Seven grabbed his phone from the charging station, noting the flurry of missed calls, texts, and voicemails. He brushed them aside, prioritizing immediate concerns, and navigated back to the ward while communicating with the police.
He reentered the ward just as he’d ended the call. Handing the phone to her, he offered a simple, “Here you go, Sana.”
His voice snapped Sana out of her daze, her heart skipping a beat as she realized: He came back! He came back! It’s not a dream!
Staring blankly at the phone before her, she mindlessly stretched her arm out to take it.
“Nngh…”
Pain flared sharply in her shoulder, causing her to wince and pull back.
Seven’s brow furrowed. “Are you okay? Would you like me to make the call for you?”
Sana fought back tears, catching her breath as she steadied herself. “Yes, please,” she said, quivering slightly. “It’s 703-933-3333. Put it on speaker.”
Seven dialed the number before activating the speakerphone. It took three rings before a voice, laced with palpable intensity, crackled through the speaker.
“Hello? Colonel Seven? Thank you for returning my call!”
Sana and Seven exchanged startled glances, but the former recovered quickly, her expression a mix of surprise and curiosity.
“Kas! It’s me, Sana! Do you know Seven?”
Kasra’s next words were a fusion of shock, concern, and immense relief. “Princess? The team’s been combing the area around the ambush site, looking for you! Why are you on Colonel Seven’s phone? James has been shot, and I was given this number to contact him, but he didn’t return my calls until now.” Kasra’s composure cracked, the weight of his worries evident as he paused, processing this inconceivable coincidence.
Sana and Seven met each other’s confused gazes as Kasra rambled on. Then, something clicked when Seven recalled the mention of someone being shot. He finally spoke up.
“Hello, Mr. Kas, I’m Seven. I apologize for not returning your calls. I was in surgery for around nine hours, treating Sana’s gunshot wounds. Once her condition stabilized, I dozed off. She woke up about 20 minutes ago and requested to contact her family.”
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At Seven’s concise explanation, Kasra instantly connected the dots. “Colonel Seven, I apologize for the mix-up. I’m Kasra Shahi, Sana’s eldest brother. On behalf of my family, please accept my sincere gratitude for saving her.”
He paused for a beat before continuing, “I contacted you numerous times earlier this morning, but based on what you’ve just said, I gather you haven’t had a chance to get to the messages I left you.”
Then, he got to the point. “Is it convenient for us to meet and discuss a medical case on behalf of my employee? He was shot in the lower back while protecting Sana last night. The specialists at Inova Fairfax said that he sustained severe spinal cord injury, and the prognosis for his ability to regain the use of his legs is not optimistic. They recommended your good name for a second opinion.”
Seven’s jaw tightened, a shadow of hesitation crossing his face. “Mr. Shahi, I’m afraid I can’t leave Sana here unattended. She’s an unregistered civilian I brought and treated in a military hospital. However, if you bring his case file over, I can review it,” he thoughtfully proposed.
Getting the green light, Kasra’s tone brightened considerably. “Thank you, Colonel! I’ll get James’s medical file and come to you right away. Could you ping me your location?”
“Sure, see you soon.”
After Kasra ended the call, he updated Lara and called off the search for Sana. His thoughts whirled between dread and resolve, clinging to the hope that, somehow, against all odds, James might still have a chance at recovery.
……
Meanwhile, Seven turned to Sana, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. “You seem very close to your brother. Is that why you called him?”
Sana, surprised by his question but willing to share, simply said, “He’s the CEO of TITAN Group, a private security firm.”
Seven frowned, though he kept his tone casual. “So, the man who got shot—is he your bodyguard?”
Sana’s gaze grew gentle at the mention of James. “No, he’s the Director of Training at TITAN. After my abduction five years ago, he was my bodyguard for a while before he hired a female bodyguard for me. He was picking us up from the airport last night. We were ambushed on the way home.” Her explanation betrayed the lingering trauma she still endured and her concern for James.
There was a brief pause as Seven observed Sana’s micro-expressions. He wasn’t sure why it mattered, but it did. The way she spoke of James sent a faint ripple of unease through him. It was a feeling he couldn’t quite place, one that settled somewhere between annoyance and... something completely unfamiliar to him.
Sana, unaware of his internal struggle, finished her story quietly. But as Seven pondered further, his expression darkened, and he snapped.
“What about your bodyguard? How could she let you get shot?!”
Sana blinked, caught off guard by Seven’s reaction. She didn’t know why it caused such a rise out of him, but she quickly regained her senses and explained, “She swapped places with me when they wanted to take me away; she couldn’t be in two places at the same time!”
It took a beat to realize his mistake; the shell of his ears turned red. “I see. I hope she’s alright.”
Just as the words landed, a soft knock on the door interrupted them. Still grappling with the intense conversation he'd just had with Sana, he mechanically called out, “Come in.”
