When Ellinor woke up, she found herself in a hospital.
The harsh fluorescent lights above made her break into a cold sweat.
âBaber!!!â
In her blurry vision, someone was gently rubbing her head, and a deep voice was whispering in her ear.
âItâs okay; everything is okay now.â
As Ellinorâs ragged breathing began to steady and her vision cleared, she saw the faces around her.
Ida, Chase, and Belinda, as well as Balfour, Byran, and McNeil, were all around her.
All of them were looking at her with a mix of pain and worry.
And the one who was holding her gently while whispering soothing words was Theo.
âWhereâs Baber?â Ellinor sat up in Theoâs arms, her eyes red from crying.
Thep looked at her gently. âHeâs okay; heâs awake. The doctors saved him. Donât worry.â
Ellinor couldnât believe it. She feared Theo was lying to calm her down. âWhere is Baber? I want to see him!â
With that, she tried to jump out of the bed to go find her child.
Theo didnât stop her. He just stood up with her while carefully supporting her, fearing she might fall due to her haste.
âSlow down; put on your shoes first.â Theo held her hand, preventing her from rushing out. He bent down to present her with the hospital slippers.
Ellinor was in a hurry; she didnât care about such things, but if she didnât put on the shoes, Theo wouldnât let her go. So, she quickly put them on.
âWhereâs Baber?! Take me to him now!â
Theo held her hand. âIâll take you to him; donât worry. Heâs in the pediatric ward. His great-grandparents and Veronica are there with him.â
Ellinor nodded, obediently following Theo out of the room.
After Ellinor left, the rest stayed in the room, not wanting to add to the confusion.
Admiration filled Byranâs eyes as he sighed. âI truly admire Ellinor. Baber isnât related to her by blood, but she worries for him like this, and our other sister, sheâ¦â
Balfour didnât say anything. They didnât find Patricia on the mountain, but they did catch the old employee the fast-food joint owner mentioned. After he got questioned by the police, they were pretty sure Patricia was the mastermind behind Baberâs kidnapping.
Where was Patricia now? They had searched the entire Barren Mountain and found no sign of her.
âDad, are you okay?â Byran noticed his fatherâs pallor, so he reached out to support him.
His father had woken up in the middle of the night to find them not at home. Sensing something was wrong, he called Byran, who accidentally spilled the beans.
Worried about Ellinor, McNeil insisted on coming to the hospital despite his own unstable health condition. Now, the exertion was making him pale. âDad, Iâll arrange for someone to take you home, okay? Ellinor is awake now, so everything will be fine. You should go home and rest.â
McNeil waved him off. âIâm okay, Byran. Just help me sit over there.â
With no other choice, Byran helped his father to a chair.