Breaking Point

The evening was quiet at home. Juan was in the kitchen preparing dinner, Grace was resting with the baby, and Joseph was doing homework in his room. The front door creaked open, and Felix stepped inside, his face pale, his breath labored.

He didn't make it far before his body gave out, collapsing onto the floor.

"Felix!" Juan screamed as she ran to him. Joseph came rushing out of his room, and together they managed to lift him onto the couch. Felix's skin was burning hot to the touch.

"We need to get him to the hospital," Joseph said, panic lacing his voice.

Felix was rushed into the emergency room. The doctor, a stern-looking man in his late forties, emerged after an hour to speak with Juan.

"Mrs. Juan," he began, "your son is severely overworked and dehydrated. His immune system is extremely weak due to prolonged stress and lack of rest. If he continues like this, it could lead to serious complications."

Juan's heart sank. "Will he be okay?"

"He'll recover," the doctor assured her, "but only if he takes time to rest and focuses on his health. I'm prescribing medication for his fever and stress. Please make sure he follows my advice. His body can't handle much more of this."

Felix woke up hours later, still in the hospital bed, with an IV drip in his arm. Juan sat by his side, her face etched with worry.

"Mom… I'm fine," Felix muttered weakly.

"No, you're not," Juan snapped, tears in her eyes. "Felix, you can't keep doing this to yourself. You're going to kill yourself if you don't slow down!"

Felix didn't respond, his eyes drifting to the window.

"You don't have to do this alone," Juan continued softly. "We'll figure something out. Just… please, take care of yourself."

Meanwhile, at Rani's house, Baskhar couldn't get Lisa out of his mind. He replayed their interactions during the sleepover, her laughter, her thoughtful comments, the way her eyes lit up when she spoke about her friends.

"Rani," Baskhar said one afternoon, leaning against the doorframe of her room, "is Lisa coming over again?"

Rani looked up from her phone, suspicious. "Why are you so interested in Lisa?"

"No reason," Baskhar replied, shrugging. "Just curious."

"Curious?" Rani smirked. "You like her, don't you?"

Baskhar rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. She's just… different."

Rani laughed. "Good luck with that. Lisa's not like other girls. She's smart, independent, and probably wouldn't notice you even if you stood on your head."

"We'll see," Baskhar said, a small grin tugging at his lips.

At school, Baskhar started finding reasons to talk to Lisa. Whether it was a casual comment about a project or a compliment about her outfit, he was persistent but subtle.

Lisa, however, was preoccupied. Felix's sudden collapse had shaken her, and her growing admiration for him was becoming harder to ignore.

"Lisa, are you even listening?" Baskhar asked during one of their conversations.

"Huh? Oh, sorry," Lisa said, snapping out of her thoughts.

"Thinking about someone?" Baskhar teased, his grin widening.

"No," Lisa replied quickly, her cheeks flushing.

Baskhar chuckled. "Well, if you ever need a distraction, I'm here."

Lisa smiled politely but didn't respond, her thoughts drifting back to Felix.

As Felix recovered at home, his family struggled to convince him to slow down and take care of himself. Lisa found herself torn between her concern for Felix and Baskhar's growing attention.

Would Felix let anyone help him, or would his stubborn pride continue to drive him to the brink? And how long could Lisa ignore the feelings that were beginning to overwhelm her?