Last time on 234's lifelines;

Ethan Reynolds Vanderbilt son to Hannah Vanderbilt and Elijah Reynolds finds out that Hera is the third and last room 234's virgin. He also realizes he'd met her previously on a trip to California at a haunted house where he went to pick his cousin Susan. Susan the second room 234's virgin, had become an alcoholic an after effect of the game Lexis and his friends played with her. Ethan had gone to bring her to his dad's hospital in Togo for treatment when he bumped into Hera. He also makes the connection between Hera and Lexis. Informing his dad and sister Liza of Lexis' death.

 "It's been fifty years, fifty long years since I've done this. Looking back on what I said all those years ago, all the hopes and dreams I had, I've come to the conclusion that if having things turn out the way you wanted them to is the measure of a successful life, then some would say that I'm a failure. The important thing is not to be bitter over life's disappointments. Learn to let go of the past. And recognize that every day won't be sunny, and when you find yourself lost in the darkness and despair remember it's only in the black of night you see the stars. And those stars will lead you back home. So don't be afraid to make mistakes, or stumble and fall, cause most of the time the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most. Maybe you'll get everything you wish for. Maybe you'll get more than you ever could have imagined. Who knows where life will take you. The road is long and in the end, the journey is the destination."- Coach 'Whitey' Durham (One Tree Hill)

Song: Britt Nicole - When she cries

***

4 Years ago, Lagos Nigeria.

"E" A voice whispers.

"E" The faint feminine voice calls out.

"E" The feminine voice gets slightly louder while visibly unstable

Ethan turns his eyes fluttering at the sound of his name being lightly called.

"E" 

He hears again as he stretches.

"Ethan!" A scream rings out causing him to jump up in fright. He looks around and notices Hera on the floor with the baby in her hands looking at it with extreme horror.

He quickly scrambles up hurrying to her side. After the birth of the child Hera had tried to live but was still stuck in her slump. With the exception of the day she gave birth, this was the first time she ever held the baby in her arms.

"What's wrong?" E says hurrying over to her side placing one hand on her shoulder as the other moves the baby blanket to glance at the baby.

"Breath...breath...she's not breathing," Hera says voice trembling.

"What?" E says quickly looking at the child.

"I didn't do anything, E I just carried her, I promise I just carried her. I simply carried her," Hera keeps chanting placing her nails in her teeth and chewing on them fidgeting.

E quickly checks on the babies pulse and notices it had truly stopped.

"I didn't do anything...I didn't E, I didn't," Hera keeps chanting.

E quickly put the baby on a flat surface gently tapping her. He then prepares to perform CPR as Hera chants.

"Please Lord, please...please Lord..."

He checks for pulse once more and feels a faint pulse. He checks again to be sure.

He exhales in relief.

"She's breathing, she's back. It's okay," He says to Hera.

He then places the baby in the cot, taking out his phone, he calls his sister asking for an ambulance, not wanting to take any chances.

He glances at Hera who's visibly shaken and pulls her into his chest tightly hugging her and stroking her hair.

"It's okay, it's okay, she's breathing now. It's okay," He keeps chanting to calm her down.

He then seats Hera on the bed moving to get some water for her but Hera grabs onto his pants.

"Don't go," She says scared if he leaves the baby would stop breathing.

Understanding, E seats next to her and pulls her to his chest holding her tightly while they wait.

After arriving at the hospital and going through some tests his sister returns with a male doctor to inform them of the update.

"It's Apnea," His sister says.

"Apnea? What's that?" E asks.

"It's a condition where you experience long or short breaths sometimes experiencing a pause. Premature babies sometimes do not breathe regularly. They take long, short breaths and pauses lasting for 5 to 10 seconds before starting to breathe normally. But it becomes Apnea when it's more than 15 seconds like you saw with the baby," She explains.

"When you tapped her shoulder, you caused her stimuli to be alert and start breathing again," The other male doctor says.

Hera looks at E with eyes filled with appreciation.

"You said you noticed a slow pulse which we also noticed in her heart rate it's one of the possible accompanimnet after an Apnea episode," His sister Liza says.

"Can it be treated?" E asks.

"Yes as hers is due to her being a premature baby. We should have seen these signs when she was born but...we will run some more tests and immediately start treatment on her. For premature babies, their Apnea usually stops after 42 weeks. But they are still at risk of recurrence of apnea in response to exposure to anesthetic agents, at least until around 52 weeks," The male doctor answers.

