Chapter 225: AT NADIA’S BEDSIDE

Author’s PO V

Elder Osric was with Vera again after the whole thing.

He had been explaining what had happened that morning and how smoothly everything had gone. Then, he paused. "Nadia is unwell."

"Nadia?" Vera asked, sitting straighter. "What happened to her?"

"She collapsed inside the mansion," Osric explained. "They believe she was poisoned. She’s been taken to the hospital."

Vera stared at him for a moment, her eyes widening. Nadia was her niece, and despite everything else Vera had been involved in, that fact was enough to make panic take over.

She immediately pushed herself to her feet, barely giving herself time to think. "I need to see her."

Osric watched her hurriedly gather herself. "Vera—"

"I said I need to see her." Her voice was louder this time, and she was already heading toward the door. "Find out which hospital she’s in."

"I know where she was taken."

"Then tell me." She ordered.

Osric gave her the information, and Vera left almost immediately.

Meanwhile, Keisha had already made up her mind.

She packed her belongings into the small bag she had brought with her, moving around the hospital room.

She felt way better now and she wasn’t comfortable sitting about, while her friend was lying in a hospital bed.

The nurse entered just as Keisha was fastening the bag. "You’re packing?"

Keisha turned toward her. "I’m leaving."

The nurse immediately frowned. "You’re not discharged yet. Miss, you can’t just walk out."

Keisha picked up her phone from the bedside table and slipped it into her bag. "I’m fine. I don’t need to stay here anymore."

"You fainted. That’s not a small thing. You’re also heavily pregnant, Keisha."

Keisha sighed, knowing the nurse was only doing her job, but her patience was already wearing thin. "I understand, but I can’t stay here while Nadia is in another hospital. I need to see her."

The nurse looked at her for a moment before realizing that Keisha had already made her decision. She could tell her to stay, but Keisha clearly wasn’t going to listen. "Please at least be careful," she said.

Keisha nodded. "I will."

She left the hospital shortly afterward. By the time she returned to the mansion, her mind was already focused on one thing. She found Becca and immediately asked where Nadia had been taken.

Becca gave her the hospital’s name and location, and Keisha thanked her before leaving again.

When Keisha finally reached the hospital where Nadia had been admitted, she found Callum inside the room.

He was standing beside Nadia’s bed, his eyes fixed on his daughter. The moment he turned and saw Keisha, his expression hardened. "What are you doing here?"

Keisha stopped at the doorway. "I came to see Nadia."

"You left the hospital without telling anyone?"

She shrugged. "That’s not the problem right now."

Callum stared at her, clearly struggling between anger and worry. "Keisha, you collapsed yesterday. You were unconscious, and the doctor told you to rest. How exactly did you decide that the sensible thing to do was walk out of the hospital?"

"Obviously, I couldn’t stay there knowing Nadia was here."

Callum looked away, dragging a hand over his face. For a moment, he said nothing. Then his shoulders dropped slightly, the anger giving way to exhaustion. "Fine," he said.

Keisha nodded and walked toward Nadia’s bed.

Nadia looked peaceful beneath the blankets, but there was nothing peaceful about the situation. She had been unconscious since collapsing, and none of them knew when that would change.

Keisha moved closer to Callum. "What did the doctor say?"

Callum’s jaw tightened. "They don’t know."

She looked at him. "What?"

"They treated the poisoning and stabilized her," he continued quietly. "But they don’t know when she’s going to wake up. It could be soon. It could take longer. They’re watching her, but they can’t give me a time."

Keisha looked back at Nadia.

Callum remained beside the bed, his hands resting against the edge as he stared at his daughter. He looked exhausted, and his shoulders were tense.

He turned to her suddenly, gaze darting over her frame. "Come, let’s get you some rest," He whispered.

Keisha noticed the tears pricking his eyes and her chest tightened.

Keisha stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him and Callum didn’t resist.

"She’ll be okay," Keisha said quietly. "Nadia will be okay."

She wasn’t exactly certain of it, but she knew she couldn’t let any bad thoughts come to mind. Nadia had to be fine.

Callum held her for a moment, his face turned away from the bed. "I hope she will be. I can’t bear this. Seeing you and her in trouble and pain. But it keeps happening."

Keisha couldn’t say anything, she could only him close, pulling him flush against her as she stroked his head.

She could only imagine what was going on through this head.

Callum closed his eyes briefly before finally pulling away. He looked at Nadia again, his expression still strained.

They remained beside her for several minutes until the door opened and Vera rushed into the room.

Her eyes immediately went to Nadia and she crossed the room without acknowledging Keisha’s presence and moved straight to the bed, taking Nadia’s hand as she stared down at her.

"Nadia," she whispered, then turned toward Callum. "What happened? How bad is she?"

Callum looked at his sister. "She’s stable."

Vera’s face remained tense. "Goddess."

"The doctors managed to stabilize her after the poisoning," Callum continued. "But she’s still unconscious. They don’t know when she’ll wake up."

Vera looked back at Nadia, her fingers tightening around her hand. "And the poison? What is it?"

"Wolfsbane."

Vera’s expression changed and Callum noticed. "We’re going to find out who did this."

Vera looked at him. "When Nadia wakes up, we’ll find out everything she remembers," Callum said, his voice becoming colder. "And whoever poisoned her will face the consequences."

His eyes hardened as he looked toward Nadia. "Nothing less than death."