Falling for the Goddess

The Lab Explosion

It was Friday, and the week was coming to an end. Sara thought about heading home earlier that evening and decided she wouldn't come to the lab over the weekend. In the past, she would spend most weekends here because she had no one to go home to. But now, things were different. There was Adrian Blake.

Since Adrian also had weekends off, maybe they could spend more time together. However, as soon as Sara Hart arrived at the lab, she noticed something unusual - everyone was gathered around, deep in conversation, with serious and somber expressions.

It wasn't typical for them to gather like this in the mornings, as everyone was usually busy with their own experiments. Sara felt a sense of unease and walked over to ask, "What's going on?"

"Did you see the news?" one of her labmates asked.

Sara shook her head. She rarely checked her phone in the evenings.

Frank Cooper handed her his phone and sighed, "Take a look."

As she read, her heart sank. The more she scrolled, the more her body tensed. The world seemed to blur for a moment as she handed the phone back, her hands shaking slightly. Her mind went blank except for a single, overwhelming thought.

Quickly, she fumbled for her own phone and scrolled through her contacts with trembling fingers, dialing a number. Her hands shook as she listened to the phone ring.

No answer.

She tried again, twice more, but there was still no response.

It felt as though a heavy weight was pressing down on her chest, making it hard to breathe. For a moment, she could think of nothing but the terrible news she'd just read.

Seeing the panic on Sara's face, the others exchanged worried glances before one of them cautiously asked, "Sara, do you know someone from that lab?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice tight with anxiety. "Can you let the professor know I need to take some time off? I have to go."

"Of course."

Sara Hart rushed to the school gates and flagged down a taxi. "To North Captical Institute of Technology, please," she said urgently.

"Got it!" the driver replied, starting the engine. He glanced at Sara in the rearview mirror, sensing her distress, and started making conversation. "You know, there was a big explosion at North Captical Institute of Technology last night. Terrible stuff."

Sara Hart didn't respond, staring out the window while gripping her phone tightly. Her mind was filled with the headline she had just read:

<Lab Explosion at NCIT Chemical, One Dead, Three Critically Injured>

James Hill worked in that lab.

Sara Hart took deep breaths, trying to calm herself, desperately hoping for the best.

When the taxi arrived, she quickly paid the fare and ran toward the chemical engineering building. The gray, blocky structure loomed ahead, with blackened walls on the second and third floors—scorched by the fire. A police barricade surrounded the building, with officers and people in lab coats examining the scene. Security guards were holding back curious students.

The fire had been extinguished, but the building's charred exterior made everything seem even more hopeless. Broken glass littered the ground, windows shattered by the explosion. The walls were black with soot, and Sara Hart couldn't help but picture the fire and the devastation that had occurred there.

She dialed James Hill's number again, her heart sinking deeper with every unanswered call.

Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Sara Hart?"

She turned to see a vaguely familiar face but couldn't quite place him.

"Are you looking for James Hill?"

Her eyes widened. "Is he... Is he okay?"

"He's injured, but he's alive. He's at the hospital now."

The breath Sara Hart had been holding finally released in a rush of relief. "I want to see him," she said quickly. "Are you going there?"

"Yeah. Want to come with me?" the guy asked.

Sara Hart nodded, and they hurried off together.

It wasn't until they were on their way to the hospital that Sara Hart remembered who the guy was—Henry Lee. He had been in a competition team with James Hill before.

—

In the hospital, Sara Hart stood by James Hill's bed, staring at him in silence. His head and hands were wrapped in bandages, and he looked so different from the determined, ambitious person she once knew. His eyes were dull, bloodshot, filled with exhaustion and defeat.

When James Hill saw Sara Hart, his gaze finally focused. "You found out," he said quietly.

"How badly are you hurt?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

James Hill shook his head. His burns would require skin grafts, and his arms had been cut by shattered glass from the explosion, but the doctors said he would recover.

But his injuries weren't the worst part.

The real tragedy lay in the ICU, where his fellow labmates were still fighting for their lives.

Henry Lee left to check on the others, giving Sara Hart and James Hill some space.

When they were alone, James Hill finally spoke again. "Sara Hart, the promise we made... I don't think I can keep it anymore."

Sara was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

James Hill slowly raised his right hand, giving a bitter laugh. "These hands... I don't think I'll ever be able to do experiments again."

Sara stared at his hand in disbelief. "The doctors said you'll recover soon..."

"It's not about that," James Hill interrupted, his voice trembling. He stared up at the hospital ceiling, his guilt weighing heavily on him. "I was partly responsible for this accident..."

Sara didn't know what to say.

"If I had been supervising more carefully, none of this would've happened. The student working on the experiment was only in his final year. He didn't have enough experience, and I should've been there to guide him..."

James Hill was drowning in guilt.

He couldn't forget the sounds he'd heard in the emergency room last night - the heart-wrenching cries of the grieving families. Every time he closed his eyes, he could hear them again, echoing in his mind.

The young student who had died had a bright future ahead of him. He was supposed to graduate soon, get a good job, maybe start a family. But now he was gone. His family was shattered, and James Hill's labmates were in the ICU, their lives hanging by a thread.

"I don't know how I can keep going after this," James Hill admitted, his voice breaking. "I can't stop thinking about what I should've done differently..."

Sara Hart lowered her head, her heart heavy. "No one could've predicted this would happen. It wasn't your fault."

"But the lab policies were clear: I should've been there," James Hill said, his voice filled with regret. "We've all been careless at times, cutting corners or getting distracted. But now... now I understand how dangerous it can be."

Sara could see how deeply he was affected. It was a wake-up call for everyone.

"Have you really thought this through? This has been your dream for so long. If you give up now, what about your mom? What will she do?" Sara Hart asked gently.

James Hill sighed. "I don't know, Sara. Maybe I can leave the lab and find another job..."

But even as he said it, his voice faltered. He didn't believe it himself, and Sara could tell.

"Don't rush into any decisions," she urged. "Wait until the investigation is over, and until everyone is out of the hospital. Take some time to really think about it."

She looked him in the eye and added, "The James I know would never give up."