Tuesday morning dawned, and Stefan made his way to the hospital where Mike was admitted in. As he entered Mike's ward, a sudden projectile hurtled towards him, forcing Stefan to duck frantically. The can crashed into the wall, fell to the ground, and rolled away, drawing attention to the commotion.
Stefan's glare locked onto Mike, who had thrown the can. "You almost got me killed, you idiot!" he exclaimed, his voice laced with annoyance.
"That's not even enough to kill you, dumbass." Mike's response was laced with teasing. He winked at Stefan, leaving him stunned.
But Stefan's shock turned to disbelief as he realized something extraordinary. "Y...you can see me? Your sight is back?" he stuttered, his eyes wide with wonder.
Mike nodded, a smile spreading across his face. Stefan flung himself at him, embracing him tightly. "Finally... I was so worried," he cried, tears streaming down his face.
Mike patted Stefan's back in consolation. "You shouldn't cry, a high school senior like you should not. No need for tears."
Stefan pulled away, wiping his tears. "These are tears of joy, idiot. I'm overjoyed, even if I'm still in disbelief."
Mike's gaze shifted towards the door. "Let's get ready for school. She'll be here any second."
Stefan's curiosity was piqued. "Who? Are you expecting someone?"
Mike whispered, pointing his index finger at the door. "3...2...1... Piuuuh!" Just then, the door creaked open, and Rachael walked in.
Stefan's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my God!! How did you…"
"Her footsteps, they are loud." Mike replied and smiled knowingly.
Rachael's eyes scanned the room, taking in the scene. "Hello... Oh Stefan, you're here already!" But Stefan remained silent, still in shock. "You knew I was coming?"
"Rachael, your brother is…" Stefan's sentence trailed off, unsure of how to complete it.
Rachael's gaze landed on Mike, and her eyes widened in amazement. "You got back your sight?" she squealed, her voice filled with excitement. She hugged him. "But...how did it happen?" She pulled back, scanning Mike's eyes for verification.
Mike changed the subject, "It's a long story, I'll tell you later. Let's get ready for school." He turned to Rachael, "Did you see my message last night?"
Rachael nodded, "Yes, I thought you were crazy." She replied and sat down beside Mike on the bed.
Mike's eyes sparkled with anticipation, "So you didn't bring them? Seriously?"
Rachael chuckled, "Of course, I did." She set down the bag she was carrying. "I'm a curious person, I wanted to know what you planned to do with them."
Stefan's grumble cut through their conversation, "What's going on, guys? Why am I being left in the dark?"
"He texted me last night to bring his uniform and school bag this morning." Rachael filled him in.
Does that mean you got back your sight yesterday?" Stefan asked, tilting his head in confusion. Mike nodded and stretched his uniform to look closely at it.
Stefan's confusion deepened, "Then why did your mom tell us yesterday that you were sedated?"
Rachael furrowed her brows in realization. "Yes, that's true, mom said you were sedated. Were you really sedated yesterday?"
Mike shook his head, "That never happened. She might have had her reasons for saying that."
Rachael's expression turned grim, "Are you implying mom lied to us?"
Mike clarified, "I didn't say she lied. The doctors might have misled her to make her leave, so they could continue their pointless observations." Mike clarified and stepped down from the bed. "And speaking of that, I didn't get much attention from the doctors yesterday, and a strange man came to inspect me yesterday, but I recoiled."
Rachael's brows furrowed, "Something seems strange, I can feel it."
"The feeling is mutual; there's something amiss that we're not privy to," Stefan added, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he paced back and forth across the room. His eyes sparkled with intellectual curiosity, betraying a mind racing with possibilities.
Mike, however, seemed unfazed by the ominous undertones. "Whatever is going on is now none of my concern. My sight is back, and I get to live a normal life again," he said with a hint of nonchalance, before disappearing into the bathroom to change.
Rachael's gaze lingered on Stefan, her eyes narrowing as she posed a question. "Did you notice the abundance of guards on your way here?"
Stefan halted his pacing, his brow furrowing in thought. "Yes, I counted around four or five of them, they're armed," he replied. "Perhaps your mom arranged for them to keep a close eye on your brother."
"That's unlikely. My mom wouldn't waste resources stationing guards in a hospital. And judging by their demeanor, those men didn't appear to be ordinary guards. They seemed to belong to a large, organized entity," Rachael snorted, her tone laced with incredulity.
Mike emerged from the bathroom, now dressed in his school uniform. "What's going on? Why would mom deploy guards here to watch over me?" His eyebrows furrowed, confusion etched on his face. "What am I? A gangster? Or a president' son?"
Stefan and Rachael exchanged a confused glances, their eyes widening in unison. "You heard our conversation?" Rachael asked, her voice tinged with surprise.
Mike nodded, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "I heard everything, loud and clear."
Rachael's eyes narrowed, her voice laced with disbelief. "How...did you? We deliberately kept our voices down to avoid arousing suspicion."
"He even heard your footsteps earlier, that's how he knew you were coming," Stefan chimed in, his tone laced with awe. "Do you possess superhuman hearing or...?"
Mike snapped his fingers and smiled. "You get it, that's my second symptom," he replied.
Rachael's eyes sparkled with incredulity, her expression turning stern. "Enough with your nonsense! Super hearing? Don't be ridiculous!" Her scoff cutting through the air. "If my suspicions about the guards are correct, then you're in grave danger."
"What are you thinking?" Mike and Stefan asked in unison, their curiosity palpable.
Rachael's expression turned grave. "I'm thinking of a possible hostage situation. Your medical records must have reached the people up there, and they might be interested in exploiting your unique condition," she said, pointing her finger up.