If it had just been one or two people who hadn''t woken up, that might have been brushed off as normal. But all four of them? Now that was downright peculiar.


    Despite running blood tests five or six times, the doctors couldn''t find anything wrong. Each time, they arrived at the same head-scratching conclusion. At that moment, in the hospital room, the doctor drew another round of blood and left quietly.


    Wyatt nced at James, whose expression was as cold as ice. Just as he was about to offer some words offort, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out and saw it was a message from one of his guys, letting him know the errand he''d asked them to run for Ms. Mirabe a couple of days ago was done.


    Wyatt replied with a quick "Okay" and tucked his phone away. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he smacked his forehead and turned to James. "Oh, right! James, Ms. Mirabe is a whiz with medicine. We should get her to check on Trevor."


    They hadn''t thought of calling Mirabe these past few days since the doctors kept insisting the patient was perfectly healthy. Wyatt had even let slip a message Mirabe had sent him earlier.


    Feeling a bit sheepish, he added, "Also, Ms. Mirabe messaged me a couple of days ago, and I, uh, forgot to mention it..."


    As he finished, the room seemed to drop a few degrees, and Wyatt found himself staring at the floor, avoiding James''s eyes. James shot him a nce but said nothing, pulling out his phone instead.


    Knowing Mirabe might be teaching, James opted to send her a couple of messages on Messenger rather than calling. Watching this unfold, Wyatt couldn''t shake the feeling that he might be shipped off to Africa to mine for a while.


    Sigh.


    **


    Mirabe saw the messages about half an hourter, just as her first ss ended. She stepped out of the ssroom, called James back, and upon hearing it was his dad who was sick, she didn''t hesitate. She requested a leave from school and headed straight to the hospital.


    When she arrived, Wyatt was already at the entrance, looking at her like she was a lifeline. "Ms. Mirabe."


    Mirabe gave a slight nod, asking a few questions about the patient as they made their way upstairs.


    Wyatt filled her in on the past few days. "All tests areing back clear, but he just won''t wake up."


    Mirabe listened intently but couldn''t pinpoint the issue right away.


    Wyatt, scratching his head in embarrassment, continued, "About the message you sent me... I meant for James to get back to you but Ipletely forgot."  fo


    Mirabe simply said, "Oh, it''s alright. No big deal."


    Wyatt rubbed his nose, realizing his oversight put him in a bit of a spot.


    Soon enough, they reached the patient''s room.


    Inside, James was seated by the bed. He looked up as they entered, "d you''re here."


    Mirabe nodded, moving closer to him. Her eyes fell on the


    middle-aged man lying silently on the bed. His defined features hinted at how dashing he must have been in his youth.


    "He''s been like this, hasn''t stirred once," James said, his voice calm, betraying no hint of worry or anxiety.


    Mirabe gave James a quick look, not saying much, and pulled overa chair to sit by the bed. She gently ced her fingertips on Trevor''s wrist to check his pulse.