Keifer's POV
The meeting was still going.
Voices around me. Papers. Numbers. People talking like everything was normal.
But I wasn't listening.
Something felt… off.
I checked my phone again.
Nothing.
No messages.
No missed calls.
My jaw tightened.
She should've texted by now.
"Keifer?" someone called.
I looked up. "Yeah."
"Your input?"
"…it's fine," I said shortly.
But it wasn't.
Nothing felt fine.
I leaned back slightly, rubbing the back of my neck.
Why does this feel wrong?
I opened our chat.
Last message.
Me: Did you eat?
Her: Yeah, I did. Don't worry.
I stared at it.
Something about it felt…
Off.
Too simple.
Too quick.
"Excuse me," I muttered, standing up.
"Where are you going?" someone asked.
"I need a minute."
I stepped outside.
The air hit my face.
Cold.
But it didn't calm me.
I called her.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
No answer.
My chest tightened.
"Pick up…" I muttered under my breath.
"Come on, Jay…"
Straight to voicemail.
Something was wrong.
I knew it.
[Celestine's POV]
The waiting room felt suffocating.
Too quiet.
Too still.
I hadn't moved.
Not really.
My eyes stayed locked on the same door they took Jay through.
"Celestine…"
I didn't look at Percy.
"I should've noticed," I whispered. "She said nothing… not once…"
"You couldn't have known."
"But I should have!" I snapped, my voice breaking. "She doesn't just collapse, Percy!"
Silence.
Heavy.
Painful.
The door opened.
We both stood up instantly.
The doctor stepped out again.
This time…
His expression was worse.
My heart dropped.
"How is she?" I asked, my voice barely holding together.
He exhaled slowly.
"We've run initial scans…"
I couldn't breathe.
"And?"
"There are signs of a neurological complication," he said carefully
.
My mind went blank.
"What does that mean?" Percy asked
.
"It means," the doctor continued, "there may be an issue affecting her brain function. We need more tests to confirm the exact cause.
"
"No…" I shook my head. "No, no—she was fine this morning—"
"She may have been experiencing symptoms before," he said. "Headaches, dizziness…"
I froze.
"She didn't tell us…" I whispered.
"That's common," he replied gently. "Patients often ignore early signs."
My chest tightened painfully.
"Is it serious?" Percy asked.
The doctor hesitated.
Again.
And that hesitation said everything.
"We can't rule out memory-related complications," he said quietly. "In some cases… it can affect recall. Temporary or long-term—we don't know yet."
Memory.
I felt like the ground disappeared beneath me.
"She could… forget?" I whispered.
"We're not certain yet," he said quickly. "But it is a possibility."
No.
No.
Keifer.
He didn't know.
And suddenly…
That felt worse.
[Keifer's POV]
I called again.
And again.
And again.
Nothing.
I ran a hand through my hair, pacing.
"Why isn't she answering…" I muttered.
I dialed Percy.
Ringing.
Ringing.
Pick up.
"Come on… pick up…"
Click.
"…hello?"
"Where's Jay?" I asked immediately.
Silence.
My heart dropped.
"Percy."
"…she's just—resting," he said.
Too fast.
Too forced.
"No."
My voice hardened.
"Don't lie to me."
Silence again.
Longer this time.
"What happened?" I demanded.
"…Keifer—"
"What. Happened."
And then—
He said it.
"…she's in the hospital."
Everything stopped.
"…what?"
"She collapsed," Percy said quickly. "We're still figuring out what's wrong—"
I didn't hear the rest.
My chest felt tight.
Too tight.
"Which hospital," I said.
Not a question.
"…Keifer—"
"Which hospital."
He told me.
"I'm coming," I said.
"You're out of town—"
"I said I'm coming."
And before he could say something else , I hung up