"Did they take her to the hospital?" Reylan's voice echoed from the entrance, causing both Christina and Blaze to turn around. Christina nodded before her attention quickly returned to her search for the earliest flight as a road trip would take at least six hours.
"Send him the hospital address. Let's shift her to Unity Hospital here," Reylan suggested as he approached them. He then turned to Blaze and ordered, "Assemble a team and bring her here safely. Call Dr. John and have him prepare everything."
Christina didn't refuse his help, especially when her mother's health was at stake. She gave Blaze a nod of approval, sensing his silent request for permission.
Blaze quickly dialed their family doctor, who ran a renowned hospital for humans and supernaturals in the city. After receiving a nod from his brother, Blaze rushed off to assist Christina's family.
"You should inform your family. They need to be ready," Reylan advised. Christina nodded, quickly dialing her grandmother's number as calling her resentful father would only end up in another argument.
"Grandma! How is she?" Christina's voice trembled, tears welling up in her eyes at the grim news. "She will be fine, Nana! Don't worry. Ask the doctor if she can travel. My boss is sending help." Her grandmother hummed in response before ending the call.
Christina felt her world spin as she heard her gutsy grandmother's voice shake for the first time. Her mother was the only person she held close to her heart. If anything happened to her…
"She will be fine. Don't worry," Reylan echoed Christina's words, offering a comforting rub on her back after a moment's hesitation. Christina nodded, steeling herself with his support.
---
[Unity Medical Center.]
Christina felt like an eternity had passed before she finally saw her mother being rushed out of the elevator. She sprang from her seat, tears streaming down her face as she saw her mother's face obscured by an oxygen mask. Margaret, her grandmother, held her as the doctors whisked Lillian into intensive care.
"She will be fine," Christina mumbled like a mantra, holding back her tears as her grandmother broke down in her arms.
"Says the one responsible for her condition." A loud voice echoed from behind them. Even Reylan turned around with a frown. His gaze met Blaze's behind a middle-aged man, and he shook his head before approaching him.
"What did you say to her last night? She had been depressed all night and collapsed as soon as she woke up," Richard accused, his voice piercing Christina's heart.
"Stop it, Richard! She's been sick for days," Margaret defended, cutting him off.
Christina turned to her grandmother in shock. At her expression, Margaret sighed and revealed, "She almost fainted on your birthday. I wanted to call you, but she stopped me."
"And you might be aware of why she fainted. She lost her son the day you-"
"Richard!" Margaret cut him off with a glare. Richard instantly fell silent.
Christina sat on the bench, her knuckles white as she gripped the edges. "You should have told me, Nana." Her voice was barely a whisper. Margaret sighed, guilt washing over her. Lillian wished Christina to spend her birthday happily for once, especially now that she had someone special in her life. If only they knew things were far worse than any of her cursed birthdays.
"It was better if she never had you," Richard started again, breaking Margaret's last thread of patience. Wiping her tears, she took his hand and led him out of the corridor. It was better to leave Christina alone than to let her father shatter her already fragile heart.
Reylan and Blaze exchanged glances as the family drama came to an end. "He really is a pain," Blaze murmured to Reylan, recalling Richard's obstinacy during the transfer of Christina's mother. It was as if he saw Christina as a curse in their family, and he couldn't help but wonder why he would resent his own daughter. Human relationships were still a puzzle to him.
An hour later, Dr. John emerged with his team. He acknowledged the vampire prince with a nod. "Who is the patient's guardian?" he asked. As Christina rose, he gestured for them to follow him to his cabin.
"Please, take a seat," John said, pointing to the couch as they entered his office. He removed his apron and settled opposite the presentation screen. Christina and the vampires took their places on the adjacent couch.
"A strange virus is spreading through her blood, affecting all her organs. It is now spreading around her brain," the assistant doctor explained, presenting the reports and test results. Christina nodded, aware of the situation. But compared to her mother's scans from last month, the situation looked dire.
"What exactly happened that day?" Dr. John asked. He was already aware of the situation, having contacted the previous consultant. But something didn't add up.
Christina nodded, deciding to explain the major issue. "She had many wounds from the accident. The doctors performed surgery and she was fine for a few weeks. But then she started showing symptoms like dizziness and fainting. They found a strange virus in her blood, possibly from the accident site. They tried to operate on the most affected parts but couldn't eliminate the virus completely."
The vampires looked confused, not understanding a word. But Dr. John, a hybrid wizard, nodded. With a sigh, he said, "Her condition has worsened. We might need to move her to Nexus Healthcare."
The vampires' expressions changed at his suggestion. While Reylan frowned, Blaze looked shocked. Was Christina's mother suffering from a supernatural-mutated disease? Because that hospital only researched on such rare cases.
"Nexus Healthcare is my private research unit where we work on rare cases like your mother's. I can't guarantee a complete cure, but we might be able to slow down the virus," Dr. John explained, his eyes shifting to Reylan. This treatment would be beyond Christina's means, but not for this vampire prince.
"Please move her quickly," Blaze responded. Reylan nodded in agreement.
"Alright, then," Dr. John said with a smile. His assistant quickly followed his orders. Christina felt suffocated, not by their generosity, but by the guilt that still haunted her. If only she hadn't gone home that day…
"Let's go," Reylan's voice broke her train of thought. She nodded, rising from her seat.
"Mr. Blackwood, let's have a drink later. It's been a while," Dr. John suggested, hinting at a need for a private, supernatural discussion about the situation. The patient's condition was a danger sign, not just for humanity but also for them.
Reylan nodded, then guided Christina out of the office. "We'll have to wait a few more hours to see her, per Dr. John's recommendation," he said. Christina nodded, though she was desperate to see her mother.
"Why don't you both go grab something to eat and come back? I'll handle things here until then," Blaze suggested, seeing an opportunity for his brother. But to his surprise, Reylan shook his head. Where was the ruthless vampire who exploited humans at their weakest?
"Why is he here?" Reylan's question made Blaze turn towards the corridor in front of the ICU. He frowned, and Christina sighed at the sight of Derek.
Her father had always wanted a son, and Derek had been filling that role for the past few years. No wonder he was called. But before she could ignore them, Richard suddenly walked towards her, his eyes cold and rage-filled.
Pak!
A harsh slap landed on Christina's face, not just the vampires but also the passerby workers.