Chapter 294: Chapter 294: Investigation (4-F)


    [Edward POV]


    As Chloe''s monitoring room had glass walls, allowing doctors to respond immediately if something was wrong with the patients, I couldn''t cast the healing spell on her right away.


    Chloe lay motionless, her mouth intubated to assist her breathing. Her life was in danger due to the blunt force trauma to the back of her head. Trixie cried non-stop, only stopping when she fell asleep from exhaustion.


    Around midnight., the blue wave—the influx of police officers checking on her—finally died down. They had collected donations for Chloe, filling a bucket with contributions. With no work to keep me occupied, I found myself bored and began counting the money. They had donated $1,200 for her hospital fund, which made me scoff in derision.


    The ER was closed to visitors, allowing only close family members inside. I flirted with some nurses in hopes of getting an exception to stay, but Randall and my security had to wait outside.


    "Finally, I have a chance," I mumbled as I snuck into the monitoring room after the foot traffic in the ward had lessened.


    However, just as I stood in front of the door, several car crash victims were rushed into the emergency room by doctors and nurses, causing the ward to erupt with activity once more.


    "Damn it," I muttered, giving up on trying to cure Chloe for now. I waited an hour until the ward returned to its calm state. But just as I walked past the door, it slammed open again, this time admitting gunshot victims from a drug deal gone wrong.


    I tried for the third time, and Chloe''s blood pressure crashed before I could get to the door. The nurses and doctors got there first, and they spent around an hour getting her out of the danger zone. It was a tough night for the doctors and Chloe too.


    Exhausted, I slumped on the metal chair nearby, wanting to wait for another chance when the emergency room doctor, Dr Lauren Bloom, approached Trixie and Chloe''s ex-husband who was sitting nearby.


    Detective Dan Espinoza immediately became alert when the doctor came and slightly moved his daughter''s head from sleeping on his lap and stood up to talk to her.


    I couldn''t hear the beginning of their conversation, but I caught the last part of what Dr. Lauren said: "...I understand this is difficult to hear. Unfortunately, at this point, it''s important to prepare for the possibility of saying goodbye..."


    "NO!" Dan shouted, frazzled by the doctor''s words. His outburst startled Trixie awake. "You—You need to keep trying!" Dan struggled to hold back his emotions, tears pooling in his eyes as he grabbed the doctor''s coat collar, threatening her.


    "Sir—" Dr. Lauren widened her eyes. "Please calm down."


    I quickly grabbed his arm to prevent the situation from escalating. "Dan, let Dr. Lauren go."


    As he turned toward me, I became the target for all his anger. He grabbed my collar with both hands and shouted, "THIS IS ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT—"


    I interjected, my expression cold and I spoke in a low chilling tone. "My fault? Was I the one who made her so fucking bullheaded? And..." I twisted his hand violently behind his back. He winced in pain as his knees buckled to the ground.


    "Get your fucking mind together. Your daughter is watching you," I whispered in his ear before pushing him away. He stumbled forward, landing on all fours. As he panted, his mind reset, and he regained his composure. He turned to Trixie, who was watching him with fear in her eyes.


    I picked Trixie up into my arms and turned to Dan. "Go wash your face, apologize to Dr. Lauren, and then join us inside the room. Don''t worry. Chloe will get through this. She''s pretty fucking tough."


    Trixie gasped. "You said a bad word."


    Flabbergasted, I turned to her. "Your dad did it first."


    "Yeah, but you''re a kid. Kids shouldn''t say bad words," she lectured me.


    I was in disbelief. "Adults shouldn''t either. And definitely not in front of kids, or to one." My words seemed to prick Dan''s guilty conscience.


    Ignoring him, I went inside the room and set Trixie down. She moved toward her mother but hesitated, afraid to cross the last 20 centimeters.


    Trixie turned to me and asked, "Is my mother dying? Is that why Dad..."


    "Nah, she''s just asleep," I interjected casually. "If you''re worried, you should close your eyes and pray for her."


    What I needed was for her to close her eyes for a moment so I could cast the spell. Trixie took some time to collect herself before asking, "Pray for what?"


    "For your mom to open her eyes," I added, my tone slightly anxious. Dan could come into the room at any moment, and I really needed Trixie to close her eyes now.


    Trixie clasped her hands together but didn''t shut her eyes, keeping her gaze fixed on her mother, which made me roll my eyes. I knew she was going through a tough time, but I was desperate.


    I gently closed her eyes with my left hand. "Don''t peek. It won''t work if you peek."


    "Not even a little?" she asked in disbelief.


    "Yeah," I replied casually, placing my right hand on Chloe''s head. As expected, a shiny glow erupted as the spell took effect. Chloe''s entire head lit up in a golden hue, and the wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.


    Trixie seemed to sense the glow but forcibly kept her eyes shut, continuing to pray. The light spilled out of the monitoring room and flowed into the lobby. Some nurses and Dr. Lauren caught a glimpse of it, but it disappeared within seconds, leaving them puzzled about what had just happened.


    Trixie peeked with her right eye after the glow disappeared. Her mother was still sleeping on the bed, but her vitals signs and her brain activity had gotten to the normal range. I breathed in relief after I checked the monitors.


