Rejected: A love story-Chapter 139: Where’s Nathan

Anna and Gabriel Keith, had just entered the hospital hallway, looking pale and worried. Behind them was their youngest daughter, Hannah.

"Caleb!" Anna exclaimed, her voice trembling with concern. "Where is Nathan? What is going on?"

Caleb raised his hands as if to calm them down. "He is in his room," he said softly. "But, Mom... he is not doing well.

Gabriel shook his head, as he looked past Caleb toward the closed door. "What happened to him?" he demanded. "We came as soon as we heard, but no one’s telling us anything."

Anna’s eyes filled with tears, and she grabbed Caleb’s arm. "Is it true? About Fiona? Oh, God, Caleb, please tell me it’s not true."

Caleb swallowed hard, his throat constricting. "It is true, Mom. Fiona is gone."

Anna cried out, her hand flying up to her mouth in distress. Hannah moved closer, her eyes wide and frightened. "What about Nathan?" she asked softly. "Is he all right?"

Caleb hesitated before answering, glancing at the door again. "He is... not talking right now. He is taking it very badly."

Gabriel did not hesitate for a moment. He pushed past Caleb and opened the door, entering the room. Anna and Hannah followed close, and Caleb brought also, his anxiety growing as he entered the room.

Nathan was lying in the hospital bed, his face was turned ttowards he window. He did not stir as they entered, neither did he even glance at them. There was a nurse standing beside him, adjusting his IV and checking his vital signs on a small tablet computer screen. She glanced up as they entered and nodded at them politely.

"He’s stable," the nurse said softly, her tone professional but kind. "But he hasn’t spoken since this morning. But we’re keeping a close eye on him."

Anna rushed to Nathan’s side, her hands trembling as she reached for him. "Nathan, sweetheart," she said, her voice breaking. "It’s Mom. We’re here now. Please say something."

Nathan didn’t respond. His eyes remained fixed on the window, his face pale and expressionless. Anna turned to the nurse, panic in her eyes. "Why isn’t he talking? Is he in pain? Is something wrong?"

The nurse shook her head gently. "Physically, he’s stable. But emotionally... he’s been through a lot. Sometimes, trauma can manifest like this. He just needs time."

Gabriel stepped forward, for the first time he felt soft towards him. "Nathan," he said firmly, his voice full with emotion. "Look at me, son. Say something. Please."

Nathan’s did not move his eyes, and Gabriel let out a frustrated breath, running his hand through his hair, which was starting to turn gray. "Dammit," he said under his breath, his voice breaking.

Hannah, who had been standing near the door, finally stepped forward. She was only sixteen, but looking at her older brother in this state made her look old beyond her years. "Nathan," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "It’s me. Hannah, your favourite sibling. Can you hear me?"

There was silence for a moment, and then Nathan blinked, his eyes moving slightly towards Hannah. Not much, but enough for her to take a deep breath and gasp softly, a spark of hope lighting up her eyes.

Caleb approached the nurse and asked, "Is there anything else we can do for him? Anything we can do to help him?"

The nurse shook her head again. "Just be here," she said.

Caleb walked over to the nurse, lowering his voice. "Is there anything else we should be doing for him? Anything to help?"

The nurse shook her head again. "Just be here," she said simply. "Talk to him, even if he doesn’t respond. Let him know he’s not alone."

Caleb nodded, then turned back to his family. His heart hurt as he saw his mother holding Nathan’s hand, tears streaming down her face. Gabriel stood beside her, stiff and in pain. Gabriel stood on the edge of the bed with her hand on Nathan’s arm.

"Nate," Caleb said softly, moving closer to Nathan. "We’re all here for you. We’ll do whatever you need. You don’t have to go through this alone."

Nathan did not say anything. His eyes continued to look out the window.

Its was over thirty minutes and Caleb paced near the window, his mind racing. Nathan still hadn’t spoken, and Anna was gripping his hand tightly, whispering soft words of comfort. Mr. Keith stood stiffly near the foot of the bed, his face etched with worry. Hannah sat quietly in the chair beside Nathan, her wide eyes darting between her brother and the beeping monitors.

Caleb stopped pacing, his fists clenching at his sides. He couldn’t hold it in anymore. "I need to tell you something," he said, his voice low but firm.

Anna glanced up at him, her tear-streaked face filled with confusion. "What is it, Caleb?"

