Alone:
Silence…
It was a fitting ally for him. He preferred it this way. No distraction, no colleagues, no one.
Just him.
It was bliss.
Everyone else went home. It wasn't unusual for him to stay up late. He often did it whilst at university.
His hand gripped the pipette and placed it in the chemical. Nothing in the room dared to move.
"CRASH!"
The sound awoke him from his trance. He gazed upon the shards of glass lying before him.
He sighed.
Fiona's death affected him more badly than he thought. If word got out, his reputation, as well as his career, would be ruined.
He should have listened to Roxanna, but his pride consumed him.
Hmm.
Why should he pay Roxanna any heed? She didn't know what he sacrificed, what he did to come this far.
What price he paid.
Will and Mara were showing signs of progress, but it was too early to celebrate.
He leant back in his chair, his thoughts turning to Lisbon.
How could he let it happen? He took extreme care to make sure that nothing like that would happen.
Patient X was involved in a car accident in Lisbon with her younger sister. 4 men, in the same car, got too cocky and ran a red light. They ploughed straight into them, causing the car to roll and catch fire. She was in the driver's seat, her sister in the back.
He remembered the article. It was quite the story, shown in the news across the world, but for the wrong reasons. The men were never charged.
The ringleader, who was at the wheel, was the son of an influential judge in Britain. He put it down to them being young and that it was a mistake.
*A mistake?!*
Anger brewed inside of him. They ruined the lives of two innocent people and got off scot-free. It made him sick to the pit of his stomach. The more he thought about it, the more his blood boiled.
When the two women were rushed in, they suffered traumatic injuries. Patient X was scarred; lesions to her face and arms and a deep wound to her neck. She was conscious but had no feeling in her legs. As for her sister...
She was less fortunate.
The fire started at the back of the car. Because of this, she suffered from third degree burns throughout her body, along with permanent nerve damage to her right leg.
In all his career, he had never seen anything like it. Her body resembled melting wax. Skin hanging off her arms, scorched marks on her torso and face.
She would be scarred for life.
He operated on them both. The sister was first, due to the extensive damage. The surgeons were aghast with shock of his injuries. He recalled vividly that two F1s fainted with horror and another two had to leave. Nothing could have been done to repair the damage to the leg, however the muscles were intact, so she would have to go physio. An appointment was made for her to go to Dermatology to get a skin graft for her face.
He would never forget that sight. She was barely recognisable. All her features were gone. Burnt away.
During Patient X's operation, despite all precautions being taken care of, she contracted sepsis and has been in a medically induced coma ever since.
He couldn't hold it back anymore.
Without thinking, he grabbed a glass beaker and, with all his strength, hurled it towards the wall, smashing it apart.
Collapsing into his chair, he felt that it was his duty to save Patient X, no matter what the cost.
If not for his sake, then for her sister.
The darkness drew further in.
Empty; a void.
Just like him.
He tried to find out what happened to her, through his contacts.
The last he heard, she went back home to Iceland, for a break.
He couldn't blame her for that.
What happened back then and what he did proved too much for her.
It's been seven years since he last saw her.
He longed to hold her in his arms again, to feel her body close to his, to cherish her, protect her, to be with her. For her to stir the dormant passion within him once more…
Alas, it was in vain. He knew she had good reason.
She had a future ahead of her. She was extremely intelligent; a prodigy.
He smiled.
The thought of her made him feel warm and intimate.
What he wouldn't give to see her again.
He snapped out of it. He promised to save Patient X and other people after her.
He knew that both Abigail and Roxanna had their doubts. But he would prove them wrong,
He would prove everyone wrong.
Light gradually lit up the room, vanquishing the shadows of the night. He got up and made his way to the window, the early sun blinding him.
A new day awaits.