Chapter 109: Things Left Unsaid
Eryx stood outside the ICU room, gazing through the glass.
Lilith Hayes lay motionless in the hospital bed, her face pale against the white sheets, a nasal cannula delivering oxygen with each faint rise and fall of her chest. The beeping of machines created a steady rhythm, cold and clinical. But all Eryx could focus on was how fragile she looked.
"She’s holding on, but barely," the doctor said quietly beside him. "Her oxygen levels have dropped significantly over the last forty-eight hours. We tried to contact Miss Hayes, but..."
"I know," Eryx replied, his voice low. "She hasn’t been well either."
The doctor nodded in understanding. "If there’s anything that can be done to bring some peace to her... I’d suggest doing it soon."
Eryx didn’t respond right away. His gaze stayed on Lilith through the glass, her face pale and sunken, the skin around her eyes drawn tight. But despite the toll illness had taken, something about her features tugged at him. A strange, lingering sense of familiarity.
His brow furrowed slightly, and the question slipped out before he could stop it. "How old is she?"
The doctor blinked, caught off guard. "Sorry?"
"Lunara’s mother," Eryx clarified, still watching the unmoving figure on the bed. "How old is she?"
The doctor flipped through the chart in his hands. "Fifty-five," he confirmed. "Born in May."
Eryx didn’t speak. His frown deepened.