"We've already put her under observation and are running some more tests to make sure no stone is left unturned," The male doctor finishes.

Hera insists on staying with the baby in the hospital so Liza opens up a private room for her.

"E," Hera calls out when they are alone in the room.

"Mmm," He answers lightly pulling up the covers of her bed.

"E I'm a horrible mum right?" Hera asks earning his full attention. He stops arranging the bed for her and seats next to her.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"You saw what just happened, how I blacked out. I could have caused her death, I could have lost her,"

"But you didn't," He comforts her.

"But I could have," She says reaching out to hold tightly onto his hands.

"E, I caused her father and brother to die, and I almost killed her too,"

"No Hera, those deaths and what happened now were not your fault,"

"Yes they were and today, I almost caused her death," She says.

Knowing there was no use arguing with her, E changes the topic.

"For now sleep, we'll talk more in the morning," He says tucking her in before he leaves the room to go search for his sister. He walks into her office and notices his dad seated with her.

"Dad?" E says smiling as he walks over to hug his dad.

"When did you arrive?" He asks surprised.

"Right about when you arrived with the baby," Elijah, his dad says.

"What? Why didn't I know you were coming?"E asks.

"I wanted to surprise you two but it seems I came at a bad time," Elijah says seating down.

"No...no actually you came at a perfect time!" E says seating on the opposite end.

Liza gets up and pours him a cup of coffee.

"Oh, why is that?" Elijah asks.

"I have a client for you,"

"Hera Reynolds?" He guesses.

"Yes, can you treat her?"

"I only treat clients in my facility in Togo, you know that,"

"Can't you make an exception this time?"

"First tell me all about her without leaving out any details," Elijah says.

E, goes ahead to tell his dad everything he'd learnt from James, Keith and Hera the little moments she spoke the past few months.

"The mistake you and her family made was letting her be," Elijah says when E finishes.

"Letting her be?" E asks.

"She was brought to this country for a change in environment, but apart from the fact that she was in a new country nothing changed," Elijah explains.

"True," Liza mouths getting the coffee mugs.

"She's still miserable, left alone to do absolutely nothing except eat when she wants and attend her doctor appointments, that too when she wants. Apart from that her life is blank revolving around her room, toilet and the doctors office,"

"Isn't that what you're supposed to do for people grieving? Allow them grieve and be patient?" E asks.

"Yes but not for as long as she has been left. She has been allowed to wallow in it for so long that she is stuck and caged in her mind,"

"Can't it be fixed with counseling?"

"If this was prior to her sons death I'd say yes," Elijah answers.

"She needs counseling but her case was worsened by the fact that while stuck in the state she was, she lost her son and almost lost her daughter,"

"She needs therapy, to have order brought back to her life, an equilibrium consisting of routines and stability but most importantly," He says raising a finger.

"Most importantly?"

"Considering the fact that her child has a weak immune system she needs to be separated from her till she gets better otherwise if something where to happen to that child while Hera is here by her side, you'll lose her,"

"You mean she'll kill herself?" E asks leaning forward.

"That or the grief will kill her. Either way leaving her here is suicide. This point is critical to her getting some sort of routine back to her life that's not limited to what she currently has,"

"But where should she go? Back to the states?"

"No, she's not ready for that. There's too much history there," Elijah answers.

"How about Togo?" Liza suggests walking over with the coffee mugs.

"Togo?" E asks looking at her.

Liza nods handing him a cup of coffee.

"Dad is there and you were scheduled to leave for business there in a week anyway,"

"But isn't Susan in Togo?" 

"Not right now," His dad voices.

"She is much much better so I sent her to your mums yesterday. The change of environment will do her good as it will Hera," Elijah says.

 "She needs the separation to be restored some routine. You said she held the baby in her arms for the first time and she stopped breathing," Elijah says.

"Yes," E answers.

"She'll be ridden with guilt and self blame that will only magnify should she see the baby continuously while the baby undergoes treatment," Liza says.

"That's true," Their father echoes proudly. She wasn't a psychologist but she at least knew some things.

"I don't know if Hera will agree to leave her baby," E says.

"No offense Ethan but didn't Hera not care about her child till today?" Liza asks dropping her mug on the side table. interlocking her finger on her thighs.

"That's not true," E says coming to her defense.

