Phantom Rider - The Aftermath | Book 1

Hospital Horror

Mila's POV

I woke up in the hospital. There was no more pain, in fact, I felt better than I had in the past few months. For once, I had some energy. As I looked around, the room seemed too fancy to be a typical hospital room. It looked almost like a five-star hotel room. A private hospital, of course.

The doctor entered and checked my vitals. "How are you feeling, Ms. Rothschild?"

"I'm good, thanks!" I replied, feeling unsettled by hearing my passport surname.

The doctor sat down in the chair next to my bed. "There are some important things I need to discuss with you. I'll go through everything slowly, and if you need a break, just let me know."

I nodded in agreement.

"Firstly, we have a team of experienced professionals, including psychiatrists and psychologists, who specialize in cases like yours. You were in an induced coma for three days. We needed to reduce your body's energy expenditure to stabilize your condition."

I listened in horror, realizing the severity of my situation.

"Your blood tests revealed severe malnutrition, electrolyte imbalances, and multi-organ dysfunction syndrome. Your body was in a state of metabolic crisis, with dangerously low levels of potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus, which put you at critical risk for cardiac arrest and respiratory failure. We had to place you on a feeding tube and administer intravenous fluids containing essential nutrients, electrolytes, and vitamins to stabilize your metabolic functions and support your recovery."

I listened carefully, already sensing what might come next.

"Unfortunately, due to these severe complications, you experienced a miscarriage caused by hemorrhage," the doctor said, her words sounding clinical.

"In other words, you lost your baby. It occurred around weeks 10 to 14 of gestation. Fortunately, there was no damage to your internal organs, and you should be able to conceive again in the future."

I listened, but I didn't want to understand. I didn't want to...

"Should I call your husband in?" the doctor asked. It sounded odd to hear her refer to Bill as my husband, but I kind of liked it.

It took too long for the doors to open. I held myself together as long as I could, waiting for him to come inside so I could finally let my emotions flow. It was only with him that I could do that.

As the doors opened, the first thing I saw was a huge bouquet of red roses. There must have been hundreds of them. "No, it can't be!" I froze.

Bill never gave me flowers. I had not received a single flower from him the entire time I had known him. But here was this over-the-top bouquet.

"Hello, honey, how are you feeling?" His face looked worried, yet he managed to smirk at the doctor, waiting for her to notice how good he was to me.

It was my husband. It was Matt.

Three days before Mila woke up

Bill's POV

I jumped into my car and followed the ambulance racing to the hospital. As I looked over my shoulder, I saw Tom's car right behind me. We pulled up at the public hospital, and Tom jumped out of his car and ran towards me.

"Are you okay? What happened?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, she just started bleeding," I replied quickly, wanting to get into the building as fast as I could. As we walked towards the door, Tom suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" I looked at him.

"Sorry, I don't think I can go in there," Tom said, freezing as he remembered the last time he was in that building, killing people one by one.

"You'd better stay hidden. What if someone recognizes you?" I assured him.

"All the people who could are already dead," Tom said with guilt in his voice. "I'll wait for you here."

"By the way, why did you call two ambulances?" I asked, almost at the hospital doors.

"What do you mean, two? I called only one, the usual one," Tom replied, confused.

Just then, I realized the other, empty ambulance had taken a sharp turn onto a different road. Panic surged through me.

I ran to the reception. "I'm looking for Mila Petrova."

"She is now in the ICU," my blood ran cold once again. "Is it that bad?"

"She lost a lot of blood, but don't worry, she's stable. You can wait for her in room 62," the nurse replied.

I went upstairs to the room, feeling that something was not right. The moment I stepped into that room, I noticed I was not alone.

"Hello, handsome!" a squeaky voice reached my ears. As soon as I turned to see her face, she pushed a syringe into my leg.

"Bitch!" I yelled at her.

Alice's laughter filled the room, a vicious, disgusting sound. My head got dizzy right away. I had to get out of there. I stumbled down the stairs. She didn't follow me.

I called Tom: "Come here," I mumbled, my words becoming more sluggish.

"Where are you?" he shouted.

Silence.

Tom's POV

As Tom ran into the hospital, flashbacks crossed his mind. He pulled out his gun, ready once again to kill everyone in his way. This time for his brother.

He pointed the gun at a nurse's head, demanding to know where Bill was. She said nothing, shaking with fear. He ran through the halls, calling Bill, but his phone was off. He searched every inch of the hospital but could not find him. Desperate and worried sick, he fired a bullet into the air across the hall.

Minutes later, police sirens surrounded the hospital. He sneaked out, hiding his face through the ambulance car exit.

He called Gustav. "Bill is gone! Mila is gone!"

"What, they both ran away?" Gustav didn't understand the seriousness.

"No, they were taken away separately," Tom's voice was filled with adrenaline and panic.

"Shit! We're coming. Where are you?"

As Tom hung up, he noticed a black SUV idling across the street. He ran toward the car, but it sped away before he could get close.

Present time

Mila's POV

Matt chatted with the doctor, and as she left, he leaned in close to my face. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be alright," he whispered, but his eyes betrayed him.

"What's going on?" My voice was shaking.

Before he could answer, the door burst open, and two men in black suits entered. "It's time to go," one of them said, ignoring Matt entirely.

Matt stepped away from my bed, his face completely empty. "I apologize, but this is for your own good." He backed away from the armed men. I noticed a large scar across his neck that I hadn't seen before.

He caught me staring. "Don't worry, your sweetheart is paying for what he's done to me as we speak."

"Wait, what are you talking about?!" I screamed, trying to get out of bed, but my body was too weak.

One of the armed men carefully lifted me from the bed and onto a stretcher, securing me with straps to prevent any movement.

"We don't want to hurt you," he said in a monotone voice. "This is for your safety."

I could barely protest as they wheeled me out of the room.

"Matt, help me!" I cried, but he just stood there, watching as they took me away.