FAR GONE

Chapter 28

When my eyes finally opened again, the ceiling above me was pale white, almost too bright for my tired vision. For a moment, I couldn’t place where I was. My head throbbed violently, each beat like a hammer striking deep inside my skull. My body felt heavy, and when I tried to move, I felt the pull of tubes across my arms and chest.

I groaned softly, shifting, trying to sit up despite the protest of every muscle in my body. That was when the door swung open, and soft, hurried footsteps entered the room.

“Kael!” Mia’s voice rushed out, filled with relief. She came straight to my side, her hands gently pushing me back down. “Don’t move. Please, relax yourself. You can’t stand up presently.”

I blinked at her, struggling to focus through the haze of pain. “Where… where are we?”

She smoothed my blanket and looked me in the eyes. “We’re in the state hospital. Room 206.”

I exhaled, closing my eyes for a moment. “Am I… broken anywhere?”

A small smile crossed her face. “You’re lucky. Nothing broken, just bruises. You should thank the heavens for that.”

“Then I don’t want to stay here,” I muttered, my voice rough. “I want to leave. I want to go home.” I paused, then added, “The party… what happened after?”

Mia shook her head. “Don’t worry about the party now. That doesn’t matter. What matters is you—your health. You’ve got bruises, and your body needs to heal. Once you recover, then we can leave.”

Before I could reply, her phone began to ring sharply. She glanced at the screen, her expression tense. “Kael, please excuse me,” she whispered, then hurried out to take the call.

The silence in the room pressed heavy around me. I leaned back, my eyes staring at the ceiling as the memories slowly began to bleed back into me. The car. The headlights. The deliberate way it came at me.

It wasn’t an accident. No—it was too clean, too intentional.

I remembered the plate number. Every digit was carved into my memory as if burned there. Someone wanted me dead. But who? And for what reason? My chest tightened as I tried to piece it together.

The door opened again. This time, the sound of boots echoed across the tiles, slow and deliberate.

I turned my head—and froze.

Dr. Milton.

He walked in with that familiar calmness, his presence chilling the room. He looked at me with a faint smile and said, “Here we meet again.” His voice was smooth, deliberate, almost mocking.

My hands curled into fists. “Was it your doing?” I demanded. “Were you the one who hired those people to kill me?”

Milton chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Kael, don’t disturb yourself with such thoughts. You know as well as I do—killing you can’t be done with something as cheap as a staged accident. Why would I stoop so low?”

My jaw tightened. “Then tell me about something else,” I said, my voice lowering, raw with desperation. “The night Liam had his surgery. Were you really there?”

He tilted his head slightly. “You should take it slowly, Kael. One question at a time.” Then his eyes narrowed. “Which is more important to you? Knowing whether I was truly there… or knowing what’s inside your son’s brain now?”

His words pierced me like ice. Dread coiled in my chest. I pushed myself up despite the pain, my hand shooting out to grab his collar. I yanked him closer, my voice sharp and broken. “What did you do to my son?”

His smile never faltered. “It’s just research,” he said smoothly.

“Research?” I spat, my grip tightening.

“Yes,” he said, his tone calm, as though explaining a lecture. “I call it Cerebral Transference Experiment. Imagine, Kael—the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, the centers that dictate impulse, empathy, and morality… what if those parts from a psychopath were transplanted into the brain of a healthy, normal child? What would the result be?” His voice grew colder, detached. “Would he retain innocence? Or would he crave blood? Science needed an answer.”

My blood boiled. My hands trembled as I squeezed his collar tighter, rage surging through me. “You’re a devil—”

Suddenly, my head exploded in pain. A blinding, throbbing headache tore through me, forcing me to release him. I clutched at my skull, groaning, nearly collapsing back into the bed.

Milton stepped back, watching me with faint amusement. “Get well soon, Kael. You still have much work ahead of you. Malik Radwan is in the city.”

I barely registered the name through the pounding in my skull.

He turned to leave, but paused at the door. “Ah, and before I forget… the President himself is aware of the brain research. In fact, he gave the order.” He smirked, then slipped out of the room.

The door shut, leaving me alone. The pain ravaged me, searing, unbearable. I groaned, clutching my head as I cried to the empty room.

That was when Mia rushed back in. Her eyes widened as she saw me writhing in pain.

“Kael! What happened? What’s wrong with your head?” She hurried to me, her hands hovering, helpless.

But the pain was overwhelming. I shouted, gripping at my skull, the sound tearing from my throat.

Mia panicked, tears springing in her eyes as she stumbled back. “Help! Somebody help!” she cried, running out to call for the nurse, leaving me battling the storm inside my mind.

____________

When I opened my eyes again,my vision sharpened slowly, and the first thing I saw were doctors standing in front of me, their faces were etched with concern.

“Can you see us? Can you hear us properly?” one of them asked, leaning close.

I managed a faint nod. My throat felt like sandpaper, but I forced myself to focus.

“That’s good,” the doctor said, relief softening his tone. “Can you recognize the person beside you?”

I turned my head weakly, and the sight of her hit me harder than the pain in my skull. “...Mia,” I whispered, my voice hoarse.

She let out a shaky sigh, her shoulders trembling with relief. “Thank God…”

The doctor adjusted his glasses. “We may have to run an MIT scan on him. It’s a test to check the brain for internal damage, memory lapses, or trauma.” His expression grew serious. “I suspect it’s the result of the impact from the accident. You hit the ground with your head, Mr. Kael. But the scan will tell us the real result.”

He checked his wristwatch. “We’ll schedule it for tomorrow morning.” With that, he turned and left with the nurses, their soft footsteps fading down the hall.

The room felt quieter. Mia leaned closer to me, her eyes filled with worry. “Are you doing well?”

I pushed myself up, ignoring the throbbing pain. “I need to leave here.”

Her brows furrowed. “What do you mean by that? Where are you going?”

I ripped the words out between clenched teeth. “I need to be somewhere right now.”

Before she could react, I reached for the drip in my hand, pulling at it with a grimace. The sting barely mattered compared to the fire in my chest. I swung my legs off the bed, ready to stand.

“Kael—stop!” Mia rushed forward, grabbing my arm, her voice trembling. “You can’t leave. You were in pain earlier. They don’t even know what’s causing it yet. Leaving now is dangerous!”

I turned to her, my eyes burning. “My son’s life is in danger, Mia. My family’s life is on the line. Do you understand? I can’t just lie here while they face it alone.”

Her grip tightened, but she could feel the desperation in me. I swallowed hard, lowering my voice. “Please… I’m begging you. Help me.”

Her lips trembled, and then she nodded quickly. “I’ll do anything.”

With that, I yanked the last of the drip from my hand. Blood dotted my skin, but I didn’t care. I staggered upright, grabbed my jacket from the chair, and walked out of the hospital with Mia shadowing me.

The night air slapped me awake as I stepped outside. My first move was to pull out my phone. My hands shook slightly, but I dialed her number without hesitation.

Seraphina picked up on the second ring. Her voice carried a strange edge of urgency. “Kael, I was about to call you. Are you still at the hospital?”

I drew in a sharp breath, my voice cold as steel. “Tell me, Seraphina… was it you who tried to kill me?”