The hospital's sterile walls felt suffocating, the sharp scent of antiseptic lingering in the air.
Claire and Chris walked briskly through the corridors, their footsteps echoing in the quiet tension of the hospital wing.
The events of the day weighed heavily on them—Vanessa's escape, Emma's condition, the near-tragedy that had unfolded. Everything.
Once they got to the front desk at the lobby, they asked about Emma and after the receptionist had given them directions, they headed in the direction the receptionist had pointed.
As they approached Emma's ward, their eyes landed on Alex. He was pacing just outside the closed door, running a hand through his disheveled hair, his face pale and drawn with worry.
Though Emma was fine, he still couldn't help being worried especially she was alone recieving treatments.
The controlled, commanding presence Alex usually carried was nowhere to be seen. Claire looked at him and she couldn't help feeling sorry for her brother.
The moment he noticed them, Alex stopped pacing and turned towards them. His face softened for a second with relief but quickly shifted back to tension.
"Did you give your statements?" he asked, his voice hoarse as if he'd been shouting or—crying which he had been.
Claire nodded, exchanging a glance with Chris. "Yeah. The police said they'll be here soon to get Emma's statement too. As soon as she's stable enough."
Alex exhaled sharply and nodded, his gaze drifting back toward the closed door.
"I just wish they had gotten her," he said, his voice hardening as he thought about Vanessa and the wound to Emma's head which was given by Vanessa.
"I'm sure she'll be caught sooner or later," Chris said and Claire nodded.
"How is she?" she asked, her voice low.
"She's receiving treatment," Alex answered, his voice cracking slightly despite his effort to sound composed. "The doctors said she's stable... but she's still unconscious. They're running tests, monitoring everything closely. I just hope it isn't something serious."
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Claire said and Alex sighed.
A heavy silence followed, all three of them feeling the weight of those words. Claire folded her arms tightly across her chest as her eyes settled on the door, willing Emma to be okay.
Minutes passed, the quiet broken only by the occasional sound of footsteps from the hospital staff. Claire shifted on her feet, restless. The tension was unbearable.
Emma was alive, they all knew that but somehow, the anxiety of her being okay without having some sort of brain damage or anything of the sort gnawed at their insides.
As they sat there, all of them in their thoughts, a soft vibration, startling them out of their thoughts broke the silence.
It was a phone ringing. A muffled sound, one neither of them found familiar.
Claire frowned, instinctively reaching into her coat pocket since that was where the sound was from.
Her heart skipped a beat when her fingers brushed the cool glass of Emma's phone. She had completely forgotten she had it.
The screen was glowing, the name flashing clearly: Ivy.
Claire blinked, then held the phone up, her face twisting with guilt as she stared at the missed calls and unread notifications.
"The phone... it's Emma's," she whispered, her throat tight.
Emma's phone! He had completely forgotten about it after giving Claire the phone the previous day and Claire in her haste to go to the police station that morning with Alex had picked up the jacket since she hadn't had the time to loo for something else entirely.
Alex's gaze snapped to the device. "Who is it?" he asked unable to stop himself.
Claire hesitated, then exhaled. "It says... Ivy. I think it's her friend. The one we thought she went out with before all of this..."
Alex nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing in thought. "Answer it."
If truly she was a true friend she was probably calling because she hadn't heard from Emma and was probably worried.
Claire nodded but before she could press the receive button, the screen darkened indicating that the call had ended.
"The call has ended. There are three missed messages too," she murmured, tapping the screen, but it was locked. "She must've sent them hours ago... I can't open it."
They exchanged worried glances just as the phone vibrated again. Ivy was calling back.
Without hesitation, Claire answered, pressing the phone to her ear.
"Emma? Oh my God, where have you been? Why aren't you answering my texts? I've been so worried! I hope you're good?" Ivy's voice poured through, frantic and fast.
Claire swallowed hard. "Um... Ivy? This isn't Emma. It's Claire speaking."
There was a pause. "Claire?" Ivy's voice dropped, confused. "Claire as in Alex's sister? Why do you have Emma's phone? Where's Emma? And why hasn't she been responding to my texts? What's going on?"
Although she hadn't thought much about it when she had tried calling Emma the previous day to ask about the date with Chris and if she was truly going to do what Claire suggested, everything had changed when Emma didn't return the call and wasn't responding to her texts too.
She had thought of a way to get through to Emma but they was no way especially since she hadn't exactly been to Alex's place. That had been her regret all day and she hadn't even been able to focus on work either.
Claire hearing the worry in Ivy's voice exchanged a glance with Alex before speaking, her voice gentle but strained. "Ivy... something happened. Emma was kidnapped."
The silence on the other end was deafening as Ivy tried to register the words.
"What?" Ivy finally whispered, her voice trembling. "What do you mean kidnapped? Who would do that? Why? When?" Ivy asked excessively as she stood up and began pacing the entire length of her office.
"She was taken yesterday," Claire continued, her voice faltering slightly.
Ivy's voice rose, thick with panic. "Oh my God. What happened? How? Have you heard from the kidnappers? Did they—"
"We already got her... we only just found her today. She's in the hospital now as I speak to you," Claire said and Ivy let out a relieved sigh.
"The hospital? How's her condition?" she asked already packing her bags.
"She's safe," Claire repeated, trying to keep Ivy calm. "She's being treated now. She's stable, but she's still unconscious."
There was a shaky breath on the other end. "Thank God she's safe. What hospital is she in? I—I need to come."
Claire quickly relayed the hospital's name, sensing the urgency in Ivy's voice.
"I'll be there as soon as I can," Ivy whispered before the call ended abruptly.
Claire lowered the phone slowly, her heart still racing. She looked up at Alex and Chris, both of whom were watching her closely.
"She's on her way," Claire said quietly, slipping the phone back into her pocket.
Alex nodded but said nothing, his gaze once again returning to the door.
For a long moment, none of them spoke. The worry was too loud, too thick in the air to be ignored. Claire felt it pressing against her chest—the ache of helplessness, of not being able to do more.
They all stayed there, Alex still pacing around, his eyes glancing to the door at intervals.
"What's taking them ages? Do you think there's complications?" he asked but Claire shook her head.
"I'm sure it's nothing. Just relax...."
"Relax? I can't. I need to know her condition," Alex said and Chris walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Suddenly, the sharp buzz of her phone shattered the silence. Claire startled, fumbling slightly as she pulled it out of her pocket. The screen glowed with a name she was least expecting to see.
Margaret.
Her breath caught, and for a split second, something unreadable crossed her face—an emotion so fleeting yet so heavy that Alex straightened, watching her closely.
Why was Margaret calling her now? Did she perhaps speak with Vanessa? Or does she know where Vanessa is?
His voice was quiet but sharp with concern. "Claire? What is it?" he asked looking her over.
Claire blinked, hesitating, then exhaled softly. "It's... Margaret."
The name hung in the air like a curse. Alex's face darkened. His jaw clenched as he crossed his arms, his voice colder now.
Chris watched the two siblings and he could tell just by looking at them that they were both not on the same terms.
"Why is she calling?" Alex asked, his gaze drifting to the phone.
Claire shook her head, the phone still vibrating in her hand. "I don't know. Maybe to ask if we've seen Emma or... something. Maybe she's seen Vanessa or have news for us. I don't know and I wouldn't know if I don't take it."
Alex exhaled harshly, the anger simmering just beneath the surface. "You can answer if you want, but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to forgive Margaret or Jake for what they did. For putting Emma's life in danger like this. Even if she has Vanessa's location, it still wouldn't change the fact that all this is happening because of them."