City of Ashes -Book 2-

Chapter 6

The familiar antiseptic smell of Room 307 greeted Liam as he pushed through the door, his clothes still damp with sweat from their hasty departure from the subway station. Even after their unsettling discovery, he couldn't break his daily routine of visiting Nikolai. If anything, the need to share what they'd found made it more crucial.

"Hey," he said softly, settling into the chair that had become almost molded to his form over the past weeks. "We might have found something today."

The steady beep of monitors provided the only response. Nikolai lay still amid the medical equipment, his weathered face unchanged since the Covenant's attack had left him in this state. Liam had memorized every detail of the room during his daily visits - the crack in the ceiling tile above the bed, the way the afternoon sun cast shadows through the half-drawn blinds, the particular rhythm of the oxygen machine's soft hiss.

"The samples we collected," Liam continued, leaning forward in his chair. "There was a reaction when we tested them in your lab. Something... familiar." His voice caught slightly. "I think - I think we might have seen traces of Ariya's magic."

The words hung in the air, met only by the constant electronic rhythm of the monitors. Liam ran a hand through his hair, a gesture of frustration he'd picked up from too many hours spent in this room, talking to someone who couldn't answer.

"I wish you could tell me what it means," he admitted. "You always knew how to make sense of these things, how to see the bigger picture when I was too caught up in the details."

A soft knock interrupted his monologue. Elena stood in the doorway, two cups of hospital coffee in hand. She'd taken to joining him on these visits when she could, though they both knew her presence was as much about watching over him as it was about checking on Nikolai.

"Thought you could use this," she said, offering him a cup. "Though I'm pretty sure they just reheat yesterday's grounds."

Liam accepted the coffee with a grateful nod, the familiar routine providing some comfort after the chaos of their subway station discovery. "Any news from the precinct?"

"Nothing urgent," Elena replied, settling into the room's other chair. She'd learned to read his moods during these visits, knew when to give him space and when to push. "You tell him about what we found?"

"Was just getting to that part," Liam said, turning back to Nikolai. "Elena's been helping me investigate the shadow creature sightings. We've been collecting samples from the attack sites, trying to understand what we're dealing with."

He paused, taking a sip of the bitter coffee. These one-sided conversations had become a vital part of his routine, a way to keep Nikolai involved even if he couldn't respond. The doctors had encouraged it, saying coma patients often could hear what was happening around them.

"I've been using your emergency lab," he continued. "The one you showed me 'just in case.' Turns out that 'just in case' came sooner than either of us expected, huh?"

Elena watched quietly as Liam talked, noting how his shoulders gradually relaxed as he shared the day's events with his mentor. These visits were as much therapy for Liam as they were about checking on Nikolai.

"The doctors say his condition hasn't changed," she said softly when Liam fell silent. "But they're still baffled by the readings they're getting."

Liam nodded, his eyes never leaving Nikolai's face. "Because they don't understand what really happened. What the Covenant did to him."

The afternoon sun slanted through the windows, painting the sterile room in warm hues that belied the gravity of their situation. Somewhere in the hospital, a cart wheeled past, its squeaky wheel a counterpoint to the steady beep of monitors.

"I'll figure this out," Liam promised, his voice low but firm. "What happened to you, what these creatures mean, all of it. Just... just keep fighting whatever's got hold of you in there."

Elena touched his shoulder gently. "We should head back soon. There's still work to be done with those samples."

Liam nodded, but remained seated for a moment longer. These daily goodbyes never got easier, each one carrying the weight of things left unsaid, questions unanswered.

"Same time tomorrow," he said finally, standing. It wasn't a question - they both knew he'd be back, just as he had been every day since Nikolai was admitted.

As they left the room, Liam cast one last look at his mentor's still form. The subway station's discovery had added new urgency to their investigation, but this daily ritual remained unchanged. Whatever answers they found, whatever dangers they faced, he would keep returning, keeping Nikolai informed, waiting for the day his mentor would finally wake and help them make sense of it all.