"Accident? No! No! What hospital?" Aurora shouted, scrambling to her feet. Orion, confused, rushed up, following his wife to the car in panic.
"King Duke's Hospital. Get here fast." The doctor said this before hanging up.
"What's going on?" Orion asked, hurriedly starting the car's engine.
"Drive Orion! Paris had an accident!"
"What!! She just left the house, and her car's in good condition."
"And what are you telling me for? Drive faster!!"
*TWENTY MINUTES*
"Is this the right hospital?" Orion asked, pulling up in front of an odd-looking hospital.
"Who gives a fuck? Let's go!" Aurora shouted, rushing down from the car.
"Ma'am, how can we help you?" A beautiful nurse asked, approaching Aurora.
"My daughter! My daughter!" She cried, hitting the nurse's hand.
"Okay okay! Hold on!" The nurse said she was trying to calm Aurora down. "What's your daughter's name?"
"Paris. Paris Zander!" Aurora said, searching the nurse's eyes for a positive nudge. Orion ran in, panting heavily.
"Someone saw her car on the road. It was burned."
"Oh my gosh, nurse! Where is my daughter?" Aurora shouted all the more tensed.
"She's here, okay? She's in the ICU, so we need you to calm down. You cannot see her now because the doctor is still with her, but you will see her soon in about thirty minutes." The nurse said that and attempted to leave. Aurora pulled her back, staring right into her soul.
"I must see Paris, and I must see her right now."
"You cannot see her now, understand? Sit here!" The nurse snapped, hitting Aurora off her. Aurora fell to the floor, dramatically crying.
"The Leonards are calling." Orion said he was picking up the call.
"My goodness, Orion! What happened to Paris?" Mrs. Jade asked, frightened.
"An accident—a matter of fact, her car was seen burning."
"No!" Mrs. Jade gasped in shock. "How's Aurora holding up? Is she okay?"
"Not quite. We are at the hospital."
"Okay, what hospital?"
"Uhm, King Duke's Hospital."
"We'll be right over." Mrs. Jade said before ending the call.
"What did they say?" Aurora asked, looking up at her husband.
"They'll be right over." He sighed, looking over at his wife. "Aurora, please get up."
"No! I will not until I see my daughter!" She shouted, starting over in full-blown tears.
"Alright! You must be Orion Zander." Doctor Duke said he was approaching the couple. Aurora rushed to her feet, eagerly shaking the doctor's hand.
"Yes, I am." Orion warmly said.
"Right this way then," Doctor Duke said, pointing the couple in the direction of his office.
"No, we are going to my office... for a little chitchat while Paris rests for a bit. We will check up on her soon." The doctor said to walk before the couple. They all nodded and continued in silence till they got to the doctor's office.
"Here we are; please take your seats." The doctor gestured immediately, and they walked into his office.
"Straight to the point, doctor, what happened to her? Aurora started.
"The AC of her car got poisoned, and as a result, she got dizzy and ran into a water truck that was parked. I am not certain how the gas from her AC got poisoned, but for sure, her lungs may be in serious danger. We need proper time to take care of her, but she's stable now and will be able to go home with you by 4:00 pm."
"That's four hours from now." Aurora whispered in tears.
"Correct. If you want Zanders, she can receive home services based on your history with us." The doctor added.
"No problem; we would love that." Aurora said, faking a smile.
"The bills?" Orion asked, lifting his eyebrow.
"That will be discussed later, Orion." The doctor said she was smiling.
"But then, Duke, how did you find my daughter? We got news that the car is burning; was it already burning before you found Paris?"
"My hospital got a call, and we sent the ambulance there. I always heard of the burning—her car was sabotaged." The doctor said he was lowering his tone and maintaining a strong gaze with the couple sitting before him.
"Sabotaged? How?"
"We don't know for sure, but whoever did it put timed explosives in her car. The plan was to make her drowsy, then burn her. According to the map she was following and the number of minutes on the explosive, she was supposed to drive and be alone in a lone street and burn there, but she got lucky that people noticed her half-dead at the steering wheel and called for help before the explosives went off."
Aurora could not hold back. She jumped up in heavy tears, pacing the doctor's office with her hands on her head.
"Someone's out to kill my daughter?" Orion whispered, unable to comprehend.
"Affirmative, and I suggest you contact the police as soon as possible." The doctor nodded.
"Thank you, doctor." Orion said, stretching his hand for a handshake with the doctor. They shook hands, and Orion stood up.
"Please, where is she?" Aurora was already at the door.
"There's a nurse waiting outside; she will show you where Paris is."
"Thank you, doctor." Orion said before they walked out.
"Orion, someone's trying to kill our baby." Aurora said, still in tears.
"The Zanders?" A nurse asked, approaching them in the corridor of the doctor's office.
Aurora nodded.
"Come with me." She said she was leading them to Paris's ward.
Aurora rushed in the second she sighted Paris. Orion and the Leonards walked in seconds later.
There Paris lay, breathing through the oxygen tank with her leg hung up.
"My baby!" Aurora cried, caressing Paris's hair.
"Who did this?" James Leonard asked, staring in confusion.
"I will kill whoever is responsible." Orion said, swollen with anger.
Ivan stood in the back, grinning darkly.
"She's going to be alright." Mrs. Jade said, patting Aurora's back.
"Where was she going anyway?" Orion asked, staring at his injured daughter.
"To Stephan's place." Ivan suddenly blurted out.
"That fucking-" Aurora started angrily. Suddenly she paused, slowly turning her head to Ivan. She asked, "Wait, how do you know?"