"P-Professor..." Victor stammered.
His gaze shifted from Kane to Lucy.
"Professor Kane?"
Kane gave a small nod in acknowledgment.
Victor’s eyes settled on Lucy once more.
She looked... different.
She was motionless.
If not for the rise and fall of her chest, he’d have thought she was unconscious.
Her face was flushed, her breathing uneven, and one hand remained curled tightly into the front of Kane’s shirt.
His stomach sank. "What happened?" he asked quietly
Elliott stepped forward before Kane could answer. "I’m assuming the three of you are her friends."
Maya nodded first. "Y-Yes."
"Good." Elliott glanced at Lucy before returning his attention to them.
"She needs to be taken to the hospital."
Victor frowned. "Hospital? Why?"
Elliott hesitated for only a second. "We believe she was drugged."
Maya gasped. Sasha’s lips parted open.
Victor stared at him. "What?"
"You heard me correctly."
Victor shook his head slowly, as though refusing to believe what he’d just heard.
"Drugged?" His voice came out barely above a whisper. "How’s that possible?"
"We do not have time. We urgently need to get her to the hospital." Kane said, already walking toward the entrance.
"Right," Victor nodded, shuffling in his feet. "I’ll follow you."
Elliott nodded. "I think that’s a good idea."
A few minutes later, they were in the car, already driving to the hospital.
About fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the hospital.
Immediately, Lucy was placed on a stretcher as they rushed her to the ER, with Elliott following close behind.
"Female. Early twenties. Suspected drug ingestion approximately twenty to thirty minutes ago. Tachycardic, febrile, altered mental status. No vomiting. No loss of consciousness."
Elliott rattled off the details while the nurse nodded and wheeled Lucy toward the ER.
Just as Kane was about to go in with them, a nurse stopped him.
"Sorry sir. But you can’t follow us in."
Kane opened his mouth to argue.
"Don’t worry, Kane. She’d be fine." Elliott assured him, before closing the door with a soft thud.
Kane ran a hand through his hair, losing count of how many times he had done so that evening. He took a seat on one of the benches in the waiting area, bowing his head.
"P-professor?"
Kane looked up.
Victor hesitated before speaking.
"How did Lucy end up with you?"
Kane rubbed his jaw and he answered.
"I found her outside the elevator," Kane said and stared at the ceiling.
"She was disoriented. She couldn’t even stand properly."
"I couldn’t leave her in that condition."
"She told me she had just one drink, and that it was given to her by a student named Charles."
Victor’s jaw clenched. "I’m sorry, but did you say Charles?"
Kane nodded.
Victor palmed his hands into fists. "I’m going to kill him."
Kane watched his anger with a terrifying calmness.
Then Victor’s expression fell. "This is my fault. I shouldn’t have left her side."
Kane shook his head. "It’s not your fault. You wouldn’t have known that something like this would happen."
"But—"
"No." Kane said firmly. "You weren’t the one who gave her the spiked drink. So that doesn’t make it your fault."
"The fault lies in the culprit."
Victor looked away. "Thank you... for helping her."
The two girls leaned against the wall, their gazes fixated on the door to the ER while they remained quiet.
Kane raised his head, staring. "I did what I had to do."
Then quietly, he added.
"She’s my student."
He didn’t know if he was saying so to Victor or to convince himself he did it for no other reason.
He’d do the same for another student, right?
He didn’t know anymore.
After what felt like an eternity, the doors to the emergency room finally swung open.
Elliott stepped out first.
His mask hung loosely around his neck, and there was a tiredness in his eyes that hadn’t been there earlier.
Everyone was on their feet before he could say a word.
"How is she?" Victor asked immediately.
Elliott looked at the four anxious faces before him. "She’s stable."
The collective sigh of relief that followed was almost deafening.
Maya covered her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.
Sasha leaned against the wall, visibly relaxing.
Even Victor’s shoulders sagged.
Kane remained silent.
Only the slight loosening of his clenched jaw betrayed the relief washing through him.
Elliott glanced at him before continuing. "She’s out of immediate danger."
Victor swallowed, before asking softly. "So... what happened?"
Elliott folded his arms. "The initial tests ruled out alcohol intoxication."
He paused, allowing his gaze to sweep over every one of them. "The tests detected an aphrodisiac in her bloodstream."
Elliott lifted a hand before anyone could speak. "But that wasn’t the only substance in her system."
The waiting area fell silent.
"There was a stimulant mixed into the drink."
"That combination explains the elevated heart rate, fever, confusion and the altered mental state."
Maya frowned. "So... whoever did this..." She turned to Victor whose hands were tightly fisted by his side.
"We don’t know whether it was intentional or accidental," Elliott answered honestly. "What we do know is that the combination was dangerous."
Kane finally spoke. "Will there be any lasting effects?"
"No." Elliott shook his head. "We got her here early enough to prevent any permanent damage."
He glanced toward the emergency room doors.
"She’s been given medication, fluids, and she’s responding well."
Another wave of relief swept through the group.
Victor slowly lowered himself onto one of the chairs.
He buried his face in his hands. "If you hadn’t found her..." His voice cracked. "...I don’t know what would’ve happened to her."
The corridor fell into silence.
The weight of his words pressed heavily on their chests.
After a long moment, Elliott spoke again. "She’s still drowsy, but she’ll wake up in a while."
He looked directly at Kane. "One person can see her."
Before anyone else could react, Victor turned toward Kane.
"You should go."
Kane frowned.
"She’s probably looking for you."
For a brief second, surprise flashed across Kane’s face.
Then, without another word, he turned and walked toward Lucy’s room.
Every instinct warned him he was crossing a line.
None of them, however, told him to turn back.