way she wasn't used to seeing—like someone who'd stayed up too long, finally giving in to exhaustion.
Quietly, Bella began to slide her hand out of his grasp, careful not to wake him.
But as soon as she moved, Ethan stirred. His eyes opened, still clouded with sleep, and instantly found hers. He blinked a few times, registering where he was and what she was doing.
Bella reached with her free hand and began tugging at the IV needle in her arm.
Ethan sat up quickly and caught her wrist before she could pull it out. "What are you doing?" he asked, his voice rough from sleep.
She looked at him—and for a second, he saw nothing in her eyes. No emotion, no anger, no light. Just emptiness.
"I need to go to my dad," she said softly.
Ethan's hand moved gently to her head, brushing her hair back as he tried to calm her. "Okay," he said, "we'll go… just let this drip finish first. Almost done, alright?"
Bella didn't respond. She just stared ahead, her expression unreadable.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Ellena stepped inside with a small bag in hand. She spotted Bella awake and smiled with quiet relief. She placed the clothes carefully on the couch and walked over to her friend.
"How are you feeling now?" she asked softly.
Bella gave a faint nod but said nothing. Her silence said more than words could.
Ellena glanced at Ethan, who looked back at her and gave a small, silent nod to assure her. She exhaled, visibly relieved.
Ethan stood up. "Ellena, help Bella get changed and freshened up. I'll go get cleaned up too. We'll leave after that."
Ellena nodded. "Okay."
As Ethan stepped out of the room, Bella sat there quietly, the weight of the past night still sitting heavy on her chest, as the drip beside her inched toward empty.
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There was silence in the car.
Head Ace had already left for the West Wing yesterday after the news came in. Officer Ethan had spoken to him late last night. He had also updated Officer Matthew. And now, Ethan and Bella were on their way to New York City.
Ethan glanced at Bella, who sat beside him, staring blankly at the juice bottle in her hand. He spoke gently, "Why aren't you drinking the juice? If you don't have any energy, how will you take care of everyone else, hmm?"
He paused, then added, "Uncle Luke's condition is out of danger now. I spoke to August last night. He told me everything. And I also told him that I'm bringing you."
Bella didn't respond. She just kept looking at the bottle in her hand, silent.
Ethan sighed but didn't say anything else. He knew her mental state wasn't right at the moment. Trying to reason with her right now would be useless.
Last night, Ethan had spoken to his father—he was the one who told him that Chief Luke's condition was now stable. After that, Ethan had called Head Ace, who instructed him to bring Bella home.
The car came to a stop outside the hospital.
Without saying a word, Bella opened the door and rushed inside.
"Bella—wait!" Ethan called after her, but he still needed to park the car. He quickly pulled into a spot and hurried after her.
Inside, Bella was already at the reception, asking breathlessly, "Mr. Luke Obrein—my dad…"
Just then, she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Bella."
She turned around.
Simon was standing there.
She ran toward him. "Simon! Where's Dad? Is he okay?"
Simon hugged her, trying to calm her down. "Uncle Luke is completely fine now. He's out of danger. But he's still in the ICU. He woke up briefly last night, but the doctors said he needs full rest right now."
Bella, hearing that, seemed to calm down a little.
Simon looked over her shoulder at Ethan, who had just caught up.
"You must be tired from the drive," Simon said to him. "I'll take Bella to Uncle White and drop you home."
Ethan smiled faintly. "That won't be necessary. I'm staying here."
He walked ahead and pressed the elevator button. They stepped inside and rode up to the 4th floor.