***

HALF AN HOUR LATER

"Help… please help…"

Loriel's sharp ears heard Elise's soft pleading for help from the inside. He quickly motioned the nurses to enter and he opened the door.

When he walked inside, he saw Elise looking panicked. Daniel York was sitting on the bed, holding his chest with his hands and his face winced in pain.

The nurses quickly moved into action. One of them pulled Elise from her father. "Please step back, Miss."

Another of the attendants quickly summoned a doctor with a call.

"Emergency. Patient York is currently experiencing arrhythmias--need for defibrillation from a doctor!"

"Elise, I am here…" Loriel whispered. He pulled the woman into his arms and led her to step aside so the medical professionals could do their job.

"Please wait outside, Miss. We are trying to do our work," said one of the nurses politely.

Right before Elise could say a thing, or even do anything at all, both Elise and Loriel was forced to evacuate the room. Several doctors started rushing into the private room and carried along various medical equipment.

Elise shook as she stayed outside of the door.

Loriel was beside her, and yet she didn't even seem to process the man's presence.

Elise's own heart started beating wildly in her chest as she held a hand to her head. A greatly disturbed look was on her face. She was devastated by what happened. Elise had just met him after such a long time and now she had to let him go.

She thought they still needed more time together. Couldn't she ask a little bit more time?

Elise still needed to make it up to him after being gone for too long. She wanted to tell him about how her work was like, Elise wanted to tell her about her colleagues teasing her at work and how her boss Alex was a great one.

There were cookies and other pastries that she wanted her father to try and taste. Elise wanted to be with her father and for them to go to Central Park and see the Blue Jacaranda Trees together.

Elise wanted to do so many things with her father now that they've been reunited.

Frantically, she waited and hoped at the door.

Every moment and second that continued without the doctors coming out only contributed to Elise's anxiousness. Suddenly, Elise felt a squeeze on her shoulder and she looked up to see Loriel's face.

"It's going to be alright, Elise," Loriel said. His gaze was worried and concerned, but it was also a reassuring one.

Elise's eyes brimmed with tears as she threw herself into Loriel's arms. She buried her head into his chest and sniffled to hide her tears. She didn't want to cry and for her father to realize that she was pathetically sobbing outside of his room.

"I need more time….." Elise whispered quietly. Her shoulders shook slightly. She greatly enjoyed their time just now, talking about the little things. She had missed him so badly for these months. Though she realized that her father wanted to be somewhere else, she thought it was too soon to say goodbye now.

Loriel took a deep breath. He knew what it was like to lose his parents. He knew what it was like to lose a loved one. It was sad and painful, but over time the pain would subside. Elise would be okay. She just needed to go through with it now. And then... life would move on.

Loriel would make sure she would be okay. He rubbed her hair dotingly and let her cry on his chest until his shirt became damp with her tears.

After what seemed like hours, one of the doctors finally left the room and removed their surgical gloves. The doctors saw both Loriel and Elise sitting down and waiting for the news.

Elise looked up expectantly at the doctor. "How's my father? Is he alright… can I go see him now? Please."

It was situations like this one where the doctor hated relaying the news himself. There was a solemn expression on his face as he gazed at the young woman and man in front of him.

"Miss York, were you aware of your father's condition?" The doctor inquired politely.

Elise bit on her lip. "I… I'm not too sure."

What Elise remembered was that her father was simply taken away and she never got the chance to see him again. Tessa didn't allow her to know where her father stayed and the specifics of it weren't available to her.

The doctor nodded slowly. "I see… are there any other relatives that could be called right now? It's best to discuss this with all of the family members who can visit, or at least participate in a call."

Elise shook her head. "N-no…"

There was an inevitable terrible churning sensation in Elise's stomach that she refused to admit. She didn't like where the conversation was going at all, and still clung to the hope that her father was alright and okay.

But the doctor quietly led her back to the seat with Loriel.

One of the passing nurse aides seemed to have also picked up on the mood and returned to the quiet and empty hallway with a box of tissues. The nurse aide left the tissue nearby for easy reach but didn't give it directly.

Elise still pretended that she didn't see it at all.

There was a hollow feeling in Elise's chest right now and it was as if there was a deafening silence that blocked out everything else.

The doctor seemed to be hesitating at seeing her expression, but then finally settled with a grim look on his face. "I'm sorry for your loss, Miss York… but your father has passed away."

An unbearable silence clung tightly in the air.

"... I see, thank you, doctor." Elise barely got the words out as a tight smile formed on her lips.

Before the doctor could even explain the medical details surrounding the death of Daniel York, the expression on Loriel's face was already a clear sign for the doctor to remove himself.

"If you'd like, Miss York… I'd like to give you some time to process this situation by yourself. Mister Daniel York's death was an obscene waste of life. Once the need and proper time arise for any inquiry or questions, my office is open."

The doctor rose to his feet and bowed his head.

"My condolences to you and your family."

Soon everyone else was gone except for Elise and Loriel. The entire hallway was emptied and vacated by most of the employees… and only the soul-crushing sobs of Elise reverberated in the walls.