Alden jerked awake from his sleep, his eyes blinking rapidly as his phone's incessant buzzing on the nightstand continued. He quickly grabbed his phone, stared at the screen momentarily, and answered the call.

"Yes, Sarah?" Alden greeted hoarsely.

"Where are you? Why aren't you here? Why did you leave me in my sleep?"

Sarah's whining tone tugged at Alden's guilt, but he had work to do and didn't want to disturb Sarah's rest.

"I'm sorry, Sarah. But I have to leave for Japan in the morning. You understand, right? I'm doing this for your recovery. We're trying to find a way to get you better," Alden explained.

"I'm okay! Why...