"They hate me… they hate me… I'm nothing… I'm nothing… I don't want to live… I don't want to live if they hate me…!"
A shard of raw terror sliced through Gabriel's chest at her words.
"Stop!" he snapped sharply, gripping her shoulders and forcing her to look at him. "Don't say that! Don't ever say that!"
But she didn't see him.
She didn't hear him.
Her eyes stared through him, unfocused and glassy, her breathing turning rapid and shallow as her sobs dissolved into broken, gasping hyperventilation.
Gabriel felt his own hands tremble as he reached for his phone with shaking fingers, dialling urgently.
"Dr John," he rasped the moment the line connected, his voice low and tight with panic. "Come up immediately. She's having a complete breakdown. Bring a sedative with you. Now!"
"Understood, Mr Gabriel," came the calm, professional response before the call ended.
