Sincere Apologies 6

Tora returned to the Carlisle home repeatedly. She returned for her summer break and the holidays, and it slowly became a routine. Over time, Tora became more comfortable with the family to the point where they asked her if she wanted to be their adopted daughter.

As Jordan and Miriam had no children, Tora became like a daughter to them, and they wanted her to become a member of their family.

Tora, although initially reluctant, agreed by the time she graduated from the Academy as Etora Carlisle.

Tora went from a scared little girl, afraid of affection, and fearful of emotional attachment to a young woman unafraid of exhibiting emotion and care for those around her.

Miriam, eighteen years ago, could not imagine having a daughter.

As Miriam stood up from the conference table, her phone rang with Tora's caller ID.

"Mom, I think you should come down to Darren's room right now."

When Miriam heard shock and perplexity in her daughter's voice, she did not hesitate. "I'm on my way."

Miriam walked out of her office and went straight for the elevator.

Tora was always more on edge when it came to her oldest friend.

Miriam knew well how much Darren meant to Tora. From the moment Tora arrived in the United States, Darren was the only person Tora knew. She lived with Darren since they were eight and seven years old to the orphanage until they went their separate ways when they reached adulthood.

Tora wanted to find her biological father, so she joined the Air Force. Darren still did not know what he wanted to do. He was admitted to a private university, and slowly he and Tora grew apart.

Miriam and Jordan met Darren not long after Tora began interacting with them. Tora always emphasized that Darren was the closest thing she had to a family, so the Carlisles welcomed him into their home.

Miriam and her husband fell in love with the boy almost immediately. He was nervous when he first met them. Darren would stutter and be unable to keep eye contact with strangers. He was a smart and kind boy, but he was anxious when it came to social situations. When he tried to lighten the mood, the jokes he made were atrocious.

Darren was very much like Etora, with fears of emotional attachment. There were only a few people he considered to be family, and Tora was among them. As they became more familiar with each other, Darren opened more to Miriam and Jordan.

Even with his shortcomings, Darren was a caring person and quite mature for his young age. He would rather listen and give someone advice about their problems than share his own issues. He preferred having others rely on him than relying on others, as Miriam discovered when she would share her concerns about Tora or Jordan.

Not long after Tora introduced Darren to Miriam and Jordan, they entered a romantic relationship. Just as soon as they shared their first kiss, Darren's depression grew worse. Darren was in school in LA while Tora was still in Colorado, at the Air Force Academy.

Darren, who was heavily reliant on Tora for his emotional support and stability, grew lonely while Tora was away. Other stresses in his college life and social life left him paralyzed in his day to day life.

Although Darren was Valedictorian, he did not even attend his own graduation. Tora also returned from Colorado after her graduation. However, she could not stay with Darren. She and her team would soon have to be deployed to fight in the Middle East. Feeling abandoned, Darren, in a fit of rage, ended their relationship and Tora left for Dabar.

While Tora was away, Miriam became Darren's guardian. She made sure he got psychiatric help at her hospital to help his depression.

She soon discovered that Tora was right. Darren had no idea how to take care of himself because he was always worrying about others. He was quite skinny when they met as he barely ate a meal during the day. He worked in addition to his studies that eating healthily became a second thought. He was also had social anxiety, which only added to his unhealthy lifestyle.

Wrought with worry, Miriam took it upon herself to help him. She often worried that Darren, with his mental and physical illnesses, would likely get heart disease and a plethora of related illnesses if he continued to care less about his health.

Hum? She seemed to have a habit of mothering orphans. Although she never adopted Darren, Darren became like a son to her over the years. Even after he and Tora broke up, she made sure to call and see how he was doing ever so often to make sure he was alright. Now that he was injured, she would do all she could to help him.

When Miriam arrived at the BICU, she found Tora waiting for her in front of Darren's room. The view inside the room was obstructed by the curtains inside the glass. Tora spoke with her eyes, nodding subtly toward the nurse's station then the room.

"Hey, nobody is allowed in the room unless I say so," she told the nurses sitting at the desk.

Miriam followed Tora tactically into the room. They closed the glass doors before quickly disappearing behind the curtains.

Miriam stood in the room, her eyes wide and her mouth agape as she looked toward the ceiling. "What the…?"

Maybe she was hallucinating. She looked down on the bed again to make sure. The wrinkled sheets laid empty on the bed. She followed the wires from the monitors up to Darren, hovering over the bed.

His eyes remained closed and his body was still burnt. His arms hung down below him while his torso rose higher in the air. A crimson light surrounded his body, raising him closer to the ceiling.