Rise Of A Shattered Luna (Natalie) by Kave Derry novel Chapter 106

Chapter 106 The Cry Of A Mother

Natalie’s POV

The doors swung open and a gurney was wheeled out, surrounded by a group of nursing staff.

But my gaze skipped past the gurney and landed on the man behind it.

The Witch Doctor.

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Even after five years, even with a different mask and a different continent between us, he still carried that same cold aura.

He moved through the hospital like a shadow giving him the appearance of an unapproachable beast.

Flynn and Waylon hurried forward, their desperation evident. “Witch Doctor!” Waylon’s voice was a ragged plea. “How is she? How is my wife?”

“The immediate crisis is averted,” the Witch Doctor said, his tone stripped of all warmth. “Her clotting disorder was triggered by a systemic bacterial infection. I recall warning both of you after the surgery that donors are left with severely weakened immunity for months. And yet, none of you noticed the fever?”

The reprimand was cold, a verbal lashing that made Waylon flinch.

For some reason, as I watched him, I found something about the way he stood oddly familiar.

Beside me, I noticed Yvonne’s palms were damp with sweat. She was staring at the Witch Doctor with a wide–eyed intensity that seemed too suspicious. I wondered if she was afraid of him, or if she knew something I didn’t.

Underneath the mask, I felt the Witch Doctor’s eyes brush across my

face.

He pulled his gaze back as quickly as he had offered it, turning his attention back to the Stones.

Hearing his words, Waylon and Flynn exchanged a dark, knowing look. They knew the truth that the Witch Doctor was only hinting at: Ruby hadn’t wanted to live.

The Witch Doctor’s voice dropped a notch, “medicine can repair the vessel, but it cannot force the spirit to remain within it. Try to reach her somehow… give her a reason to anchor herself. I can save her this time, but I will not be able to save her the next.”

Flynn nodded quickly, his jaw set hard.

Just then, the woman on the gurney stirred.

Ruby’s eyes fluttered open, wandering aimlessly across the ceiling before focusing on the faces above her.

She looked surprisingly familiar…

“Ruby? Ruby, can you hear me? How do you feel?” Waylon reached out, clasping her hand anxiously.

She turned her head away from him, her gaze drifting toward the hallway… only for her eyes to land on me.

The change was instantaneous.

In the next second, the woman who had been too weak to speak sat bolt upright, a strangled gasp escaping her throat.

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Chapter 106 The Cry Of A Mother

She lurched toward the side of the gurney, her hands clawing at the air between us.

“My daughter! My daughter! It’s you, isn’t it? You’ve come back from the dark!”

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Her sudden frenzy terrified Waylon and Flynn. They jumped back, shocked by the violent burst of energy from a woman they thought was dying.

“Mom! Mom, what are you doing? Lie down!” Flynn cried, trying to catch her shoulders.

“Ruby, stop! You’ve mistaken her! You’re dreaming, darling!” Waylon grabbed her from the other side, the two men struggling to hold her back as she thrashed against the restraints.

Yvonne reacted instantly, stepping in front of me and pulling me behind her protectively. “Natalie, stay back! She’s deluded by the fever!”

I saw the Witch Doctor’s foot shift forward, but he stopped himself. He stood perfectly still, narrowing his eyes behind the mask.

I was stunned, my heart hammering against my ribs. I had expected a quiet “thank you,” a brief moment of gratitude. I had not expected to be looked at with such terrifying recognition..

Ruby thrashed wildly, her cries shattering the sterile peace of the hospital wing.

“She’s my daughter! She is my daughter! Don’t hold me back, you fools! Daughter! I’m your mother! I’m your mother! Forgive me! Don’t go back to the shadows!”

Her wails were hoarse and desperate that it tore through the corridor, the sound burned behind my eyes.

I felt a sob building in my throat, though I didn’t know why.

Seeing Ruby’s complete emotional breakdown, Flynn shouted over the noise, his voice rising in a panic. “Dad, call the psychiatric team! Call the head nurse! Now!”

Waylon quickly flagged down a group of nurses who were already running toward the noise with a sedative tray.

I had never witnessed anything like this.

She struggled in her husband’s arms, her hair wild and her face flushed… yet, her eyes never left me. They didn’t look crazy. They were filled with nothing but pure motherly love.

I felt my chest tighten painfully, and before I realized what I was doing, I pushed Yvonne’s arm aside.

“Natalie, no!” Yvonne hissed, but I ignored her.

I stepped slowly toward the gurney, and the moment Ruby saw me approach, she went perfectly still.

The thrashing stopped.

The screaming died in her throat.

Her eyes locked onto mine, tears spilling endlessly down her cheeks.

My own eyes were red, my vision blurred by a sudden, inexplicable grief as I looked back at the broken woman before me. She looked so small, So fragile.

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10:31 am Pppp.

Chapter 106 The Cry Of A Mother

Ruby no longer fought… Only the tears kept flowing as she whispered, her voice broken: “You’re my daughter, aren’t you? You didn’t hate me? You came back to tell me you’re okay?”

My throat tightened until I thought I might choke. I reached out, my hand trembling, and gently tucked a lock of Ruby’s disheveled hair behind her ear.

Her skin was fever–warm as I forced a faint, watery smile, trying to be the anchor the witch doctor said she needed.

“If that’s what you want,” I whispered, my voice thick with unshed tears. “I can try to be that for you, but only if you take care of yourself, Ruby. You can’t keep hurting your body like this… you can’t leave Flynn and Waylon behind.”

“I’ll take care of myself! I promise!” she gasped, her fingers catching the edge of my sleeve and holding on so tightly. “Just don’t leave me again, please. I was wrong… I fell asleep… I was so tired… but I won’t sleep now. I’ll keep my eyes on you all the time. I’ll watch you breathe. Just don’t leave me… Don’t leave your mother again.”

Her plea was so desperate and pitiful that it drew the tears right out of my eyes.

I could only imagine her grief, I never gave birth to my little twins but I can’t imagine losing them.

I looked at the Witch Doctor, standing silently in the shadows, and for the first time, I didn’t see a “weirdo.” I saw a man who had given me the face of a woman who needed a reason to live.

I leaned down and pressed my forehead against Ruby’s.“I’m here,” I whispered. “I’m not going anywhere… not this time.”