Security turned away for a second. Callan slipped from their grasp and rushed back to Elara’s room. Gareth stepped forward before anyone else could react.
“Who are you,” Gareth demanded.
Callan breathed hard. “I am her friend. I have been visiting her from the garden. She told me everything. I heard things too. You need to listen. They are not helping her.”
Gareth stared at him with a mix of disbelief and fear. “What did you hear.”
Callan told him about the conversations. About the pills. About the strange routine. About the window he climbed. About Riona’s remarks and Dr. Myles’ confidence that Gareth would never suspect anything.
“Sir,” Callan whispered. “Your daughter is not sick the way they say. They are making her weaker.”
Riona’s face went pale. Dr. Myles stiffened. Neither spoke a word.
Hospital staff rushed in as Gareth demanded a full review. Specialists inspected every entry in Elara’s chart. They found unauthorized medications. Unrecorded dosages. Altered lab results. Progress notes tampered with to hide the deterioration.
Riona attempted to escape through a service corridor but was stopped. Dr. Myles tried to claim Elara needed a specialized monitor adjustment, but the nurses halted him immediately.
The hospital began reversing the sedatives. They monitored her closely, waiting for her to awaken on her own. Gareth sat beside her with tears streaking down his face. Callan stood at the doorway, afraid to breathe.
Finally her eyelids fluttered. Her voice emerged, frail but alive. “Father. Are you here.”
Gareth clasped her hand. “I am here. I am not leaving you again.”
Her eyes drifted toward Callan. “You came too.”
He nodded softly. “I will always be here.”
Riona was arrested for fraud and medical negligence. Dr. Myles faced charges for falsifying records and administering unapproved treatments. Gareth spent days apologizing to Elara for trusting the wrong people.
Then he looked at Callan. “You risked everything for her. If you want a real home, I would be honored to give you one.”
Callan stared at him in disbelief. “A home. For me.”
“If you will allow it,” Gareth said gently.
Callan wiped tears off his face and nodded. “Yes. I want to stay.”
Elara reached toward him. “You are my brother now.”
