The Zenith System

Chapter 016

Zack’s consciousness flickers like a faulty bulb of light, thrusting him back into the realm of the living with a jarring dissonance. His eyelids pry open, his gaze fixed on the bland ceiling. A sterile scent mingles with antiseptic as he realizes that he is back in the hospital again. He can even hear the sound of a machine beeping in a steady cadence.

Zack sits up, but his body is aching. He feels weak and there are some tubes connected to him.

He is about to take it off him when a voice says, “Easy now.”

He shifts his attention to the voice and finds the same male nurse who acts more than a friend to Celeste. He snorts. He is about to say something when he realizes that he feels exhausted.

“You are in a hospital, Zack,” he says. “Do you remember me?”

He looks away. “The man Celeste is fucking,” he says. His throat is raw and dry.

“Oh, you are still jealous,” he says, chuckling while giving him a glass of water.

“She’s my cousin. I am not jealous.”

“Just angry, huh?” he asks.

He glares at him, and then he realizes that if he’s in the hospital again, surely he needs to pay Celeste again?!

“The payment…”

“Don’t worry about that,” the nurse reassures him. He’s now adjusting the IV drip with practiced hands. “You’re covered. You’re one of Celeste’s beneficiaries. She’s taken care of everything.”

Her again?! He purses his lips. She just really wanted him to fail, didn’t she?! No, that’s not it! But the other explanation will gnaw at him until the end of his life, so he refuses to admit it.

“Why do you hate your cousin anyway?” the nurse suddenly asks.

“I don’t hate her.”

“Then why do you keep on creating troubles for her?”

“I’m n—Ah!” he groans at the pain of his sudden movement.

The nurse looks at him. “You know, Celeste is a dear friend of mine. Please, don’t keep stressing her out, okay?”

He glares at him because that’s all he can really do against him, especially when his body is still tingling in pain.

The nurse gives him a charming smile and adds, “Rest now, okay? I will call for Celeste.”

The nurse hasn’t even stepped away when the door opens. Celeste strides into the room, her presence slicing through him like a blade. There is indifference on her face and Zack can only look away.

“Zack,” she begins, her voice low but sounding dangerous, as if a whip coiled tight with restraint. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

He purses his lips, afraid to say the wrong words. Celeste moves closer, her heels clacking against the floor as she approaches his bedside.

“Look at yourself,” she continues. “You think that this… this selfish stunt will make us realize something?!”

He opens his mouth, but in front of her, his throat constricts and he can’t utter a word. He wants her to feel his absence and finally realize his worth in her life. Yet, he’s not even able to do that.

“You are so blind,” she whispers.

Then silence engulfs the room. She studies him for a moment, her gaze sweeping over his bandages.

When he doesn’t respond, she continues, “Should I tell your sisters?”

This time, he meets her gaze, even if his expression is marred with negative emotions.

“No…” he finally manages, his voice barely a whisper.

She then turns to the nurse, who is still hovering around.

“Can my cousin leave already?” she asks.

The nurse looks at her, and then to Zack, then he nods. “Yes, he’s stable and is ready to be discharged, but do check on him from time to time.”

“Thank you,” she murmurs. “Then can you leave us for a few minutes?”

Zack watches as the nurse nods and leaves the room, closing the door behind him. He turns his attention back to Celeste.

“Why did you do it?” she asks again. “Why do you keep pushing me away and causing trouble for everyone?”

Zack lets out a bitter laugh. “And you’re so perfect, right?” he retorts. “You should have just let me die.”

Suddenly, her fist connects to his cheek in a swift movement. He winces in pain, but he doesn’t flinch or try to defend himself. He is already expecting it, anyway. She has always been violent towards him.

“You think I want you dead?!” she seethes, her voice laced with venom.

Zack glares up at her, his eyes burning with resentment. He wants to lash out at her, too. He wants to tell her that he is still a patient in the hospital and she just can’t keep hitting him like this!

“You think I enjoy seeing you hurt?!” she screams at his face.

“Wha—” he starts, but his voice is a strangled gasp.

As she continues to hit him, the room spins and he feels as if his wounds are opening up. Zack wants to cry. Does she hate him so much that she will abuse an injured person?

“Damn you, Zack! I’ve tried to help you, but you’re the most selfish, proud, arrogant person I know!”

She exhales, her breath trembling as she struggles to compose herself. “I don’t know what to do with you! It’s as if you are spitting on hope itself!”

“Hope?!” he asks, his tone laced with skepticism. “Even if I see it, I am drowning, Celeste! I don’t know what to do anymore!”

“Then allow me to help you navigate away from this! This… this dark abyss you are teetering on!”

She hits him across his face. And yet, now the sting is nothing compared to the ache in his chest. What does he really want? To be seen? Truly be seen? Even if he’s broken?

Zack shields himself from her fists. But suddenly, her punches become weaker. He looks up at her and sees that she is heaving, her eyes ablaze with a storm of emotions.

“You fucking asshole…” she whispers.

And then his eyes widen when he sees tears in her face. To say the least, the sudden change in her demeanor startles him. And then, in an effort to hide her tears, she moves to him and embraces him.