Archie was in the hospital room with Verona, Bryce and Harrison "so far so good?" he sighed looking at Dominic
"I can't believe Roland could do this to him," Verona said. "Dominic was good to him."
"You have to understand that Roland was lied to by the people he trusts and he was one of them."
"Does he really hate me this much?"
"Verona, compare to me, you're practically parent of the year, I'm surprised my son is not doing this to me."
"It's because you've changed, Archie, Apollo saw that."
"I wish he was here to apologize to him and make up for the times I wasn't a father to him," Archie then got a text from Perfida that they were almost there and that Roland's real father was with them, "thank, God!"
"What is it?"
"It's Perfida, she's coming and she's with... him."
"Oh!" Verona looked down.
"Verona..."
"It's alright, Archie, I know it's not about me, we're doing this for Roland."
"Right."
---------
Still on the road, Hawkes stopped to charge the car and Perfida went for a toilet break, Nyles was standing beside the car and just staring at the sky. Perfida got out from the restroom and saw Nyles deep in thought so she walked up to him "something on your mind?" she asked.
"Just trying to process everything that's all," Nyles answered.
"Been there."
"And that if he sees me, I can't even see how he'll react, whether he's glad or disappointed."
"Of course, he'll be glad, what are you talking about?"
"I kept thinking if maybe I had a rich family or that if my life was better twenty years ago, maybe Verona didn't have to take him away."
"But she's still wrong, she lied to Roland about his identity."
"I'm just saying, she wouldn't have to lie if..."
"You were twenty-years-old that made mistakes," she reminded him then she looked down. "You know, my mom left me, my sister and my dad when we were five," Nyles was taken aback and turned his head to her "and married my stepfather who is a commander space marshall in AGA and I didn't see her for three years. Back then I hated that she left us for him but my sister, Perdita, had deeper grudge, my dad was so great, he wasn't rich or someone big like my stepdad but he was an amazing father who raised me and my sister, he never talked bad about mom, he doesn't want us to talk bad about her either, probably because, he wanted us to love her too."
"Where's your dad now?"
"He passed away with my sister."
"I'm so sorry.".
"Thank you, but even though, I don't have my dad anymore, I come to terms to my mom and stepdaddy and also gained two brothers."
"Good for you."
"Hope it helps."
"It does, your dad sounds like a good man, you don't see him like your sister?"
"No, Perdita said he went to the light."
"But why is she still here?"
"She.. wanted to stay with me and be with the living."
"I want to meet Roland even if it means letting go of him to the light after this but that's okay, Jen is there waiting for him."
"Geneva. I can see why you fell for her, she's so beautiful," Perfida said, Nyles looked at her a weird way.
"You saw Jen?"
"Yeah, I saw her, when she was trying to tell me about you and Roland... via dreams."
"Wow! so you don't just see ghost."
"I guess," she shrugged.
"What does your parents think when you...?"
"Oh! uhm... actually, they don't know."
"You haven't told your family?!"
"By family you mean my mom, stepdad and stepbrother, no but my grandpa and my half-brother does because they can see them too, except my grandpa, he can only hear them," she explained, Nyles gave her this 'really?' look "try telling your mom who is an astronomer and a stepdad, I repeat, a space marshall in AGA and they don't believe in these things anyway and as for my stepbrother well... my sister doesn't like him and also stepdaddy. Come on, don't give me that look, you didn't believe me at first."
"Okay, you have a point but don't you want to tell them?"
"I..."
"Hey!" Hawkes called. "The car is fully charged, let's go" Perfida was somehow saved by that.
--------
Hours later, they arrived at the hospital "we're here," Perfida sighed.
"Are you ready?" Hawkes asked Nyles.
"Yes," Nyles hesitantly said.
They walked inside the hospital then they found the room where Dominic was confined, Perfida opened the door and saw Archie "Papoli!" the twins ran to him and hugged him.
"Peachy! Purdy!" Archie could only embraced Perfida but of course, he knew that Perdita was there, Bryce and Harrison joined in the love. Nyles and Hawkes entered the room, Verona was freaking out as she saw him so she looked away so that he won't see her.
"Bryce, Harrison, I miss you guys," Perfida said to them.
"Thank you for bringing them here safetly, Hawkes," Archie thanked him and put his hand for a handshake, Hawkes shook his hand.
"No problem, sir," Hawkes smiled then Archie saw Nyles.
"You must be Nyles, hello, I'm Archie," Archie introduced himself to Nyles and put his hand out to him.
"I am familiar with you," Nyles was talking about TheWolf magazine but he shook his hand anyway "nice to meet you" then they all looked at Verona, she looked as if she was avoiding him "Verona" he greeted her in a blunt way, everyone was concern since the two don't meet eye-to-eye.
"Nyles," Verona greeted him in a distant way, her pride somehow got the better of her but agreed to be civil then Nyles saw Dominic's condition.
"Hello, ma'am, I'm Capt. Hawkes," Hawkes introduced himself to Verona. "I'm the one investigated Roland's case."
"Nice to meet you," Verona said back to him.
"Is that Dominic? what happened to him?" Nyles asked.
"I just saw him unconscious when I got to their house," Archie said.
"Roland, did this," Verona voiced.
"He did this?" Hawkes asked, Nyles gulped.
