StarNovelChapter 0596
Nina
The phone dropped out of Lori's hand with a clatter, and for a moment, | felt my heart drop.
As | looked at Lori, | began to fear the worst: that Jessica had died in the hospital. But when Lori uttered those
words, | felt as if the world was tilting beneath my feet.
"It's Jessica," Lori said, her face slowly stretching into an incredulous, shocked smile. "She's awake."
| couldn't believe it. Just yesterday, the doctors had said that she had more internal bleeding. When | saw Jessica
just a few hours ago in the middle of the night, she was practically on death's doorstep.
And my impromptu Claiming ceremony, my haphazard and last-minute attempt to tum Jessica into one of us in a
desperate plea to save her life, hadn't worked. | could still feel her cold and limp hand in mine, could still see the
bruises on her face and her poor body wrapped up in white casts.
It hadn't worked. Right?
| blinked, unable to process the information. This couldn't be ssort of joke, could it? Was | dreaming?
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"What... What do you mean, she's awake?" | stammered, taking a shaky step forward.
Lori's smile widened even more, and her joy was palpable, even from where | stood. "The doctor just called.
Jessica had a major improvement during the night, and they're not sure how!" she exclaimed.
| couldn't contain my emotions any longer. Tears of joy streamed down my cheeks as | rushed forward and
embraced Lori tightly, throwing my arms around her. "Oh, Lori, that's incredible!" | exclaimed, my voice choked
with happiness. "I can't believe it. | can't believe she's awake."
"That is incredible," Enzo said, sounding disbelieving himself.
In that moment, Lori leaned in closer, whispering in my ear. "Does he know?"
Slowly, | shook my head. And at that moment, there was an unspoken agreement between Lori and I; that Enzo
didn't need to know. Not yet, at least. Not until we could see Jessica in person and confirm it for ourselves.
Either way, though, the realization hitlike a bolt of lightning. | couldn't believe it; if it was the case that
Jessica had a sudden and miraculous recovery, then that meant that my Claiming ritual on Jessica may have
actually worked, despite my doubts. | had believed it to be a futile attempt, but now, | couldn't deny the hope
fluttering in my chest.
But | needed confirmation. | couldn't tell Enzo about my attempt to Claim Jessica until | was certain. So, | decided
to keep it between myself and Lori for now.
As Lori and | pulled apart, she looked back and forth between Enzo and me. "I need to go to the hospital right
now to see Jessica. Do you want to come, or are you in too much of a rush to leave?" she asked. "I understand if
you need to go. And | know Jessica will, too."
| turned to Enzo, my heart torn between the urgency of our journey and the need to see my friend. But | couldn't
go; not when I had thought that Jessica would have died only a few hours ago. "Enzo, | need to see her," | said,
my voice almost pleading. "I can't just leave without seeing her in person."
Enzo hesitated for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. Then, he nodded, his eyes filled with
understanding." You know what? I'd like to see Jessica too," he admitted, his voice gentle. "Let's go."
With that decision made, Enzo and | put off our journey to the werewolf realm for just a little while longer. There
was a newfound sense of joy in our hearts as the three of us piled into the truck, and without a second thought, |
whipped out of the driveway and began speeding down the winding roads.
When we arrived at the hospital, we made our way to Jessica's room. The door was shut, and Lori hesitated, her
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmhand on the doorknob.
"Go ahead," | said gently, giving her a nod of my head. "You go first. You two should have sprivacy." "Thank
you," Lori breathed before taking a deep breath and pushing into the room.
Through the cracked door, | could hear it; the excited voices of my two friends. It brought tears to my eyes, and |
turned to Enzo. He offereda gentle smile and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. We made our way over
to the window, where we could just barely see Jessica and Lori through the slats in the blinds.
Inside the room, Jessica sat up in bed, talking and smiling. Lori was gripping Jessica's face, turning her head this
way and that like a mother checking her child for injuries.
Jessica was laughing and saying something, and then Lori's shoulder's sagged with relief. They leaned closed and
began to kiss, and Enzo and | turned away to give them sprivacy for their emotional reunion.
"Are you Jessica's friends?" a voice suddenly called out, snapping us out of our reverie. Enzo and | looked up to
see a doctor in a white coat approaching, his stethoscope draped around his neck.
ote
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