The hospital room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Wyatt, standing


    nearby, barely dared to breathe, his eyes glued to Mirabe and his hands tightly clenched, showing just how tense he was.


    After what felt like ages, Mirabe finally pulled her hand back, looking a bit puzzled.


    "How''s it looking, Mirabe?" Wyatt asked eagerly.


    Instead of answering right away, Mirabe took out a silver needle she always carried and said, "Could you grab me a cup, half-filled with water?"


    Wyatt, a bit thrown by her request, quickly obliged. He walked over to the water cooler, grabbed a disposable cup, filled it with cool water, and brought it back.


    Mirabe pricked Trevor''s fingertip with the needle, letting a drop of blood plop into the water. She then stirred it with the needle. The water turned a faint red but didn''t look too different. Yet, the subtle scent that rose from it made Mirabe pause for a second.


    She snapped back, set the cup on the bedside table, and looked at James. "Has your dad been to any remote mountain areastely?"


    "Sort of," James nodded, keeping the archaeology trip under wraps. "What''s going on with him?"


    Mirabe paused, then said, "There''s this flower called lupine. Its pollen can seep through your skin, and if you breathe in its fragrance long enough, it can put you in a deep sleep."


    "The flower''s scent?" James''s eyes narrowed as he remembered catching a whiff of something floral in that mysterious forest, but he was too focused on the search to think much of it.


    Mirabe nodded, her eyes distant. "These flowers usually grow deep in the mountains, in ces most people never see."


    That''s why she was caught off guard.


    "Oh, right! remember smelling that scent on Curtis the other day," Wyatt chimed in, cutting through Mirabe''s thoughts. "Must''ve rubbed off when he was carrying Trevor."


    "But this pollen-is it really that dangerous? James''s been out for at least two days," Wyatt quickly added.


    Mirabe took a deep breath, wiping


    the needle with a tissue. "Normally, it''s not too harmful. But if it


    too long, it could be a probers


    "And my dad?" James asked, his handsome face showing signs of weariness.


    Mirabe nced at the patient again, paused, then said, "It hasn''t been too long. He should be able to clear it out naturally. No need to worry."


    James let out a sigh of relief. He trusted his girlfriend''s skillspletely.


    "Strange though, the doctors took his blood a bunch of times and found nothing," Wyatt muttered, starting to doubt theirpetence.


    Mirabe didn''t respond, just stood up and used the silver needle on a few points on Trevor''s head. After putting the needle away, she said, "I''ll write a prescription. When He wakes, make sure he takes it. And for the next three days, he should stay put."


    "Why''s that?" Wyatt asked, curious.


    Mirabe gave him a knowing look and simply said, "Detox."


    Wyatt blinked, a little taken aback. What kind of detox required someone to be housebound like that?


    "Good night, see youter," she added with a soft smile.