Third Person POV

"I'm sorry," the male doctor says.

"I'm so sorry," the female doctor adds. "We're trying our best, but she still isn't responding."

David falls onto the chair, devastated.

The doctor's words feel too heavy to bear.

He rests his head against the wall and gazes at the ceiling.

Meanwhile, Kendrick remains composed, despite the news hitting him hard.

His eyes dart between the male and female doctor, "What are we to do now?" he asks.

"Well," the female doctor starts, and Kendrick pays his full attention.

"We've managed to stitch up those injured areas in her head, but she isn't willing to respond to any reviving treatment," she states, her words sending Kendrick's heart racing.

He takes a deep breath, turns around, and runs his hands through his twists.

He walks to a wall and slams his arm against it, startling both the doctors and the nurse.

"But," the doctor states, causing both Kendrick and David to look her way with hopeful gazes.

"There's still a chance. We can try an alternative treatment."

Kendrick's eyes light up with a glimmer of hope. "What is it?" he asks.

"The treatment is experimental, but it has shown promising results in similar cases," the male doctor explains.

"We can try to stimulate her brain activity with a new technology that has been developed recently."

"Really? You think it could work?" David asks with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

The doctor nods, "We won't know until we try. But we need your consent to proceed."

Kendrick and David exchange a look, and without a word, they nod in unison.

"Go ahead," Kendrick says.

The doctor smiles, "Okay. Let's get started."

David and Kendrick nod once more, and both the doctors and nurses hurry into the operating room, and one of nurses closes the door behind them.

The light indicator outside the operating room flickers red once more, indicating that they have begun the operation.

Kendrick takes a deep breath and begins pacing about, stealing glances at the light indicator.

Meanwhile, David rests his elbows on his lap and folds his hands together, his eyes fixed on the floor.

They both wait in silence for the operation to be done, their minds racing with worry.

Kendrick then rests against a wall with his arms folded, his eyes fixed on the light indicator, which suddenly flickers green.

His heart leaps, and he quickly stands upright.

"Look," he says to David.

David raises his head to Kendrick, a brow raised, unsure of what he is talking about.

The door to the operating room suddenly opens, diverting both their gazes to the conversing doctors and nurses, who approach them with warm smiles on their faces.

"It's good news," the male doctor says, sounding relieved.

"The operation was a success!" The female doctor announces.

Both their hearts instantly leap with joy, and David stands up from the chair, embracing Kendrick in a tight hug.

They pull away, smiles on their faces, and shift their gazes to the doctors.

"Is she awake?" Kendrick asks.

"She isn't at the moment, but she will definitely come to," the male doctor says, and the female doctor offers a reassuring smile.

They both embrace each other once more, their hearts feeling lighter.

"Can we go see her?" Kendrick asks as they pull away.

"Yes, you can," the female doctor says with a nod, and both doctors smile.

They nod and rush to the operating room door.

Kendrick pushes it open, and they both enter, the smell of surgical equipment filling their nostrils.

Kendrick rushes to sit on the bed, his eyes fixed on Amanda's pale face with a bandage wrapped around her head, while David stands nearby, watching them with concern.

Kendrick leans in closer to Amanda, his elbows resting on both sides of her head on the bed.

He uses his right hand to cradle her cheek, his gaze intense as he stares at her.

He strokes her cheek with his thumb, his touch gentle.

"Amanda, wake up," he whispers.

David watches with a smile on his face as he stands still.

Suddenly, Amanda's eyes flicker open, and she gazes up at Kendrick.

Her eyes instantly grow wide at the proximity of his face.

"Ken...ken-drick?" Her voice is weak.

Kendrick instantly places his index finger on her lips, "shhh."

"Ikem," he corrects her.

Amanda's eyes search his, her heart pounding in her chest.

A simple, weak smile suddenly graces her lips as she nods.

"I-kem," she says, her eyes red from unconsciousness.

"I'm glad you're okay," David interrupts, his gaze filled with remorse.

They both shift their gazes to him.

"Uhm, who are you?" Amanda asks.

David steps closer in response, then settles at the edge of the bed.

"I'm David, Kendrick's friend, and the one who ran you over," he states sympathetically.

Amanda remains calm, too weak to react.

"It was you?" She asks.

David nods, his head low.

"Wasn't just his fault," Kendrick says, causing Amanda to glance back at him.

"It was mine too," he says, his gaze downcast.

He doesn't wait for her to respond and pulls away to sit on the bed instead.

"We're both at fault," he states.

Amanda's eyes widen in surprise, but she remains silent.

David's eyes flicker with guilt, and he nods in agreement.

"We're both responsible," he says calmly.

