Gordon gasped for air, his eyes fixed on the barricaded door, a cold sweat


    drenching his back. Thaddeus was lost in a haze of pain, his eyes unfocused, his consciousness fading. In this state, he waspletely vulnerable, amb to the


    ughter.


    it?"


    With bloodshot eyes, Gordon grabbed a mop and stood guard by the door. "Who is


    "Mr. Gordon, it''s me, Chasel," a calm, deep voice replied from the other side.


    "Dr. Bright!" The mop ttered to the floor as a fresh wave of tears streamed down Gordon''s face.


    "Don''t panic. I''m alone." There was a pause, then Chasel''s voice grew more urgent. "Thaddeus is having an episode, isn''t he? Let me in."


    Gordon hastily wiped his eyes, cleared the barricade, and unlocked the door. Chasel slipped inside, his slender frame moving quickly as he relocked the door behind him. "Dr. Bright, please... you have to help Mr. Abernathy! You''re the only one who can!" Chasel took a deep breath and walked over to Thaddeus. Gordon had used his own tie to bind the man''s hands and had stuffed Thaddeus''s tie into his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue.


    "Thaddeus..." Chasel knelt beside him, his pale lips trembling, his eyes welling with


    tears.


    "Chasel... help me..." Thaddeus stared at him with blood-red eyes, his body and his will to live both broken. "I just... want to die..."


    "Not while I''m here."


    Chasel immediately opened a ck


    cloth pouch, revealing a set of acupuncture needles and several vials of medication. He selected needle and inserted it into Thaddeus''s temple, his voice. resolute. "You''re not just my friend, you''re my patient. If I can''t cure you, the responsibility is mine. If anything happens to you, I''ll pay with my life."


    Gordon''s jaw dropped. He knew their bond was strong, but this was taking it to a whole new level If anything happened to Dr. Bright, what would Mr. Ashbourne do? And if Mr. Ashbourne fell apart, what would happen to Mrs. Abernathy?


    As Gordon''s mind reeled, Chasel finished inserting needles into various points on Thaddeus''s head and arms. To Gordon''s


    astonishment Thaddeus''s tremors gradually subsided. Though he was stiff pale and disoriented, he was much calmer than before?


    "How long has this been happening?" Chasel asked as he carefully untied the makeshift restraints.


    Gordon''s throat was tight. "It started before you left, actually. Mr. Abernathy was trying to endure it on his own... he didn''t tell anyone."


    Chasel prepared a syringe and injected the medication into Thaddeus''s arm, his brow furrowed. "How long do the episodesst?"


    "In the beginning, about fifteen to thirty minutes. Now... without the medication, the pain canst all night."


    "The poison has taken deep root." Chasel withdrew the needle, a sharp pain twisting in his own chest.


    Gordon couldn''t help but ask, "Dr. Bright, what did you just give him? It worked so fast!"


    "Since I left Elmsworth, I''ve been in a researchb in Country M, trying to find a way to counteract the toxin in Thaddeus''s system and heal his brain damage."