“Yeah, I thought so too. Not normal, but I’m just following instructions.” She gives a small shrug and heads back to her desk.
I turn the parcel over. No sender details. Nothing. Strange.
I grab scissors and open it, finding an envelope inside. My stomach tightens before I even touch it. I open it, and everything stops.
Inside is a plastic card.Olympic Medical Center.My old workplace.
I pull it out slowly, already knowing what’s coming before I turn it over: my face, my name, my staff ID, my job title.
My stomach drops violently. The world tilts, sharp and disorienting. My throat locks. Darkness floods in too fast to stop, my knees giving out as my breath disappears. Panic swallows everything, leaving only a crushing pressure.
Voices break through the noise: Deck shouting, Finn somewhere in the distance, and CJ’s voice cutting through everything.
“Wake up, Eli. Wake up.”
I try to respond, but I can’t.
Something touches my face. I push at it instinctively, panic flaring at the confinement. It comes back, firmer this time.
“Eli. Baby Boy, it’s just an oxygen mask.”
My chest constricts. The mask feels like a hand over my face, even though I know it isn’t. I don’t know where CJ is, but I need him. I need something real. My breathing is still tight, but the mask helps slightly.
I feel movement. I’m being lifted, carried. Doors slam somewhere far away, and then nothing makes sense again until I open my eyes.
Hospital. How the hell did I get here?
My throat tightens. The room feels too bright, too loud, too close.
CJ is sitting beside the bed. “Hey, Baby Boy,” he says softly, tears in his eyes. “Welcome back.”
I try to sit up, but his hand is on my chest immediately, steadying me back down.
“Easy,” he murmurs.
“What happened?”
“Jackie brought you the envelope, remember?”
Then it all comes back to me. I see it all: the envelope, the card, Adrian. It hits all at once.
I push at him immediately, panic snapping right back into place. I swing my legs off the bed.
“I have to go.” My breath comes in sharp bursts. Every instinct screams at me to run. I’m already looking for my clothes, already moving. “He’s found me. I have to go. Now.”
CJ stands, grabbing my arm. “You’re not leaving.”
“I can’t stay,” I breathe. “He’s found me. I need to keep you safe. Finn, Deck, everyone.” My hands shake, my thoughts spinning too fast to hold. “I have to run again.”
CJ takes my shoulders, forcing me to still. “No. You’re staying. We’re not letting you go. I can’t let you go, Eli.”
His voice breaks through the panic, but only just. He guides me back onto the bed. I sit there, staring at my hands.
“Baby Boy, look at me.”
I can’t. My chest aches. The name feels too soft, too close, too much. I keep my eyes down.
His fingers tilt my chin up, gently but firmly.
