An hour had passed. Time seemed to crawl for Alvano, who was still sitting in the hospital waiting room. The cold air from the air conditioner, the sound of nurses' footsteps, and the metallic clatter of medical instruments created a backdrop that was never truly silent. His gaze was empty, fixed on the floor, while his mind kept drifting toward Theo—now inside the emergency treatment room.
Outside, rain poured heavily. Flashes of lightning occasionally reflected off the large glass windows in the corridor. The sound of rain hitting the hospital roof only deepened the gloom of that night.
Then came hurried footsteps. Joshua arrived, breathing hard, his face wet from both rain and sweat. The jacket he wore was soaked at the shoulders and sleeves, his hair stuck to his forehead, and his shoes left damp footprints across the floor.
Without saying anything, his eyes immediately found Alvano, who still sat slumped in exhaustion. With one deep breath, Joshua quickly walked closer and pulled his friend into a tight embrace.
"Vano…" he said softly, yet deeply—conveying a thousand emotions in a single word.
Alvano couldn't hold back his tears any longer. His body trembled, but Joshua's embrace felt like a wall of strength supporting his collapsing heart. He hugged back, releasing the weight he had been forced to carry alone.
On the other side, the girl who had accompanied them from the start could only watch in silence. Her heart stirred. It was the first time she'd seen someone come without questions, showing nothing but genuine care and empathy. To her, that embrace wasn't just one between friends—it was an embrace that saved a soul on the verge of breaking.
The large LED screen above the ER doors finally changed. The words that had read "Emergency Treatment in Progress" now turned into "Treatment Complete." Alvano's heart sank. An hour had passed since Theo had been taken into treatment—so why had there been no update?
Moments later, the double doors of the ER swung open with the familiar screech of sliding rails. The medical team emerged, pushing a hospital bed—Theo lay on it. His face was pale, his body wrapped in bandages, covered in bruises, and stitched in several places. A breathing mask was strapped to his face, making his breaths sound heavy but steady through the tubes.
"Theo!" Alvano nearly jumped from his seat. He ran toward the bed, reaching out to grasp his friend's limp hand.
But one of the medical staff immediately stopped him. "Please, don't interfere with the transfer process! The patient's condition is still critical. You'll have to wait for further updates in the waiting area."
Alvano froze, lowering the hand that almost touched Theo's fingers. Anxiety pressed hard against his chest. He could only stand and watch as Theo was wheeled away down the hall toward the ICU.
Joshua stood beside him, his eyes following Theo for a moment before quickly looking away. The bruises covering his friend's body made his heart ache. The faint trickle of blood seeping from the edge of a bandage, the steady drip of IV fluid—it all made him feel suffocated.
Without saying anything, Joshua placed an arm around Alvano's shoulders as he stood frozen, staring at the ICU corridor. "Come on, let's find somewhere to sit. You need to rest for a while."
Alvano nodded weakly. Their steps down the hospital hallway were slow and heavy. From time to time, Alvano glanced back, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Theo—even just a faint shadow in the distance.
As they walked, Joshua turned to the girl who had been with Alvano since the beginning. She stood not far away, watching them with eyes hard to read—a mix of pity, empathy, and awkward hesitation.
Joshua thought her face looked familiar, but he didn't have the time or focus to remember where he'd seen her.
The girl stepped forward softly. She looked at Alvano and spoke gently, "I hope your friend recovers soon. May you both find the strength to get through this."
Alvano nodded, eyes glistening. "Thank you... really... thank you so much for helping us."
She met his gaze. "I'm sorry, but there's something I have to take care of. See you tomorrow."
The girl gave a faint smile, then walked away without looking back, disappearing down the long hospital corridor.
Joshua lightly patted Alvano's back and led him into the waiting room near the ICU. Inside, there were only rows of chairs, a vending machine, and a silence that hung over everyone waiting for news about someone they loved.
That day felt endless. And the night seemed unwilling to end.
In the quiet waiting room, only the hum of the air conditioner and the creak of chairs disturbed the stillness. Joshua sat leaning back, hands folded on his lap, eyes blankly fixed on the shiny white floor. He held his feelings in silence—so many questions filled his mind, but his heart refused to force them out. He thought, Alvano's still not okay. Wounds inside are harder to see than those on the body.
Still, his mind couldn't stop asking: how did that girl end up there with Alvano, and what exactly had happened to Theo that left him on the brink of death?
He glanced at Alvano, who sat beside him, head down, fists clenched on his knees, shoulders trembling every now and then as he struggled to contain the emotions still tearing at him. Joshua sighed quietly. He didn't want to push him, but he couldn't stay calm without knowing.
A few minutes passed before Alvano finally leaned back and turned to Joshua, eyes heavy with pain and guilt.
Seeing that look, Joshua knew—it was time.
"Alv…" he began softly, cautiously. "Can you tell me... what really happened to Theo? How did you end up here like this?"
Alvano didn't answer right away. He lowered his head, took a deep breath, and began to speak in a low, heavy voice. "It all started when we met that man in the black jacket… He seemed to know Theo."
Slowly, Alvano told him everything. From the unexpected encounter on the street, the duel challenge between Theo and the man, to the brutal attack that followed. He described how the man fought dirty—how he tried to attack Alvano to throw Theo off guard—until Theo collapsed, unconscious and bleeding.
Joshua listened closely, fists tightening as he heard how cowardly and ruthless that man was. He could feel the heavy guilt weighing on Alvano's heart.
"Don't blame yourself," Joshua said quietly but firmly. "You did everything you could."