A Life Debt Repaid

Zoe: [Is Quinn with you at the hospital in the capital?]
Zoe: [How are your parents taking the news?]
Sam felt really stressed even as he replied to his friends’ text, since this was a tragedy for anyone, just as he had no idea how to
deal with Ryan.
Soon, it was late into the night, and Sam received a text from Quinn: [Are you asleep?]
[Nope.]
Quinn: [Can you sleep at the hospital? You should find a place to rest—you should be careful with your own health too. You’d
have to step up if your parents get overwhelmed.]
Sam: [I know. It’s late, though. Aren’t you sleeping?]
Quinn paused for a moment. [I’m a little worried about you.]
Sam chuckled bitterly. [Why? I’m fine. Ryan, though...]
Quinn’s fingers hovered over her phone, unsure of what to say.
Sam did not dwell on it either. [It’s late. You should get some sleep.]
Quinn: [Yeah.]
Sam: [Watch my parents for me. I’m worried that they’d get overwhelmed.]
Quinn: [I’ll stay with them. Don’t worry.]
Sam put down his phone at that and reclined against the hallway chair.
He stayed there until the morning, even though the hospital had already booked a VIP ward for his convenience. It was for Ryan
once he could be moved out of ICU, but he did not go there.
He just thought someone should stay with Ryan at all times -he would get scared if he were alone.

By daybreak, however, Sam had dozed off because he was too drowsy... until a nurse came, and called out softly, “Mr.
Saunders?”
Sam opened his bloodshot eyes and straightened, looking at her in surprise as she said, “The patient would like to see you.”
Sam paused for a moment before pointing at the ICU and exclaiming in surprise, “You mean Ryan?”
The nurse nodded. “He says he would like to see you inside.”
“Didn’t the doctors forbid visitation?”
“They were just here to check on him, actually-all his vital signs were stable, so they gave him the green light,” the nurse
explained mildly. “You can visit the patient, but you’ll have to watch the time. Since the patient is still very weak, we’ll do our best
to fulfill his needs to help with his recovery.”
“Okay.” Sam got to his feet, deciding to confront Ryan right then.
“Come with me. You need to change into scrubs,” the nurse told him.
Sam did so and followed the nurse into the ICU.
Now that he was seeing Ryan up close, Ryan looked way worse than he thought.
His brother, who had always cared a lot about his personal image at home or outside, usually looked sharp and well- dressed at
all times.
Now, he was covered in bandages and had plenty of tubes attached all over his body, leaving him a shadow of his past self.
Keeping a lid on his feelings, Sam looked at Ryan’s face, meeting the latter’s feeble gaze just then.