Molecule

Chapter 7: Secret or Fraud?

In Ezra's room...

"Honey... You're here..." I hear him softly say, trying to muster his best smile.

He was very weak, and I had to hide all the fear of losing him and try to keep my eyes from shedding tears of distress on my face.

"Of course, my love! I won't leave until you do too!"

"I'm fine, Vi, it's that damn stone... Remember?" he comments with half-closed eyes, showing extreme exhaustion.

"Of course I remember! Soon you'll be out of here, and we'll go back to our normal lives!" I reply, sharing the crumbs of hope I still had.

"Ezra, I'm Doctor Perpetuo... Do you remember me?"

Ezra blinks rapidly and countless times as if experiencing a nervous breakdown for a few brief seconds.

"Ezra! Are you okay?! Doctor! Help him!" I say nervously.

"Oh no! We're going to lose him again!" Doctor Perpetuo mumbles loud enough for me to hear.

Then, suddenly, he stops, looks at me with wide eyes, and responds, "I remember him, Violeta."

"Yes, sweetheart! Great! You've been with Doctor Perpetuo for the past three days," I comment with a mix of joy and concern.

"That's right, Ezra! Very good!" the doctor approaches the bed. "I'm going to take another blood sample for further tests, alright?" The needle pierces Ezra's skin, but he is so fixated on the man in the white coat in front of him that he doesn't seem to feel the needle entering or exiting. "Thank you! I'll leave you alone. We'll talk again once the results are ready. Thank you, Ezra." The doctor leaves the room.

Ezra watches him leave and then adjusts himself in bed, leaning his back against the headboard. I remove the pillows to make his movements easier.

"I was so worried about you, my love. You have no idea what happened in the last few days! I..." I'm interrupted.

"Violeta. Listen to me."

"Huh? What's wrong, Ezra?" His attitude freezes me. For a minute, that didn't seem like my husband.

"I don't remember how I got here, much less the past few days... The last thing I remember was falling to the floor of our room, writhing in pain, and then losing consciousness. That's it."

"Huh? What do you mean? Doctor Perpetuo said you asked for help from the military, that's how they managed to save your life!"

"Violeta..." he takes a deep breath, reflecting as he looks at the white sheet covering his legs, then turns his gaze back to me. "I remember seeing him when I was just one year old."

"What?! But how?!" I lose my ground again.

"I have no idea. But I already know that my problem is not a kidney stone," he lets out a brief laugh followed by groans of pain. "We have to get out of here, Violeta. I don't know why, but my instincts tell me not to trust this doctor."

"I also think we shouldn't trust him... There's just one problem," I say as I approach him, lowering my voice, "to get here, I went through three securely locked steel doors. This feels more like a prison than a hospital!"

"Didn't you see any alternative exit signs along the way, Vi? There has to be one!"

"No, Ezra... Unfortunately, I didn't see any..."

"Let's get out of here and look for an exit," he says, making an effort to try to get up.

It was late afternoon on the twelfth day.