"She never once touched the baby after it's birth, you did all the work with Keith and the help that was hired, tell me exactly how she cared," Liza says slightly irritated. She hated seeing her brother like that yet as a doctor and human she understood his actions. But that didn't stop her from feeling like her brother who'd normally never do these things was being taken advantage of consciously or unconsciously and the worst part was he was allowing it.

"She couldn't. She was not in a mental state to, I'm sure she wanted to," His father states.

"Exactly, thanks dad. She got slightly better thanks to the baby's birth, she just never fully recovered and didn't want her mental state to somehow harm the child,"

"Which finally happened when she touched the child and opened up," Elijah says.

"She didn't harm the child dad. The Apnea wasn't caused by Hera," Liza says wondering if he words had blurred her dads insight and judgement.

"I know that, you know that but, Hera doesn't believe that and that's what matters," Elijah says.

"Let me talk to her," He says looking at E.

"Talk to her?" E asks.

"I'll try my best to convince her to go, you said she doesn't like psychologists, asylums and the like and has refused treatments. I won't treat her fully as for that she needs to be admitted into our facility  and agree. You know how I feel about taking in clients who don't want help. But, I can at least help get her back to a scheduled routine way of life that has the equilibrium she needs to move forward till she's ready for treatment and to open up to me or another psychologist,"

"The most important thing between a psychologist and his client is trust. Due to what she's been through in life it's not easy for her to do so, I can't promise a full recovery but I can at least promise an equilibrum," Elijah says.

"Plus the child needs treatment, her immunity is too weak to be traveling on planes," Liza says.

"Who'll take care of her?" E asks.

"Liza," Elijah volunteers.

"What?" Liza says taken aback.

"Why? You don't want to?" Elijah asks.

"I don't know how to take care of a baby dad," Liza says.

"You're a gynecologist. The baby is a patient in need of treatment. You'll be okay.,"

"If you need help, hire help. With the Blacks tracking Hera, having the baby with you is much better,"

"Speaking of tails and tracking, what did you do about the tail they had on her?" Elijah asks.

"He hasn't told them about the child has he?"

"No, he works for me now but you never know when they'll send someone else so I' preparing a little gift for them,"

"A little gift?"

"Why does that worry me?"

"Nothing to worry about at least not for you,"

"You're still seeking revenge?" His dad asks disapprovingly.

"No dad, I stopped the day I found out who Hera was. What Alexander did, his death more than paid for. But if his living family touches mine I won't let them be,"

"Yours?" Liza says lips upturning, a glint in her eyes.

"Since when do you have a family?" Liza asks leaning towards him, as if seeking gossip.

His dad glances at him and smiles. 

E coughs getting up.

"I'll go check on her now, see you tomorrow dad," He says hurrying out as his sister throws her head back in laughter.

            The next day the three head to Hera's room and speak with her.

Elijah informed her of his plans and managed to help her understand how the baby needed to be apart from her for a bit. E, would not admit it publicly but even he wasn't confident he'd have been able to get her to understand or be on the brink of agreement. He'd been worried all night on how to convince Hera to leave Shakespeare behind but with just a few words from his dad, she was tilting. He had to give it to him, his dad was really good at his job.

"I won't push for you to get treatment in our facility but there is something that might help you regain a little bit of yourself," Elijah says after speaking with her for a while. 

"What's that?" Hera asks.

"A change of environment," He answers.

"Come to Togo, not to be placed in our facility but as my guest. Come live with me for a while,"

"Will that help?"She asks lightly.

"Greatly. You need time to gain the strength to face the future before retuning here. Time to mourn your loss. You may never get over the loss but you will be able to at least live somewhat normally for your daughter,"

"Okay," Hera says to which Elijah smiles.

"How much does it cost for a flight? I need to ask Jamie for the funds,"

"There's no need, I'll handle it," E says.

"What? No!" Hera refuses.

"Hera please...If at all I mean anything, anything at all to you then let me pay for your ticket,"

"But..." She starts.

"I promise I'll never provide any future financial help to you," He says.

His dad and sister exchange looks.

"Hera please... I've never pleaded with you for anything or asked for anything from you. Let me do this for you, for her, please," He says.

"Okay," Hera finally accepts.

***

The next 3 or two chapters will be flashbacks too so just be prepared. You've seen what happened to Lexis, at least most of it. But, you're yet to see the full story on Hera like is she really married? Why, how and when? Amongst other questions that should be answered in the coming chapters.