Lost Me Gained Regret

"I had Josiah, or Kane as we sometimes call him, go out to find a way to get an antidote," I said, still somewhat surprised by his willingness to help. "He agreed?" I asked, my voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yeah, but we shouldn't get our hopes too high. We've got to plan for every possibility," Gregory replied, his thumb gently smoothing out the worry lines on my forehead. "Besides that, Herbert has asked Mr. Abdul to look into ways to delay the poison's effects. Also, your mom and I have arranged to send Ramona's blood samples to top research labs abroad. With enough time, they're sure to come up with something."

"Jane, trust me, Ramona will be alright."

Looking into his deep eyes, a sense of calm washed over me. Just like when we were kids, I reached out and ruffled his hair, whispering, "Thank you, Gregory."

The next morning, I was up and ready before the doctor came for his rounds.

I had insisted Gregory go home to get some proper rest, but he refused, choosing instead to spend the night cramped on the couch beside me.

After the doctor left, Gregory was called out to discuss Ramona's condition further. Just as I was about to follow, Christine burst in, breakfast in hand. "Did you and Gregory spend the night at the hospital?" she asked as she handed over the breakfast.

"Yeah," I replied, setting the breakfast aside to look at her. "What's got you up and about so early? This isn't like your usual routine."

"I wanted to come by yesterday, you know? But I figured you'd be up to your neck in worries, and there wasn't much I could do to help. Thought it better to let you focus on finding a solution."

Christine placed a cup of to-go coffee in front of me, noting, "Your period is coming up, so I didn't get it iced. How's Ramona doing? Did you get the antidote?"

"No, not yet," I sighed, taking a sip of the coffee and briefly explained the situation to her. "We still don't know who's behind all this."

any enemies?" Christine frowned, puzzled.

"I don't know. We can only take it one step at

it'll come to light eventually," Christine said, tapping my

"I'll wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Gregory."

I bought enough for both," Christine remarked with

nodded in agreement. "Yeah, when we get a chance, let's take our classmate out for

glanced towards the door, asking,

"Of course, he is."

probably start

why we needed Christine there, to lighten the mood. Gregory

troubling. "You haven't seen what's happening online,

asked, "What's

worried about Ramona to check my phone and had no idea about any online

grim tone,

started

being hospitalized.