The faint hum of the heart monitor was softer that morning.Naomi sat upright on the bed, the white hospital sheets neatly tucked around her legs, watching the doctor adjust the monitor’s cables. Her hair had grown messy over the past few days, and she’d refused to let anyone but herself brush it out. There was something grounding about doing something by herself. Especially now that she had both Soonie and Damon fighting yo take care of her. Especially when she had to undergo her fractures. It was a mess and she found herself trying to separate fights instead of taking a rest. She had no idea who the patient and the family were anymore. Dr. Harlow was flipping through her chart, murmuring something about vitals and progress, her voice light but professional. “Your recovery has been remarkable, Naomi,” she said, offering a small, reassuring smile. “No signs of a concussion anymore, no new complications. You’ll still need to take it easy for a few weeks, but you’re strong. I think
The mood in the office had shifted drastically in the last few days. It was like the entire building was holding its breath.Didi sighed for the hundredth time that morning, eyes fixed on her phone screen like she was patiently waiting for a call. Or a text. Around her, telecoms rang, keyboards clicked, and people moved through the day with the sort of silence suitable for a place of mourning. Every conversation became explicitly clear to avoid complication but there was one subject nobody could avoid: Naomi had been pushed down the stairs, and the company was a different place now.Didi shifted in her seat, the glow of the monitor tinting her face. Her hands hovered over the keyboard, embarrassment making her hesitate on a half-typed email.Is she even alive? Didi wondered. She pushed back from the desk and turned to the small knot of people clustered nearby.“Has anyone heard from Ms Naomi?” she asked, voice too loud in the quiet.The question dropped like a stone. Rose looked u
The city rolled past in shadowed blurs as Damon sat in the back of the car, silence pressed tight against him. His hand tapped against his thigh, steady and controlled, though the storm in his chest betrayed him.He didn't want to leave Nsomi all alone with Soonie but Reed had stopped by and promised to wait behind with her. And here he was, on his way to get answers about the bastard who tried to kill his wife. Patrick’s text was still on his phone screen. Patrick: We got him. The technician who messed up the cameras. His name is Trent. Here is the address.It should have been good news. A break from his suspicions and assumptions. He'll, he could barely sleep at night, not knowing who he needed to protect Naomi against. She was already paranoid, he didn't want to pile on that. Tonight, though, he would get answers and put an end to this madness once and for all. The car slowed as they turned off the main road, pulling into a warehouse lot long abandoned to weeds and graffiti. T
The steady sound of water pouring down into a disposable cup filled the hallway with Soonie standing right in front of it, eyes distant.She wasn't thirsty, she just wanted to get away from Damon before she dug his eyes out herself. The room had steeped in hush after Naomi drifted into sleep. The rhythm of the heart monitor was the only sound either of them could hear. Beyond the blinds, the garden lamps burned against the night.Damon hadn’t moved from his post at the window. One hand was braced against the sill, the other resting loosely in his pocket but his gaze stayed on the reflection, the faint outline of Naomi’s sleeping form.And not far from it is the shadow of Soonie hunched in the chair across from her bed.It had been like this for nearly an hour. Silence was starting to get uncomfortable but it was better than having a conversation with each other.Soonie’s eyes were also on Naomi and on Damon. Her arms were folded, her foot tapping against the tiled floors in angry bur
The orderlies wheeled Naomi’s bed out of the ward just before dusk. The new room was on a quieter floor, tucked away at the end of a short corridor lined with pale blue doors and security. The window faced the hospital gardens; soft, filtered light spilled across the polished floor. Damon walked beside the bed the entire way, hand on the rail as if sheer contact could protect her.When they stopped in the new room he oversaw everything himself; the placement of the IV stand, the closing of the blinds, the numerous guards posted outside. Reed had left an hour earlier, promising to return the next day. Now, at last, it was just Damon and Naomi.She sat propped against the pillows, breathing slowly, a little colour back in her cheeks. Damon crouched to adjust the blanket at her feet. “This one’s better,” he said quietly. “More private. Less noise.”“Thank you for arranging it.” Her voice was still soft, still tired, but there was a flicker of warmth in her eyes. “You didn’t have to.”
The corridor outside Naomi’s ward smelled of antiseptic and floor polish. Damon stood with his back to the wall, phone pressed tight to his ear, eyes on the window at the end of the hall.Patrick’s voice hissed through the speaker, low and urgent. “We found the man who tampered with the cameras. He’s trying to get out of town. I’ve already sent men after him. He won’t make it to the airport.”Damon’s jaw tightened. “Bring him in alive.”“We will try our best sir.” Patrick said. He had seen a fair share of situations like this and it's almost impossible to catch men who have everything to lose alive. “You will,” Damon said, an edge in his tone. “I want a name out of his mouth before he stops breathing.”Patrick didn’t argue. The line went dead. Damon lowered the phone and stared at the screen for a beat, his reflection ghosting across it. The rage under his skin was a living thing, clawing to get out.He turned toward Naomi’s room just as a hand clamped down on his shoulder.Damon sp