When Love Finds Its Way Back (Cassienne and Dreston) novel Chapter 328

Chapter Three Hundred And Twenty-Eight: All Because Of Daisy

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Ray barely slept. By the time he stepped out of the elevator on the private floor of Simpson Medical Center the following morning, exhaustion had already settled deep behind his eyes. Between Tina’s condition, the pressure of running one of the most advanced hospitals in Nether-Kingdom, and everything that had happened with Daisy the previous night, his mind simply refused to rest.

The nurses immediately greeted him as he walked through the corridor.

“Good morning, Dr. Ray.”

“Morning.”

“Good morning, sir.”

Ray nodded politely to each of them as he continued toward Tina’s room.

The hospital had become significantly more secure since her transfer from Southvale. Additional guards had been stationed on the floor twenty-four hours a day. Access was restricted. Visitors were screened. Even the medical staff assigned to Tina’s care had undergone additional background checks.

Nobody was taking chances anymore. Not after what happened outside the hospital. And after someone had deliberately tried to kill her.

When Ray entered the room, two nurses were already conducting their morning assessment.

Tina remained exactly where she had been the previous day. Machines continued their steady work around her.

The heart monitor beeped rhythmically while IV lines carried medication into her body. The sight would have looked peaceful to an outsider.

But Ray knew better. A coma was never peaceful for the people waiting outside.

One of the nurses turned toward him immediately. “Good morning, Dr. Ray.”

He nodded. “Any changes overnight?”

The two nurses exchanged a glance. That immediately got his attention. “What is it?”

The older nurse stepped forward. “There was some activity during the early hours of the morning.”

Ray’s posture straightened slightly. “What kind of activity?”

“Her fingers moved.”

For the first time all morning, the exhaustion left his face. “What?”

“It happened around three forty-seven a.m.,” the nurse explained. “At first we thought it might be involuntary muscle activity. But then it happened again.”

Ray immediately walked toward Tina’s bedside. “When?”

“About fifteen minutes later.”

His eyes moved to Tina’s hand resting quietly on the blanket. Nothing moved now. Everything looked exactly the same. “Did she wake up?”

“No.”

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hapter Three Hundred And Twenty Eight All Because Of Daisy

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That hope disappeared immediately.

The nurse continued. “But she tried to say something.”

Ray looked up sharply. “What did she say?”

The younger nurse answered this time. “We couldn’t understand most of it.”

“What did you hear?”

The room became quiet.

Then the nurse said slowly, “Vi.”

Ray frowned. “Vi?”

She nodded. “That’s all we could clearly make out.”

His expression darkened slightly. The same thing again. The first report had been dismissed because everyone assumed they misheard her.

But now?

Two separate incidents. The same word. Or the same beginning of a word.

Ray stared at Tina for several moments. His medical instincts told him not to jump to conclusions, while his personal instincts told him this was important.

Unfortunately, without Tina waking up, they had no way of knowing what it meant.

“Continue monitoring her closely,” he instructed.

“Yes, Doctor.”

“And document everything.”

“Already done.”

Ray gave a small nod before taking one final look at Tina. Whatever she was trying to say…

It mattered.

He was becoming increasingly certain of that.

Nearly an hour later, Ray was finally back inside his office. The first thing he did was call Dreston.

The phone rang only once before the call connected. “Dreston.”

“Dreston leaned back in his chair immediately. “How is she?”

Ray expected the question. The man had been carrying responsibiliter for Mi-

hrten Tree Hundred And Twenty-Eight All Because of Dasy

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Ray glanced briefly at the report on his desk. “Her condition is stable. No complications overnight.”

“That’s something.”

“There’s more.”

That immediately got Dreston’s attention. “What happened?”

Ray told him everything. The finger movement. The attempted speech, and the strange word. And By the time he finished explaining, Dreston had become completely silent.

Finally, he spoke. “Vi.”

“That’s what the nurses heard.”

“Twice?”

“Twice.”

The silence stretched again. Both men were thinking the same thing. Tina was trying to tell them something. The problem was that neither of them knew what.

“Keep me updated,” Dreston said finally.

“I will.”

Another pause followed before Dreston suddenly asked, “By the way, have you heard from Garrick recently?”

The question surprised Ray slightly.

“Garrick?”

“Yeah.”

Ray leaned back in his chair.

“Not personally.”

“That’s strange.”

“I thought so too.”

Dreston waited.

So Ray continued. “I’ve called him a few times over the past couple of months. Nothing.”

“No response?”

“No response.”

That wasn’t like Garrick. Not at all. The man had always been reliable, playful and fun to be with.

“I ended up calling his personal assistant,” Ray said.

“And?”

“He said Garrick is fine.”

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