9th July 2022 – LA Medical Hospital – 5:42 PM
Kai stared up at the sterile white ceiling above him, his mind blank, his thoughts numb. The room around him was quiet except for the rhythmic beep of a nearby monitor and the distant sound of hushed conversations outside his door. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. The weight of everything that had happened, everything that was happening, was too much for him to bear.
All his life, he had fought for one thing: to make a name for himself, to step out of the shadows, to be someone. He had struggled for it, craved it, and now... it was beyond his reach. His dreams felt so far away, like they were vanishing in the cold, sterile air of the hospital room. The future he had once imagined now seemed impossible to achieve.
Tears pooled at the corner of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. After Nana's passing, he had sworn he wouldn't cry anymore. He would keep moving forward. He would fight. But now, as the weight of his new reality settled over him like a suffocating blanket, the tears came anyway. He tried to hold them back, but they wouldn't stop. His entire body felt drained, exhausted, weighed down by his own sorrow.
The pain in his spine was numbing, the effect of the bullet and the heavy meds. It made it almost impossible to even move his arms, let alone his legs. Every time he tried to adjust his position, the heaviness of his body and the dull ache in his limbs only grew. His mind wandered in and out of focus, and his thoughts kept spiraling back to the last 24 hours—the chaos, the pain, the helplessness.
How did this happen? How did I end up here?
Lost in his misery, he barely noticed the sound of the door gently opening. Three people walked into the room, their footsteps soft, almost hesitant. At first, Kai didn't recognize them, but then he saw the elderly man in their midst, and his heart skipped a beat.
It was the blind man. The man who had come into the convenience store the night of the robbery.
Kai's eyes widened in disbelief, his mind racing as he tried to process the coincidence, or was it fate? The old man, looking just as frail as before, seemed to be walking with the help of two others— presumably his son judging by their facial similarities, a man in his early 40s, and a woman in her late 30s.
The man, who Kai assumed was the son, cleared his throat, drawing Kai's attention back to the present.
"Mr. Jones," the man began, his voice sincere and steady. "I've spoken to Dr. Richard about your condition, and I first want to express my deepest gratitude for taking care of my father last night." His words were sincere, and there was a hint of guilt in his tone as he continued, "Secondly, I must offer my sincerest apologies for what has happened to you. I am so sorry for your condition."
Kai flinched at the mention of his condition, his mind still struggling to come to terms with it. The words seemed to hit him harder than expected. He could feel his pulse quicken, his chest tighten. The weight of the situation was starting to sink in again.
Kai's gaze shifted to the old man next to the couple, his heart sinking as he saw the small limp in his step. The old man winced slightly, and Kai's concern flared up again.
"Are you alright, sir?" Kai asked, his voice raspy, strained from the pain and the drugs still coursing through his body. His instinct was to check on the elderly man, to make sure he was okay—after everything, the man had been the one to suffer at the hands of the robbers.
The old man smiled, a warm, reassuring smile, and stepped closer to Kai's bedside. "Dear boy," he said, his voice a soft whisper, "I've lived my life plenty. I should be asking you that question. Are you alright?"
Kai's heart twisted, his throat tightening as he fought to keep the tears at bay. His hands felt weak and numb, but he still used what little strength he had to squeeze the old man's hand in an attempt to reassure him.
The couple, who had been standing quietly by the door, exchanged a brief glance, and Kai noticed the woman's eyes were wet, a few tears escaping as she watched the exchange. She wiped her eyes quickly, but Kai could see the sadness and gratitude in her expression.
The man, Steven, cleared his throat once more, his voice becoming firmer as he addressed Kai. "Mr. Jones," he said, "My name is Steven August, and this is my wife, Eliza. This is my father, Jeffrey. I'm the Chief of the Cosmetology Department at this hospital." He paused for a moment, as though gathering his thoughts. "I want to assure you that we are doing everything we can to help you. I've spoken with Dr. Richard, and I've already made some calls to the best surgeons in the country to see if there are any experimental treatments or surgeries that might help you walk again."
Kai blinked in shock. The possibility—the hope—that he might one day walk again, that he might still have a future, suddenly felt so real. It was as though someone had handed him a lifeline in the middle of his despair.
Steven's eyes softened as he continued, "Please, Mr. Jones, don't lose hope. We will help you as best we can. And as for the hospital bills and treatment costs—don't worry about them. We'll take care of everything."
Kai could hardly process what he was hearing. His mind was spinning, the weight of Steven's words sinking in, but the reality of it seemed too overwhelming. He couldn't believe it. After everything that had happened, this man—someone he didn't even know—was offering him hope. Offering him a chance.
Kai's throat tightened, and for the first time since the incident, he allowed himself to feel something other than fear or anger. The overwhelming wave of gratitude flooded over him, and despite the weakness in his body, he managed to whisper, "Thank you."
Steven smiled again, and his eyes twinkled with warmth. "It's the least I can do," he said softly, his voice full of kindness. "Now, you just focus on getting better. We'll take care of the rest."
The room fell into a comfortable silence as the August family lingered for a few moments. Kai's mind, still hazy from the meds and the shock, tried to process everything that had just happened. It felt like a dream, like someone else's life. Could he really have a future? Could he still pursue his dreams? Could he be the person he always wanted to be?
As the family began to leave, the old man, Jeffrey, squeezed Kai's hand one last time. "Take care of yourself, my boy," he said, his voice gruff but full of warmth. "You have a life to live."
Those words bought a sense of warmth to Kai. It reminded of how his Nana used to speak to him. The beeping of the monitor was the only sound that filled the silence. But now, for the first time in a long while, there was a flicker of hope in his heart.