The sterile scent of the hospital room lingered faintly, but there was something warm and calming in the air. A soft beeping echoed in the distance. Nuong's lashes fluttered before her eyes blinked open slowly, vision blurry.
At first, all she could see was light.
And then, a face.
A man stood beside her bed, arms crossed, watching her with a gentle smile. His coat was pure white, his dark hair swept neatly back, and his eyes sparkled with an ageless calmness. He looked no older than twenty-five, but there was something ancient in his gaze, something that had seen far too much.
"Ah, you're awake," he said, his voice deep but easy. "That's good. I was about to start singing to see if it'd help. Lucky for you, I can't sing."
Nuong blinked at him. She tried to sit up but winced immediately.
"Whoa there," he added, gently pressing a hand to her shoulder. "You've taken a bullet, not a nap."
"Where… am I?" she murmured, her voice hoarse.
"In the hospital," he replied. "More importantly—under my care. I'm Doctor Jackson Wang. But since we're going to be seeing a lot of each other, you can call me... Dr. Cool. Or Dr. Handsome. I haven't decided which makes me sound more intimidating."
Nuong stared at him, slightly confused, but somehow, she smiled faintly. He didn't feel like a stranger. There was something disarming about him—like a dad who told awkward jokes to distract from how worried he really was.
"You look ridiculous." She murmured.
"Oh, kid!" The doctor laughed.
Just then, the door creaked open.
Pisal stepped in, a light blue suit still neatly pressed despite the long night. His expression softened the moment he saw her awake.
"Doctor," he said with a nod before walking to Nuong's side. "Nuong, how do you feel?"
"I… don't know, am I in heaven?" she whispered.
"No, you're still on earth. You've been very brave," Pisal said softly, his voice warm. "You saved someone's life. And we… owe you for that."
Nuong's eyes welled with tears, though she tried to hide it. Everything—the orphanage, the cancer-stricken girl, the blood, Dalis, Vin—it all crashed into her memory at once.
"Unbelievable, how can I still be alive?" She looked at the Doctor, "Why did you save me?"
Jackson stood back with a small smirk. It wasn't his fault to save lives, but to some people, he ruined their plans.
"Kiddo, why do you want to die?"
"Then give me a reason to live!" Nuong whispered.
"Well, my job's done for now. I'll leave her in your capable hands, Doctor Pisal."
"Thank you… Teacher," Pisal replied respectfully.
Jackson turned toward the door but paused for a second, looking over his shoulder. "You hang in there, Nuong. We patched you up good. You're stronger than you think. And if you ever need someone to pretend to be your dad at school events—" he winked, "—I charge in dad jokes, not dollars."
Then he disappeared down the hall with a quiet hum, leaving Nuong with Pisal and the echo of a smile on his lips.
The hallway outside Nuong's room was quiet, save for the soft squeak of shoes against the polished floor. Dalis stood frozen in front of the door, her fingers nervously wringing the hem of her sleeve. She'd stood here for nearly five minutes, working up the courage to step inside.
Behind the door was the girl who had taken a bullet meant for her.
A girl who nearly died for her.
Dalis took a deep breath and gently knocked. Inside, Pisal stood at Nuong's bedside, but it was Nuong who turned first. Her expression shifted slightly—surprise, maybe uncertainty—as Dalis opened the door.
She looked different from the last time Nuong saw her: the elegant dress was gone, replaced by hospital visitor clothes, her makeup faint, her expression subdued. There was no fear in her eyes this time, only a strange mixture of guilt and awe.
Nuong tried to sit up straighter, despite the dull ache in her side. Pisal moved to help, adjusting her pillows.
Dalis stepped inside slowly. She didn't speak right away, but her eyes scanned Nuong's face like she was trying to memorize it.
"I… I didn't know your name until now," she finally said, her voice soft. "Nuong, right?"
Nuong nodded once. "You're… Dalis."
"Yes."
An awkward silence fell between them.
"I thought I was going to die," Dalis whispered. "I thought Samphors was going to shoot me. And then you… you didn't even hesitate."
Nuong looked down. "It wasn't brave. I just… I couldn't let you die."
"You don't even know me."
"I didn't need to."
Dalis swallowed hard. Her throat tightened. "I owe you my life, Nuong. I don't know how to repay you. I don't even know why you'd do that for a stranger."
Nuong gave her a tired smile. "I was a stranger to Vin too. That didn't stop me from caring."
Dalis blinked. She didn't know who Vin was, but she understood the meaning.
She stepped closer and reached for Nuong's hand—gentle, like it was made of glass. "I want to be your friend," she said, eyes brimming. "Not because I owe you. But because I want to know the girl who would risk her life for someone she just met."
Nuong didn't speak for a moment. Then she nodded, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. "Okay."
Outside the room, Pisal quietly stepped out and closed the door behind him to give them a moment alone.
..............
Later that day, Dalis stood in Piseth's study, wringing her hands as she faced her older brother. He sat behind the desk in his usual black suit, his face unreadable.
"She has nowhere to go," Dalis said, her voice trembling. "Nuong was expelled from the orphanage. Maly had no choice—sponsors threatened to pull out. But Nuong—she saved my life, Bong Piseth."
Piseth didn't look up from the paper he was holding. "And she also worked for the people who kidnapped you."
"She didn't know what they were planning," Dalis pressed. "She tried to stop them. She got shot because of me."
His jaw clenched, but his voice remained cool. "That doesn't make her trustworthy. We don't know what else she's hiding."
"She's a good person."
"She's a danger."
Dalis's heart sank. "Then let her stay with me. I'll be responsible."
"You're still a child," he snapped, finally looking up. "I am responsible for you."
Dalis took a shaky breath, hurt swimming in her eyes. She turned and left, gently closing the door behind her.
Meanwhile, across the city, in the quiet corner of the hospital, Jackson Wang stood at the window of his private office, looking out at the dusk-lit skyline. His eyes were distant—not focused on the present, but on the ghosts that haunted him.
His reflection stared back. For a moment, it wasn't the man he saw. It was the monster.
He could still hear the screams. His daughter's laugh turning to cries. His wife's pleading voice. The blood. The terror. The loss.
He closed his eyes. The memory played like a cruel film:
They stood outside the lab door. The scientists were hesitant to let them in, but no one expected the newly resurrected man—still confused, half-beast, barely human—to be him.
His daughter ran to him. "Papa!"
But he didn't recognize her. The hunger overtook him. The beast did what monsters do.
Jackson opened his eyes, a single tear slipping down his cheek.
And yet… Nuong.
That girl who fought her way through guilt and pain, who protected someone she'd never met, who still smiled through the exhaustion… she reminded him of the daughter he had lost.
No. She deserved more than pain.
He stepped out of his office, walking toward her recovery room. When he entered, she looked up in surprise.
"Doctor?" she asked.
He smiled gently, walking in and taking the seat beside her bed.
"I don't normally do this," he said lightly. "Too much paperwork. But, uh… I've been thinking."
Nuong tilted her head. "About what?"
He took a breath, his voice gentler now. "Would it be okay if I… if I became your father?"
Nuong froze.
Jackson rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, not biologically, obviously. But—if you'd let me, I'd like to be your family. Not out of pity. Out of love. You're… something special, Nuong."
Her eyes began to well with tears. She covered her mouth, trying to hold back the sobs, but she couldn't. She had never heard those words from anyone in her life.
"I've always wanted a dad," she whispered. "One who loves me."
Jackson reached forward and gently took her hand. "Then you've got one now."
They both cried.
And in that moment, the cold past loosened its grip—just a little.
A monster made by science, and a girl broken by circumstance—found family in each other.