Nora's still body does not move at all on the white bed ,the dim light of the lamp strikes her face, causing signs of fatigue to appear on her beautiful features.
The sound of her steady breathing fills the pale, four-walled room as if it were a living painting.
"Mama," Elizabeth says, tears welling up in her eyelids, rushing directly towards her mother.
Before her lips can speak, her hands grasp her mother's, sad features filling the young girl ,for the first time, she feels truly helpless.
Tears wouldn't fall from her eyelids; fear filled her heart, and every part of her body screamed with one thought in her mind: "It's your fault, Elizabeth. If you hadn't opened the door, none of this would have happened."
Both Henry and Isabella watch her, Henry with a steady expression and Isabella with concern tinged with pity...
Without any introduction, Isabella walks towards her niece. "Don't worry, she just needs rest. It must be from the shock," while she hugs Elizabeth calmly and firmly.
"All of this is because of me," Elizabeth mutters, tears beginning to pour from her eyes like a waterfall in complete silence, without her even realizing it.
Her hand clutched to her side, her gaze burning like lava that heats up quietly. Her aunt's embrace didn't seem to have helped.
Here she was, looking coldly at her father, Henry, and with narrowed eyes, thoughts began to take flight. "Where was he with my mother this morning?" "Whatever I thought about it, he didn't seem surprised by what happen " For a split second, Henry didn't seem to notice, but another guest did... Dr. Jeffrey, whose golden eyes met hers, black as an abyss.
For a moment he doesn't utter a single word, as if he is trying to read what is going on in the mind of the young girl in front of him, a spark of curiosity beginning to appear in his sharp eyes.
On the other side, Isabella was still hugging her with all her might, unaware of what was going on in her niece's mind, whispering, "Everything will be alright and we will catch whoever did this!!"
"Yes, miss, don't worry, your mother will be fine." A sudden voice... It's Jeffrey, who suddenly steps forward to look at her, placing both hands behind his back.
Elizabeth slowly raises her head to look at him, her empty eyes scrutinizing his appearance. Slowly, she moves from her aunt's embrace, muttering, "Okay," as her aunt pulls her by the shoulders to sit outside the room.
She finally ends up sitting like the rest of the waiting people on the waiting chair with her aunt, listening to the voices of Henry and Jeffrey discussing .
Isabella doesn't let go of Elizabeth's hands, her eyes filled with worry. "Please don't blame yourself for what happened, Elizabeth." Her gentle, worried expression is reflected in Elizabeth's pupils.
"I'll try," she nods her head slowly in agreement, finally wiping away the last tear before it falls with the palm of her hand.
At that moment, Henry comes out of the room, facing both of them, and in a quiet voice tells her, "I'll wait here, and you'll stay with your Aunt Elizabeth."
"WHAT?!" The only words that escaped his daughter's lips were before she suddenly stand. "How could I LEAVE my mother?!" she continued angrily.
Henry doesn't seem surprised at all. His gaze is fixed on his daughter, as if his words are not open to discussion at the moment. "I will be with her until she wakes up, but you must stay with your aunt Elizabeth."
"Calm down!! What's happening all of a sudden?" her aunt shouts to separate them, her voice disbelief at what is happening ,says to Henry, "What about the policeman!? Shouldn't you tell the policeman what happened!!"
It seems as though the mask of composure has momentarily fallen from Henry, who quickly replies, "No, no need. I will take care of this problem." Fear lingers like breadcrumbs from his mouth for a few seconds before he looks at Elizabeth.
His daughter stood behind her aunt,her face showing completely disbelieving, , "Why?" she asked immediately.
The tension between them is interrupted by Jeffrey's deep, calm voice directly behind Henry: "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, Doctor, everything is fine," Henry replies immediately, turning his attention to him and ignoring Elizabeth's question, who is standing a few meters away from him.
"ARE YOU KINDING ME!" Elizabeth screams, her face a mask of incredulity and utter fury.
On the other hand, Isabella tries to sit her down before she does something crazy. "Sit here, I'll go talk to him and find out what's going on!" And immediately she walks towards Henry...
Elizabeth is alone again in the chair, feeling as if there is a burning flame around her throat... scared, angry, full of questions and insecurity.
"Am I imagining now or that doctor was trying to silence me?" she whispers to herself while her focus is on all of them. Unfortunately, Henry takes Isabella away to talk... so only Jeffrey remains in front of her.
"You still haven't told me your name, miss," Jeffrey says, breaking the silence again, unconcerned by Elizabeth's suspicious looks.
The young girl replied quickly , "I don't think it's important," as if she hadn't said anything. Jeffrey steps forward in front of her for the second time. "Really? But I think it's important to know who I'm talking to."
Now, as he appears closer, raising her head even more suspiciously, he really does seem strangely calm....
She smiles sarcastically, tilting her head, and says in a quiet voice, "This won't change my mind," as she watches his face hidden behind the annoying mask.
noticed signs of thought in his eyes. He didn't seem to expect this dry, calm-toned response from a young woman whose hands were trembling inside her pockets, no matter how hard she tried to hide them.
"what does he want? Why do I have to meet strange people today?!" she says to herself at the same moment when footsteps approach quickly from afar. It's her Isabella ...
"Let's go, Elizabeth," Isabella says with a tired sigh. It seems that her attempt to convince Henry to keep them both in the hospital has failed... She takes a deep breath. It seems that she too is full of unanswered questions.
Before things could get any more tense, she pulled Elizabeth along her. "What?! What about my mom?! And the police?!" the young girl asked In shock , turning to her father who simply watched them silently.
The young girl finds herself helplessly following her aunt into the car, afew faces of the Patients around them following her along the empty corridor as they are greeted by the dark, cold street air..
For the last time, her eyes meet Jeffrey, who is unblinking, leaning against the wall... his hands inside his white coat... he looks as if he might disappear at any moment.
Isabella presses the gas pedal, speeding off. "That was...crazy," her aunt mutters, annoyed by what happened to her sister.
"What will happen now?!" Elizabeth asks, her eyes filled with worry for her mother.
Her aunt scratched her head, seemingly thinking of a suitable response so as not to worry her, and finally replied, "I don't know, but he will definitely call us when she wakes up. He must be nervous. Let's just leave him alone for a while."
"I want to say that I am not convinced at all," Elizabeth tells her with complete annoyance and disbelief that her aunt is even convinced by what she is saying... She crosses her arms, trying to rest her back on the chair. "I must check on my mother. I do not feel comfortable at all!!"
Whether she wanted it or not, the minutes passed, announcing a distance from the hospital and from her mother...
The shadows of the trees passed by, revealing a neighborhood with houses of different shapes, and there was nothing but silence that had become the companion of this journey now.