Nathan sat helplessly on his bedroom floor, he had not been to the office for a while now. He stopped answering calls and even when Alex ca to visit him, he had never imagined a life without Fiona. His mind drifted back to when she had broken up with him and he deeply blad himself. She was right all along, he couldn’t protect her.
Alex, his executive assistant stood outside the door. He had to co back when investors kept asking questions and the office was becoming a bit chaotic.
"Mr. Keith?" He called firmly and continued. "It’s Alex." He said but got no response.
"I know you’re inside, sir" He said again and waited for a response when he didn’t get any he continued.
"You have urgent docunts that require your signature, the board eting has already been postponed twice."
Alex exhaled slowly getting fed up with the silence. "Sir....this isn’t helping."
Nathan sat on the floor beside his bed, his back was against the mattress. His eyes were red and drowned in guilt. His phone was in his hand but the screen was dark. He replayed that morning again and again in his head. He had left hurriedly that morning because of so stupid eting, Fiona had held unto him, not wanting him to leave.
"Are you still coming tonight?" She had asked.
"Of course cupcake, I am." He had replied wearing his wrist watch.
"I’ll leave the office early and co straight, I promise."
He blad himself over and over again, he should never had left her! He should have just skipped office that day! He thought bitterly and desperately wished he could turn back the hands of ti.
That day, he was already half-packed but a last minute eting held him back and so docunts that needed his attention.
By evening when he had called back, her phone wasn’t going through and he had relayed on his spy to uncover the whole thing fast but when he realised that there was more to it, he had filled a missing person report in her town and it’s been over a week with no leads.
Nathan rubbed his face and reach and reached for the empty bottle again but it was empty so he tossed it aside.
Outside, Alex pressed his forehead lightly against the door.
"Mr. Keith, please open the door." Alex voice ca again and Nathan sighed. He had even forgotten he was at the door.
"I’m not leaving until you say sothing." Alex said.
"Go back to the office, Alex." Nathan finally spoke but his voice was rough.
Relief washed all over Alex’s face at the re sound of his voice.
"Sir, the company—"
"I don’t care about the company!" He snapped.
Alex could only sigh in frustration. "With all due respect sir, Mr. Keith people need you."
Nathan let out a small bitter laugh. "The only person I was ant to be there for is gone, Alex!"
Alex didn’t know how to respond to that. His phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. He brought it out and looked back at the door.
"Sir, the detective on the case of Miss Fiona called the office earlier asking for you." Alex continued.
"He said it’s urgent."
Alex said and within seconds the door opened.
Alex examined Nathan’s terrible state; his beards had over grown, his eyes were dark and red, even his shirt was wrinkled.
"Why didn’t you say that at first?"
Alex swallowed nervously. "I was trying to get you to co out without pushing, sir."
Nathan quickly grabbed his phone and he unlocked it, a call ca in imdiately and he answered it right away.
"Nathan Keith speaking." He said.
"Mr. Keith, this is detective Ben from Brookdale police departnt."
"Did you find her?" He asked almost imdiately, but there was a long pause at the other end.
"We need you to co down to Brookdale General Hospital as soon as possible."
"Is she there? Please tell she’s alive."
"Sir," Ben said carefully. "We need you to identify she’s the one first."
"I’m on my way now." He said.
♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎
The drive to Brookdale felt endless. It was a two-hour trip, but he barely registered the road.
He parked badly and rushed toward the entrance. Two uniford officers stood near the doors. They looked at him as he approached.
"Mr. Keith?" one asked.
"Yes."
"Detective Carter is expecting you. This way, sir."
That was when it really dawned on him. If officers were waiting, thag ant this wasn’t goodnews.
They walked him through a side entrance, not the main lobby though. A nurse stood near a desk speaking quietly with another officer. She looked up briefly but didn’t say anything to Nathan.
At the end of the hallway, Detective Ben stood with a file in his hands.
He was not alone, another officer stood beside him.
"Mr. Keith," Ben said quietly.
Nathan looked between them. "Where is she?"
Ben didn’t answer imdiately.
"Mr Keith, please calm down. A woman was brought in seven nights ago after a hit-and-run. There were no identification docunts on her or phone, so the case sounds similar. She was unconscious when she arrived."
Nathan felt his world slowly collapsing.
"The driver left after dropping her off," Ben continued. "Security footage shows the vehicle but we’re still tracing it."
"Is she alive?" Nathan asked again, his voice barely holding.
Ben’s eyes shifted slightly.
"She didn’t survive the internal injuries."
He heard the words but it didn’t fully register in his head.
"We need you to confirm if it’s Miss Fiona."
Nathan’s mouth went dry.
"Take to her."
They led him to a quieter wing. Not the ergency room or the patient wards.
The air felt colder there, a hospital staff mber stood outside a secured door. She nodded at the detective and unlocked it.
Nathan’s steps slowed, he wasn’t really sure whether to continue or not.
Ben looked at him. "Are you ready?"
Was that even suppose to be a question? No one is ready for that. But Nathan nodded anyway.
They entered the room, and at the center was a single covered body lay on a tal table.
Nathan stopped a few feet away, his hands were trembling and his heart beat was faster.
Ben stepped forward and gently pulled back the sheet from the face.
Nathan stared, It was her!!
Her hair, her face....but she was pale and still.
He didn’t move at first, then he took one slow step forward.
"Fiona..." he whispered but got no response.
He reached out and touched her cheek—it was cold.
"No... no, no, no..."
He shook his head slowly as if refusing to accept what he was seeing.
"I was coming back," he said hoarsely. "I told you I was coming."
His knees gave out and he hit the floor hard but didn’t seem to feel it.
"I should’ve been there," he kept saying. "I should’ve just left that stupid eting."
He suddenly felt his chest tightened painfully and the whole room was becoming blurry.
The last thing he heard was soone saying, "He’s going down."
Then he fell into total darkness. Voices echoed in the distance.
"Sir? Can you hear ?"
"Get a stretcher."
"His pulse is dropping."
A nurse held an oxygen mask over his face.
"Stay with us."
☆▪︎☆▪︎☆▪︎☆▪︎☆
By the ti he opened his eyes, bright lights were above him.
He muld hear voices around him.
"Sir, stay still."
He was on a hospital bed now and an IV was in his arm.
Ben stood near the doorway speaking to a doctor.
"He collapsed from shock," the doctor said. "Severe dehydration too."
Nathan turned his head slightly before closing his eyes again.
A few minutes later, Ben stepped into the hallway and made a call.
"Mr. and Mrs. Keith?" he said when the line connected.
"Yes?" a woman answered.
"This is Detective Ben Carter calling about your son, Mr. Nathan."
"Is Nathan alright?"
"He’s at Brookdale General Hospital. I’m afraid it concerns Fiona."
Then, "What happened?"
"There was an accident. She didn’t survive."
There was total silence for a minute.
"We’re booking the first flight," his mother said.
Ben lowered the phone slowly.
He looked back into the room where Nathan lay staring at nothing.
Inside that hospital room, the reality finally dawned on him.
He had left that morning thinking he’d see her by night, but now she was gone.
And there was nothing he could fix or say to bring her back.
And for the first ti in his life, Nathan Keith had no control over anything at all.
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