THE WORRYING CONDITION

The long drive that was filled with dread finally came to a stop when the cars finally pulled up at the Aga Khan hospital grounds. Gia, Grace, and Deep’s parents jumped out in haste, the worry and anxiety of the state Deep was in driving them. They all hiked behind Gia, who led the way while on a thousandth call with Simon. She kept calling every single minute to ask whether Deep had been taken care of and if there was any news.

The hospital corridors buzzed with life, yet an air of worry slipped them hard as they anxiously made their way to the third floor, where Simon had directed them.

The rustles of their heavy, fast movements echo in the quiet corridors, their breaths heavier than air.

“Simon, where is my son? How is he? I want to see my son.” Mrs. Azzua found words between her heavy, uncontrollable breathing and unqueled inquisitiveness.

“Is he alright? Have they attended to him? Can we see him?” Mr. Azzua also expressed his inquisitiveness, with worry etched on his face.

Gia hugged her cool tight, trying not to add too much pressure on Simon. “Any news, Simon?”

Simon shook his head, shuttering their hopes, his voice faint with immeasurable pain and worry. “The doctors have not come out of the room since they took him in. They have not said a word either.”

That did not sit well with Gia or anyone. The simple sense of that sign was that Deep was in critical condition. “What was his condition? Was it so bad?” Gia spoke with a heavy heart, trying to stay strong.

Simon nodded slightly. “I am afraid, yes. He was unconscious. He had deep cuts, and his face was covered in bruises. He looked bad, Gia. Whoever did that to him was a cruel, heartless animal.”

They kept quiet with a clear sense of who that monster was and what more he could do to anyone if he was able to hurt his half-brother like that.

They had been in this state for what felt like an eternity, unanswered questions lingering on their heads, more fear soaking them, and deep worry for Deep topping up everything.

A fleeting moment of silence grew into long moments of deafening screams of fear, worry, and incertitude, each battling with their own baffling thoughts. Gia clutched her purse tightly, her eyes fixed on the sterile white walls of the waiting area. Her mind raced, her heart throbbed, and her loath and wrath for Ejay grew a thousand years old. Even without laying eyes on Deep to substantiate the monster’s cruelty, she was fuming with rage and an ardent thirst to have a second chance to kill that monster once again.

Grace was on the edge of her seat, her hands trembling slightly as she held onto a cup of lukewarm coffee that she hoped would help calm her nerves, but her quivers corroborated that nothing could calm her or anyone down in the midst of what was happening. She tried to hold back her tears, focusing instead on offering comfort to Gia and maintaining a facade of strength.

Deep's father paced back and forth, his jaw clenched with worry. He was a man of action, but at this moment, he felt powerless. The guilt gnawed at him for not being able to protect his blameless son from the monstrous one, and the thought of Deep enduring such agony tore him apart inside. He cursed Ejay so much for venting all his anger on an innocent soul. He wished he was the one who got hurt instead of Deep. After all, all of that was happening because he had failed in his responsibility. His wife, on the other hand, had her gaze planted into space, tears falling one drop after the other, and she did not care to prevent them. Or perhaps she had gotten tired of wiping them away. Or better still, she perhaps wanted the heavens to see the pain she was nursing inside and the greatest fear she had for her son’s safety and well-being.

Their hearts collectively sank every time a door opened, hoping it would be a doctor with news of Deep's condition. The minutes turned into hours, and the uncertainty was becoming unbearable, tearing them into pieces.

Finally, a doctor emerged from the corridor, wearing a weary expression. The five anxious souls leaped to their feet simultaneously, their eyes locking onto the doctor, silently pleading for any snippet of information about Deep, their hearts hoping for the best.

"I suppose that you are Deep's family." The doctor asked, scanning their anxious faces.

"Yes, we are," Gia replied, her voice shaking.

The doctor sighed and led them to a quiet corner, away from the bustling hospital atmosphere. "Deep has suffered severe injuries. He was tortured badly, but he's stable now. He's in critical condition, though, but we are doing everything we can to help him."

The news slapped them like a ton of ceramic. The only flicker of relief that at least gave them hope was knowing that Deep was alive and with them. Their hearts ached at the thought of the pain he must be enduring.

"What can we do? How bad is it?" Gia's voice trembled with pain.

The doctor looked at them with pity, blending with their pains and worries and giving them a consoling look. “I know this will be painful for you all, but I will not lie to you. His condition is serious. The bruises and cuts are very severe. He also has a fractured hand. Right now, all you can do is just pray for him and wait for him to react to the treatments that we are giving him.”

Their safes sank, and so did their hearts. The ordeal that Deep seemed to have undergone seemed terrible. All they hoped was for him to pull through the pain.

"Can we at least see him, Doc? Even just for a while?" Gia pleaded, her eyes filled with a mix of anguish.

The doctor opened her mouth, but no word came out. Looking at them, he turned into a shy alpha male, his eyes avoiding each one of them. “Doctor? She asked if we could see my son. Why are you not responding? Is there something that you have not told us yet?” Mr. Azzua spoke, his eyes trying to search for the doctors, but to no avail. The doctor was doing a good job of averting their gazes.