CHAPTER 3: HOSPITAL

ELENA'S POV,

I stood by Molly’s bed, praying to the Moon Goddess to heal my daughter.

Machines beeped steadily in the background as I looked down at her fragile body beneath the white sheets. She looked pale and lifeless. I gripped the edge of the cold hospital bed as if it were the only thing keeping me from collapsing on the floor.

Kai asked a nurse to do my bandages, even when I told him I didn't need anyone to waste their time looking after me. The doctors agreed with Kai, saying I had lost too much blood, and it wouldn't be good for me if I left the wounds untreated. But I didn't care about myself. I couldn't, in that situation.

None of them got me, they only acted like they did.

The doctor who was treating Molly approached quietly. “Luna Elena, your daughter is temporarily stable. But she's not out of danger yet. She needs more help.”

“Not out of danger?” I asked, ignoring the stings on my shoulders whenever I moved. “What does that supposed to mean?”

“She needs Dr. Jenna's help. She is the best healer in the pack, and is the only one who could help Molly,” the doctor sighed, looking at his wristwatch. “Please go and talk to her about this. The sooner we start the treatment, the better it will be for your daughter.”

I nodded my head, swallowing the lump forming in my throat. “W-Where is Dr. Jenna?”

Beta Kai stepped in front, he had been with me the whole time, taking over all the responsibilities of Julian. He wasn't just making sure I and Molly were okay, but also taking care of the pack after the attack. He looked exhausted, and the blood from carrying Molly earlier was still smeared on his arm.

“She's upstairs. Top floor,” he said, and the doctor nodded in agreement. “I will send someone to talk to her.”

I turned my head to face him and shook my head. “Thank you, Kai. For everything, but I should be the one talking to her. “You're hurt, Luna. You can't walk all those stairs.

“No, I am fine. I can walk around, and I barely feel the wounds anymore,” I lied because I didn't want to bother him anymore. He already had too many things to take care of because of Julian.

He gave me a tired smile. “I don't think I can win with you. Anyway, I need to help with the clean-up, but call me if you need anything. I mean it.”

“Thank you, Kai.” I gave his hand an appreciative squeeze before he left the hospital.

After that, I didn’t waste any time thinking about it. I left the room and went upstairs. My body was burning due to the wounds, and my heart felt heavier with every step I took. All I could think of was finding Dr. Jenna because she was my last hope.

But the moment I stepped onto the top floor, my steps slowed, because I saw them.

Julian and Lauren.

 They were sitting outside one of the operating theatres. Lauren was crying about something, and Julian’s hand was on her back, rubbing affectionately to comfort her. He was accompanying her like she were his wife and not an ex.

His head was bent low, and I saw him murmuring something to her. I couldn’t make out exactly what he was saying, but I saw her nodding and wiping her tears. The way they were sitting, her posture, his presence—they screamed familiarity and love. Not duty, or obligation.

Suddenly, Julian looked up and saw me standing near the stairs, staring at them with disgust filled in my eyes. He stood up immediately, awkwardly stepping away from Lauren like he’d been caught doing something wrong.

“Elena,” he said, trying to figure out what I was doing there. After the initial shock, his eyes dropped to the bloodstains on my clothes and all the bandages on my body. “You’re hurt. How did that happen?”

I stared at him, not feeling anything, and when I spoke, my voice came out calm and flat. “We were attacked—Molly and I. You didn't respond. I tried reaching out to you so many times, but you didn't come to help us.”

“Kai told me about Molly. He said... thankfully, she’s not in danger for life.” I felt something snap inside me when he said that nonchalantly, like he was talking about breakfast.

“Not in danger?” I frowned, trying to control my strong emotions. “She's still not stable, Julian. She needs her dad's care and love.”

“I under—”

“No, Julian, you've got to find Dr. Jenna and come visit your daughter.”

“Dr. Jenna?”

“Yeah, her doctor said that Molly needs Dr. Jenna's help.” I tried to help him understand the gravity of the situation. Just because Molly was out of the operating theatre doesn't mean she was not in danger. “Dr. Jenna is the only one who can save our daughter.”

He glanced toward the operating theatre before starting. “Lucy’s still in surgery, I have to be here for Lauren, and Molly is out of the operating theatre, isn't it right? Kai told me she’s being monitored. You have to understand the difference between the two things. Lucy’s situation is more urgent.”

“More urgent?”

“Yeah, Dr. Jenna is looking after Lucy.” I couldn't believe the way things turned out, but I knew I had to fight for my daughter. “Dr. Jenna has to help Lucy first, and I've to be here to make sure things don't get hard for Lauren.”

I couldn't believe he was still trying to measure pain. To weigh one little girl against another.

“So you won’t come see your daughter right now?” I asked, praying to the Moon Goddess, who understood it wrong. “She was crying for you, even when the rogue attacked her, she called for you.”

He took a step forward, lowering his voice, and looking around at the people staring towards them. “Elena, don’t make a scene here. Not now, when Lucy is fighting death.”

And just like that, everything around me started to spin. The hallway spiralled in my head, and my legs gave up. I reached for him, but the darkness hit me before the floor did.