“Dad, Dad, Dad, where are you?” I screamed in agony, my voice cracking with desperation as I called his name over and over again. The pain in my chest was unbearable.
The sound of my cries sent three nurses rushing into the room. “Ma’am, is everything alright?” One of them asked, her face lined with concern. “We heard you screaming. What happened?”
“It’s my father!” I shouted, pointing at the empty bed. “He’s gone! He was right here, and now he’s just… gone!”
The nurses exchanged confused looks, their eyes darting to the vacant bed, finally noticing it was empty.
“That’s impossible,” said one nurse, shaking her head in disbelief. “I just checked on him! He was lying down in that bed a few minutes ago.”
“Then where is he now?” I demanded, my voice rising with frustration. “How long has he been missing? How could this even happen? Someone has to know where my father is!” My heart was racing, and my head was spinning. I couldn’t believe this was happening.
One of the nurses turned and bolted out the door. “I’ll get the doctor!”
It felt like everything was spinning out of control. First, I hadn’t seen Hannah or Louis since earlier, and now my father? My father, who’s in a coma, was missing? It was cruel-unjust!
“I need you to tell me where my dad is!” I shouted, my frustration spilling over. “Now, before I lose it completely!” My voice was shaking as my hands clenched into fists.
No one had an answer. The nurses just stood there, staring at me, shocked and silent.
The door burst open again as the attending physician stormed into the room. “What’s going on in here?” he demanded, his eyes scanning the room quickly.
“My dad is gone!” I cried, my voice hoarse. “He just disappeared!”
“What?” The doctor blinked, his face pale with shock. “That can’t be! I was just in here checking on him. He was on that bed!”
“Then who took him?” I shouted, my voice trembling. “Who took my father, and where did they take him?”
The doctor ran a hand through his hair, his face tight with worry. “There’s no way Alpha Darwin could have just disappeared like that. Let’s check the security cameras.”
“Fine,” I said, pushing past the doctor and storming out of the room. “Let’s go!”
We rushed to the security office on the second floor. The doctor instructed the security guard to pull up the footage from my father’s room. We all stood there, staring at the monitor, hearts pounding in our chests.
“Here it is,” the guard said, pointing to the screen as he played the video.
I watched with wide eyes, not even blinking. On the screen, a large man dressed in a doctor’s uniform entered my father’s room. He was wearing a white face mask, and his hair was slicked down over his forehead, hiding his face.
“Who is that?” I pointed at the screen, my hand shaking. “Do you recognize him?”
The doctor leaned forward, squinting at the screen. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before,” he replied, his voice filled with uncertainty.
The man on the screen wheeled my unconscious father out of the room in a wheelchair, heading straight for the exit. Then, they vanished from view.
“How is this even possible?” I shouted, feeling my heart race faster. “How could no one notice a man wheeling my dad out of the building?”
“I don’t know, but we’ll find out.” The doctor turned to his nurses, his face grim. “We need to start searching immediately.”
“I can’t believe this is happening.” Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched the security footage on repeat. The reality of the situation was crashing down on me. My father had been abducted.
The doctor and the nurses hurried off, leaving me alone with the security guard. I stood there, staring at the now empty screen.
As I walked back down the hall, I saw Sir Jethro, Luna Catherine, Alpha Derrick, and Mona gathered in the waiting area. They were speaking to the doctor, who was explaining what we had just seen on the CCTV footage.
“Kimberly, my dear,” Sir Jethro said softly, stepping toward me and wrapping me in a comforting embrace. “We’ll find Alpha Darwin. Everything is going to be okay.”
I tried to respond, but my voice broke. Tears streamed down my face as I leaned into him, my whole body trembling.
“It’s alright, darling,” Sir Jethro whispered, stroking my hair. “Cry if you need to. Let it out.”
I couldn’t hold back anymore. I sobbed into his shoulder, the weight of everything finally crashing down on me.
“What have you done to find him?” Luna Catherine’s voice cut through the room, sharp and cold.
I pulled away from Sir Jethro, glaring at her. “How can you even ask that?” I snapped. “Don’t act like you care!”
“Kimberly, don’t,” Sir Jethro warned, grabbing my wrist to stop me from confronting Luna Catherine further. But I was beyond reason now.
“You’ve always hated my father! I bet you’re glad he’s gone!” I shouted, pointing at her accusingly. “Maybe you had something to do with this! Maybe you took him!”
Luna Catherine’s face twisted in anger. “Watch what you say, Kimberly,” she warned through clenched teeth. “I will not tolerate baseless accusations.”
“I’m not afraid of you!” I yelled, pulling away from Sir Jethro. “You’ve always wanted him out of the way, and now he’s gone! Admit it! You took him!”
Luna Catherine’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “I’ve done nothing wrong. If you keep this up, I’ll make sure there are consequences for your slander.”
“You think I’m scared of you?” I shot back, my voice rising with each word. “You can’t do anything to me! You’re just a coward hiding behind your lies!”
“Enough, Kimberly!” Sir Jethro pulled me back forcefully, his voice firm. “Stop this, now.”
I glared at Luna Catherine, breathing heavily, my hands shaking with anger. “You won’t get away with this,” I said, my voice filled with venom. “Whatever you’re planning, it won’t work. You’ll never win.”
Luna Catherine turned away, her voice icy. “This conversation is over. Keep your accusations to yourself, or I’ll make sure you regret it.”
As she walked away, I yelled after her, “Why didn’t you tell us about my father’s tumor? Why didn’t you say anything about him needing treatment?”
The room fell silent as everyone turned to Luna Catherine, shock written on their faces. She paused for a moment, but didn’t respond. Instead, she kept walking, her back stiff.
I stood there, shaking with anger, watching her disappear down the hall, knowing this wasn’t over.