A weekend with the Alpha novel Chapter 125

The day had barely begun when Aaron heard Lionel's torn voice charging through from far away and he stopped counting. He was at the hospital, and this was earlier than expected. Aaron thought he might begin his journey this morning and arrive here later in the day.

When Ivan had called yesterday to inform Sesi about the incident, she told him Lionel was going with Betty back to the state to have Tatiana's body laid to rest. Ivan shared the sad news with Sesi, who couldn't guarantee Lionel would take the news well. Losing Tia was hard enough, adding Zera to it would completely crush him. Still, he had to know, and she promised she would tell him as soon as Tatiana's body was laid to rest.

From Lionel's arrival at the hospital now, it was obvious he set out to come over as soon as he received the news.

"What floor are they on?" Aaron heard him ask.

"It's four a.m., Lionel. You've barely had any sleep and you've been driving all night. Can you take a rest?"

"That's not the answer to the question I asked, Sesi," he fumed.

She sighed, "She's on the sixth floor and I can get you there faster if you hold on to me."

"No, I want to feel every step. I want to feel every moment and every pain. I don't want you to make it better." he answered with a shaky voice.

Aaron heard no other word for the next three minutes and when the ding sound of the elevator went off, he heard footsteps approaching at a closer pace.

Ivan, who had been asleep a while ago, had now woken up. He must have sensed the familiar presence. Aaron didn't sleep, he couldn't. Instead, he paced around and did a mental counting up. He knew only nightmare and torture waited for him in the dream world and so, as hard as being awake was, he did it with ease. He was in six hundred and thirty-seven thousand paces when he heard Lionel's voice.

"Sesi and Lionel are here," he told the now-awake Ivan, and the next second the two walked in.

Aaron stopped pacing and his eyes lifted to acknowledge them, both looking torn.

They both appeared tired and miserable, especially Lionel and Aaron couldn't fault him. He had buried his younger sister yesterday evening and was now about to lose another. No one could take such a cruel deal at the hands of fate.

Ivan got up, walked over to Sesi, and threw his arms around her for a strengthening hug.

Lionel finally broke the silence after a minute of entering the room. "What happened?"

Aaron pressed his lips together, a wounded look appearing on his face. He would not sugarcoat it. She was in this state because of him, and there was no other reason. "I failed to protect her," was all he could say.

"Well, Sesi said she was in a terrible state and I think I'm going to need a better explanation than 'I failed to protect her', Aaron," Lionel growled, stepping towards him.

While they had yet spoken, the doctor who had gone into the ICU with Zera when she came in many hours ago walked in. The four people in the waiting room approached the doctor, who had just come in.

"How is she?" Lionel asked.

"Is she out of the woods yet?" Sesi asked.

"Can we see her?" Aaron asked.

"Do you have good news?" Ivan asked.

They all had eyes of expectancy as they stared at the doctor, waiting for the answer to their various questions. The middle-aged doctor gave them all weary eyes and shook his head to answer all their questions. "We have done all we can, but we cannot guarantee she would live past the evening. Her heart is failing at a rate we've never seen before and it's hard to sustain." He answered.

Aaron's heart broke in his chest, and he stepped back. Everything the doctor said after his first sentence, he didn't listen to. The last piece of hope he had was gone and Zera would not make it past the evening.

He needed to see her.