Pain
1008 Words
"Nyra!"
The sound of her body hitting the floor echoed through the penthouse.
Kaizen's heart stopped, For one horrifying second, he couldn't move, Couldn't think, Couldn't breathe….
Then panic exploded inside him.
"Nyra!"
He dropped beside her instantly….Her eyes were closed and her face had gone pale.
His hands trembled as he shook her shoulders gently.
"Nyra, wake up." Nothing.
Fear crawled into his chest, a fear unlike anything he'd ever felt inside a fighting ring.
Then he noticed the desperate way her chest struggled to rise….wheezing and lack of air.
His blood ran cold.
No.
No.
No.
"Asthma..."
His voice broke.
His eyes darted around wildly, "Inhaler." She needed her inhaler.
Where the hell was it?
Kaizen ran into her room tore through drawers, her backpack, her desk…. Nothing!
“Stay with me Nyra” he said half panting
"Dammit!"
He returned to find her lips beginning to turn blue.
The sight nearly destroyed him, for the first time in years over someone who wasn't his mom..
Kaizen Arclair felt completely helpless.
"Stay with me."
His voice shook.
"Please."
Without another second wasted, he scooped her into his arms.
She felt frighteningly light, like she could disappear.
And for some reason that terrified him….
The hospital doors burst open minutes later.
"Help her!"
Doctors rushed forward immediately.
Stretchers, Nurses, Oxygen…the usual chaos and scampering when a dying patient is wheeled in.
The hospital reminds him of someone special, tears dropped from his eyes as he stood frozen watching her taken away .
The last glimpse he caught was the oxygen mask being placed over her face.
Then she disappeared behind emergency doors.
Leaving him alone, For the first time...truly alone.
Hours passed.
The bandages around his bleeding hand had already soaked through.
He never noticed, Never cared.
His eyes remained fixed on the emergency room doors.
Waiting…Praying….Hating himself as every second replayed inside his head.
Her terrified face, Her tears.
The word monster…..And worst of all…..she was right.
Eventually a doctor emerged, Kaizen stood instantly.
"How is she?"
The doctor looked exhausted.
"She's stable."
His knees nearly gave out. Stable?
Thank God.
But then, the doctor's expression darkened.
"There's another problem."
Kaizen frowned.
The doctor continued.
"Miss Solenne has a serious respiratory condition."
His stomach dropped.
"We need to operate."
Silence.
Then, "We require consent from immediate family."
The world stopped….
Family?
The word hit differently, because Kaizen knew.
Nyra didn't have anyone.
The doctor checked the file again.
"No parents?"
"No guardians?"
"No relatives?"
Kaizen swallowed hard….his voice came out rough.
"She doesn't have any."
The doctor froze.
"What?"
"She's alone."
The words felt heavier than they should because they were true.
Completely true.
Nobody was coming, None!!
For the first time since meeting her, Kaizen truly understood what that meant.
No mother, No father, No family, No emergency contact….Nothing…Just her…Always her.
His chest tightened painfully, hating himself more because he'd spent weeks suspecting her, accusing her, judging her wrongly….when she had been fighting alone all this time. …
"I'll sign."
The words left his mouth before he could stop them.
The doctor blinked.
"What?"
"I'll take responsibility."
The doctor hesitated.
"It's a complicated procedure."
"I don't care."
His voice cracked.
"Just save her"
By sunrise the surgery was completed successfully.
Every bill, every medication, Every hospital expense, Kaizen Paid Without hesitation, Without discussion.
Kaizen signed everything because if anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself.
Unfortunately...that wasn't the end of his problems.
The Vice Chancellor arrived shortly after.
Furious.
"What happened to her?"
Kaizen remained silent.
The older man pointed toward his bandaged knuckles.
"Explain."
Still didn't say anything.
The Vice Chancellor's expression hardened,
"Did you do this?"
Kaizen clenched his jaw.,.
What could he say?
Tell him about the basement?
The missing students?
The Chairman?
The secrets?
One sentence could destroy everything and expose everyone…Including Nyra.
So he said nothing.
The silence looked guilty.
The police arrived an hour later, Someone had reported a violent altercation.
A girl screaming, a punch, a collapse and a boy carrying her unconscious body away.
The evidence looked terrible.
Kaizen didn't even resist.
At this point, he didn't care.
Not when Nyra was still unconscious, Not when she hadn't opened her eyes, Not when he couldn't stop hearing her struggling for air…… he's f****d up!!
The handcuffs clicked around his wrists.
Cold, Metal, Heavy…
A nurse gasped.
The Vice Chancellor looked stunned.
The officers prepared to escort him away,
Still Kaizen's gaze never left Nyra.
She looked so small in the hospital bed.
Fragile, Exhausted and Alive… Thank God.
He gently rubbed the back of her hand, his thumb moving lightly across her skin.., as a silent apology.
One she would probably never hear.
Then suddenly movement…the room froze.
Nyra's fingers twitched, Kaizen held his breathe…in anticipation.
Her eyelashes fluttered, Slowly and Painfully, then her eyes opened.
Relief crashed into him so hard it nearly hurt.
"Nyra..."
Her gaze found him immediately.
For one brief second hope sparked inside him.
Then she remembered everything while staring at him expressionless which later turned cold. Ice cold.
She rolled her eyes away from him like looking at him hurt.
The police officer stepped closer.
"Miss Solenne, did this young man harm you?"
The room became silent.
Kaizen never looked away from her.
Waiting, Praying, Hoping….
Nyra remained quiet for several seconds.
Then, she finally spoke.
Three words that were sharp enough to cut.
"Take him away."
The room froze.
Her voice trembled, But not from fear..From disappointment.
"Just..."
She swallowed hard.
"Get him out of my sight."
The words hit harder than any punch.
Harder than the fight, harder than any handcuff….
Kaizen lowered his eyes.
And for the first time…he didn't argue, didn't defend himself, didn't explain.
Because maybe...he deserved it.
If he hadn't lost his temper, she wouldn't have been under such attack.
The officer tugged his arm.
"Let's go."
Kaizen turned, Walking toward the door.
The handcuffs rattling softly.
And somehow, that sound felt a lot like something breaking…
Behind him, Nyra never looked back.
- Writer
