Chapter 16 - Healing the Past
The following afternoon, Vance escorted Maya through the pristine, heavily guarded corridors of St. Jude’s Medical Center. Julian had arranged for a private visit so she could finally see her father.
When Maya stepped into the massive, sunlit private suite, she gasped. It looked more like a luxury hotel room than a hospital. Her father, Thomas, was sitting up in a comfortable mechanical bed, reading a newspaper. For the first time in three years, he wasn't hooked up to a loud, struggling, outdated oxygen machine. Instead, a sleek, state-of-the-art respiratory device hummed quietly in the corner.
"Dad!" Maya cried, running across the room and throwing her arms around his neck.
"My beautiful girl," Thomas whispered, hugging her tightly. His voice was incredibly strong, no longer weak and breathless. "Let me look at you."
He pulled back, wiping a tear from her cheek. "A very tall man in a very expensive suit came to see me yesterday. He told me you saved his life. He told me you were a hero, Maya."
"He said that?" Maya asked, her heart fluttering violently in her chest.
"He did," Thomas smiled warmly. "And he told me not to worry about a single medical bill ever again. They have me on a completely new experimental treatment plan. The doctors say I might actually be able to breathe on my own by the end of the summer."
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Maya buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing tears of absolute, pure joy. The crushing, suffocating anxiety that had ruled her entire existence for three years had simply vanished. Julian hadn't just protected her from Victoria’s wrath; he had literally given her father his life back.
As Maya held her father, she looked out the open hospital door. Vance was standing perfectly still in the hallway, offering her a respectful, almost imperceptible nod. Julian kept his promises.