    I turned to the kid and saw that she was on the brink of crying. "It didn''t work!" She cried before she turned to hug me. "Cause you didn''t poke her, that''s why." I added in a casual admonishing manner.


    "What?" Trixie was stunned, and she turned to her mother. "Poke her where?"


    "I don''t know. You choose." I replied. Trixie was confused, but then, she slowly moved her hand towards Chloe''s head, and poked her cheek with her index finger. She poked it multiple times, but Chloe was still unresponsive.


    Trixie turned to me angrily and said, "You liar–"


    Before she could finish, Chloe abruptly sat up, which made both Trixie and I yelled in horror. I cleared my throat immediately and called for the doctor as Chloe was struggling with the intubation. Dr Lauren was close by and she immediately ran to Chloe.


    "Nah, she woke up. She''s fine. Just a few days of observation, and she can go home," I replied dismissively.


    "Then what seems to be the problem?" Dr. Linda asked in a calming voice.


    I chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Well, I don''t think I suit the police genre. I''m too anxious to function properly."


    "Oh—oh! Because sitcoms are your thing," Dr. Linda said, already understanding my point.


    I nodded, unaware I was being led on. "Yes. In sitcoms, you don''t have to think about your favorite characters being shot to death in a police shootout. The worst death in a sitcom would be from a piano falling, excessive masturbation, or an offscreen elevator mishap. You wouldn''t actually see people you like bleeding out, their family members crying desperately for them."


    What followed was a lengthy rant about TV tropes and the stark differences between television and real life. Linda listened attentively, allowing me to express my thoughts without interjecting. I told her everything that happened with Chloe, not omitting any details.


    "Ah, I really can''t handle it—the weight of someone''s life on my shoulders." I let out a beleaguered sigh before lying back on the couch.


    Linda leaned forward and asked, "Aren''t you holding that weight right now?"


    "I mean, I feel pressure when dealing with the company, too. People''s livelihoods depend on me. I can''t make a mistake. One wrong move, and poof—everything I''ve worked hard for will crumble."


    "Let''s focus on that for a moment," Linda said, catching something in my response and trying to help me delve deeper into my concerns.


    ...


    [General POV]


    In Taylor''s apartment, Selena walked toward Taylor, who was absorbed in her phone, texting someone.


    "Is he still not answering?" Selena asked.


    Taylor sighed in frustration. "No. Pepper couldn''t get in touch with him either. How can I release the song if he''s not even in the right frame of mind for it?"


    The picture of Edward at the hospital had gone viral, sparking countless speculations about what had happened. The image, showing his bloodied, torn shirt and worried expression as he brought Chloe into the hospital, had been uploaded to social media by someone present at the scene.


    News of Edward staying overnight at the hospital had also circulated, leading to a crowd of fans gathering outside the Entertain company building, eager to know if he was alright.


    "Just postpone it," Selena suggested. "You haven''t even finished the song yet."


    Taylor fell silent for a moment, contemplating. "Should I go to his house?"


    Selena rolled her eyes. "Why would you? You''ll just add to his stress."


    Finally looking up, Taylor said, "You go then."


    Baffled, Selena stammered, "W-Why should I go?"


    "You said I shouldn''t go! Then, you go!" Taylor insisted. "Check on him! Make sure he''s alright!"


    "Just ask his cousin Maggie!" Selena retorted. Taylor looked taken aback. "Oh, right. I can do that." Though she quickly realized that Maggie didn''t know anything either—she was just as in the dark as everyone else.


    Meanwhile, after school, Jacob climbed into the backseat of the car and asked his mother, Mrs. Green, "Can you drive me to the hospital?"


    Flabbergasted, Mrs. Green turned from the driver''s seat and frantically caressed Jacob''s arm. "Why do you want to go to the hospital? Did you break something in practice?"


    "No. I need to see Ed," Jacob replied. Just then, he received a text in the group chat. As he read it, he said, "Ed has already gone home. Can you drive me there instead?"


    "Honey, I think you need to give him some space. He just got home. He needs rest," Mrs. Green said. "School''s over for the year. You can see him tomorrow."


    "MOM!" Jacob protested. "How can I be his ''bro'' if I don''t check on him?"


    "Hmm, why don''t you take care of your actual brother instead?" Mrs. Green suggested casually. "Edward will be fine. He''s very smart." She added before driving away.


    As everyone speculated about Edward, he finally returned home after his session with Linda. After parking the car, he called his dad. "Can I take the ship out tonight?"


    "When?" Ted agreed easily. The ship in question was the flawed vessel Edward had bought and modified to make it seaworthy again. It was the family''s personal ship, not for business use. So far, Ted had only sailed it four times in three months since its reconstruction.


    "You''re not going to ask why?" Edward inquired.


    Ted smiled. "You want a short escape to clear your mind. We''re similar in that way. But you can''t sail by yourself since you don''t have a license, so you''ll need someone to go with you."


    "I''ll ask Dwayne if he can do it," Edward mumbled, unaware of his dad''s disappointment.


    "Or I can do it," Ted suggested.


    Edward furrowed his brows. "You have two trips today. Don''t play hooky. Do your work properly."


    As Edward stepped into the living room, he was surprised to find someone sitting on his couch.


    "Why are you here?" he asked, taken aback.