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.”

Dreston frowned. “Just busy?”

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hapter The Hundred And Twenty-Eight All Because Of Dosy

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“Apparently.”

“Do you believe that?”

Ray looked out the window thoughtfully, and honestly? But he wasn’t sure. “Maybe.”

Dreston hummed quietly. Neither of them pushed the subject further since there wasn’t enough information yet.

But the conversation left an uncomfortable feeling behind. Eventually they ended the call.

The moment the line disconnected, the office became quiet again.

Ray slowly stood from his chair and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Lisbourn.

The city stretched endlessly beneath him. Cars moved through the streets. People went about their lives. Things that suddenly felt very far away.

His reflection stared back at him from the glass. He looked tired, distracted and unhappy. And unfortunately, he knew exactly why.

All because of Daisy.

The memory appeared immediately. Just like it had every few minutes since the previous night. Her smile. The way she congratulated him. All her acting like she wasn’t affected by the engagement matter. As if he didn’t matter.

Ray closed his eyes briefly. That wasn’t fair. He knew it wasn’t fair.

But the pain remained anyway, because some stupid part of him had expected something else. He wanted her to stop him. At least he wanted to hear her say she wanted him.

She could have fought for him. Instead, she smiled and congratulated him.

His jaw tightened slightly. Maybe he had imagined everything. Especially all those moments between them that only mattered to him.

For the first time since Daisy walked away from him the previous night, Ray allowed himself to admit the truth. It hurt. Far more than he wanted it to. His gaze drifted toward his desk and toward the phone resting there. Daisy’s contact information was still open from the previous evening. He stared at it for a long moment. But eventually, he looked away, because if Daisy truly wanted him-she would have said so.

The city continued moving outside his window. But inside the office, he stood alone with a question he could no longer answer.

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