Kendrick's gaze remains fixed on the floor, his shoulders slumped in regret.

Amanda's eyes shift between the two, her mind racing with questions.

She tries to speak, but her voice is barely audible, "What...what happened?"

Kendrick and David exchange a glance, and David takes a deep breath before speaking.

"It was an accident," he says.

"We were discussing, and I couldn't pay attention to the road. I didn't mean to hit you, Amanda. I swear."

Amanda's eyes narrow, her mind trying to process the information.

She looks at Kendrick, who still refuses to meet her gaze.

"It's fine," she says with a smile, causing Kendrick to glance at her.

"I was also being really careless."

She tries to sit up by herself, but Kendrick helps her, his arm wrapping around her shoulder.

Amanda tries her best to avoid his gaze as he lifts her up.

She feels extremely nervous, and her cheeks grow hot.

"You okay?" Kendrick asks, his voice low and gentle.

"Hmm," Amanda nods, her gaze downcast.

Kendrick releases her shoulders then furrows his brows.

"What were you doing alone on the road?" He asks.

Amanda raises her gaze to look at him, "Oh, uhm..."

The thought of Faustina's actions floods her mind as she stays mute.

Kendrick snaps his fingers in her face, his eyes intensely staring at her as she finally regains her senses.

"What's up?" He asks.

Amanda shakes her head, "It's nothing," she responds.

"Nothing?" Kendrick repeats.

"Yes."

"Hmm," Kendrick nods, not fully taking in her response.

David, on the other hand, listens carefully to their conversation and also finds it difficult to believe Amanda's words.

"How did you end up on the road?" He asks, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Amanda sighs and rests her head against the headboard.

She shakes her head, then folds her arms.

"It's just this girl I thought I knew," she starts, and both boys pay attention to her.

"I don't really know her that well, but I took her as a friend, and guess what"

"What did she do?" David asks, while Kendrick raises a brow.

She sighs before responding, "She stole a lot of our money and ran away with it."

Both their eyes widen, "Whoa!" Kendrick exclaims.

"Trust carefully," David says.

Amanda simply lets out a chuckle and shakes her head.

"And I foolishly went after her, which led to my current condition," She says.

"You're lucky to be alive," Kendrick says, his gaze piercing into her.

Amanda looks away, feeling her cheeks grow hot.

She fidgets with her fingers as a smile plays on her lips.

"Your mom must be worried," Kendrick says, his words pulling her gaze back to his.

"Hmm," she nods.

The door swings open, and they all turn to see who it is.

It is a nurse with a tray containing a plate of jollof rice, plantain, and chicken, with a glass of water prominently displayed and a box of medicines by the side.

She enters with a smile. "You're awake," she says, her smile not faltering as she hands Kendrick the tray.

"Eat and take your medicines, then you'll have a quick check-up and go home, okay?" She asks.

"Hmm," Amanda nods gratefully.

The nurse nods and turns around to leave.

She closes the door behind her with a gentle click as she exits the room.

Kendrick holds the tray in his hands and examines the food with a slight smile.

Amanda and David watch him, staring at the food with so much interest.

"Are you also hungry?" Amanda asks.

Kendrick raises his head to meet her gaze, his intensity sending a shiver down Amanda's spine.

He shakes his head and then shifts his gaze back to the food.

"It just reminds me of someone," he says as he picks up the spoon.

"Mind if I know who?" Amanda asks.

"My mom," he responds, raising his gaze to meet hers once more.

"Where is she?" Amanda asks.

"Currently in the US with my dad," he responds, raising a spoonful of rice to her mouth.

Amanda's eyes widen, and she blinks continuously.

Her eyes dart between Kendrick and the spoon of rice.

"Uhm, I can feed myself," she says.

"Open up," Kendrick insists, and Amanda's heart begins racing.

She smiles nervously, "Uhm..."

Kendrick smirks, enjoying Amanda's nervous reaction.

"I've got some other ideas to persuade you to eat," he says, his eyes sparkling with playfulness, causing Amanda's stomach to fill with butterflies.

"Hmm!" David pretends to clear his throat, diverting both their gazes to him, as he has been watching them intently.

"What's up?" Kendrick asks with a slight frown.

David shakes his head, "Nothing, haha, go on," he says with a chuckle.

Kendrick shakes his head, then returns his gaze back to Amanda, his smile returning.

"Don't keep me hanging," he says to her, his voice gentle.

Amanda smiles and slowly opens her mouth, then takes in the food.

She chews slowly, her gaze on her lap, feeling extremely nervous but also grateful for Kendrick's kindness.

Never in her life has any crush of hers done what Kendrick is doing for her; she feels really glad, lucky, and nervous all at once.