Dreams Can Come True

104. Who are you ? - The End

When we stepped outside, Hans looked at us gravely. "Elise is in the hospital," he said, his voice heavy with concern. My heart seemed to skip a beat at those words. "What?" I exclaimed, my voice laced with fear and disbelief. "That can't be true."
It felt like the world crumbled beneath my feet as Hans solemnly informed us that Elise was in the hospital. I felt a suffocating grip of fear closing around my heart, and my breath caught. It couldn't be true. Elise was safe, wasn't she? Jacob was with her. She had to be safe.
Tom placed a calming hand on my shoulder, but his face mirrored the same fear I felt. "How did it happen?" he asked, his voice tense.
Hans sighed, his face grim. "I don't have many details," he said. He tried to reassure me, his hand on my arm, his voice muted by the haze of my thoughts. He explained that Jacob had called, that Elise had been rushed to the hospital after a fall, that she had lost a lot of blood and her condition was critical. But his words came as a distant echo, lost in the storm of my emotions.
"This can't be!" I cried out again, my voice filled with panic and denial. Tom still stood beside me, his hand firm on my shoulder, trying to calm me. "Bill, try to stay calm," he whispered with concern. But how could I stay calm when all I could think about was Elise?
The news hit me like a sledgehammer, every fiber of my being screaming for action, to know what had happened to her, to protect her from any danger. But I felt powerless, trapped in the grip of my own fear. It felt like the ground was being ripped from under me. My knees felt weak, as if they could give way at any moment. Elise, my beloved, lay somewhere alone in a hospital bed, fighting for her life. My whole world seemed to be turned upside down.
"Try to stay calm, Bill," Tom said again with concern in his voice. "We don't have all the details yet."
But I couldn't stay calm. My thoughts were a jumble of anxious scenarios, my heart a pounding drumbeat in my chest. Elise was injured, possibly seriously, and all I could do was helplessly watch. The thought alone was almost unbearable. I felt Tom's steady grip around me, his attempts to calm me, but it felt like I was numb, detached from reality.
Hans also tried to reach me, his voice muffled by the fog enveloping my thoughts. He told me he had arranged for the private jet to be ready so we could leave for Germany immediately. But his words didn't seem to reach me, as if I were trapped in a nightmare from which I couldn't wake.
I felt empty inside, as if all emotions had been sucked out of me and I could only stare at the void left behind. Hans realized I was no longer able to respond and turned to Tom. "You stay with Bill," I heard him say, as if he were far away. "Don't leave him alone." Tom nodded understandingly, his hand still on my shoulder. "I'll stop the party," Hans continued, his voice full of determination. "We need to leave as soon as possible."
Tom looked at me with concern, his eyes full of understanding and compassion. "Bill, we need to go," he said softly. "Elise needs us." His words slowly penetrated my awareness, and I felt a glimmer of hope ignite in my heart, a gentle glow amidst the darkness.

The atmosphere in the private jet was somber. I felt paralyzed by the fear and concern gripping my chest, my breath short and shallow. Tom sat silently beside me, his usual joviality replaced by a silent seriousness. Above us, Georg and Gustav sat, seeming lost in their thoughts as well, their usual liveliness dampened by the looming shadow of Elise's condition.
I stared out of the airplane window, my gaze fixed on the swirling clouds below us. The vast sky above seemed to reflect an endless emptiness, a reflection of my inner turmoil and anxiety. Why did I have to be so far from Elise at this crucial moment? Why couldn't I be with her, holding her hand, comforting her in her hour of need?
Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt a sharp pang of sorrow, like a knife piercing my heart. "No!" I shouted loudly, my voice filled with pain and despair. I recoiled, my hands clutching my stomach as if I felt physical pain matching the emotional torment I was going through. My three friends reacted immediately, their arms around me like a protective shield against the raging storm of my emotions. "We'll get through this together, Bill," I heard Georg say, his voice resolute and confident.
I leaned against them, tears flowing freely as I poured out my heart. All my fears, all my worries, spilled out like a torrent of emotions I could no longer hold back.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally arrived in Germany. The journey to the hospital seemed like an endless trial, every second filled with a gnawing anxiety that tore at my heart.
When I finally walked into the hospital room where Elise lay, the world around me seemed to fade into a haze of gray mist. The equipment surrounding her, the sounds of medical machines, all seemed distant, muted by the overwhelming intensity of my emotions.
Jacob and Bas stood by her side, their faces serious and concerned. "Bill," I heard Jacob say, but his voice seemed far away, lost in the depths of my thoughts. I could only stare at Elise, at the vulnerability enveloping her, at the innocence surrounding her.
"I'm here," I whispered to her, my voice barely more than a soft breath. But she remained lifeless, her eyes closed, her breathing weak and fragile.
I didn't notice what was happening around me, or how long I had been staring at her. And then, as if it were a miracle, I felt her fingers gently move in mine, followed by the slow, soft opening of her eyes. My heart leaped with joy as I saw her slowly open her eyes. She blinked a few times, her gaze focused but confused.
"Elise," I whispered with a smile on my face, my heart filled with relief and love.
But as I looked at her, I saw the fear in her eyes. She withdrew her hand as if she were afraid of me. My smile slowly faded as she asked with a trembling voice, "Who are you?"