A nurse came running with a stretcher, her shoes squeaking on the floor inside the entrance. "Emergency! Bring him here!" she called to another doctor who appeared from behind the triage desk.
Together, Ruby and Julian lifted Milo onto the stretcher. Milo’s hand slipped from Julian’s wrist, falling limply to his side. The sight nearly made Ruby’s chest cave in. She quickly tucked Milo’s arm back against his chest, brushing his forehead once more before the nurse wheeled him through the glass doors toward the emergency room.
Ruby could feel the tense cold of the hospital hallway seeping into her bones. The sound of the stretcher’s wheels echoed in her ears—every turn of it felt like a countdown, a race she couldn’t help Milo run on his own.
He’ll be okay, she told herself over and over. He has to be okay.
She turned and looked at Julian—still standing frozen in the hallway. He hadn’t moved since the doors swung shut behind the nurse. His eyes were wide and hollow, blinking too fast, as if he was trying to anchor himself to the present but failing.
Without thinking, Ruby stepped forward. She reached out and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek gently to his shoulder. Julian stiffened at first but then he sagged forward, his head dropping just enough to rest against the side of her neck. His hands hovered uselessly at his sides before finally clutching the back of her robe.
"It’s okay..." Ruby whispered, though her own voice trembled. "He’ll be fine, Jules... he will..."
She didn’t know if it was true but right then, in the sterile hallway that smelled faintly of antiseptic and distant herbs, she needed him to believe it. And maybe, just maybe, she could believe it too.
Back at home, the warm festival glow had faded into a tense, heavy silence that wrapped around the living room like a thick blanket no one could throw off.
Everyone gathered close together, waiting for any word from Ruby and Julian.
Karl was crying loudly, his sobs that rattled his whole chest. He sat hunched over on the couch, clutching Hugo’s robe like a lifeline. Hugo had his arms wrapped firmly around Karl’s shoulders, rubbing gentle circles on his back, whispering, "It’s okay... it’s okay... everything will be fine, don’t cry too much now. He’ll be alright. Milo’s strong."
But Karl only shook his head, big tears rolling down his red cheeks as he hiccupped. "It’s my fault... it’s my fault, right? I pulled him up to dance—I didn’t even see he was feeling bad—" His voice broke again as he pressed his face into Hugo’s chest, trying to muffle the sound.
Across the room, Kenji stood near Adrian, his hand resting firmly on Adrian’s shoulder. Adrian didn’t shed a tear. His face looked carved from stone—blank, unmoving, eyes locked on phone screen as if Ruby’s call would come any second to tell him it was over, that Milo would come back through that door smiling like nothing happened.
Angeline stood near the door, arms crossed tightly, eyes shifting from Karl to Adrian and back again.
Leo, Max, Finn, and Jace were gathered around too. Jace quietly slipped into the kitchen, returning with a glass of water that he gently set down on the small table by Karl’s knee. "Try to drink a little, karl," he said softly.
But Karl didn’t even look up. He just kept crying, voice muffled into Hugo’s chest. "I should have seen it—I should have known—he always smiles even when he’s hurting—I should have known—"
Hugo hugged him tighter, rocking him just slightly, like calming a child. "Stop that, Karl. This is not your fault. Milo would never blame you–you know that. You were only making him smile, that’s all you wanted."
Kenji squeezed Adrian’s shoulder once more, grounding him as his other hand hovered over the couch. "Miss Ruby will call soon. The healer was good—he said they caught it in time. We just have to wait. Alright?"
But Adrian said nothing. He just stared at the phone in his palm, his thumb hovering over the screen. His chest rose and fell so shallowly, the only sign that inside, he was holding every fear so tight it felt like his ribs might crack from the weight.
Finally—after what felt like hours of holding their breath—Adrian’s phone vibrated softly in his hand. The small buzz was so sudden in the quiet living room that everyone’s heads snapped up at once.
Adrian’s thumb fumbled over the screen as Karl scrambled over to him, wide eyes locked on the glowing caller ID. Even Angeline stepped closer to the couch.
"Put it on speaker," Kenji murmured near Adrian’s ear, but Adrian didn’t answer, he just pressed the button, his knuckles white around the phone.
Kenji didn’t have a phone of his own, but he’d watched his bosses use theirs when he delivered food tiffins — he’d even taken calls on their phones a few times, So he knew few things about phones.
"Hello..." Ruby’s voice came through, faint and hoarse, crackling a little over the line. She sounded exhausted–her breaths ragged, like she’d been holding in too much for too long.
"Wife—!" Karl choked out, his voice breaking as he leaned closer, almost pressing his ear to the phone. Adrian’s grip on the device tightened so much his hand started to tremble.
On the other end, Ruby took a shaky breath. "We’re at the hospital now... Milo’s... he’s being treated." Her voice trembled, "We... might not come home tonight."
Adrian’s jaw flexed. He forced the next words out, his deep voice rough and quiet. "How... how is he?"
For a heartbeat, the line went quiet except for the faint hum of what must have been the hospital hallway–machines, muffled footsteps, the distant echo of something being wheeled past.
"...I don’t know," Ruby finally whispered, and her honesty cut through the room like a cold wind. "The doctors are still checking him... they’re using the Soul Scan machine now. Julian’s inside with him. They... they said they’ll tell us soon."
Adrian’s hand shook so badly Kenji wrapped his palm over Adrian’s wrist, steadying it without a word. Karl’s fat tears welled up again, his breath hitching as he leaned closer, his lips trembling.
"Wife..." Karl sniffled, trying so hard to keep his voice steady. "Please... please bring him back... okay?"
On the other end of the line, Ruby let out a small, broken laugh, one that made everyone’s chest tighten. "I will... I promise. Just... just wait for us."
—To be continued...🪄