Forbidden

Chapter Three

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A white flash filled Lyra's mind, and she felt herself being pulled back into consciousness. "Lyra..." Aidan whispered in her ear, his breath sending shivers down her spine.

As she slowly came to, Lyra's mind was filled with a jumbled mix of images and emotions. She saw Aidan's face, his eyes filled with concern and love. She felt a sense of desperation and urgency, as if she had to tell him something important. "Aidan... I-I- I'm so sorry for all of this. All of it is my fault," she whispered, a tear falling down her cheek.

Aidan's face was etched with worry and fear. "Please, you need to run. They'll be here soon," Lyra urged, her voice barely above a whisper.

Aidan's eyes locked onto hers, his expression fierce. "I can't leave you here. We're supposed to do this together. Lyra, baby, please-" Lyra's lips brushed against his cheek, and she slowly backed away, her eyes never leaving his.

"I'm sorry, Aidan. I love you," she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.

Aidan's face twisted in anguish, but he took a step back, his eyes never leaving Lyra's. "I love you too. I'll come back for you, Lyra, I swear." And with that, he turned and ran, leaving Lyra alone and heartbroken.

But as suddenly as it had begun, the vision ended, and Lyra found herself back in the hospital corridor, Aidan's concerned face hovering above hers. "Dr. Carson?" he asked, his voice soft with worry.

Lyra frowned, confused by what had just happened. "What happened?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Aidan's expression turned wry. "You fainted. I debated on drawing a mustache on your face, but since I'm such a great person, I didn't." He grinned, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Lyra sat up slowly, rubbing the back of her head. "Oh, I'm so, so grateful. How ever will I thank you?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Aidan chuckled, his eyes glinting with humor. "Gee... I don't know, doc... Maybe dinner with me once I'm out of this place?" he asked, his voice hopeful.

Lyra laughed, feeling a sense of surprise at Aidan's forwardness. "You sure are forward, aren't you?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Aidan shrugged, his smile growing wider. "What can I say? I go after what I want." His eyes locked onto Lyra's, and she felt a shiver run down her spine at the intensity of his gaze.

Lyra scoffed and kept walking, her heels clicking on the hospital floor. "Come on, Mr. Williams. Let's get you fed."

Soon, they arrived at the cafeteria doors. "Alrighty. Right in there," Lyra pointed to the doors, "is your beloved food."

Aidan's face lit up with excitement. "Oh, thank god. I thought I'd starve in here."

Lyra laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Once you take a bite of our food, starvation won't sound so bad."

Aidan chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I'll take my chances."

With that, he pushed open the cafeteria doors and stepped inside, leaving Lyra to continue with her day. She spent the next few hours checking on patient after patient, trying her hardest to push the strange incident from earlier to the back of her mind. She attributed it to the lack of sleep and chaos that came with working in a hospital.

As her shift drew to a close, Lyra was paged to the Emergency Room. She sighed heavily and began to rush to the ER, her mind preparing herself for whatever crisis awaited her.

"Doctors never catch a break... unless you're in Grey's Anatomy," she muttered to herself as she hurried down the corridor.

When she arrived at the ER, a nurse found her and led her into room 233. Lyra's expression turned serious as she entered the room, her eyes scanning the scene before her. She put down her clipboard, slipped on her gloves, and went into full doctor mode.