The Lost And Forgotten Memories

      Some time before the trip to the hospital, the policemen are examining these places, confiscating some things, filling some papers, and talking to the doctors and one another. They quickly treated all the wounds and abrasions that Edward and Daniel got and examined the two closely to make sure that everything was fine.       “You have very many bruises and abrasions, young men,” one of the doctors says anxiously. “You better go to the hospital doctors to have a complete examination. If you got more serious traumas, doing nothing might lead to terrible consequences.”       “Thanks a lot, doctor, but we are fine,” Edward replies quietly, stroking his disheveled hair.       “Yes, we are really fine,” Daniel confirms, pulling down the sleeves of his leather jacket slightly.       “You need to be careful with your health,” the doctor warns. “You might get serious illnesses because of your wish to save care about it for later. Don’t think that just because you are young, you could avoid the worst.”       “We understand it. But if something is not right, we will go to a doctor.”       “Oh, alright, I will not insist. But you are warned about the risks.”       “Do not worry about us,” Edward replies with sadness in his eyes. “You better help my brother. He must live. Do your best for him to survive.”       “And my sister,” Daniel adds quietly. “She is too young to die. I don’t want to lose her.”       “Of course, we will do our best,” the doctor replies quietly, examining the piece of paper in his hands. “But I must inform you that the condition of the girl and the man is hard.”       “Could you say what they were injected with?” Daniel asks.       “No yet. But we will find it out in the hospital, and you will be told more about the condition of the victims.”       “But is there hope that they will get well?” Edward asks with rounded eyes.       “I can promise nothing, sir. I can only advise you to believe that your brother and the sister of your friend will get through that.”       “Thanks, we are trying to believe in the best, but we are not very sure about it,” Daniel replies hesitantly. “The criminal probably injected something lethal into them.”       “We will do our best to help them. But I recommend you two have some rest and clean yourself up. You look quite exhausted.”       “After we know what happened to my brother and his sister,” Edward replies confidently.       “Alright,” the doctor shrugs. “When something is known, you will be immediately notified.”       “Thanks, doctor,” Daniel nods.       “Excuse me, but I have to leave you. Find out what’s happening to the victims.”       The doctor turns around and goes away quietly, leaving the emptied Daniel and Edward alone. The guys watch him with tired eyes, look at each other, and go aside as slowly as turtles, watching everybody doing their work and quickly going from one side to another with a dead look and thinking it looks like a dream. But a few seconds later, one of the policemen comes to the friends, holding a folder in his hands.       “Are you really fine?” the policeman specifies quietly. “The doctors said you refused to have an exam at the hospital.”       “Yes, yes, we are fine,” Daniel nods and strokes down his disheveled hair. “We are just exhausted.”       “Well… It’s your absolute right…”       “Excuse me, officer, what can you say about Wainwright?” Edward asks a little hesitantly.       “In the house that you showed us, there were many drugs and syringes that we confiscated. There were different types of drugs: from the easiest to the hardest. Also, my colleagues found many packs of sedatives in pill form and capsules.”       “Sedative?” Daniel rounds his eyes.       “Quite strong. So, there is an assumption that the two victims could get a great dose of sedatives. Overdosing this type of drug might lead to something similar to what happened to them.”       “Do you think Wainwright gave them a great dose of sedative?” Daniel wonders. “Maybe, he gave them a dangerous for life dose of drugs? At least one of them?”       “This is just my assumption, sir. There could be poisoning with a sedative or a strong drug. But you should ask the doctors about it, not me.”       “Now we only know that my brother and his sister are in a hard condition,” Edward says with sadness in his eyes.       “I advise you not to lose hope that they will get well. Even if that was a sedative, one hundred percent death happens only in a small percent of the cases.”       “I do not know about the girl, but Wainwright injected only half of what was in the syringe into my brother.”       “Anyway, that’s better than a full dose.”       “Who knows, Mr. Policeman…”       “Do not worry, sir, I think your brother was lucky and would get well quickly. He is young and quite tough and healthy at first sight.”       “We only have to hope for the best.”       “But I cannot say it about the girl. Although she is young, the doctors are worried about her condition much more than the man’s because it’s much worse.”       “It would be unfair if my sister died because of Wainwright,” Daniel replies with sadness in his eyes.       “And the case is not only that he gave her drugs. She looks too bad herself.”       “He did such terrible things to her that talking about it makes me horrified and disgusted… The poor girl had to experience so much when that man was mocking her.”       “Now everything ended for her. Mr. Wainwright is under our control from now.”       “By the way, don’t you know what happened to him after falling from a height?” Edward asks.       “His general condition is very bad. Not only because of hits and the fall from the height, but also because of drugs. The doctors said he might get many fractures. And judging by the blood on the stones, the fall was really cruel and might lead to terrible consequences.”       “Could he be disabled if he survived?”       “Maybe. Temporarily or for life, but the serious traumas really might make him disabled.”       “If he does not die, it will happen.”       “Even if he’s disabled, he will not avoid the punishment.”       “He is going to be brought to the hospital?” Daniel specifies.       “Yes. Police officers will be patrolling his room, so he does not run away again. The hospital staff has been warned that the criminal drug addict is going to be brought there. And when he is released, we will immediately bring him to the prison hospital, where he will keep servicing his term.”       “Excuse me, is it possible to add a few years to his sentence if I reported him?”       “What do you want to charge him for?”       “For raping my sister. Raping the girl of an illegal age.”       “Yes, sure, it’s possible. But you have to prove it. And if everything is alright, the judge will examine it and make a decision about changing the sentence for the criminal.”       “I will do anything I need. That man must pay for what he was put in prison for, but also for ruining the life of the little girl.”       “First of all, you need a medical report, which could say that the girl was really raped. The victim and those, who might know about it, must also be questioned.”       “Do I ask a doctor about the report?”       “Yes, talk to the doctor, who will be working on your sister. Or better talk to Captain Johnson. He is working on Eugene Wainwright’s case and will help you.”       “Alright, I will talk to him.”       “But remember that he will have to question your sister.”       “I understand. But I think she will agree to testify.”       “Good.”       “Anyway, thank you so much for finding us,” Daniel thanks gently.       “Thank you for helping to find the criminal,” the policeman says with thankfulness. “I’m sorry that we have the victims, but let’s be happy that Wainwright has been caught and is not dangerous for people.”       “We’re glad everything ended,” Edward says with a slight smile.       “By the way…” The policeman frowns slightly and looks at Edward and Daniel. “Mr. Johnson said there were three of you, and you mentioned your friend… So, were the four of you?”       “Right,” Edward nods. “There was another man with us, but he left to take us in a car.”       “Yes, we forgot about the police and Mr. Johnson and got ready to bring the victims to the hospital on our own,” Daniel adds. “So, our friend said we better stay with the girl and the man and went where the car of the victim was parked.”       “Is he fine?”       “Yes, but Wainwright cut his hand.”       “He left a long ago?”       “Some time before you came.”       “If your friend gets lost, we will start to search for him immediately. One of you hardly knows these places, and there is a bad cellular signal here.”       “Thank you so much, officer.”       “Thank you again, heroes.” The policeman shakes Daniel and Edward by the hand with a slight smile. “I must notice that you risked a lot by deciding to catch Wainwright. You are very lucky that man did not kill you.”       “There were reasons that made us do it,” Edward replies confidently.       “Anyway, your mission is completed. So, I can congratulate you, fighters.”       “A criminal must be in jail, no matter what kind of crime they committed. As Wainwright gave much pain to my close person, I especially wanted it. And now I want it much more after he attempted on my brother.”       “But we must confess that it was hard for us to bring the case to an end,” Daniel adds.       “And I think you must be rewarded for your courage,” the policeman says with a slight smile. “The police promised to reward the one to give us any information about Wainwright, but you all helped us get him caught.”       “The case is not money, officer. The case is about the wish to protect our close people.”       “Anyway, we will talk about the reward later. And you will decide what to do to it.”       “Alright, thanks,” Edward nods.       “Alright, I must leave you. My colleagues are waiting for me. I thank you on behalf of the police.”       The policeman turns around and comes to his colleagues, while Edward and Daniel watch him with sad eyes, not feeling happy that Eugene is finally under the police’s control. Meanwhile, the doctors finish providing first aid to the two victims and get ready to carry them on a stretcher. Edward and Daniel come to one of the ambulances slowly and see four men carrying the pale, unconscious Cassidy with an oxygen mask on her face to an ambulance, while the others inject something into her arm. It all makes Daniel’s breath stop for a moment, and his eyes open widely. Looking terribly white, the man shakes at the thought that his sister is close to death. While he watches all of this with pity in his eyes and barely holds down a wish to shed a tear, Edward moves his eyes to his friend and claps him on the shoulder.       “I can’t believe it’s all happening,” Daniel shakes his head.       “And I can’t believe she was suffering because of the nasty bastard, who harmed not only my fiancée,” Edward replies thoughtfully.       “It’s okay, he will pay for that.” Daniel raises his head with a shaking sigh. “I shall charge him with raping Cassidy. Do my best for that scumbag to stay in prison for as long as possible.”       “He must pay for everything he’s done.”       “The most important thing is that my sister stays alive. It would be unfair if I lost her.”       “Cassidy will survive, buddy. Although the doctors say she’s in a bad condition, that girl will get well.”       “I’d like to believe it…” Daniel moves his eyes to the car, in which there is a gurney with Cassidy on it. “Hold on, sis, hold on. I need you… Please…”       “By the way, she’s kind of similar to you,” Edward notices quietly. “Even despite a big age difference.”       “She reminds me of my mom,” Daniel pronounces with sadness in his eyes. “Cass would’ve broken many hearts of the men if she hadn’t taken drugs.”       “She will never be the same after what happened to her.”       “She’ll have to spend a lot of time coming back to a normal life.”       “Poor girl…” Edward moves his eyes to the doctors and Cassidy. “Poor…”       “She’s such a baby, Edward,” Daniel pronounces in a lower voice with sadness in his eyes. “She’s only nineteen. My sis must not die and finish her life like this. So early.”       “It’s gonna be okay,” Edward expresses hope. “She’ll survive. She’s got a wish to start everything over again. Many things depend on it.”       “If she survives, I will take care of her and get her out of the pool. And I am ready to pay any money for her to take this pain and get cured of drug dependence.”       “She can’t do this without you.”       “I will not leave Cassidy, whoever people say. She’s my sister, and I must take care of her. It’s time to make the wish of my parents come true and prove that I’m no longer a brainless bonehead. I became mature and more responsible.”       Edward says nothing and just hugs Daniel amicably with the hope of showing his support, while the man cracks a smile and watches Cassidy being carried to the ambulance. A few seconds later, they leave the doctors and turn to where there is the second ambulance. The other doctors are ready to carry the pale, unconscious Terrence into an ambulance. They put an oxygen mask on his face and some thin tubes into his arms. Edward understands that his heart is squeezing, while someone injects something into his vein and discusses the results of their work with each other. The guy embraces himself with both arms tightly, feeling guilty about what happened and still wishing to be instead of him.       “You’re guilty of nothing, buddy,” Daniel says softly, clapping Edward on the shoulder and squeezing it slightly. “Don’t blame yourself… You did what you could.”       “I used to think I’d burn with shame for Terrence for almost killing him under Uncle’s pressure,” Edward confesses with a broken voice. “And Natalia… She almost died because of me… But now I got a new reason to be afraid of looking into my brother’s eyes… He might die because of me. Yes, he didn’t let me suffer and suffered at his wish, but… It doesn’t get rid of me of the responsibility…”       “Edward, stop. You gave us a chance to leave.”       “Nobody will care about it. Everybody will only think of one thing – I brought my brother to this.”       “If you’re afraid that your parents will be angry at you, I believe they’ll understand everything. And they’d probably kick Terrence’s ass if he left you and let you go to hell. Maybe, they’d do it if he came to himself.”       “Not only our parents. Natalia is gonna dislike it, too. And Raquelle is gonna hate me.”       “Natalia and Raquelle won’t be mad. And especially Peter and me. We know everything. Terrence sacrificed himself before our eyes. And he won’t especially blame you for that, ‘cause he did it at his wish.”       “It’s all unfair, Daniel, unfair,” Edward replies without emotions. “I should’ve been instead of him. If I had a chance, I’d come back to the past and do everything for Wainwright to inject that shit into me.”       “I understand your feelings, bro, but please, don’t make yourself think that everybody will turn their backs on you. Nobody will. Everybody knows you love your brother and would do anything for him. Many people say they’ve never seen a better relationship between siblings.”       “That’s why I’m afraid to lose him. If something happens to Terrence, I won’t bear it. I’ll lose a part of me.”       “Nobody wanna lose Terrence. For me, he’s like a brother, and I don’t wanna lose him, too. As well as Peter.”       “I’m shaking, Daniel,” Edward confesses. “Shaking when I think my brother is close to death. Shaking when I imagine how I tell everybody what happened to Terrence. Shaking because I’m afraid to hear that everybody curses me for letting that happen.”       “You’ve got no reason to worry, Edward,” Daniel hugs Edward around the shoulders with the hope of comforting him. “The only person, who might be mad at you, is your father. But you’ll see, Mr. MacClife will understand you. Maybe, not at once, but he will understand and forgive.”       “He will kill me if he knows Terrence suffered because of me!”       “Dude, it would be your fault if you shot someone down, wounded them, or injected something into them. But when the man pushed you off and gave his arm to that bastard, it’s different.”       “Father won’t care about it.”       “Moreover, you’ll get kicked not only for that. He asked you not to meddle in this case, but you didn’t listen to him.”       “I just wanted to restore justice and protect Natalia. Everything I did was for her. For her calm. I didn’t want everything to end like this.”       “We all suffered somehow.”       “If I’d known all of it, I would’ve preferred dying.”       “No, Edward, don’t say it,” Daniel shakes his head. “Nobody would get better if you were Wainwright’s victim.”       “That would be fair…”       While Daniel tries to comfort Edward, and the doctors carry a gurney with Terrence into the ambulance, the sounds of the motor get closer and louder. A few seconds later, a black auto stops not far from here. Victor Johnson gets out of it quickly, looks around, and comes to one of the policemen. That one shakes him by the hand and quickly tells him what has been done, and the captain of the police nods and says something to him. Later, the policeman leaves, and Victor looks around, sees Daniel and Edward, and comes to them.       “Edward!” Victor pronounces loudly, raising his hand.       Daniel and Edward move their eyes aside.       “Mr. Johnson?” Edward and Daniel pronounce surprisingly.       “Thank God, Edward!” Victor exhales sharply. “Are you alright?”       “I’m fine, don’t worry,” Edward replies confidently. “And thanks for bringing the police and doctors here.”       “You started a dangerous game, man. Do you know how it would have been over for you?”       “I should’ve done that. Having a chance to put Wainwright in prison, I couldn’t miss that.”       “Yeah, do you know that your father is terribly angry at you?”       “He knows it?” Edward rounds his eyes, getting sharply white, and understanding that his heart stops for a moment.       “Of course, he does! He called me and said that you, Terrence, and Peter disappeared and probably decided to catch Wainwright.”       “Not surprised…”       “Did you think he would caress your head for the thing that could’ve led to terrible consequences? Not only did you come here, but you also took the guys with you. It goes without saying, your father is mad, and your mother is restless!”       “Mr. Johnson, I swear I tried to make the guys run, but they didn’t listen to me,” Edward says with pity in his eyes. “I was trying to protect myself and them!”       “But despite this, your brother is in hard condition.”       “I’m really very sorry. I swear, I didn’t want it to happen.”       “Gosh, Edward, what a negligent guy you are…” Victor sighs tiredly. “Not a little boy. You must work your brains before doing something. Is everything that’s happened in your life not enough for you? A charge for the murder, a war with Michael, a conflict with your family…”       “Mr. Johnson…”       “Edward is not guilty, Mr. Johnson,” Daniel says quietly. “Terrence decided to sacrifice himself to save his brother.”       “Sacrifice himself?” Victor wonders. “Himself?”       “Yes. Wainwright wanted to inject that thing into Edward, but Terrence pushed him away and gave him his arm. Everything happened so fast that we managed to do nothing.”       “I barely got the needle out when the syringe was half empty,” Edward adds.       “That’s how…” Victor pronounces thoughtfully and, frowning slightly, moves his eyes to Daniel. “To be honest, I’m surprised that you are here, Daniel.”       “As I see, do you know what happened to me?” Daniel asks.       “Yes, I heard it. And… Did you remember everything?”       “Everything, Mr. Johnson.”       “So, I’m glad for you.”       “Thank you so much.”       “Yeah, where is Peter?” Victor looks around. “He was supposed to be with you! Jamie mentioned him and told me that the three disappeared: Edward, Terrence, and Peter.”       “Peter went to take Terrence’s car, which is far away from here. We should’ve brought Terrence to the hospital. Not only him, but also the girl that we found at the house where Wainwright was hiding.”       “Yes, I was told about her,” Victor nods.       “That’s my younger sister Cassidy. She disappeared a few years ago, and I thought she was dead. But as it turned out, that girl is alive.”       “Disappeared? You reported to the police?”       “Sure! They had been looking for her for a long time before she was pronounced a missing person.”       “It’s true, Mr. Johnson,” Edward confirms confidently. “Cassidy recognized Daniel shortly after she saw him. And he did it after he recalled everything.”       “I’m glad your sister has been found, Daniel. But I’m sorry that she’s in bad condition.”       “I hate Wainwright for what he did to her,” Daniel confesses gloomily. “That man mocked the little girl for many years and ruined her entire life.”       “What’s that girl’s age?”       “Nineteen, currently. But Wainwright mocked her when she was much younger.”       “Oh, my gosh…” Victor gets horrified. “I guess you and I must talk about charging him with raping the girl at an illegal age.”       “Yes, yes, I would like to talk to you and want to report that stinker.”       “Alright, Daniel, I will work on it at the nearest time. I will tell you what to do. But I’m warning you that I will also have to talk to that girl.”       “I’m sure she will tell you everything when she wakes up.”       “Excellent!” Victor clears his throat quickly. “Alright, we’ll talk about it later. Now let’s go back to the current situation…”       “Do you think Peter can get out of here?” Edward rounds his eyes. “Or do we have to help him?”       “No! He can’t get lost. This place is not as far from the city as you think.”       “Really? So, we didn’t go so far?”       “No, but the way here is very hard.”       “Agree…” Edward exhales slowly. “We got super exhausted after coming here…”       “Excuse me, Mr. Johnson, did you send the police here after Mr. MacClife’s call or Edward’s call?” Daniel asks.       “Mr. MacClife called me early, and then I received a call from Edward. But I couldn’t understand what he said at first because this guy jabbed and let me say nothing. But I saw that he needed help and immediately took measures. We needed some time to find out his current location thanks to the phone number. But after examining the way, my colleagues went here shortly.”       “Oh, we thought the way was terribly long,” Daniel replies thoughtfully, rubbing his forehead with a hand.       “Reaching this place on your feet is almost impossible, but it’s a little easier when you’re in a car. There are roads that bring you here. In case Peter is lucky, he will get out quickly.”       “At least, he’s got a phone with maps,” Edward shrugs. “And he says he orientates on maps well.”       “Anyway, don’t worry: if your friend doesn’t show up soon, I shall organize the search for him.”       “Thanks, Mr. Johnson. We knew we could count on you.”       “Yeah, is he actually fine? Wainwright beat him, too?”       “Beat and cut his hand. But Peter stopped the bleeding by himself. Moreover, there is a first-aid kit in Terrence’s car, and he could treat the wound. In the worst case, we will go to the hospital and bring him to a doctor.”       “Alright, I got you.”       “Anyway, thank you so much for coming here.”       “Oh, guys…” Victor exhales sharply, shaking his head. “You started a bad game… You went nobody knows where and did not answer calls… Jamie is terribly angry and worried, Rebecca is shaking from horror, and the girls are on pins and needles.”       “They know everything…” Edward moves his eyes down.       “I’m just going to tell them you’ve been found.”       “So, haven’t you told them about Terrence?”       “No yet. But you will have to tell Raquelle everything. And alright, I shall talk to your parents and try to calm them down. But knowing your father, I doubt that he will listen to my words about your reluctance to do that.”       “I will call Raquelle when we are on the way to the hospital. I don’t know how I’m going to tell her about it, but I have to.”       “The most important thing is hiding nothing. I believe you tried to protect your brother, and he sacrificed himself to save you. And I think the girls will also believe you. As well as your mother. And your father will get cool soon. Now he is very angry because you didn’t listen when you were told not to meddle in this case.”       “I couldn’t just let Wainwright go when I met him. I decided to follow him and tell the police where he was hiding. But I couldn’t resist my wish to get into the house… But we didn’t waste our time because we found the young girl, and Daniel got his memories back.”       “Everything has its good sides, even in the worst things that could happen to someone.”       “What happened to Terrence will be only my fault. I couldn’t make him leave and protect him from Wainwright. I didn’t apply enough effort…"       “On one hand, you’re a fine fellow. When a case has to do with close people, you’re ready to go on fire and water to save them. No matter what people say, you have a brave, lion’s heart.”       “I am thanks to the love of my close people. Any risk that I’m taking… It’s all for the people I can’t imagine my life without.”       “And that’s good you realize your responsibility for your actions and are ready to pay for them. But I advise you not to blame yourself for what happened to Terrence. You’re not a hero that saves everyone everywhere! Even the police might have serious failures and great losses. I remember we literally cried when our colleague and his dog died during the shooting. He was a very good man… Any failure makes you feel disappointed. But sometimes even the rarest lucky people may do everything wrong and want to give up.”       “I know, but understand me… Understand what I feel, knowing that my brother is close to death.”       “I get it, Edward, but please, don’t blame yourself. Terrence also did an irresponsible thing to some extent. Yes, he did it for your love to save you, but I can’t say he’s innocent.”       “Peter and I were shocked when we saw what Terrence did,” Daniel confesses. “I don’t understand why he let Wainwright inject that shit into him instead of getting the syringe out and throwing it as far as possible.”       “I guess you just got tired and could barely think. Your head barely works when your thoughts are about a clean bed and a twelve-hour sleep.”       “Maybe…” Edward nods. “I was really, barely standing by the end of the fight…”       “But if you’d decided to fight Wainwright alone, you would’ve given up sooner, and your close people would’ve seen you for the last time.”       “You are right, Mr. Johnson… I’m grateful to the guys for being next to me, but I’m sorry that I wasn’t harsher.”       “Don’t blame yourself for what happened, man. You did everything you could.” Victor claps Edward on the shoulder, looking at him with pity in his eyes. “You better believe that it’s going to be okay.”       “Now we might expect anything. Even the worst things.”       “Terrence will survive. He’s a young and tough guy with good health.”       “I wish I was a victim,” Edward says with pity in his eyes. “Terrence suffered for nothing.       “No, Edward, if you were a victim, your parents would be worried about you, and your brother would not be calm.”       “It would be fair. The one, who starts a game, suffers.”       “I completely understand your feelings, but try to brace yourself. And don’t dare to withdraw into yourself. You have to comfort your father, mother. And your brother’s fiancée.”       “I know, but I can’t…”       “Brace yourself, Edward. Don’t make yourself think of the worst early. Wait for the doctors to examine him and tell you everything.”       “I will not forgive myself if my brother dies because of me.”       “He sacrificed himself at his wish.”       “Terrence said he was ready for that and begged that everybody didn't blame Edward,” Daniel confesses.       “You know, guys, stop thinking of bad things. I understand it’s hard, but you must.”       “We’re trying, Mr. Johnson.”       “From now on, you can stop worrying about Wainwright. He is under our control and will stay in the hospital for some time.”       “I hope he will no longer dare to come to Natalia, Cassidy, or someone else,” Edward expresses hope. “If not for the thought that this stinker gave my fiancée so much pain, I wouldn’t have gotten in touch with that man. But I had to. Protecting her was my duty.”       “Anyway, thank you, Edward, and you, Daniel,” Victor thanks amicably. “Despite the risks and consequences, you helped the police catch the dangerous criminal.”       “We did everything we could,” Daniel shrugs.       While Victor thanks Edward and Daniel, a black, by far not new jeep comes and stops next to Victor’s car. And a few seconds later, Peter gets out of this, locks it with a key, comes to his friends confidently, and gets their attention by waving his hand and saying:       “Hey, I’m back!”       “Peter!” Edward and Daniel exclaim happily.       “Dude, you’ve found a way!” Daniel expresses happiness.       “And you’re back!” Edward exclaims. “In Terrence’s car!”       “As they say, the carriage awaits!” Peter exclaims cheerfully and moves his eyes to Victor. “Oh, hello, Mr. Johnson.”       “Hello, Peter. I see you found the way to get out.”       “It wasn’t as hard as I thought.”       “I’m glad you three are fine.”       “Do you know what happened to Terrence?”       “I do. I’m very sorry it happened. But as I’ve said, believe in the best.”       “We’ll try, Mr. Johnson.”       “Oh…” Victor hears someone calling him, moves his eyes aside, and sees a policeman making a calling gesture. “Excuse me, guys, but someone is calling me.”       “By the way, were Terrence and Cassidy taken away?” Peter frowns slightly, looking around.       “The doctors are going to leave.”       “Yeah, they’ve carried the gurneys,” Edward nods.       “You can leave, you have nothing to do here. My colleagues and I will stay here for some time, but some of us will go to the hospital along with Wainwright.”       “Is everything so bad?”       “Yes, his condition is bad and got worse after falling from a height and taking a great dose of drugs.”       “Alright… He will survive?”       “I can’t say it. But even if he does, he’ll no longer be a threat to everyone. The police will do their best not to let him run.”       “I hope so.”       “Okay, guys, go to the hospital. Maybe, I will come to you a little later to support you.”       “Thank you so much, Mr. Johnson,” Peter replies gently.       “Glad we could help the police,” Edward adds hesitantly.       “Anyway, you are all good fellows, heroes,” Victor says confidently and shakes Edward, Daniel, and Peter by the hand with a slight smile.       “We did everything we could,” Daniel shrugs.       “Next time, be careful and try not to look for trouble that might lead to sacrifices.” Victor glances at Daniel. “And don’t lose your memory. Sometimes it may help us.”       “We’ll try,” Daniel nods with a little false smile.       “A little later, you and I will talk about charging Wainwright for raping your sister. Contact me when that girl gets better.”       “Sure, Mr. Johnson. Thank you again.”       “Good luck to you and wish Terrence and that girl to get well.”       Victor turns around and comes to the policemen, shakes every one of them by the hand, and starts asking something, taking a cigarette at some moment and starting to smoke after setting it on fire. Peter, Edward, and Daniel watch him silently for a few seconds and then move their little tired eyes to each other.       “So…” Edward exhales sharply. “As I thought, Father’s gonna kill me…”       “He won’t, don’t worry,” Peter replies confidently. “He’ll swear and get a little angry, but then he’ll get cool.”       “And Mr. Johnson agrees,” Daniel adds. “He knows Mr. MacClife very well.”       “I’m shaking because he’s gonna kick my ass now…” Edward crosses his arms over his chest.       “Dude, I repeat, if you were a victim, Terrence would get all the kicks. Your father would be mad at him for letting you go alone and doing nothing to save you.”       “He will probably get kicked when he wakes up,” Peter assumes. “For example, for deciding to become a victim.”       “At least, I’m glad Mr. Johnson didn’t attack me with charges,” Edward replies thoughtfully. “He scolded me, but not so strongly.”       “Yeah, nobody’s gonna caress your head now.”       “I know… And now I need to explain everything to Raquelle, Natalia, and my parents.”       “They’ll understand you, don’t worry,” Daniel says confidently.       Edward says nothing and just looks into the distance for two seconds with his sad eyes, feeling how the strong, cold wind is blowing his face and dirty clothes and hair.       “Hey, Pete, how did you get outta here?” Daniel asks. “We started to think we’d have to ask for help to find you!”       “C’mon!” Peter waves his hand. “It was much easier than I thought. As it turned out, we didn’t go far away. It’s possible to come here quickly in a car. There are many roads, and they’re almost free…”       “But how did you know where to go?” Edward wonders.       “The maps. Luckily, I managed to use them, quickly reach the right place, take Terrence’s car, and come back here.”       “So, congratulations. I think your geography lessons were good for you.”       “I’m gonna discover a secret: I had great scores for many school lessons. And geography is one of them.”       “We’re lucky!” Daniel exclaims and puts his hands on his hips. “With you, we can fear no labyrinths.”       “Oh, Perkins, you found such a good time to joke!” Peter throws gloomily, crossing his arms over his chest.       “C’mon!” Edward exclaims. “It makes me much more sure that our bonehead really remembered everything.”       “Huh, don’t ya still believe it?” Daniel wonders.       “We do! We just wanna make sure that it doesn’t seem to us.”       “It doesn’t seem, bros, doesn’t seem. I could tell something about you that I didn’t know when I was like a stupid child.”       “Save it for later,” Peter raises his palm turned on the guys. “Now let’s get out of here.”       “Finally…” Daniel exhales sharply. “Has this moment come?”       “Don’t relax, we have to be stuck in the hospital for nobody the hell knows how long. We don’t know when we get news about Terrence and Cassidy.”       “We could at least sit on a chair and drink water.”       “Come on, guys, let’s go. The doctors are gonna leave, but we’re talking like girls.”       “Okay, okay, let me drive then,” Edward suggests tiredly. “I will talk to Raquelle on the way… And when we’re in the hospital, I shall ask her what to do to the car.”       “Take it…” Peter pronounces, finds the keys from Terrence’s car in the inside pocket of his denim jacket, and gives them to Edward.       “Are you sure you can drive?” Daniel expresses anxiety while he, Edward, and Peter are going to the car.       “I can,” Edward nods. “I’m gonna be focused on the way and think about what happened less.”       “Hey, although Terrence’s car is an old thing, it still can rock,” Peter notices confidently. “Quick, powerful…”       “Huh, it’s been in a service center a hundred times,” Daniel chuckles kindly. “And when MacClife decided to pretend to be a rider in Formula-1 and crashed half of the car during the chasing race, he changed literally everything.”       “It’s okay, someday only a steering wheel will be left from his old baby,” Edward cracks a smile.       “His old baby is still holding on,” Peter notices. “Holding on well enough.”       “For the time being.”       After coming to Terrence’s car some time later, Edward sits in the driver’s seat, Peter – in the passenger’s seat, and Daniel sets himself in the back seat, being happy to sit on something soft and relax the back. And when MacClife, Jr., contacts Raquelle and tells her what happened to Terrence, he starts the motor of the car and finally leaves this place. Silence settles in the air for a few minutes, during which the men try to come to themselves. But then Peter breaks it, knocking at the door of the car with his fingers and saying with sadness in his eyes:       “Oh, poor Raquelle… The poor girl has been tense ‘cause she always thinks of that nightmare. And now that Terrence got into trouble…”       “I thought she would’ve had hysteria when speaking,” Edward confesses, holding the steering wheel with both hands tightly. “I’m afraid to imagine what’s gonna happen to her when we tell her the whole story.”       “It would be better not to make her nervous and tell her everything later, but we’ll have to do it. And her friends should know the truth.”       “They’d love to know everything.”       “Hey, guys, is Raquelle okay now?” Daniel frowns slightly, looking at the window with sadness in his eyes. “I mean, if she’s weird…”       “You mean the fact that she’s been weird for a few months?”       “Yes, exactly! I thought she had problems with Terrence, but now I ain’t sure about it.”       “Terrence has been noticing it since the trial of Uncle,” Edward confesses and changes the speed with the gearbox. “At first, he thought it was fine because we were worried. But nothing changed after the trial. And her changing mood scares all of us.”       “Has nothing changed?”       “If only it didn’t get worse. We’re starting to be worried about her. Because of what happened to Terrence, Raquelle might stop feeling sorry for her. And we’ll have to take measures to help her.”       “Hey, Daniel, do you remember our last show, before which Terrence had fallen asleep?” Peter frowns slightly. “We took a couple of photos and posted them on the band’s account.”       “Erm, yup, I do,” Daniel shrugs. “But why?”       “Somehow, Terrence confessed that he didn’t almost sleep on that day because he was calming Raquelle, who was crying in a restroom all night long.”       “Crying in a restroom?”       “Right!” Edward exclaims. “And Terrence met the photograph, who’s been a friend of Raquelle since the beginning of her career. He said Cameron’s assistant caught her crying in a restroom one day.”       “But what could happen if she cries for nothing?”       “There’s always a reason, we just don’t know it. And that’s not girls’ issue. The case is more serious.”       “Do the girls know something?” Daniel frowns slightly.       “Terrence talked to them personally, but they said they knew nothing.”       “And he wanted to talk to Mr. Cameron,” Peter adds. “But he didn’t say if they talked.”       “I hope he’ll do it… If he survives, of course…”       “Oh, MacClife, stop literally burying your brother,” Peter sighs tiredly, rubbing his forehead with his hand.       “The doctors did say his condition is hard.”       “And what? It means nothing! Terrence has the same problem as Cassidy, and she has also been drugged with drugs many times.       “And the doctors are more worried about my sister,” Daniel adds. “They say Terrence is young and tough and will overcome it.”       “Cassidy is young, too,” Edward notices. “Even much younger than us.”       “I believe they will survive,” Peter confesses confidently. “And I wanna notice that Daniel doesn’t bury his sister and friend, unlike you.”       “That’s true, dude,” Daniel confirms. “Cassidy’s condition is really much worse. But I don’t bury her, even if I’m terribly afraid to lose my sister.”       “You know me…” Edward sighs quietly. “I’m still trying to become a stone wall… Sometimes it breaks and brings me down. And I usually say what I feel and think… I feel bad when I keep everything inside.”       “We understand it, but you shouldn’t fall into despair,” Peter replies. “Yes, the situation is hard, but it’s not so hopeless.”       “I’ve lately, actually been sure about nothing, to be honest…” Edward squeezes the steering wheel tightly after he changes the speed with the gearbox.       “Did the situation with that bastard Wainwright make you break?” Daniel asks.       “Not only. Also, disputes with Natalia because of the wedding.”       “Did Natalia, you, Raquelle, and Terrence decide when you’re gonna get married?”       “Not now, surely.”       “Didn’t ya start it early?” Daniel chuckles quietly. “You’ve decided nothing, but you talk about it!”       “I tried to close this topic, but my blondie was too stubborn. And she gave a fuck that we had many problems. And my attempt to open her eyes led to a little confrontation.”       “Oh, girls…” Peter sighs tiredly.       “You should just solve your problems,” Daniel notices, leaning on the door with an elbow and the plate with his head. “When everything is solved, you’ll have peace and happiness…”       “Are we confronting because everybody’s nervous?” Edward specifies.       “Sorta.”       “I’d like to believe we’re really nervous. But I can’t say it’s not girls’ caprices.”       “It’s gonna be okay, don’t worry. Natalia will understand it and come to apologize first.”       Edward says nothing and glances at Peter sitting next to him, while Daniel thinks about what he hears, sitting on the back seat comfortably. The guys sit in the car silently for a few seconds, during which Rose decides to find out what happened to his wound and unwraps Perkins’ bandana soaked in blood.       “Oh, everything’s too bad…” Peter frowns slightly.       “What’s wrong?” Daniel asks.       “My wound… It’s still bleeding…”       “Hey, didn’t you treat it?” Edward wonders. “A first-aid kit is supposed to be here!”       “There wasn’t enough peroxide to stop the blood – I only treated some wounds.”       “Damn, how could you actually stand on your feet with this wound?” Daniel wonders. “And you decided to drive!”       “I had a little weakness, but I didn’t pay attention to that.”       “Yay, Rose, you’re crazy… What if you passed out and crushed something?”       “That’s bad you left when the doctors arrived and came back when they left,” Edward replies.       “But we needed to take the car!” Peter exclaims.       “We would’ve taken it later! You shouldn’t have walked nobody the fuck knows where with stars before your eyes on your weak legs.”       “Don’t dramatize, MacClife,” Peter sighs tiredly. “I’m fine.”       “Will you hold on ‘till we come to the hospital?” Daniel asks.       “I will.”       “And how do you feel now?”       “More or less. I feel a little dizzy, but it’s okay.”       “Damn, I think the flow of blood is getting stronger,” Edward notices, throwing a short look at Peter’s wound, and seeing that a small flow of blood is getting out of it.       “I know, but I’m trying to hold it down,” Peter replies quietly, pressing on the wound with a bandana. “Damn, is the wound much deeper?”       “Hey, you feel too bad?”       “Nope, I’ve just lost a lot of blood…” Peter shakes his head and leans it back with closed eyes. “Since that bastard cut my hand…”       “Hey, don’t dare to pass out,” Daniel jabs and claps Peter on the shoulder. “Can you hear me, Rose? Blond! I’m asking you!”       “Don’t jab, Daniel, please…” Peter replies tiredly. “I’ve said I’d hold on ‘till we come to the hospital…”       “But you know, you don’t really better pass out,” Edward says confidently.       “Oh, how caring you two are… What I would do without you!”       “It’s okay, buddy, hold on. We’ll come to the hospital, a doctor will do everything, and you will be as good as new.”       “Aha, you’re gonna fly like a butterfly or jump like a horse,” Daniel laughs quietly.       “Oh, shut up, you two…” Peter moans quietly.       Edward and Daniel say nothing and just shake their heads with a slight smile. And Peter puts his head on the door, feeling that he is about to fall asleep or lose consciousness, while the wound keeps bleeding strongly.       

***

      After a long way, Daniel, Edward, and Peter arrive at the hospital, where the doctors drove Terrence and Cassidy. After leaving the car in the parking lot, Perkins and MacClife, Jr., help Rose go to a nurse and go to the cafeteria to drink some water and sit on soft chairs. A little later, Edward decides to leave and wait for news about Terrence, and Daniel stays alone, still trying to realize everything that has happened to him in the last three hours. So many things have happened. So many events did not happen to him when he had amnesia, which he finally got rid of.       And while Daniel is sitting proudly alone on one of the tables in a hospital cafeteria, wrapping a bottle of water in his hands and looking inside it with sad eyes, Helene, Natalia, and Raquelle decide to go here. Then the girls have red and little puffy eyes because of the tears. But while Rochester and Marshall are trying to hold on, Cameron’s condition is terrible.       “Raquelle, please, don’t cry,” Natalia begs with pity in her eyes. “Just because Terrence died in your nightmare doesn’t mean it will happen in real life.”       “I can’t…” Raquelle replies in a low voice and tears. “I can’t…”       “Gosh, stop making yourself think about the worst things earlier,” Helene says with sadness in her eyes. “Natalia and I are also madly worried about Terrence, but neither of us bury him. We truly believe that he’ll survive. He’ll survive for you.”       “I could’ve prevented it. I could’ve let nothing like that happen.”       “But how could you know it? You’re not a wizard or seer to foresee things.”       “I should’ve made him sure that my suspicions weren’t groundless. That my nightmare wasn’t just a nightmare.”       “Honey, we all would’ve made the guys go nowhere if we’d known they’d meet Wainwright,” Natalia says confidently. “If I’d known Edward could meet that man, I wouldn’t have let him go there.”       “I wouldn’t have also let Peter go,” Helene says confidently. “He doesn’t actually have to do with Wainwright and mustn’t mess up with him. Because Pete won’t deal with such a horrible man.”       “Terrence doesn’t also have to do with Wainwright!” Raquelle makes a quiet sob. “But he suffered!”       “We don’t know what happened yet,” Natalia notices. “Edward will tell us everything. And Peter will say something.”       “I believe that Edward and Peter tried to help Terrence. And I ain’t mad at them… But it madly hurts…”       “I’m sure that he’s madly regretting not being able to help Terrence,” Helene assumes.       “Yes, Edward would’ve preferred suffering to letting his brother or someone else suffer,” Natalia adds. “Remember how easily he agreed to shoot himself down after Michael tried to make him kill Terrence. And he would’ve done it if your fiancé hadn’t stopped him.”       “I still can’t believe it,” Raquelle replies with a quiet, shaking voice. “I don’t believe it’s really happening.”       “Okay, sweetie, calm down, please,” Helene says softly, caressing Raquelle’s shoulders. “Let’s better drink something, so you come to yourself.”       “I want nothing… I only want the doctors to tell me that Terrence is fine.”       “He’ll be fine, darling, trust me,” Natalia says confidently, hugging Raquelle around the shoulders. “Terrence knows you need him.”       “That man can’t do this to me, he can’t… I can’t live without him…”       “It’s gonna be okay, trust us.”       “Listen, Cameron, that’s wrong!” Helene exclaims confidently. “You’ll have to talk to the doctor of Terrence, but you choke on tears and can barely speak.”       “I can’t…”       “Alright, stop! We’ll buy a bottle of water and sit down somewhere.”       “I don’t want to drink and eat…” Raquelle replies without emotions.       “C’mon, Cameron, let’s go,” Natalia says quietly. “C’mon, c’mon, you need to calm down.”       Raquelle looks down with her dead, cried-out eyes and silently follows Helene and Natalia, sobbing quietly sometimes and closing her face with a hand, so people do not see her in such a terrible condition. And when the girls almost come to the cash and want to stand behind a man, who is buying something, Helene looks around the whole cafeteria and is surprised when she sees Daniel sitting on the table in a far corner with a bottle of water in his hands. The girl frowns slightly, touches Natalia and Raquelle’s shoulders, and points at where the man is sitting when saying:       “Girls, look! Daniel is there!”       Natalia and Raquelle move their eyes to where Helene looks and really see Daniel.       “Yeah, that’s him,” Raquelle pronounces quietly.       “I wonder, what’s he doing here?” Natalia asks.       “Maybe, he decided to go to a doctor and get cured of mental issues?” Helene assumes, frowning strongly and crossing her arms over her chest.       “It seems like someone beat him well,” Raquelle says quietly, looking at Daniel better, and sniffs. “Look, something’s wrong with his face…”       “I guess he annoyed someone with his stupidity and got a hit on his head.”       “It would be stupid to say he could be with the lads,” Natalia replies, squeezing tightly the handle of her purse hanging on her shoulder.       “Even if he was, he would be grateful to Wainwright for deciding to get rid of them,” Raquelle assumes.       “But notice that he’s kind of sad,” Helene notices, looking at Daniel better. “And even too quiet.”       “He is,” Natalia nods. “But I won’t come to him. What if he does something else. And we suffer. The guys may get mad and make a cutlet out of Perkins.”       “Yes, yes, we better pretend that we don’t see him,” Helene agrees.       The girls go to the cashier and stand in a short line to buy a couple of bottles of water. And while Natalia and Helene try to calm the shaking Raquelle down, Daniel decides to look around for the first time and notices the girls standing near the cash. The man looks at the three for a few seconds and assumes that they already know about Terrence because they are crying and looking sad. After hesitating a little, Perkins exhales sharply, stands up from the table, and comes to the friends determinedly.       “Raquelle…” Daniel pronounces. “Helene… Natalia…”       Not expecting that Daniel would wish to come to them, Natalia, Raquelle, and Helene turn on him slowly and look at him gloomily, being a little tense.       “Oh, Perkins, you are here…” Natalia pronounces coldly. “You’ve reached the right address.”       “Did you make someone so sick of your hysteria that you got beaten?” Helene laughs ironically, crossing her arms over her chest.       “Oh, I got really beaten…” Daniel replies hesitantly, scratching the back of his head.       “So, why did you come to us?” Raquelle asks without emotions. “You asked us to leave you alone! We did what you wanted. Or is something wrong again?”       “Yes, I know you’re mad…”       “Huh, of course, we are!” Natalia smirks contemptuously. “For daring to treat the men like that!”       “Listen, girls…” Daniel glances aside for two moments and looks at the girls with pity in his eyes. “I want to apologize to you… Apologize for behaving like that.”       “Come on!” Helene exclaims.       “I’ve remembered everything and understood that you’ve never lied to me. I’m very sorry for blaming you for the lie and starting a scandal.”       Helene, Natalia, and Raquelle look at each other gloomily and cross their arms over their chests.       “Oh, that’s how!” Helene rounds her eyes. “At first, you blame us for lying and piss us off just because you were wrapped around a finger like a naive boy. But now you say we’re right.”       “Yes, I was really deceived,” Daniel nods. “Blanca did. And you’ve never lied to me. You’ve always told the truth, but I stopped believing you.”       “Well, at least you’ve confessed it,” Natalia says thoughtfully. “That’s good.”       “Sweet girls, I’m really very sorry that it happened,” Daniel expresses regret. “I didn’t want everything to end like this.”       “You weren’t sorry when you were screaming at the men like crazy and blaming them for the lie.”       “I did not. I wanted to distance myself from you. But it originally happened not because of Blanca but because of the article about Peter. I believed what they wrote and thought I’d better ignore you. And then that girl told me the lie that I believed.”       “But we did tell you that the article was false!” Raquelle exclaims. “The lads have said it thousands of times!”       “I know I’m an idiot, who has done many terrible things.”       “We don’t deny it,” Natalia throws gloomily. “You’re really an idiot. Naive, brainless idiot.”       “Sure. Idiot.”       “And after everything you did, do you dare to come to us and pretend that nothing happened?” Helene wonders.       “Girls, please, forgive me,” Daniel begs with pity in his eyes. “I know I was wrong, but I swear it will never happen again. No more amnesia! I know who I am. And I’ll no longer dare to doubt you.”       “You did a disgusting thing to the men, Daniel,” Natalia replies confidently. “Even if they did nothing bad to you.”       “I know…” Daniel glances aside and exhales sharply. “But I’ve already explained to the lads why I did it, and they understood me.”       “What?” Raquelle rounds her eyes. “You talked to the guys?”       “If you don’t believe me, ask them!”       “Wait, were you with them?”       “It happens that you were the fourth person, who Mr. Johnson talked about?” Helene concludes.       “Yes, I was with Edward, Peter, and Terrence,” Daniel confirms confidently.       “You all met Wainwright?” Natalia wonders.       “We did. And… After the fight with him, Terrence suffered.” Daniel throws a guilty look at Raquelle. “I’m very sorry, Raquelle. Very sorry. We did our best to protect each other, but we could not, sadly.”       “But why?” Raquelle makes a quiet sob. “Why was it Terrence?”       “How did you actually end up there with the lads?” Helene wonders. “Where did you meet Wainwright? Why did you follow him?”       “It’s a very long story,” Daniel replies with sadness in his eyes. “But as for Terrence, he risked to save Edward.”       “So, did he let himself become a victim?” Natalia wonders.       “Wainwright wanted to inject something into Edward, and he got too weak after the fight and didn’t resist. But Terrence pushed his brother away at the last moment, gave his arm to that stinker, and got that injection instead of him.”       “Oh, God…” Helene pronounces with horror in her eyes, closing her mouth with a hand.       “I can’t believe it…” Raquelle sobs a little louder.       “So, could Edward be instead of Terrence?” Natalia asks quietly with tears.       “He could, Natalia,” Daniel nods with sadness in his eyes. “But Terrence saved him. At his wish. And everything happened so fast that we managed to do nothing.”       “My gosh…” Raquelle closes her mouth with both hands.       “And to be honest, Peter and I are worried about Edward. He’s blaming himself for what happened to his brother. He believes it would be better if Wainwright injected something into him. He kind of started that game and was supposed to suffer.”       “No, no, no, no…” Natalia shakes her head sharply, puts her hand on her forehead with wet, dumbfounded eyes, and turns aside for a few seconds.       “Edward said it all the time. If only he didn’t go insane from it. He fell into hysteria after we found out that Terrence had lost consciousness. We barely calmed him down…”       “Wait, how did you end up here?” Helene frowns slightly. “You went there at your wish?”       “Yup,” Daniel nods. “Edward saw Wainwright first and decided to follow him to tell the police about his current location. Terrence and Peter tried to stop him in good and bad ways, but that guy was too stubborn. Well… The lads couldn’t leave him and decided to go.”       “And you?” Raquelle pronounces. “How did you end up there?”       “I saw them together and fought with them again because of the story of the lie. When the situation got worse, Edward saw that stinker. And all the attention was on him after that.”       “And why did you follow Wainwright?”       “He seemed very familiar to me… I thought that this man would tell me or show me something. And my suspicions got confirmed.”       “Gosh, didn’t you understand it could be bad for you?” Raquelle gets horrified. “Wainwright is dangerous and sick!”       “We understood it, Raquelle. But we must not have left Edward. We understood that he would’ve died if he’d fought with Wainwright alone. That man beat him so strongly that MacClife was literally, barely creeping. And that deadbeat could’ve easily given him drugs. Give him a great dose that would’ve killed him.”       “Drugs?” Natalia rounds her eyes.       “Yes. Wainwright is a long-time drug addict and takes strong drugs like cocaine.”       “My gosh…” Helene shakes her head. “So, Wainwright is more dangerous than we thought.”       “And Natalia is not the only victim of him.”       “Not the only?” Natalia wonders.       “The guys and I found the girl, who Wainwright was holding in his hideaway and drugging. She’s too young and has suffered a lot because of the bastard, who… Who constantly raped her… That girl was also brought here, and her condition is much harder than Terrence’s.”       “Raped?”       “At first, she said Wainwright did that constantly, and then that scumbag confessed that he had been rapping her since when the girl was a kid. That fucking pedophile mocked adult girls and teenagers.”       “I can’t believe it…” Natalia shakes her head, getting sharply white from horror and rounding her eyes.       “So, do you want to say Wainwright injected drugs into Terrence?” Raquelle asks in a shaking voice.       “It could probably be a dose of a strong sedative. The police found many packs of sedatives in his hideaway. The doctors said they suspected an overdose, but have to find out what kind of.”       “How much did Wainwright inject into Terrence?” Helene specifies. “The dose was big?”       “We saw that Wainwright injected just half of what was in the syringe into Terrence. Then Edward got the needle out. I don’t exclude that it may play a major role and help MacClife.”       “Oh, gosh…” Raquelle makes a loud sob. “Why? For what?”       “The guys and I are very sorry, Raquelle,” Daniel replies with sadness in his eyes. “We didn’t want it to happen. Especially Edward.”       “Why?” Raquelle looks around with wet, dumbfounded eyes, grabbing her hair, and moves her eyes to Daniel. “Why?”       “Listen, why did you the heck four follow him?” Natalia makes a quiet sob. “Why? What if that crazy man injected that shit into all of you? What were you thinking of when you went there?”       “We understood the risks, Natalia,” Daniel replies quietly. “But leaving Edward alone would’ve been a crime! You would’ve lost him!”       “But you could change his mind!”       “We tried! Terrence screamed at him and was ready to grab him by the collar and take him out by force. But Edward was too stubborn and obsessed with revenge on Wainwright. He says he did it for you, but we think this guy just missed problems. I mean… Edward really wanted to save you from that stinker… But he also wanted to play a hero and prove to everyone that he’s unstoppable.”       “So, you didn’t show enough harshness!” Helene exclaims.       “I guess Edward regrets doing all of that. Even if Terrence blames him for nothing and said he was ready for that, it doesn’t make him feel better. I think… If he had a pistol or a syringe with some shit, he would undoubtedly kill himself…”       “No…” Natalia shakes her head sharply and makes a quiet sob. “No… Not this… No!”       “Listen, which nightmare did the lads mean?” Daniel frowns slightly. “They said Raquelle dreamed of Terrence dying because of Simon Ringer.”       “It became real!” Raquelle says with despair. “But Edward was instead of me… Terrence saved me and died in my nightmare, but now he sacrificed himself for his brother…”       “That’s how…”       “Terrence will die… I’m sure about it… My nightmare was a sign! A sign that something horrible would happen!”       “He won’t die, Raquelle.” Daniel takes Raquelle’s shoulders softly and caresses them. “It’s gonna be okay. Terrence will survive.”       “I don’t wanna lose him, Daniel. I don’t!”       “Please, don’t behave like Edward, who is almost burying his brother and constantly saying he will die.”       “What if it happens?” Raquelle sobs loudly. “What if Terrence doesn’t survive?”       “He will, friend. The doctors are doing their best to save him.”       “I can’t live without him, I can’t… No…”       Raquelle hugs Daniel tightly and starts to cry on his shoulder, while he caresses her head with sadness in his eyes, hoping to comfort her a little.       “Don’t cry, Raquelle, don’t cry,” Daniel says softly. “Terrence’s gonna be fine. He knows all of us are worried about him.”       “It’s worthless, Daniel,” Helene replies quietly. “We can’t calm her down. Cameron said the same thing on the way: Terrence will die, Terrence will die.”       “Only the doctor’s words about Terrence being fine can help her,” Natalia adds quietly.       “I understand it,” Daniel nods with sadness in his eyes. “The case is hard, but let’s hope for the best. The doctors give more optimistic forecasts about Terrence’s condition than about the condition of that girl.”       “By the way, why are you alone?” Helene asks with a scare in her rounded eyes. “Where’s Peter? He is fine?”       “Don’t worry, Helene, Peter is fine. But Wainwright cut his hand. He ran the knife over the wrist.”       “Cut his hand?”       “Don’t worry, the wound is not deep. No threat to life. But a massive blood loss happened.”       “And where’s he now?”       “Edward and I took him to a nurse. Peter wanted to go alone, but he was barely standing on his feet due to weakness. He almost passed out after leaving the car and complained about strong dizziness all the time. So, we decided to go with him, told a nurse everything, and left after she woke him up.”       “Will he really be fine?” Helene asks with wet eyes. “Please, Daniel, tell me that Peter is okay and will come back to us soon!”       “Don’t worry, Helene, he’s okay,” Daniel replies softly, caressing Helene’s shoulders. “When his wound is treated, Peter will come back to us. He knows we will be here or in the hall of the third floor.”       “Oh, thank God…” Helene exhales with relief.       “And Edward?” Natalia asks with widely open eyes. “Where’s he?”       “Edward is on the third floor, waiting for the news about Terrence.”       “He is fine? Wainwright beat him strongly?”       “Strongly enough. He’s got has many bruises and abrasions. And he got super weak after the fight with that bull.”       “Oh, God!” Natalia pronounces with horror in her eyes, closing her mouth with a hand.       “MacClife was lucky that the guys and I helped him. Otherwise, he would’ve given up.”       “Did a doctor examine Edward?” Raquelle expresses anxiety.       “The doctors examined Edward and me and treated our wounds when they came, where everything happened along with the police. They recommended that we have a full exam, but we refused.”       “And how are you? Fine?”       “Yes, I’m fine. I just got exhausted. But I’m trying not to think about it now.”       “Is Edward really fine?” Natalia asks with tears in her eyes. “Please, Daniel, tell me he’s okay.”       “It’s okay, Natalia, don’t worry.” Daniel caresses Natalia’s shoulders softly. “I know you recently fought, but please, come to him and try to calm him down. Maybe, you can find a key to Edward. He’s terribly nervous and feeling antsy.”       “You say, he’s on the third floor?”       “Yup, in the hall.”       “Go, Natalia,” Helene says softly. “We’ll come now.”       “Edward will tell you everything, but I shall explain everything to Helene and Raquelle on the way,” Daniel promises.       “Okay…” Natalia pronounces thoughtfully. “See you there…”       Natalia wants to turn around and leave, but then she stops slowly, turns to Daniel, and caresses his shoulder softly with a slight smile.       “Hey, I’m very glad you’ve finally remembered everything,” Natalia says amicably.       “Yes, Daniel, that’s good you’re back with us,” Helene smiles slightly.       “If the guys forgave you, we wouldn’t be mad, too,” Raquelle adds.       “I’m glad you understood me,” Daniel replies with a slight smile. “It was hard to get the guys’ forgiveness, but they gave me a chance.”       “Good,” Natalia nods. “Then, you forgive us for being rude enough to you.”       “It’s okay, don’t think about it. Your reaction was fair, and I was a stupid idiot.”       “But remember, Perkins, if you hurt our men, you’ll have to deal with us!” Helene threatens Daniel with a finger. “We won’t let you hurt them!”       “I won’t hurt them and you.”       “Okay, our walking trouble, we believe you!” Natalia exclaims and pushes Daniel in the forearm with a fist.       “Thanks a lot, girls.”       Helene, Natalia, and Raquelle suggest that Daniel hug them, and he happily hugs every one of them with a slight smile on his face, being happy that his friends understood him.       “Okay, I’ll go to Edward,” Natalia says thoughtfully. “Come when you’re ready.”       Natalia turns around and leaves the cafeteria slowly, still being horrified at the thought that Eugene could have injected something lethal into Edward. Daniel, Helene, and Raquelle watch her with sad eyes and look at each other after she hides.       “Do you know something about Terrence?” Raquelle asks with excitement. “What do the doctors say?”       “Only that he’s in a hard state,” Daniel replies with sadness in his eyes. “And he had cleaned his stomach before the doctors came.”       “My gosh…” Raquelle sighs heavily, moves her sad eyes down, and shakes her head.       “But how did you end up with the lads?” Helene asks quietly, holding the handle of her purse.       “I’ve said I fought with them again.”       “But why?”       “The case is that I got a message with threats from an unknown number. At first, I couldn’t understand who it was, but then I thought it was the lads’ work. I swore to tell them everything if I met them. And I was lucky to see them in a quiet place. So, I came to them immediately, showed them the message, and blamed them for the threats again.”       “Did Blanca make you think so?” Raquelle wonders.       “No, as for the message, I thought so. But she had washed my brains and told me the false truth or the open lie. And when the guys and I fought, I made my relationship with them worse by blaming them for everything that I heard from Blanca.”       “What an insolent girl!” Helene resents. “She thought up everything well!”       “Now I know she’s an insolent liar.”       “And what are you gonna do?”       “I dunno. I’ll think about it later. Now I don’t care about her.”       “And you say you stopped fighting after Edward saw Wainwright?”       “Yup. The guys watched Wainwright a little, and then we followed him all together.”       “As I understand, he decided to use the chance to destroy him…” Raquelle assumes with sadness in her eyes.       “Edward couldn’t miss a chance to put that man in prison. And Terrence and Peter didn’t leave, no matter how much that guy begged them to do it. At first, he said he just wanted to follow Wainwright, but he eventually got into the highway of that stinker.”       “Hey, you said you thought that Wainwright seemed familiar to you,” Helene says thoughtfully.       “Yes. When I saw that man, I immediately felt that he was spreading a threat, and I started to be afraid of something. The case is not that Wainwright looked more horrible than an orangutan… The case is that he seemed dangerous… As if… Something connected me with him.”       “Are you really connected with him?” Raquelle frowns slightly.       “I am… And my sister, too.”       “Sister? You have a sister?”       “Yup… I have a younger sister.”       “You’ve never said anything about her!” Helene exclaims. “Where did she come from?”       “My sister disappeared a few years ago, and the police didn’t find her. And I thought she was dead. I thought I didn’t have parents and sisters… And… I lived with this thought for many years…”       “We’ve never heard a hint of you having a brother or a sister,” Raquelle notices.       “I didn’t wanna talk about it. Talking about her was too hard for me and gave me pain. It was hurtful to think of my past.”       “But how did she mess up with Wainwright?” Helene wonders. “How did it happen that the man raped her?”       “The case is that my sister tasted drugs after Father’s death. And after Mother’s death, she became dependent on them. And as it turned out, she was buying them from Wainwright, who was regularly taking some shit, as well…”       Daniel starts to tell Raquelle and Helene about how Cassidy tasted drugs, what Eugene was doing to her, how he was mocking the poor girl, how she suffered, and why she was brought here alongside Terrence and Wainwright. Perkins also tells them about what happened on the day when everybody found out he had amnesia. The girls start to feel truly sorry for the man and his sister, even if they get horrified by everything that they have to find out.       

