Zaria froze in her tracks. She felt faint and placed a hand on her forehead. "How could this be happening? You are mistaken, right?" She asked, in denial. She had exchanged messages with her father just a while ago. There was definitely no way that he was suddenly in an accident. There had to be a mistake somewhere.

"The patient's name is Theodore Willaims, according to the Identity Card that was found on him. Please come to the hospital. The address is…"

Zaria didn't hear any of the words that the woman had said after confirming that her dad was really in hospital. Tears flooded her face in an instant, and she didn't know how she made her way to Grand View Hospital. She was weak and pale but rushed to the reception.

"Where's my dad? What happened to him?"

It took a while for her to receive any useful information and by the time she did, she rushed to the eight floor, taking the flight of stairs two steps at a time while forgetting all about the elevators.

She almost charged into room 808, only to be stopped by a nurse.

"He is not there. The emergency operation is still ongoing. You have to wait." The nurse pointed at a series of waiting chairs at the side of the wall, which she slumped into as a fresh bout of tears gushed out of her eyes.

Dad, please be okay. She begged in her mind. She didn't know the severity of the situation and it made her even more frightened, considering that they were performing an emergency operation.

She hugged her arms while looking unflinchingly at the red light above the door. Countless thoughts ran through her mind. If only she had urged him to go back home as soon as he talked about being busier. If she had convinced him to go home, he would have arrived safely. She had been too engrossed in her own personal matters and forgot to care for the person who mattered the most.

"Zaria?" A surprised voice called, and she only heard it from a distance as though it was a dream. Her eyes were unfocused and she failed to notice that there was someone standing in front of her until he tapped her.

Ryan was on his way home when he saw a familiar silhouette. He was certain that it was Zaria and wondered why she was running in such a panic in the hospital, so he followed her.

It was indeed her. She was still wearing home wear and still had a kitchen apron around her waist, and the kind of pain he saw in her empty eyes made his heart shatter. Her shoulders trembled as tears washed her face. She didn't even notice his presence, so he closed in and finally saw her try to focus. Upon seeing him, her tears fell faster as she choked on her sobs.

He sat down beside her and rubbed her shoulders, pulling her into a hug.

"Dad…" She choked.

"It will be okay." He consoled her.

Hearing his voice, she finally recognized the man beside her, who she had not managed to recognize thanks to her state of mind. "Ryan?"

"I'm sorry about what happened." He said in a low tone. He was unsure about what happened but based on the fact that she was on this side of the hospital and her reaction, Theodore must have been in an accident.

She nodded. Even she hoped so too. The surgery was making her more scared by the second. The door finally opened, and she rushed to the doctor as soon as the first one exited the theater.

"Are you the family of Mr. Theodore Williams?" The doctor asked.

Zaria blinked, releasing several more drops of tears in that one flip of her eyelids. Why did the doctor sound like he was going to ask for her signature for a risky operation? She nodded even though she didn't want to. All she wanted was to hear that he was out of danger and that he would recover soon.

"The operation was successful and Mr. WIlliams will be transferred to his ward to recover." He announced, making her sigh in relief.

"Let's talk in my office." He added, making her body go limp. She could only follow him while wondering what the situation was.

"It will be alright." Ryan whispered to her before she disappeared into the doctor's office. She nodded and focused on the doctor when they entered his office.

"You said that the operation was successful." She reminded him. She hoped he had called her to give her discharge documents, even while knowing that it was impossible.

"Yes it was." He sat behind his desk and showed her the seat opposite him, which she immediately slumped into.

"However, that was the first operation. There has to be a second." He explained.

Zaria's heart sank with every word, and it was surprising that she did not faint when she heard it all. Theodore had a blood clot near his brain, which would have to be removed as soon as possible. She was about to ask for whatever documents she needed to sign when she heard him continue.

"None of the surgeons at this hospital are willing to perform this surgery, because the risk is very high and they are not qualified enough for it." He dropped the bummer which hit her like a bomb.

"What should I do?" She asked.

"Transfer him to a different hospital." He suggested.

She blinked and sighed painfully. "Is there really no other way?" Grand View Hospital was one of the best hospitals in the country and although there were better ones, she knew that changing hospitals might be distressing to the patient.

"The only other way is to wait for Dr. Williams. She is in Japan." He explained, and she was not relieved in the slightest. How long would it take for her to arrive if she was busy in Japan?

The doctor let her leave to think about it, letting her know that she had to make arrangements within twenty four hours.

She entered his ward and broke down all over again when she saw him. He was covered in gauze and was unrecognizable. His smile was long gone, replaced with an oxygen mask and in place of his caring words, the beeping of monitors.

She stalked to the bed and placed her hand on his, as she unknowingly fell onto her knees.

"Dad, why?" She questioned, although she knew that it was not his fault. He would never choose to make her go through so much pain.

Her eyes were swollen from all the crying, and her gaze was unfocused. The door opened and in walked Ryan, who she had almost forgotten about.

"I brought you dinner." He explained and helped her take off the apron she still had draped on.

She shook her head. She wasn't in the mood to eat anything. "I have to convince Dr. Williams to return from Japan within twenty four hours. If not, I should have dad transferred to another hospital for the second surgery." She explained listlessly, and took out her phone to do a search.

"I will help you check out the best hospital." He offered, and she nodded her thanks. Her brain was already too slow and she was not going to let her dad die just because she didn't want to accept help from a man who was not Desmond.

She frowned at a recollection. Right, Desmond.

She quickly looked up at Dr. Williams and felt her heart race. It was indeed Kara Willaims!

The name had come up in a conversation where Desmond was laughing at his former classmate for having dreams so big that he thought he could win the heart of Kara Williams. At the time, she didn't realize what was so great about the woman until he looked her up, and found that her past achievements were probably every doctor's unreachable dreams.

She knew that she was hoping for too much but she gave Desmond a call.

"Hello," She croaked, and Desmond was baffled.

"Honey, did something happen?" He asked when he caught the grief in her voice.

She felt her eyes sting but didn' t let herself cry anymore. "Are you still in contact with your friend, the one who was pursuing Kara Willaims?" She asked.

He wondered why she would ask. "Do you mean Carlos? Yes. Why would you ask? Are you unwell?"

"It's… my dad." She blinked rapidly and promised to explain later. "Can you contact him?"

"If it's an emergency, I will seek him right away." He suggested, knowing that it had to be a serious matter if Zaria could suddenly call to ask him about a doctor sounding the way she did. "Does it have to be Kara? Carlos is much more qualified than her."

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Any Villainess 101 fans? Everyone's favorite knucklehead doctors are back! Who do you hope to see more? Kara or Carlos?