Caleb hesitated, his heart racing. He did not want to cause them more pain, but they had to know the truth. "It is about Leo," Caleb began carefully. "Leo is not Nathan’s son."

The words had fallen like a thunderclap. Anna opened her eyes, and her grasp on Nathan’s hand relaxed slightly. "What are you talking about?" Anna asked, her voice shaking.

Caleb took a deep breath. "Nathan told me. He found when Leo fainted. Nathan took him to the hospital, and they needed a blood donor. Nathan volunteered, but his blood did not match Leo’s. The hospital confirmed to him that Leo is not his biological son."

Anna’s face paled, and she shook her head as if refusing to believe it. "No," she said weakly. "That can’t be true. The DNA test... it proved he was Nathan’s."

"The test was wrong," Caleb said bluntly. "Natasha lied to all of us. She used Leo to get into Nathan’s life, and we fell for it. You forced him to accept that boy, Mom. You made him believe the test over his own instincts."

Anna’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh, God," she whispered. "What have we done?"

Gabriel moved forward, his face dark with anger. "Are you certain about this, Caleb?" he asked. "Do you have evidence to support your claims?"

"Nathan himself is the evidence," Caleb said curtly. "He has been living with this for God knows how long. He has been carrying this burden, trying to protect all of us from the harsh realities. But it is killing him."

Caleb said, the nurse glanced at the monitor beside Nathan’s bed. She looked concerned as she moved closer to Nathan to take his vitals. The beeps of the heart monitor were slowing down and Nathan’s breathing was becoming shallower.

"His heart rate’s dropping," the nurse said in an urgent tone that cut through the tension in the room.

She pressed the call button on the wall. "I need help in here. Now." Anna let out a gasp. She put her hand on Nathan’s arm.

"What’s happening? What’s wrong with him?"

"Please step back," the nurse said firmly. She didn’t take her eyes off the monitor.

"I need everyone to give him space." The door to the hospital room burst open and the doctor came in with two nurses. The doctor looked at Nathan with a serious expression. "What’s his status?" he asked the nurse.

"Heart rate is dropping fast," she replied. "BP is unstable."

"Let’s stabilize him," the doctor ordered. "Get the crash cart ready, just in case."

Anna was sobbing, holding Mr. Keith’s arm. "What’s happening to my son?" she cried. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Ma’am, I need you to step out," the doctor said firmly. "All of you. We need room to work."

Hannah was standing there, frozen, looking at the scene in front of her with wide, frightened eyes. Caleb was immediately at her side, taking her hand and moving towards the door. "Come on, Hannah," he said softly. "Let’s give them some room."

Anna was holding on, sobbing uncontrollably. "I won’t leave him!" she cried. "Please, let me stay!"

"Mom," Caleb said firmly, taking her by the shoulders. "You have to let them do their job. They’ll take care of him, I promise."

Mr. Keith wrapped an arm around Anna, pulling her toward the door. "Let’s go, Anna," he said, his voice heavy with emotion. "We’ll wait outside."

Reluctantly, Anna followed as she was led out of the room, her sobs echoing through the hallway. Caleb followed behind her, his heart racing as he glanced back at Nathan. The nurses were moving fast, putting up new monitors and preparing equipment. The doctor was giving orders, his voice steady but urgent. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

As soon as Anna was outside, she collapsed into a chair and buried her face in her hands. "I did this," she wept. "I made him believe that boy. I made him believe the lies."

"Mom, stop it," Caleb said, falling to his knees in front of her. "This isn’t your fault. Natasha played us all like a puppeteer. Natasha is the one we should be blaming."

"But we pressured him," Mr. Gabriel said quietly, and his voice was laced with regret. "We didn’t listen to him. We didn’t trust him."

Hannah sat beside Anna, her small hand on her mother’s arm. "Nathan is strong, Mom " Hannah said softly. "He will be all right. He has to be all right."

Caleb stood up and started pacing back and forth, thinking hard. Nathan lying in that bed, so pale and silent, haunted him. "If Natasha weren’t already out of his life," Caleb muttered, his voice low and angry, "I’d throw her out."

Mr. Keith looked up at him, his jaw clenching in anger. "She will pay for this," he said resolutely. "One way or another."

The hallway was silent as they all waited impatiently for what felt like an eternity. Caleb glanced at the door, his chest constricting with anxiety. Nathan was always the strong one, the glue that kept everything together. Seeing him like this was unbearable.

And all they could do was hope.