My Romance Life System
Chapter 88: Not Alone

Chapter 88: Not Alone

Kofi was exhausted, but he felt a sense of calm he hadn’t felt all day. He looked at Thea, sleeping peacefully in the bed, her hand still loosely resting in his.

’She’s safe now. That’s all that matters.’

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He carefully pulled it out with his free hand, not wanting to wake Thea. It was Nina.

He swiped to answer. "Hey."

"Kofi? Where are you? I’m at the hospital entrance. I don’t see you."

He could hear the worry in her voice, and he felt a small pang of guilt for making her come all this way. "I’m inside. Room 307."

"A room? Are you okay? Did something happen to your ribs?" The panic in her voice was unmistakable.

"I’m fine, Nina. Just... come up."

"I’m on my way."

He hung up and put his phone away. He knew she was probably picturing the worst-case scenario.

---

Nina ran through the hospital lobby, her heart pounding. ’A room? Why is he in a room? He said he was fine.’ She ignored the elevator and took the stairs two at a time, her mind racing with a dozen terrible possibilities. She finally found the hallway for the 300-wing and scanned the numbers on the doors. 305, 306, 307.

She pushed the door open without knocking, ready to see him in the bed. "Kofi, I got here as fast as I—"

She stopped dead in the doorway.

He wasn’t the patient. He was sitting in a chair, looking pale and completely wiped out, but he was just sitting there. In the hospital bed, hooked up to an IV and looking so small she almost didn’t recognize her, was Thea.

Nina was completely and utterly confused.

’What is going on? Why is Thea here? And why is he with her?’

She took a slow step into the room, her eyes darting from Kofi’s tired face to Thea’s sleeping one. "Kofi? What’s happening?"

He looked up, a small, weary smile on his face. "Hey. Thanks for coming."

She gestured toward the bed, her voice a low whisper. "I don’t understand. Why is Thea in the hospital? And why are you here?"

He gestured toward the door. "Can we talk in the hall? I don’t want to wake her."

Nina just nodded, her eyes still wide with confusion. She backed out of the room, and he followed, gently pulling the door closed behind him. They stood in the quiet hospital hallway.

She crossed her arms, her expression serious. "Okay, Kofi. Spill. What is going on?"

He let out a long, tired breath and leaned against the wall. He felt completely drained. "It’s a long story."

"I’ve got time."

He let out a breath before he began. "After my check-up yesterday, I decided to walk by her house, just to see if it was as bad as I remembered."

Nina listened.

"It was worse. The whole place smells like garbage, and the front door was open." He felt a wave of nausea just thinking about it. "I went inside."

Nina’s eyes went wide. "What? Kofi, you can’t just—"

"I had to," he cut her off, his voice firm. "I found her upstairs. On the floor and there was an empty pill bottle next to her."

Nina’ hand came up to cover her mouth, she felt a wave of pure shock.

"Oh my god," she whispered. "Is she... is she okay now?"

He nodded, feeling completely drained as he leaned back against the wall. "Yeah. She’s sleeping. But her body... it started shutting down. The doctor said she’d given up. He said they needed me to talk to her."

Nina’s eyes were wide with a mix of horror and disbelief. "So you... what? You gave her a pep talk and she just got better?"

He shook his head. He was so tired. "No, I just... I told her I was sorry. And that I was glad she woke up. I don’t know, Nina. It was a mess."

He decided he had to tell her the rest of the story. "And the doctor... he wants to release her into my care."

Nina just blinked. Her brain couldn’t process the words. ’Into his care? What does that even mean?’

"I’m sorry, what?" Her voice was barely a whisper. "He wants to do what? Kofi, that’s insane. You’re a kid."

He ran a hand through his hair, feeling overwhelmed as he tried to explain. "I know it’s insane. But her aunt basically told the doctor to let her die, and CPS is going to take months. The only other options are a shelter or sending her back to that house. I can’t let her go back there."

Nina felt a surge of fear. This wasn’t just helping someone; this was life-altering. "Kofi, what are you going to do? You can’t just take her home with you. Where would she sleep? What about school? What about your parents?"

He looked at the floor, because he hadn’t really thought that far ahead. "I already called my parents. They... they said they’d support me. If I’m sure this is what I want to do."

Nina looked at him, really looked at him. He wasn’t the same quiet, broody guy she’d met just a few weeks ago. He was terrified and exhausted, but he was also determined. She felt a wave of awe and terror all at once. ’He’s really going to do this.’

She stepped forward and took his hand. It felt cold. "Okay," she said, her voice soft but firm. "Then we’ll figure it out. Together."

He looked at their joined hands, then back up at her face. He felt a profound sense of relief, so intense it almost made him dizzy. He’d been carrying the weight of this whole impossible situation by himself, and now, suddenly, he wasn’t alone anymore.

"For real?" His voice was quiet, a little shaky.

She squeezed his hand, her expression soft but completely serious. "Of course, for real. That’s what a pillar is for, right? You don’t get to do all the heroic, life-ruining stuff by yourself. That’s not in the contract."

A small, tired laugh escaped him. He closed his eyes for a second. The knot of panic in his chest finally started to unwind.

She tugged on his hand gently. "Come on. You look like you’re about to fall over. Let’s go sit down somewhere, and you’re going to tell me everything. Every single detail."

Kofi let her lead him back toward the waiting area. The thought of retelling the whole story was exhausting, but the idea of telling her felt different. It felt manageable.

She found a pair of chairs in a quiet corner, away from the main reception desk. "Okay," she said, once they were sitting. "Start from the beginning. And don’t leave anything out."

He looked at her, at the genuine concern in her eyes, and felt a wave of gratitude that was so strong it almost hurt. "Okay," he said, taking a breath. "It all started after the check-up..."