A Life Debt Repaid

Sam left and returned after buying a few bottles of water.
As his parents did not want any, Sam passed one to Quinn, who stared blankly for a moment before taking it.
In reality, they had not eaten or drank for a day since rushing to the capital for a day, waiting until Ryan’s surgery was over and
standing watch over him now.
And even as Quinn took a few sips, all her attention was on Ryan.
That was when she suddenly realized that Ryan had woken up-
It was a small twitch, and there was no other reaction— perhaps it hurt too much, or he simply did not have the strength.
Still, he slowly opened his eyes.
“He’s awake! Ryan’s awake!” Quinn exclaimed excitedly.
Marvin and Lindsay noticed it right then and quickly turned to Sam. “Go get a doctor!”
Sam promptly did so, and the doctor arrived, entering the ICU to examine Ryan.
The walls were soundproof, however, and they could not hear what the doctor was discussing with Ryan.
They all watched anxiously, and the doctor stepped out
after a while.
“How is my son? How is he?” Lindsay asked in agitation.
“Don’t worry-his vital signs are stable and he’s not in danger, ” the doctor assured her. “However, he’s still very weak, so he’d
need to stay here for another few days to avoid infection, or the consequences would be unimaginable.”
“Yes, yes... He should stay as long as he has to.” Lindsay promptly agreed to it. “Can we go in to keep him company?”
“Not for now,” the doctor replied, shaking his head. “He regained consciousness, but his head is still in a blur. He should rest for
now—I’ll arrange for visitation in a few days once he’s better.”
Both Marvin and Lindsay both thanked the doctor gratefully.

“It’s what I should do,” the doctor replied. “By the way, the patient can’t quite feel his condition, so don’t tell him about his
amputation for a few days when you start visiting. I’m concerned he won’t be able to take it, and it’s very dangerous until he’s
better.”
“Okay,” Lindsay nodded, as she always did while tears flowed freely from her cheeks.
“Our staff will be taking shifts to watch him 24/7. Everyone may step away for now, since the patient would need your care after
he leaves ICU. You need to take care of yourself before looking after others.”
And with that advice, the doctor left.
However, neither Marvin nor Lindsay intend to leave-their red, tearful eyes stayed on Ryan.
“Mom, Dad, you should get some rest and come back tomorrow,” Sam reasoned. “I’ve booked a hotel not ten minutes away from
here, and neither of you have eaten or drunk since this morning.”
“No, I want to stay with Ryan,” Lindsay sobbed.
“Yeah, I’m staying too,” Marvin said.
“Your health matters too, Dad,” Sam told him. “What would happen to Ryan if both of you get sick?! Don’t worry-l’m staying here,
and I’ll call you right away if anything happens.”
When Marvin still didn’t give in, Sam pressed, “You can neglect your own health, Dad, but not Mom’s.”
Marvin was convinced right then and turned to Lindsay,” Sam’s right. We’ll have all the time we need to care for Ryan, and we
should be more careful about our own health.”
“But...” Lindsay sobbed, unable to say anything.
Marvin nodded-they shared the same pain.
“Quinn, you can go with them to the hotel,” Sam said, not asking for opinions just then.
The priority now was to not let everyone wear themselves out!