Someone else
"What do you mean, she's gone?!"
A furiously Aziel stands in the office of the hospital director who has just informed him that Loraine has checked out of the hospital and left with all her belongings. He shows him the form where she personally signed for her resignation and paid the bill with her own credit card.
Aziel studies the forms in disbelief and indeed the signature is hers.
He just got from her bed for three hours to take a bath and rest for two hours at home. The nurse had reprimanded him for sitting next to Loraine's bed for three days straight without cleaning up. According to the hygiene policy of the hospital, this is unacceptable and poses a risk to the patient's health.
And he had indeed left for a while, also to talk to Lorrich and to inform him about his mother's recovery. The boy was inconsolable when he learned that the babies had died. Michelle and Rick, Kaylah and Archer were also shocked, to say the least. Aziel had only focused on Loraine, he wanted to prevent her from falling into a depression. The doctors had warned him about this, this often happens when the pregnancy was already in an advanced stage and the woman could already feel her children move.
And on his return, he was confronted with an empty bed and tidy wardrobe. Loraine was nowhere to be seen, all the nurses could tell him was that she had left. No one knew where she went either because it is not a standard question that is asked to discharged patients. Because he made a racket, he was eventually referred to the general manager of the hospital who also does not have a conclusive answer for him.
And now they all stand there, helplessly staring at him. The head nurse, director and the attending physician. Loraine is an adult, no one can stop her from checking herself out. In addition, her health was already stable, she was no longer in danger of life.
“We can't help you further, Mr. Renegade. Miss Windrug left on her own choice, we had no reason to stop her”, the director sighs. Aziel looks at her in disbelief. “My name is registered here as her family and contact person. How do you let her go without notifying me? I'm her man, damn it! We just lost our children. Do you have any principles here?!” he yells uncontrollably across the room.
The staff look at each other with concern, they are used to angry relatives, but the way in which Aziel acts, they now fear for his health. Elevated blood pressure and stress can be just as terminal as chronic illnesses. “Mr. Renegade, take it easy. Go home, rest a bit and try to find out why Miss Windrug left without notifying you. That's a private matter where we can't offer you clarity," the head nurse tries to prod him.
Still mad as hell, Aziel storms out of the office into the parking lot and takes a seat in his car. He drives away at high speed, leaving tracks of the car tires visible against the paving stones.
In the car, he prints Loraine's number, but it goes straight to voicemail, which is very unusual. Loraine never skips his call, so he assumes her phone is still off. He drives to the house where she stayed five years ago, it is now for sale and clearly still uninhabited. He also visits her apartment where she often stayed if she wants to be untraceable, but in vain, the receptionist tells him that it has been empty for years and is only maintained by a cleaning company.
Aziel goes back to his home where they have lived for months. He feels an ache rising in his chest, he knows the case is taking its toll on his health. But it is unimaginable to him that Loraine disappears within less than three hours, while she was sound asleep when he left.
Then he calls Andre, maybe he helped Loraine leave which he strongly doubts. Andre would most certainly have notified him if he left the hospital with Loraine. “Andre, man, problems,” he begins. On the other end of the line, Andre braces himself for what he's about to hear. "Issues? Not anymore, Aziel. The last few weeks we only had setbacks. Life really has to get better," he responds in despair. Everything seems to be going wrong lately, everyone is now longing for good times.
“Loraine has disappeared. I went home for several hours to freshen up and when I came back she was gone. Checked out, the staff claims. On her own, do you believe that?! And I left her sleeping there, man," Aziel says almost in tears. “My life is over!”.
Andre is shocked by this weak Aziel, he has never heard him so defeated. “Aziel! No, be strong! She'll call you soon, please have your phone ready. Loraine never does anything without telling you beforehand. She may be in a slump and acted impulsively. Get a hold on yourself, man," he urges his friend.
"Do you really think so? I really hope so. She knows I can't go on without her. Of course, she will call me. You're absolutely right, Andre, I'm letting panic overwhelm me." Aziel takes a deep breath and tries to calm down.
“Go home and rest a bit. Tomorrow everything will be okay again. And I'll be there with you," Andre promises. The men end the conversation and Aziel does as his friend advised. Early on he is under the covers and falls fast asleep, exhausted from the emotions of the day.
After Andre hangs up, his phone rings again. An unknown number.
At first, he doesn't want to record it, he suspects it must have something to do with Dale. But when the number rings out completely and then calls again, he decides to accept the call anyway. It could still be Loraine trying to reassure him that she's safe. Or Kenjal, for some reason.
The call connects. “Hello,” he says in an emotionless voice...
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