"Just yesterday, he put him in cardiac arrest," Archie added.
"Oh! my God," Perfida gasped.
"Serves him right for beating me up before," Nyles grumbled, everyone looked at him with shock.
"Excuse me?" Verona couldn't believe what he just said, Perfida covered Bryce's ears with her hands.
"Should've expected this, Verona."
"How dare you..!?"
"Enough," Hawkes sternly said to them.
"He's right, we can't argue about this, we have a bigger problem here," Archie reminded them. All of a sudden, the lights started flickering again and the room got colder, Harrison started growling like he sensed that something bad was going to happen and everyone got quiet.
"What's happening?" Nyles felt creeped out then Roland was in the room, the twins, Bryce and Hawkes saw him and so did the dog because he was barking right at him.
"It's... Roland," Hawkes said. "He's here with us."
"What?! where?" Nyles couldn't see Roland was walking right to him.
"Is he my dad?" Roland asked softly, he looked somewhat happy.
"He is," Hawkes answered, Nyles turned to her in a weirded out expression and he was turning his head, not knowing where Roland was even when they said he was there in front of him.
"He's my dad," Roland sulked.
"Just stay there," she said to Nyles. "He's approaching you."
"Come on," Perdita said Roland. "It's him."
"So this is what he looks like," Roland glanced at him, Nyles saw Perfida, Archie and Hawkes smiling.
"What?" Nyles quipped to them.
"He's just happy to see you," Hawkes said.
"I wish I can see you, son."
"Me too," Roland said. "I want to know about you, what's your name?"
"He wanted to know about you," Hawkes repeated what he said to Nyles. "Tell him."
"Okay, I'm Nyles Rozky, I'm an artist and I own an art store in Ares city."
"I was going there to see you but why weren't you around when I was growing up? didn't you want me?" Roland asked him.
"Roland, it's not like that," Perfida butt in. "You were taken away from him and your real mom."
"My real mom?"
"What's going on," Nyles asked Hawkes.
"He's asking why you two never met," Hawkes replied to him.
"Roland... believe me, I did everything to find you and be with you..."
"I don't understand," Roland was confuse, Verona was getting scared and slowly snuck away.
"Geneva, is your mother," Perfida answered.
"Geneva? but she's my..." Roland was gobsmacked about himself because all his life he thought Geneva was his late-sister then he turned around to Verona and everyone had their eyes at her too so Verona had to stop moving.
"Roland, Jen... your mom and I were still in college when we had you..." Nyles explained but Hawkes gestured him to stop.
"You've been lying to me.. ABOUT MY LIFE!" Roland was seeing red.
"Uh oh" Perdita knew what was going to happen, the light bulb exploded in the room, the kids screamed out of fright, everyone one covered themselves as the little glass fell all over them and Harrison was barking at him to protect his masters and the room got dark.
"What's happening?" Nyles asked.
"Sh*t is gonna happen that's gonna happen," Archie panicked, Roland was seeing red toward Verona then he instantly got close to her like he transported from one place to another. "Verona! get away from there! he's standing right in front of you!" but Roland trapped her.
"I can't move!" Verona gasped, it was like she was glued to the wall, Roland sucked the air out of her so she started wheezing.
"You lied to me, how could you do this?!" Roland yelled to her face as she was coughing and Nyles was horrified that he was seeing his son was hurting people, "you took me away from my real parents and never told me about them."
"Roland! don't!" Nyles said to him. "Don't do this" but Roland did not listen.
"Listen to you father, don't hurt her," Archie said to Roland seeing Verona struggling.
"Let her go," Perdita dashed to him and tried to pull his hand away.
"You have no idea what it's like to know that your life is one big lie and I had to die because of it," Roland groaned, Perfida heard what he just said and remembered at what Hawkes did to her.
"Roland, listen to me, I know what it felt like to be lied to by someone you trust," Perfida voice, Hawkes turned to her. "But you have to understand why they did that to you, you have the right to get angry and maybe it was wrong but you have to understand that it wasn't easy for them too."
"She's right," Nyles interjected. "Your mom and I, were young when we had you and things didn't go as plan, I'm mad at her too, it wasn't fair that she just took you and your mother away from me and hide you away, I didn't get to say goodbye, I didn't get to see your mother one last time when she died and I didn't get to see you grow". Nyles started crying "but... I hate to admit it that maybe if you were left with me, you won't have a better life," Roland loosened his grip toward Verona and let her go, she dropped to the ground and started coughing, Archie ran to her aid.
"Bryce, Harrison, come here," Archie called. "I'll take care of Verona," he then carried on his threshold then they got out, Roland turned to them.
"Your mom had cancer while she was carrying you and I was only twenty years old, failing school and had little money," Nyles continued. "But yeah.. I wish they didn't have to hide you from me". Perfida, Perdita and Hawkes watched Roland looking so frazzled because he understood why he had to be taken away, Verona did that for his own good but she was still wrong to hide his identity and realized what he had done. "Now what's happeing?" Nyles saw the Perfida and Hawkes were blankly staring at something.
"I... don't know," Perfida stammered.
"He's confuse," Hawkes claimed, Roland then screamed out of his mind that the door window bursted again and everyone reacted and covered themselves, after that, he was gone.