historical

Ronnie did not have to guess what might have happened to Aria. It was easy to tell she too must have inhaled the poison for her to be lying on the hospital bed instead of helping other people. Ronnie had been with Noah for a long time now and knew the man and his habits. It was etched in his brain, but never had he seen his Boss this heartbroken and sad. It was the first time for him to witness something like this and Ronnie too could not help but feel for the man.

He had known that what Noah felt for Aria was genuine love. It was the first time he had seen his Boss getting this close to any woman and taking interest in her. It was no wonder he looked miserable now. He did not want to disturb the man, not because he wanted to leave them alone but because he did not know how to console him.

The only person who could talk to him right now and get him out of his misery was Aria and he could only pray that she could gain consciousness as soon as possible. Ronnie had known Aria for quite some time now and he too had started to like her and respect her. She was perfect for his Boos. Her headstrong personality was what his Boss needed and the man would be shattered if anything happened to her.

Ronnie had to do something now to prevent his Boss from breaking down completely. Since Dr. Ian was busy treating the patients, the only other person he could turn to was Joshua. He was the only man who could console the man. So, he placed a call to him to inform him of the situation.

Meanwhile, the couple had no idea about what had transpired in the city. They were busy cuddling each other as they slept blissfully until Joshua's phone rang loudly destroying the silence. The man was lying like a log to even hear the sound. However, Ivy's sleep broke and she nudged the man who was hugging her close. "Joshua, your phone is ringing." She muttered unhappily on being disturbed from her blissful sleep.

"Ignore it." The man mumbled and pulled his girl closer to him and continued sleeping. But the phone did not stop ringing and even if it stopped, again it would start ringing a few seconds. By now Ivy's sleep had committed suicide. So, she pushed the man away in anger. "Joshua, pick the phone. I believe it is an important call. Otherwise, who would call at this time of the night." She complained while she rubbed her eyes.

Now, Joshua did not have any other choice but to answer the call. He was extremely annoyed at being disturbed. But when he saw that it was a call from Ronnie, his annoyance vanished. The man rarely called him and if he did, it meant bad news. His sleep had vanished now and he pulled himself up before answering the call. "Yes Ronnie, is everything alright?"

Joshua listened to whatever Ronnie had to say and his expression changed from calm to fear. He could not help but shudder on hearing Ronnie's words. Ivy who had been watching him closely and she frowned seeing him worry. "Is everything fine?" As soon as the man cut the call, Ivy asked him immediately.

Joshua did not know how to spill the news to her. It was something that concerned her sister and even he wanted to, he could not hide it from her. But he did not know how to tell her either. His silence only made Ivy to frown harder. "Joshua, you are scaring me now. Please tell me that everything is fine. Please." She begged as she held his hand for assurance.

Seeing her plead only made Joshua to lose his confidence all the more. But he had to do it. So, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath before he started to speak again. "No, Ivy. Everything is not alright."

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"Ivy there is a problem."

"Joshua tell me clearly, please."

"Ivy, do you remember the event that was going to be held today?"

"Are you talking about the large scale charity event? I think it must be going on right now. What about it?" She asked, not sure what Joshua was getting at.

"Yes, but somebody released a poisonous gas in the air at the event place, and now all the people who had attended it have been affected."

"Oh my God," Ivy covered her mouth her horror. She had never expected the news to be a sister. She narrowed her eyes again when she sensed that the man had more to tell her. "There is still more, right?"

"Yes, a person who has inhaled the poison can still affect another person who comes in contact with him."

"And?"

"And, Aria has been infected with the poison." That was Joshua said and Ivy jumped off the bed with a horror-stricken face. She gaped at Joshua unable to believe the words he had just muttered. "Joshua, please tell me that you are lying and the news is not true." She looked at him expectantly when she noticed him being silent, she got her answer. "No," She shrieked and dropped to her knees as tears started to spill out of her eyes.

Seeing her state, Joshua too was depressed and he got off the bed to console her and hug her. "Ivy, please don't cry. It pains to see you cry. Please, sweetheart. Don't cry. You need to be strong now. Aria needs you and don't worry, Ronnie told me that her condition is stable." Joshua did not add 'for now' lest Ivy should panic once again. His words soothed her a little and she calmed down slowly.

"Yes, you are right. I need to be with Aria. Let's go." Ivy stood up suddenly startling Joshua. But the man composed the next second.

"Sure, let's go. But we will have to wear a mask to protect ourselves. Will that be fine with you?"

"Absolutely. I will do anything to keep my sister safe." Ivy was so lost in her thoughts that she did not even know what she was speaking. Joshua shook his head and got ready to visit Aria. "And Ivy, do you want to tell this matter to your father?"

His question brought her out of her thoughts and she shook her head. "No, Joshua. Not right now. Let us first find out how her condition is right now and then, I'll talk to him."

"Yes, but remember Ivy. At all costs, Mr. West should not come to visit Aria. His life will be in danger, along with yours and Aria's if anybody finds out about him."

Ivy understood his concerns and she nodded at him agreement. "I agree. We cannot risk him being seen. I'll talk to him about it later."

"Okay. Shall we leave?"

The duo made their way towards the hospital and what they saw shocked them just like how Noah and Aria had been dumbfounded. The crowd made them widen their eyes and blinked at each seeing the chaos. Just like how Noah had brought Ronnie, Joshua had Kaito with him and the nimble man helped them to reach the hospital entrance safely without getting scathed by the huge mob.

Ivy rushed inside and she enquired at the reception before she bolted towards the ward Aria was staying in without even waiting for Joshua. Joshua followed her closely making sure she was safe. He made sure to keep his eyes on her while also taking in the condition around him. The hospital sure looked messy and he wondered how many more people had been affected by the poison. "Ivy, slow down." He wanted her from behind when he noticed her running. But the girl was in a hurry to heed to his words.

They reached the ward where Aria was staying and Ivy barged inside without delaying any further. She had to make sure that her sister was safe. What she saw made her heart clench in pain. Her sister was lying on the hospital bed, her face pale and dull. This was enough for Ivy to tear up. The twins had been together since birth and never had she seen Aria in such a miserable state. She had seen her fall sick with fever and other small diseases, but never had he seen in this state where her life had been at risk.

She pulled one of the stools and sat beside Aria, right opposite Noah, who was still holding her left hand. Ivy had noticed him at all, her attention completely on her sister. "Ari, please wake up. See, it's your sister. I am here, Ari. Nothing will happen to you. You cannot leave me, Ari. Not before you give me nieces and nephews and you will have to stay until you become a grandma at least. So, get up fast and give me big fat nieces and nephews."

Ivy choked on her words and she could not continue anymore. Joshua patted her back trying to soothe. "Don't worry, Ivy. She will wake up eventually and she will be fine. She is a strong woman and she will make it out soon."

It seemed like Joshua's words had magic. As soon as he spoke them, Aria's fingers twitched. This caught Noah's attention as he was holding her hand and his eyes widened. He wondered if he was imagining things when she moved her fingers again. His face was filled with joy and he could not hide his happiness. "Aria, are you awake? Aria can you hear me? Aria, please respond."

His words caught Ivy and Joshua's attention and they stared at him before their gazes fell on the unconscious girl. To their happiness, right at this moment, the girl groaned lightly before she opened her eyes.