***

      Meanwhile, Edward is on the third floor and waiting with excitement for news about Terrence. No matter how hard his friends ask him to stop blaming himself for what happened, he keeps thinking that he is guilty of all the problems. Even if his brother did it at his wish. He feels remorse. He is afraid to look into the eyes of his brother, his friends, his fiancée, and his parents… He is afraid that everybody will turn their backs on him. He is afraid to stay all alone.       Edward’s eyes are running from one side to another, while he is sitting on the iron chair, doubling over, leaning on his laps with his elbows, and sometimes pulling the sleeves of his old, shabby, ripped denim jacket or just fingering over. Every single muscle is literally shaking from tension, and only bad thoughts come into his mind. He does not care about the strong pain in his whole body or his bruises. He may sometimes throw a broken, tired look at some doctors that are going to do their business in the hope that some of them can deliver some news about Terrence.       The man does not notice that the excited Natalia gets up to the third floor. The girl looks around with scared, widely open eyes, knocking on the tile floor with small heels. She goes further down the hall, turns to the left, and goes to a quiet and lonely place where she finds Edward closing his face with both hands at some moment. Getting horrified by how he looks, Natalia comes to him determinedly. But the man does not react to this, being fallen into his dark thoughts. Only the quiet, shaking voice of the girl wakes him up from the trance:       “Edward…”       Edward moves his eyes to Natalia, rounds his eyes, and feels how his heart stops for a moment.       “Natalia…” Edward pronounces.       Edward stands up from the uncomfortable iron chair, comes to Natalia, and hugs her tightly, putting his arms around her waist and placing his hands on her back. While she immediately puts her arms around his neck and buries her face in it. When the man hugs his beloved girl and feels her presence and smell, he exhales with a little relief slowly and, smiling wider, moves his hand to her head that he starts to caress. Moreover, his fiancée gets emotional and starts to cry quietly, hugging this man as if she does not want to let him go and putting her head on his shoulder.       Edward is so happy to hug his beloved Natalia, next to whom he feels a little better. He always calms down when he strokes his beloved girl’s soft golden hair, presses her to himself as closely as possible, caresses her head tenderly, and breathes in the smell of the one, for whom he would go through fire and water. Natalia literally jumps from happiness when she sees her man alive. The girl presses herself against him, just like a little puppy or a kitty presses itself against its mother. She is crying bitterly and snuggles her nose in her exhausted and excited fiancé’s shoulder, even if she also tries to help him calm down and believe that his fight is over.       The lovers believe that it’s been literally forever since they hugged each other with the hope of finding peace. At some moment, Natalia breaks the silence, keeping one arm wrapped around Edward’s neck, holding the nape of his neck with one hand, running the palm of another one over his back, sliding over his back tenderly, and keeping her head rested on his shoulder:       “Are you okay?”       “I think so,” Edward replies quietly, caressing Natalia’s head softly and putting his arm around her neck, while he runs his hand over her back, presses his body tightly to her, and kisses her on the top of her head.       “I was so worried about you,” Natalia confesses in a shaking voice. “I thought I’d no longer see you again.”       “Me too, my love. I was also madly afraid that I’d never see you.”       Natalia kisses Edward’s cheek softly, steps back from him, and looks at his face with wet eyes, putting her hands on the man’s chest and feeling his fast breath and heavy breath, while he looks at the girl and smiles exhaustedly but truly.       “I was so horrified,” Natalia confesses with tears. “That man could’ve killed you!”       “I know,” Edward replies quietly with sadness in his eyes. “Wainwright could’ve killed me many times.”       “Why did you go there? Why, sweetie? You knew it was dangerous!”       “I did all of that for you. To protect you from that stinker.”       “But you could’ve died!” Natalia gives two sobs and shakes her head. “I could’ve stayed alone!”       “I know, but I’m alive. Here I am! Standing in front of you!”       “Edward…”       “It’s okay, my sweetheart.” Edward hugs Natalia tightly with both arms, kisses her temple cutely, caresses the shaking and crying girl’s cheek tenderly, and wipes her tears off, still holding her in his hugs, while she keeps pressing her hands to his chest. “Don’t cry.”       Natalia says nothing and just cries quietly for a few seconds. And then she looks at Edward with wet eyes and moves her hands so that a part of his collarbone covered with bruises shows up.       “Oh, gosh…” Natalia opens her eyes widely and tenderly runs her hand over Edward’s collarbone. “What bruises…”       “They’re gonna be gone soon,” Edward promises softly.       “You’re all in bruises! You are beaten black and blue! Everything’s supposed to hurt!”       “It does. But it’s okay, it’s not the first time.”       “Sweetheart…” Natalia tenderly caresses Edward’s cheeks, not moving her eyes off his face, which has many small cuts and bruises, and makes a couple of sobs. “Gosh, what that crazy man did to you… I’ve got nothing to say!”       “Don’t worry, Natalia, please,” Edward says softly, looking at Natalia with sad eyes, and kisses her temple, as he holds the back of her head. “I’m fine.”       “If I’d known something like that would’ve happened, I wouldn’t have let you do such a crazy thing. Never! I don’t wanna be protected at such a high price!”       Natalia inclines her head and closes half of her face with a hand, still crying her eyes out quietly and shaking strongly with fear. Edward hugs the girl again and presses her tightly to himself, starting to caress her head tenderly or stroking her soft hair and having his arm wrapped around the small of the lady’s back. While she snuggles her face in the man’s chest with the feeling of warmth that his body spreads, stopping to hold herself down when their eyes met.       “Please, sweetie, calm down,” Edward says in a whisper. “I’m alive, and I’m fine. Now it’s all over. I hope it is once and forever.”       “I believe, sweetheart, I do…” Natalia replies in a little shaking voice and sniffs quietly. “It’s just hard for me… Too hard…”       “Now you’ve got no reason to worry. You’re safe now.”       “I can’t believe it… I can’t believe I’m really hugging you…”       “I don’t believe you’re with me, either.” Edward caresses Natalia’s cheek tenderly and kisses her on the top of her head. “Sweetheart… You’re here… With me…”       Natalia says nothing and keeps hugging Edward tightly, caressing his back and slightly squeezing his denim jacket with her hands in excitement and snuggling her nose in his shoulder. The man presses his fragile, vulnerable girl to his chest tightly, finding the strength to hold on bravely. He feels how it’s getting easier for him to breathe, while the lady’s thin fingers run over his disheveled but still soft hair, and her hot breath is nicely burning the skin on his neck. At some moment, Edward raises his head and exhales slowly with a shake, keeping his arm around her neck and holding her by the back of her head, while she is still crying bitterly and presses her hands clenched into fists against the man’s tough chest. However, it does not prevent her from remembering that the man needs support, and she lets him hug her as much as he needs to be able to survive what’s happening.       It happens for a few seconds before the two calm down a little. Natalia steps back from Edward a little, moves her wet and depressed eyes down, and puts her hands on his shoulders. And before saying something, the man carefully moves some strands off the girl’s eyes and runs his hand over her cheek tenderly with the back of his hand.       “Let’s sit down,” Edward suggests.       Not waiting for the answer, Edward brings Natalia to the iron chairs, holding her by the waist, sits on them with her, and hugs the girl around the shoulders, while she takes the man’s hand.       “I know what happened to Terrence,” Natalia confesses with sadness in her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”       “I should’ve been instead of him, Natalia,” Edward shakes his head. “That injection was for me! But Terrence pushed me and gave his arm to Wainwright.”       “You’re not guilty, sweetie,” Natalia replies confidently, caressing Edward’s hand softly. “I know you’ve never wished anything like this for your brother. And I believe you tried to save him.”       “I’d give my life for him.”       “I know, honey, I know.”       “I begged Terrence, Daniel, and Peter to leave so many times, but they didn’t listen to me. And they stayed. Stayed to become victims of that sick bastard.”       “You wouldn’t have dealt with him alone. Wainwright would’ve killed you much earlier. Look what he did to you! I’m sure that everything would’ve been worse if the guys hadn’t been with you.”       “I originally minded that they went with me.”       “They did it for you, Edward. To save you from the worst.”       “Yeah, but I didn’t want them to do it by risking their lives. I didn’t want Terrence to sacrifice himself.”       “If not for the guys’ help, we would’ve never seen you. You would’ve been less lucky than Daniel, who was found by Helene and Peter.”       “So, I wouldn’t have been.”       “No, sweetheart, don’t say it!” Natalia begs with pity in her eyes.       “There is only one good thing about what happened. Daniel has remembered everything.”       “I know, Daniel told the girls and me everything.”       “Well, maybe, another good piece of news for him is that he found his sister.”       “Sister?”       “Yup, a younger one.”       “But Daniel never said anything about her!”       “Still, that’s the truth. That girl recognized him, and he called her a sister when he remembered everything.”       “Listen, isn’t that the girl, who was found by you and the lads at Wainwright’s hideaway?”       “That’s her.”       “And Wainwright was mocking her for a long time?”       “Yup. He raped her, gave her drugs, and kept her locked…”       “My gosh…” Natalia shakes her head with widely open eyes. “Poor girl…”       “The poor girl suffered so much because of that stinker. She took drugs a long time ago and began to get them with the help of Wainwright, who was also a drug addict.”       “I don’t know what to say.”       “So, you’re not the only victim of him. And I’d say you’re lucky. In the worst case, you would’ve experienced the same thing that girl did. You know that he dreamed of killing the men and me, finding you and your friends, and mocking you.”       “Did your uncle know about her? Did Michael know Wainwright was taking drugs?”       “Uncle didn’t know about that girl ‘cause Wainwright was hiding her from everyone. As he said, when he ended up in jail, she ran away from him and was hiding somewhere. But after his escape, he found Daniel’s sister, locked her where the lads and I found her, and started to give her drugs and mock her…”       “Did you get into his hideaway and save that girl so easily?”       “Yup, we got into that with no problems.” Edward looks aside for a second and slowly moves his eyes to Natalia. “I decided to follow Wainwright to find out where he was hiding and asked the guys to leave, but they went with me. We came to the middle of the backwoods where there was an abandoned house. I saw him sniffing some powder that made him go insane. Wainwright did it several times when we were fighting with him.”       “And what’s next?”       “Next… Next, I wanted to get into that… So, when Wainwright got out, the guys and I climbed over the fence and got into the house, where it was very cold and too smelly. We found many drugs and that young girl. Then Wainwright got us caught, beat us strongly, locked us in the house, took the girl, and left. Luckily, we all got out and met at another place. We fought with him for a long time… Until… Until he injected that shit into Terrence, cut Peter’s hand, took another dose of drugs, and fell from a high height.”       “Fell from a height?”       “Yes. He started to hallucinate from drugs and jumped from an abyss with a wish to chase someone. As a result, he hit everything he could and no longer woke up.”       “So, he is in the hospital, too?”       “Yes, he was brought here along with policemen. When he’s released, he will immediately be put in prison. For a long time. Moreover, Daniel is determined to do his best for him to get a few more years by blaming him for raping his sister. The sister of illegal age.”       Natalia says nothing, shakes her head, and makes two sobs, looking at Edward with pity in her eyes. Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, which the girls breaks, saying in a quiet, shaking voice with tears in her eyes:       “Why, Edward, why? Why did you do it? You did know that Wainwright could kill you! And knowing he took drugs, I’m sure that this man could’ve drugged you with that shit! What were you thinking of?”       “You, my love,” Edward replies confidently, taking Natalia’s hand. “I just wanted to restore justice and save you from that stinker. Having a chance to put your offender in prison. I couldn’t miss it.”       “You wouldn’t have saved me if something had happened to you,” Natalia sniffs quietly. “You would’ve given me pain. Deprived me of the meaning of life.”       “I’m sorry, Natalia, I’m sorry for making you suffer.” Edward runs the back of his hand over Natalia’s cheek and her soft hair on her temple. “But I did everything for you. So, you walk on the streets without fear. I was ready for everything for that bastard to pay for mocking you, pleasing Uncle, and everything he did to that girl and the way Daniel suffered because of him.”       “Daniel?” Natalia rounds her eyes and carefully wipes off tears under her eyes. “Do you wanna say Wainwright has to do with what happened to him?”       “As it turned out, Daniel knew about Wainwright’s escape much earlier – on the day when he ended up in the hospital with brain damage. That man told him about his sister and refused to let her go, even for money. He threatened Daniel with a knife, attacked him, beat him strongly, and pushed him against a car that was driving by. That didn’t have time to stop and hit him.”       “They met by chance?”       “Yup. Daniel was just walking at the place where Peter found him.”       “Stinker!” Natalia resents.       “I know. There are bastards in the world!”       “He’s done much more than Michael.”       “Yeah, two fucking snakes…”       “Hey, is that true Daniel came to you and started a scandal some time before Wainwright showed up?”       “True. Some time before, Daniel sent us a message, in which he blamed us for attempting him and came to us personally. So, we lost our temples and let our emotions go…”       “Wainwright sent that message?”       “Yup, it was his work, and he confessed it.”       “Yeah… I didn’t think he’d be the one to blame.”       “Nobody thought, my sunshine. Who would’ve known that Wainwright’s escape and Daniel’s amnesia could be connected.”       “And what’s gonna happen to him?”       “Now it’s the police’s work. But he is currently at the hospital. If he doesn’t die, his traumas may be serious, and he may stop being able to walk.”       “He will be disabled?”       “There will be some consequences of such a cruel fall.”       “Was everything so terrible?”       “Oh, yeah! The guys and I literally shook when he hit himself against stones several times while flying down from the cliff. And…” Edward bites his lip slightly, looking at Natalia hesitantly. “I almost fell down from that, too…”       “What?” Natalia closes her mouth with a hand with horror in her eyes.       “I didn’t see it. The view was closed with grass.”       “Gosh, Edward…”       “That’s good Peter and Daniel helped me in time. Otherwise, everything would’ve been terrible.”       “No, no…” Natalia makes a couple of much louder sobs and buries her nose in Edward’s shoulder, while he caresses her head softly. “It can’t be the truth…”       “Calm down, my sweetheart, nothing happened to me.”       “You could’ve died…” Natalia pronounces in a shaking voice. “What if you’d really fallen down from the cliff? If Daniel and Peter hadn’t helped you? I would’ve lost you!”       “No, Natalia, don’t say it.” Edward kisses Natalia on the top of her head. “I’m here, sitting in front of you alive. Maybe, I’m beaten black and blue and have bruises. But I am here.”       “You shouldn’t have started all of that… You shouldn’t have…”       “I didn’t want anyone to suffer. My main goal was catching Wainwright and letting you live quietly.”       “I wouldn’t have needed it if I had lost you. My world would be broken without my beloved man.”       “Still, I couldn’t give up so easily,” Edward replies in a lower voice. “As I started this game, I must’ve completed it. I was supposed to take everything that the lads and I had to get through.”       “Edward…”       “Wainwright could do anything to me. He should’ve given me the injection that he gave Terrence. My brother shouldn’t have suffered without reason. Only me. And nobody else. The fault is mine. So, I should’ve been lying on a hospital bed and dying.”       “No, sweetie, don’t say it, I’m begging you!” Natalia steps back from Edward, grabs his face softly, caresses it tenderly, and runs her hand over the man’s hair from the top of his head to the nape of his neck. “You’re guilty of nothing.”       “I am, Natalia. I’m guilty of letting my brother suffer. Letting the guys go with me.”       “Daniel and Peter wouldn’t have left you because you’re like a brother to them, and Terrence takes care of you. They knew you would’ve died if you’d been alone.”       “I couldn’t do what I swore to do…” Edward shakes his head. “I swore that I’d give my everything to protect the lads, who went with me, after all. I didn’t care about myself. I was ready to sacrifice anything for the lads. And I would’ve let Wainwright inject that shit into me. But I didn’t react in time.”       “But you got the needle out.”       “Yes, Wainwright injected just half into him. But it changes nothing. My brother might die because of me. For the second time. He could’ve suffered because of me once, but he was lucky because you saved him. But now nobody will save him. Neither you, me, nor anyone else.”       “Edward, please, stop blaming yourself,” Natalia begs with pity in her eyes, hugs Edward tightly, and presses him to herself, putting her arms around his neck with tears in her eyes and caressing his head tenderly. “I know you didn’t want it.”       “I didn’t want it, but I dared to let it happen.”       “Terrence did it because he didn’t want you to suffer and put himself in danger.”       “That’s unfair! Unfair!”       “I’m sure he’s gonna be okay. He’s got a reason to live.” Natalia caresses Edward’s cheek tenderly and kisses another cutely. “Your brother knows that many people need him. Especially Raquelle, who is going crazy now.”       Edward says nothing and just answers Natalia’s hug, embracing her tightly but tenderly with both arms and snuggling his face in the curve of the lady’s neck. Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, but then the man breaks it, saying with a quiet, shaking voice:       “I don’t wanna lose my brother, Natalia… I don’t wanna lose my best friend. If he dies, I’ll literally lose a part of me. I… I don’t know what I’m gonna do if Terrence dies.”       “No, Terrence will not die,” Natalia promises quietly and softly.       “Losing my close people is my strongest and most painful hit. That scumbag Wainwright literally knew my weakness and pressed on it strongly.”       “Trust me, I’m also very worried about Terrence and want him to get well. But I know everything’s gonna be okay.”       “I think Raquelle is mad at me.” Edward steps back from Natalia slowly and looks at her with sadness in his eyes. “She thinks I’m guilty of what happened to Terrence.”       “No, Edward, Raquelle blames you for nothing,” Natalia replies softly, caressing Edward’s cheek and holding his hand. “She isn’t mad at him for deciding to sacrifice himself for you.”       “And my parents? Mr. Johnson said that Father was terribly mad!”       “Yes, your father is unhappy. But he’s worried about you and Terrence deep inside. He just doesn’t say it openly.”       “And Mother?”       “Mrs. MacClife can’t calm down, either. Mr. MacClife doesn’t leave her alone and comforts her as he can.”       “They are here?”       “Yup, standing outside and talking to Mr. Johnson.”       “And Helene?”       “Yup, I left her with Raquelle and Daniel in the cafeteria and went to find you. Daniel said you couldn’t calm down, and he and Peter could do nothing to help you.”       “I shall only calm down in case I hear Terrence is fine and see he’s alive and awake.”       “It’s gonna be okay, honey,” Natalia says softly and runs her hand over Edward’s hair from the top of the head to the nape of the neck. “You’ll see it.”       “If Terrence gets worse or dies, everybody will blame me for his death. I mean, they do it. I’m sure that when Father sees me, he’ll strangle me with his own hands. And Raquelle’s gonna hate me for killing her fiancé.”       “No, Edward, that’s not true! Nobody blames you for anything and ain’t gonna do it! Your father will calm down and understand everything later.”       “Damn, I’m starting to regret getting into all of it.” Edward doubles over and pulls his hair out strongly. “Not listening to Terrence and being too stubborn…”       “You wanted to make it better. Many people say you just missed problems and got sick of living a quiet life. But I do know that you did it for me.”       “I would’ve rather let the police solve everything… Or just watched that man and let the police know it. But because of my love for restoring justice and my wish to defend my beloved girl from one stinker, I framed the men. And now I turned into a mollycoddle again, and I am acting like a girl and ready literally to cry from hate for myself.”       “Sweetheart…”       “The people are right: I’ve overplayed a hero. It’s time to end all of that. I will never become strong and brave. No meaning in doing something when nothing changes.”       “No, don’t say that. You’re very strong and brave.”       “Damn, I’m so ashamed… Ashamed of letting all of it happen…”       “Don’t do it, sweetie, please,” Natalia says softly, raises Edward’s face by the chin, takes his hand with both hands, and starts to caress it tenderly.       “You can’t deny it’s the truth,” Edward replies without emotions. “I’ve never been and will not be strong and confident.”       “Please, stop thinking about everything you were told by the bad people. For your close people, you are a fearless and resolute man. For me, you’ll always be like this, even if you’ve made many mistakes.”       “Don’t calm me down. I know that those people were right.”       “Nobody is perfect, Edward. You shouldn't be ashamed of doing something wrong. You didn’t leave the guys in trouble and did your best to save and protect them.”       “That was my duty. The duty that I did not do. Even if Terrence is older, I’m responsible for him, too. I’ve gotta make sure that my brother is fine. But I could not save him…”       “As well as Terrence. He always cares about you and shows himself as a loving older brother.”       “I know, but I can’t accept the fact that he’s in a hospital bed, not me.”       “Listen, any one of you could’ve suffered. But it didn’t stop the lads. If they wouldn’t care about you, the three would’ve gone home. But they knew they must’ve helped you and protected you.”       “I’m really grateful to the lads for not leaving me, and I confess that it was much easier with them.”       “That’s what I mean!”       “You know…” Edward glances aside for a second and looks hesitantly at Natalia holding his hands with sadness in her eyes. “Even if we can always change the future, there are things that we can’t control. Which will happen to us, no matter if we want it.”       “What do you mean?”       “Raquelle’s nightmare. That was a sign of trouble. A sign of something that was going to happen. Something was going to happen to Terrence.”       “Maybe…” Natalia bites her lip slightly, moving her eyes aside. “But Wainwright was instead of Simon Ringer, and you were instead of Raquelle…”       “When Terrence told us about Raquelle’s nightmare, I was really scared. I also started to feel something bad. I was afraid I’d miss the moment and wouldn’t save my brother. And when he decided to go with me, I suddenly realized – it was the moment.”       “So, did you try to change Terrence’s mind because of that nightmare?”       “Yes. Terrence knew that he risked, but it couldn’t stop him.”       “Yeah, but the truth is that Terrence is alive now, but he died in the nightmare.”       “What if it comes true? Of course, I don’t believe in dreams, but it scares me. The case is about my close person. About my sibling. I’m afraid of any bad things related to my close people.”       “No, no, Terrence will overcome it!” Natalia replies confidently. “He must! Such wonderful people like him must live! Your brother is a young and tough man with perfect health!”       “I’m scared, Natalia…” Edward pronounces in a shaking voice with widely open eyes. “What I might hear from the doctor scares me.”       “Please, sweetheart, stop literally burying your brother as well as Raquelle.”       “But the nightmare…”       “It might just be a coincidence. Or our thought. That’s horrible, I don’t deny it. But you two shouldn’t take it seriously.”       “I’m trying to make myself think so, but I can’t. I can’t stop shaking and think of something good.”       “You’re gonna go crazy.”       “My weakness was pushed too strongly… And I only need to lose the trust of all my friends and my parents, and your love and care to be broken down.”       “No, no, it won’t happen.”       “I don’t wanna be alone!” Edward says with despair. “To have nobody, to whom I could talk… I’ll go crazy if I stay alone. But I don’t want it…”       “You’ll never be alone, honey.” Natalia hugs Edward touchingly, putting her hands on his back and laying her head on his shoulder that she caresses sometimes. “I promise I will never leave you.”       “If my brother dies because of me, everybody will turn their backs on me.”       “No, Edward, they will not,” Natalia replies in a little shaking voice with wet eyes and caresses Edward’s head. “We’ll always be by your side. And Terrence’s gonna be okay. He will overcome it.”       “This is the only thing I want now.”       “My gosh, you better wait for news from the doctor first. Why would you be worried earlier?”       “I’m sure I’ll hear nothing good.”       “Listen, I completely understand your pain, but please, don’t let yourself break down. Be strong and brave. We all need your support now. We can’t do it without you.”       “I can’t…”       “You can!” Natalia steps back from Edward and takes him by the shoulders softly, looking into his eyes confidently. “You can do anything! Just tell yourself you must be strong! Do you remember what I’ve always told you? You’re much stronger than you think! You don’t know how strong you can be!”       “Sorry, but I can’t pretend to be a brave hero now.”       “Anyway, you can always count on me. I’ll do everything for you to get better. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll find a way to help.”       Edward says nothing and hugs Natalia tightly without words, wrapping his arms around her waist and caressing her back with his shaking hands. She puts her hand on the back of his head and starts to hold the nape of his neck with another hand. A little later, the man nuzzles his nose into the girl’s hair and puts his arm around her neck, in the curve of which he hides his face. At some moment, he squeezes his fiancée too tightly, but he wakes up in time at the thought that he might strangle her and weakens the grip.       “It’s okay, sweetheart, it’s okay,” Natalia says softly, caressing Edward’s head, and kisses him on the cheek. “Hold on. Be strong. All of us need you.”       Edward wants to say something but does not want to repeat everything like a parrot and just hugs Natalia tighter, running his hands over her back.       “You can say nothing,” Natalia says quietly and puts her palm on the back of Edward’s head, and slowly runs a free hand over his back. “I completely understand you.”       “Thanks, Natalia,” Edward thanks in a shaking, much quieter voice, trying to crack a smile. “Thank you so much…”       “Quiet, quiet, honey, relax.”       “Damn… I’m so lucky to have you…”       “I’m with you, Edward, it’s okay.”       “Thanks, honey.”       Edward kisses Natalia on the cheek and hugs her tighter, sniffing quietly at some moment. While the girl keeps stroking his hair and caresses the man’s head, hoping it will help him calm down. And some time later, Raquelle comes here quickly, knocking with her heels. When the girl sees Natalia and Edward, she just watches them for two seconds with pity in her eyes. But after feeling someone’s eyes on them, the lovers move their eyes to the girl, step away from each other, and get up from the chairs.       “Edward…” Raquelle pronounces in a shaking voice with tears.       “Raquelle!” Edward exclaims.       Edward and Raquelle hug each other tightly, and the girl makes a few sobs, while she is shaking strongly from excitement. But later, they step away, and the man guiltily looks at the girl with red, puffy, and cried-out eyes, which she moves down, and caresses her shoulders softly.       “Forgive me, Raquelle, I’m so sorry,” Edward apologizes. “I tried to protect Terrence, but I could not.”       “Don’t blame yourself, you aren’t guilty,” Raquelle sniffs quietly. “The important thing is that you didn’t leave your brother and friends.”       “Are you probably mad at me because Terrence went there because of me?”       “No, Edward, it’s okay.” Raquelle caresses Edward’s shoulders softly, looking at him with sadness in her eyes. “Terrence wouldn’t have left you anyway because he can’t be indifferent to you. And his risky act proved that he was ready for anything for his close people.”       “If I’d had time to react, I wouldn’t have let Wainwright inject him…” Edward confesses guiltily. “But everything happened too fast… I just had time to get up and get the needle out of Terrence’s arm when the syringe had been half-filled.”       “I know, Edward,” Raquelle pronounces softly. “I know everything. Daniel told us everything.”       “I’m very sorry, Raquelle. And ashamed. I felt some trouble and at least tried to get all the hits. But sadly, I didn’t keep the promise that I gave myself. Sorry, sorry… I’m very sorry… I didn’t want everything to be over like this.”       “Edward, please, stop excusing yourself. I don't, and I ain’t gonna blame you for anything. Nobody blames you for what happened.”       “But Father is mad!”       “He doesn’t just show his emotions. But he is actually madly scared by what happened. Terrence and you are his sons, and he can’t treat you indifferently.”       “I pray that my brother is okay. If he gets worse, I don’t know what I’m gonna do…”       “We’re all praying, Edward. You know how much I’m afraid to hear Terrence may die!”       “I’m ashamed of not listening to him. I just wanted to end the story of Wainwright and do his best for the police to get him caught.”       “Everybody understands you wanted to restore justice and protect Natalia from what happened to that girl. Daniel’s sister, who was brought here alongside Terrence.”       “I resented that this scumbag was walking free and swore that I’d put him in prison. And I couldn’t miss the chance when I got it.”       “You could’ve died!” Raquelle notices with pity in her eyes. “Do you know how much you would’ve risked if the lads had left you? We could’ve never met you again!”       “I know, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to protect my fiancée. And after finding out that Natalia wasn’t his first victim, I got wild and decided to make that bastard pay for everything he had done.”       “But he’s more dangerous! Because of taking drugs!”       “When the case is about my close people, I’m ready to put my head in the mouth of a tiger or swim in the ocean with sharks.”       “We know, Edward, but you risked a lot.”       “I don’t think about it when I help my close people.”       “I wonder, how long has Wainwright been taking drugs?” Natalia asks, embracing herself with arms.       “I believe it happened before you met him. Or much earlier. Knowing that Daniel’s sister was buying drugs from him a few years ago.”       “By the way, could he have been drugged with something on the day when Natalia met him?” Raquelle frowns slightly.       “Maybe. I mean, I’m sure about it.”       “Oh, if he is so crazy, what happens when he is high?”       “Oh, don’t better ask,” Edward exhales sharply. “When the guys and I were watching him, he was going insane and screaming like crazy. He literally saw an enemy in every single bush.”       “Oh, my gosh…”       “By the way, his hallucinations made him jump down from the cliff. He ran after something that didn’t exist. But he eventually fell down like a stone and hit everything he could.”       “Thank God, Daniel and Peter were with you,” Raquelle says confidently. “Or you would’ve become disabled.”       “I’m even afraid to think that I could’ve lost you,” Natalia says with a quiet, shaking voice, wraps her arm around Edward’s arm, and presses herself close to him.       “But luckily, it ended well,” Edward replies and hugs Natalia tightly with both arms.       “At least you’re lucky,” Raquelle sighs quietly. “Thank God.”       “I believe we’re gonna be stuck here for a very long time,” Natalia assumes.       “It’s okay, I’ll stay here even for a night and will not leave until I know what happened to Terrence,” Raquelle replies confidently. “When we’re allowed to visit him, I shall immediately go.”       “I will not especially leave,” Edward says confidently.       “And I’ll be with you, my dears,” Natalia promises, caressing Raquelle and Edward’s shoulders softly. “We’ll be together.”       “Thanks, sweetie.”       Edward kisses Natalia on the temple tenderly and, hugging her, presses Raquelle to himself, who puts her head on his shoulder and sobs quietly. And a few seconds later, they hear a quiet knock of heels and see that Helene and Daniel are coming here.       “Any news on Terrence?” Daniel asks with sadness in his eyes.       “Nothing, sadly,” Edward shakes his head. “And I guess we’re gonna wait for a long time.”       “We’ll wait as long as it needs,” Helene replies confidently.       “Thanks, guys,” Raquelle thanks quietly. “We need your support.”       Daniel and Helene say nothing and just look at Raquelle, Edward, and Natalia with sadness in their eyes. And then Marshall comes to MacClife, Jr., and hugs him amicably.       “How are you, Edward?” Helene expresses anxiety. “You’re so beaten that looking at you gives me goosebumps.”       “I’m fine, don’t worry,” Edward smiles forcefully. “It was a little painful at first, but now everything is fine.”       “And do you feel well?”       “Yup. But now I think about myself much less.”       “I think everybody has told you about it, but still… Don’t blame yourself for what happened to Terrence. We all know you did it to protect Natalia against that drug addict.”       “But my father is angry at me.”       “He’s worried anyway.” Helene takes Edward by the shoulders softly. “Mr. MacClife doesn’t say it openly, but we know what that man feels.”       “I feel he’s gonna kill me when he sees me one mile away.”       “I guess Mr. Johnson could make your father softer,” Daniel assumes confidently. “He doesn’t approve of your wish to get into trouble, but he thinks you behaved with dignity.”       “You just know my father badly,” Edward replies without emotions. “If he’s mad, you don’t better talk to him.”       “Don’t worry, Edward, your father will understand it all,” Natalia says softly. “At heart, Mr. MacClife is truly worried about you and Terrence. He loves you with all his heart and is madly afraid to lose.”       “Remember how worried he was when you and Terrence didn’t speak to him,” Raquelle adds. “Despite all your mistakes, his love didn’t get weaker. And your mother didn’t turn her back on you, no matter how many times you’ve disappointed her.”       “This time, Father isn’t gonna pity me,” Edward replies a little excitedly.       “I think he’s gonna swear at you a little because you followed Wainwright, but then he’ll think, calm down, and say different things.”       “And don’t make him a senseless monster,” Helene adds. “He was so tender when taking care of your mother, who was terribly worried about Terrence and was overwhelmed that she could lose you.”       “Father just loves Mother so much and tries to be caring and tender for her.” Edward throws a sad look at some posters hanging on the wall and saying about frequent illnesses and ways to cure and prevent them. “Fate gave them a chance to reconcile, and he no longer wanna lose the one he loves.”       “Hey, where are Mr. and Mrs. MacClife now?” Daniel frowns slightly. “I haven’t seen them yet!”       “Standing outside and talking to Mr. Johnson,” Raquelle replies. “He came here some time ago.”       “I think you would’ve hardly been found if Edward hadn’t called him,” Natalia assumes.       “Oh, honestly, we didn’t think we could get out of there…” Daniel confesses, slowly running his hand over his hair. “Due to great tiredness, we thought we went literally to the other end of the city.”       “And knowing that we would’ve had to carry the two victims, it would’ve been much harder,” Edward adds. “And we didn’t have so much time…”       “So, is the girl that you found Daniel’s sister?” Natalia frowns slightly.       “Younger,” Daniel nods.       “I didn’t know you had a younger sister.”       “We’re all shocked,” Raquelle says thoughtfully.       “That girl looks similar to Daniel, even if they have a six-year age difference,” Edward notices.       “Six years? It turns out that she is supposed to be nineteen? Or she’s gonna be?”       “She turned nineteen in the middle of February,” Daniel replies. “On Valentine’s Day…”       “She feels so bad?” Natalia asks with sadness in her eyes.       “When we found her, she felt very bad,” Edward replies. “At first, the poor girl was scared of us and thought we’d give her drugs. We barely calmed her down and let her know that we wanted to help.”       “Oh, Wainwright scared her too much,” Raquelle sighs quietly.       “Now, that man will no longer threaten my sister and all of you, sweet girls,” Daniel promises confidently. “I think he’s gonna have many traumas that won't let him live well. Moreover, he’s under the police’s control and will be put in prison shortly after being released from the hospital.”       “That’s good if it’s so. But the most important thing is that Terrence and that girl get well soon.”       “They will,” Helene replies confidently. “We have no doubt.”       “But my sister is gonna have therapy to wean herself away from drug dependence,” Daniel says. “But I don’t know how to do all of that… I’ll talk to her doctor. Maybe, I’d get some advice.”       “That poor girl is gonna take a hard way to forget that nightmare,” Natalia notices with sadness in her eyes.       “Anyway, I’ll always be by her side. Now I’ll keep the promise that I gave to my parents and will be taking care of my sister. It’s my duty.”       “When are you gonna report the rape?” Edward asks.       “When Cassidy gets better. I shall contact Mr. Johnson and talk to him to find out what I should do. I will do my best for Wainwright to pay for what he did to my little sister.”       “Right decision,” Raquelle replies confidently. “He’s gonna get a few years for raping and won’t leave jail soon.”       “With God’s help, Raquelle,” Natalia expresses hope.       Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, during which Edward hugs Natalia tightly with both arms, while she keeps her arms wrapped around his waist and puts her head on his shoulder. And then Helene looks around and embraces herself with both arms, asking hesitantly:       “Hey, lads, how long ago did you bring Peter to a doctor?”       “Yeah!” Natalia exclaims. “He’s been there for too long.”       “Maybe, he decided to go to the cafeteria?” Raquelle assumes. “Eat or drink water…”       “Anyway, he shouldn’t get worse because the wound wasn’t very deep,” Daniel replies confidently.       “Yeah, although he could barely stand, we brought him to a nurse quickly enough,” Edward adds. “She started to treat the wound shortly and wake him up, ‘cause the blond was literally slipping down a chair.”       “By the way, Sammy couldn’t calm down when we didn’t know where you were,” Helene confesses with sadness in her eyes.       “Felt trouble, too?”       “Maybe. I couldn’t calm him down! He couldn’t stop barking!”       “Ah, Sammy…” Daniel sighs with a slight smile. “I’d like to see the puffy again…”       “I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”       “Hey, Helene, is Sammy at your home now?” Edward asks.       “Nope, I left him at Raquelle’s home,” Helene replies. “The servants agreed to watch him with pleasure. And when we go home, I will take him out.”       “I see…” Edward puts his finger on his lip. “Oh, I almost forgot… Raquelle, I have a question for you.”       “What?” Raquelle frowns slightly.       “The lads and I came here in Terrence’s car. I was driving and left it in the hospital parking lot. And now there’s a question about what to do to the car… I can drive the car to your home and give you the keys. You can take it… Or let Terrence take it when he leaves the hospital.”       “No, no, I can’t drive now…” Raquelle shakes her head. “Terrence would be unhappy if I crushed his car because of my inattention.”       “So, do I bring it to your home?”       “Let’s find out what the doctors are gonna say and then decide what to do.”       While Raquelle says it, someone else goes up on the third floor and comes to the company in a quiet step.       “Okay, I got it,” Edward nods.       A few moments later, Peter comes to everybody, looking much better than before and having his hand bandaged tightly. His hand is bandaged tightly, and all the wounds have been treated successfully.       “How are you?” Edward asks. “Feel better?”       “Yes, much better,” Peter nods.       “I’m gonna believe,” Daniel says confidently. “Because you don’t look like a death cap.”       “Could you make me sad or glad?”       “Sadly, nothing.”       “Yeah, we’re waiting yet,” Edward shrugs.       “Okay…” Peter nods.       Two seconds later, Helene comes to Peter, who smiles shyly after seeing her.       “Helene!” Peter exclaims.       “Peter!” Helene pronounces with a slight smile.       When Peter hugs Helene tightly but tenderly, she exhales with relief, while she has her arms wrapped around his neck, and the man’s arms are wrapped around the girl’s waist, and his palms are placed on her back.       “Thank God, you’re okay,” Helene says quietly. “I was so worried…”       “Don’t be,” Peter replies softly. “I’m fine.”       “What about the wound?”       “Nothing serious, sweetie, it will be gone soon.”       Helene and Peter step away from each other and share a slight smile, and then Natalia and Raquelle come to the man.       “Glad to see you alive, blond,” Natalia says amicably, hugging Peter first.       “Being alive is very good,” Peter notices with a bit of humor.       Peter and Natalia laugh shyly and step away from each other, and then the man hugs Raquelle amicably with sadness in his eyes.       “I’m really sorry, Raquelle,” Peter says with sadness in his eyes. “We tried to avoid sacrifices, but we didn’t do it, sadly.”       “It’s okay, Peter,” Raquelle says quietly and steps back from Peter. “You and the lads aren’t guilty of what happened. Even Terrence is not.”       “Anyway, he’s strong and can get through it.”       “I’d like to believe it…” Raquelle moves her eyes aside.       “Hey, blond, why were you at a doctor’s cabinet for too long?” Daniel asks. “Was everything serious?”       “Erm…” Peter stutters, scratching the back of his head. “No, they treated my wound quickly, and I would've left. But the nurse insisted that I sit for a while. And then she told me to go to the cafeteria and get soda water. So, I did it. And I met Lewis there…”       “Lewis?” Helene frowns slightly. “Who is Lewis?”       “The one, who worked on me after I… Wanted to die.”       “That’s Lewis Todd?” Daniel specifies.       “Yup, the one. In short, we talked a little, and he asked me why my hand was bandaged. But I calmed him down and said I hurt my hand accidentally with a knife. I explained nothing.”       “Does he know about Terrence?” Helene asks.       “Yup, I said it. But I didn’t tell him the details. Lewis didn’t aim to find out everything ‘cause he was rushing.”       “I see…” Edward pronounces thoughtfully.       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, after which Peter looks at everybody again.       “I believe you know everything?” Peter asks. “Right, girls?”       “Yes, Edward and Daniel told us everything,” Raquelle nods.       “Let’s hope Wainwright will pay for everything he has done.”       “At least, there is a chance to get serious traumas that might provoke disability,” Natalia replies thoughtfully.       “Edward was madly lucky that he didn’t fall down, either,” Daniel notices confidently. “Or it would’ve been disability or death.”       “I know.” Natalia, pressing herself closer to Edward and wrapping his arms, looks at Daniel and Peter with a slight smile. “Thank you, guys, for not letting Edward fall. I’m madly grateful to you.”       “Real friends always help one another,” Peter notices amicably. “Moreover, Terrence asked Daniel and me not to let Edward suffer or die.”       “That’s right…” Edward shakes his head and puts his hand on his forehead. “It was madly hurtful to hear what Terrence said. He was speaking as if he was saying farewell to us… With the thought that he would die.”       “I guess he truly believed there was something lethal in that syringe and accepted it,” Daniel assumes. “You also thought you would’ve died after the injection.”       “Wainwright sounded natural enough. He didn’t bluff when saying he’d kill all of us with what there was in the syringe.”       “He wouldn’t have bluffed!” Peter chuckles quietly. “That stinker wouldn’t have added water in a syringe and ran in circles, screaming that it’s mortal poison that would’ve killed all of his enemies.”       “No matter what it was, I was ready to accept it. Instead of Terrence. Instead of you. Instead of Daniel. I accepted it and stopped resisting.”       “Edward, sweetie…” Natalia pronounces with pity in her eyes, wraps the small of Edward’s back with both arms, and puts her nose in his shoulder for a second.       “Anyway, to kill someone with a sedative, you need to take a too great dose,” Helene replies confidently. “Just like in the case of drugs.”       “The doctors said they suspected Terrence got an overdose,” Daniel frowns slightly, putting his hands on his hips. “But they don’t know what…”       “And don’t forget that Wainwright injected Terrence with half of what was in the syringe. So, it means the dose couldn’t be lethal.”       “Maybe, a full syringe had a great dose, but Edward got the needle out in time?” Natalia assumes. “What if he saved Terrence?”       “But the organism was already poisoned!” Raquelle notices.       “Right, but it may save his life.”       “If you get the poison out of the organism in time, a person will get well,” Helene notices. “Knowing that Terrence is tough and enduring though, he’ll recover quickly if the poisoning isn’t too serious.”       “Listen, what's the size of the syringe?” Natalia frowns slightly. “How many milliliters were there?”       “Erm…” Edward stutters, biting his lip slightly. “I might be mistaken, but I believe I saw the numbers '5’ and '10’ on the one.”       “So, that was a ten-milliliter syringe?” Helene specifies.       “It could lie on the palm of a hand. At least, on mine.”       “If we assume that there was a sedative, ten milliliters would be really a lethal dose,” Peter replies thoughtfully. “And knowing that Wainwright injected somewhere half into Terrence, there’s a chance to avoid something terrible.”       “But if it’s so, it turns out that Wainwright injected a great dose into my sister, and she’s gonna die?” Daniel frowns slightly, crossing his arms over his chest. “He injected a full syringe into her?”       “Maybe, not a full. But it might happen that Wainwright gave her some drugs and injected a dose of sedative into Terrence. So to say, MacClife was lucky ‘cause Edward quickly got the needle out. But that girl, suffered much more, sadly. Moreover, the doctors are much more worried about her condition. So, everything is not so hopeless in Terrence’s case.”       “Anyway, let’s just wait,” Helene suggests quietly. “Let’s believe that Edward’s quick reaction will help Terrence survive.”       “Oh, how I wish everything ended well…” Raquelle sighs quietly.       “I believe that it will save Terrence,” Natalia replies confidently, hugging Raquelle around the shoulders.       “I hope it will happen,” Edward sighs tiredly.       Some time later, while someone hugs their second half, and others stand together, someone else goes down the hall. As it turned out, it’s Rebecca and Jamie, who are now coming to everybody, who move their eyes to them, while Edward gets tense enough with widely open eyes and gets a little white.       “Sorry about leaving you, girls,” Rebecca apologizes. “We were talking to Mr. Johnson.”       “Any news on Terrence?” Jamie expresses anxiety.       “Not yet,” Raquelle shakes her head with sadness in her eyes. “We can’t make you upset or glad.”       “Alright… So, we will wait…”       Rebecca moves her eyes to Daniel and Peter, who greet her by nodding, and then to Edward, who watches her as if he is madly ashamed.       “Edward!” Rebecca exclaims.       “Mother…” Edward pronounces quietly.       Rebecca hugs Edward very tenderly, giving him some motherly love and warmth that the man lacks now.       “Forgive me, I’m so sorry,” Edward apologizes in a little shaking voice. “I didn’t want it to happen.”       “It’s okay, my sunshine,” Rebecca replies softly, caressing Edward’s back and kissing him on the cheek. “I believe you tried to fix everything.”       “I’m ashamed…”       “Don’t be. You did everything you could.”       Rebecca and Edward step away, and then the woman caresses her son’s cheeks, getting horrified at all his bruises and scars. And Jamie not going to show nice feelings moves his eyes to Peter and Daniel and frowns slightly.       “Hello, young men,” Jamie greets gently.       “Hello, Mr. MacClife,” Peter and Daniel pronounce.       “I did not expect to see you, Daniel. I heard you forgot a lot.”       “Erm, yeah, it happened,” Daniel replies a little hesitantly. “But now it’s over.”       “So, you remember everything?”       “Yes, no more amnesia. And… As you see, I was with the men.”       “Mr. Johnson said you were the fourth one, who we didn’t know about,” Jamie nods.       “We are really very sorry about what happened to Terrence,” Peter expresses regret. “We did everything we could, but… We were powerless… Sadly.”       “I believe you didn’t want anything like that.” Jamie throws a gloomy look at Edward. “But I do not approve of the thing that you all did.”       “Father, I…” Edward pronounces hesitantly, looking at Jamie with pity in his eyes.       “So, Edward, did you think I would hug and caress you on the head after what you did?”       “I can explain everything.”       “Don’t do it! I do know how you put the lives of your friends and brother in danger. You decided to have freaking problems again!”       “I swear, I tried to make them leave!” Edward confesses excitedly. “But the guys didn’t listen to me! They stayed!”       “You must have not gone there!” Jamie replies coldly. “Not framed your friends and brother, who could have suffered because of your irresponsibility!”       “I tried to avoid it!”       “I told you not to meddle in this case and let the police do everything! Terrence also knew it! I warned you two that your stubbornness would lead to terrible consequences!”       “I knew all the risks and was ready to take any hits. Because it would have been fair!”       “You would’ve better known that you would not have dealt with a man like Wainwright, and your brother and friends wouldn’t have let you go alone. Because you could have the fuck died!”       “I know, Father, I know…”       “And now we know that this bastard is a drug addict. What if he had given you that shit to you? Your brother? Your friends? It’s not a joke, Edward! If you taste this shit once, you will wish more and more!”       “I completely understood it.”       “You understood nothing!” Jamie shouts irritably. “You were an irresponsible boy then, and you are the same now! It’s time to grow up, but you cannot calm down! You cannot sit quietly! You still want to get your fingers into a socket!”       “Please, don’t be mad,” Edward begs with pity in his eyes. “I didn’t want it to happen!”       “Shut up, Edward!” Jamie raises his hand with the palm of it turned on Edward. “Close your mouth!”       “Listen, Dad…”       “Do you understand what we experienced while trying to find out where you went with Terrence, Peter, and Daniel? You could pity your mother and Natalia! Think of Raquelle, who is worried about Terrence, who suffered because of you! Look at them, look what you brought them to!”       “I’m very sorry… I didn’t want Terrence to suffer.”       “But he did suffer! He sacrificed himself! For the boy, who hasn’t played a hero enough and decided to prove to everyone that he could save the whole fucking world alone!”       “I just wanted to follow that man and tell Mr. Johnson about him!” Edward replies with despair. “I wanted to restore justice and protect Natalia from that bastard!”       “So, why did you the hell decide to get into that house?” Jamie asks angrily and loudly. “It’s fine you decided to follow, but why did you get into the home of the beast? You must’ve gotten out! Got-ten out!”       “I tried to make them run!”       “You must have run with the men, not made them run! Hear me, run! Called Mr. Johnson! Told him about the location of this drug addict!”       “I’m very sorry, father!” Edward exclaims with pity in his eyes.       “You should’ve been sorry earlier. You do always think after you get a kick on your empty head.”       “I couldn’t resist the wish to get into that house… I thought we’d examine it quickly and go away, but then we found that girl, and Wainwright caught us and locked…”       “Do not tell me how that stinker almost brought you to death.”       “I swear, I didn’t want it to happen.”       “You were madly lucky that your brother and friends were with you. Otherwise, it would have been the last day of your life. And the last day we actually saw you!”       “Father, please…”       “Gosh, Edward, when will you get smarter and grow up?” Jamie moans tiredly, running his hands over his face. “Life teaches you nothing! Nothing! Even after you almost were put in prison for the murder of my friend, and after what your sick uncle did!”       “I just wanted to protect Natalia.”       “No, my sonny, you did not protect Natalia, you quenched your thirst. Thirst for trouble. You were given a chance to deal with a dangerous man and used it. You did not think of what it would lead to!”       “But I couldn’t leave, knowing that I had a chance to help the police put that bastard in prison.”       “And what did it lead to?” Jamie wonders loudly. “What, the fuck? Your older brother is dying! Because of your irresponsibility!”       “I didn’t make Terrence do that! He pushed me, but I had no time to do something!”       “And you did know he could do it! You force an adult, responsible man to be careless and turn off his brains.”       “Dad, please…”       “Mr. MacClife, we tried to avoid sacrifices until the end,” Peter meddles. “But tiredness let us know about it. We had no time to do something when Terrence pushed Edward and gave his arm to Wainwright. Everything happened too fast.”       “We’re happy that Wainwright injected just half of what was in the syringe into Terrence,” Daniel adds. “Because Edward got the needle out in time. And we believe it will help him somehow.”       “I’m very glad all tried to help each other,” Jamie replies quietly. “But it doesn’t exempt you from the liability under your crazy act.”       “We understood we could suffer,” Peter says confidently. “But Edward could’ve really died if he had gone there alone. He is not the only one, who wants to protect Natalia from that bastard. Daniel must have also protected his sister. He wouldn’t have left and would’ve revenged that man for her.”       “It’s not a secret to us that Edward might sometimes be very stubborn and do something without thinking about the consequences. But you two and Terrence must have made him leave.”       “We tried, Mr. MacClife,” Daniel says confidently. “Terrence often shouted and tried to tell him that all of that was very dangerous.”       “So, you three must have taken this hothead by force and banned him from thinking of something like that.”       “Yes, we couldn’t change your son’s mind,” Peter nods. “But we couldn’t leave him, either. We wouldn’t have forgiven ourselves if Edward had made us sure to leave him.”       “Yeah…” Jamie exhales slowly. “I thought you had much more brains. But no, I was wrong. I’m disappointed. In you and Terrence.”       “Mr. MacClife…” Daniel wants to say with sadness in his eyes.       “Father, please, don’t be mad at us,” Edward begs with pity in his eyes. “We knew we wouldn’t get away with it, but we accepted the responsibility.”       “You, Edward, better be silent!” Jamie throws gloomily. “You must incline your head and listen to what you are told! And think about what you did!”       “I’m really sorry about what happened. I understand you’re angry at me. But please, don’t be mad at Peter, Terrence, and Daniel. They aren’t guilty of anything. The guys just decided to help me, and I’m grateful to them for the help…”       Jamie exhales sharply and slowly runs his hand over his face, saying nothing for a few seconds, and then he looks at Edward gloomily, while the guy looks at him with a scare in his eyes.       “Pray, Edward,” Jamie pronounces coldly. “Pray that your brother stays alive. But if your brother, heaven forbids, dies, you will be the one to blame. His death will be your fault, my dear son.”       Jamie moves his harsh look to Daniel and Peter looking at him and Edward with sadness.       “I shall talk to you two later,” Jamie promises coldly. “And remember, you are also guilty of what happened to Terrence.”       Jamie goes aside with both arms crossed over his chest and looks through the window with a gloomy look. Edward inclines his head guiltily and looks down with sadness in his eyes, and Daniel and Peter clap him on the shoulder with the hope of supporting him a little. At some moment, Rebecca comes to them, who did not even try to meddle in this talk.       “Don’t worry, Edward, his heart hurts for Terrence and you,” Rebecca says softly, caressing Edward’s shoulder. “Your father doesn’t just want to show it openly.”       “It’s okay, he’s right,” Edward replies quietly. “What happened to Terrence is my fault.”       “Give your father time to calm down a little and don’t bother him. He will come when he’s ready.”       “You think he will?”       “Of course, he will. Jamie knows well that you did it to save your beloved girl from what happened to her and what could’ve happened.”       “I was kind of ready for that,” Edward crosses his arms over his chest. “I knew Father would be mad and kill me for what I did.”       “Your father will calm down soon and become more understanding. Now nobody should bother him and let him stay alone.”       “Nevertheless, I can understand him,” Peter confesses thoughtfully. “His reaction is fine.”       “At least, you three told us everything honestly and hid nothing. That’s very good. And I’d like to notice your bravery and confidence. You weren’t afraid of such a horrible man that makes your knees shake.”       “A wish to save your close person motivates you strongly,” Daniel notices confidently. “I would’ve also left because I wanted to kick that stinker for what he did to my younger sister.”       “So, is that poor girl really your sister?”       “Yes, Mrs. MacClife. I thought she was dead for many years. She left home and never came back. And after a long search, the police pronounced her a missing person. So, I had to accept the fact that my sister was dead.”       “Do you know something about her? Doctors said something?”       “Only that she has a hard condition. Which makes them more anxious than Terrence’s condition. But I think it’s clear because Wainwright was drugging her for a long time and recently injected something strong into her.”       “But she will need a lot of time to forget that nightmare and start to live a new life. Getting cured of drug dependence, working with a psychologist, etc…”       “I know. And I’m ready for that. Now I shall always be by her side. As I promised to my parents.”       “Good.”       Silence settles in the air, during which everybody looks around with sad eyes and slowly goes to different sides with someone or alone. Natalia comes to Edward, who hugs her tightly with both arms and caresses her head. Helene and Peter sit on chairs, and the man presses the girl to himself and runs his fingers through her hair, while she has her head rested on his shoulder. Rebecca and Raquelle stand together and, sobbing quietly and hugging each other, walk down the hall or just stand aside. Daniel walks slowly from one corner to another with both arms crossed over his chest, and Jamie is standing near the window and trying to take it alone.       They expect news for some more time, walking down the hall nervously, staying in the same place, or sitting on iron, uncomfortable chairs. Even if they want to go to the cafeteria and drink at least some water and wet their throats, everybody stays here and comforts each other. And at some moment, when almost everybody comes together, someone comes to them very hesitantly and says quietly:       “Hi, everybody.”       Everybody turns on the voice and opens their eyes widely immediately when they see… Anna?! Who looks at all of them with red, puffy eyes, folding her hands in front of herself, slouching strongly, and putting her head on her shoulders.       “Anna?” Natalia, Daniel, Raquelle, Helene, Edward, and Peter pronounce surprisingly.       Everybody looks at each other and swallows up nervously, getting shocked by the appearance of Anna, who makes them wish to cry. Rebecca and Jamie also fall into a stupor when they pay attention to her a little later, being madly worried about this girl, who seems so unhappy, terrified, and hesitant to them.