Falling in Love : I love you, Today and Forever

Ian pursed his lips as he stared at Ryder, who was waiting for him to reply. The man's eyes were filled with hope as he gaped at him.

"Please tell me you have found Preston, Doctor. Please."

Ian took a deep breath as he thought about what he wanted to tell him. The dreadful words refused to leave his mouth. But he could not hide the truth from Ryder either. There was a high chance that Preston was gone. Yet, after listening to the possibility that Preston too had vacated the building with the others before the explosion, his heart too wished for him to be safe and sound.

"Ryder, we..." Ian hesitated, disliking the words that were at the tip of his tongue. He was a doctor and he had faced similar situations like these in his career. A lot of times, he had to reveal the horrible truth to the patient's families, which he loathed the most.

Although he loved his job as a doctor, this was the only thing he hated the most about the job. Crushing the hopes of the family members brutally... it was as painful as getting his hopes crushed.

Ian stared at Ryder and lowered his eyes. "We have found all the officers involved in this mission, all but...." Ian licked his lips which had gone dry in worry. "Preston. We have been unable to locate him, yet."

"What? How is it possible?" Ryder cried, and his hold on Ian's hands tightened which Ian did not mind. He could understand the man's sufferings and anxiousness. It was justified. So, he allowed him to hold his hands.

"Preston has to be here somewhere. How could he disappear from the port? You might not have searched everywhere, Doctor. He must be here, I know it." Ryder did not blame the man and Ian was glad that he did not.

The one thing that Ian detested the most was when people doubted him when he had tried his best. Even when the results were in front of them, they would still doubt him and question him. This irked Ian to no extent and many times, it had taken a lot in him to control himself from lashing out at them.

This time, Ryder was not doubting him. Instead, he was dropping his suggestion and Ian was not vexed by it. The man's words were right though. They had searched the entire port except for the building that now lay as a heap of mess.

"Regarding this...Umm....I am here for the same reason. I have some questions to ask you." Ian glanced at the man behind him, who was standing silently, before he looked at Ryder again. Man, how he so badly wanted to evade the situation.

Ryder looked at him in suspicion. Being an officer at the Intelligence, he had learned the art of studying people. But from Ian's demeanor, he could not deduce anything. The man was a closed book, impossible to read. His first impression about him had been right, he thought. He was too secretive.

"Is something the matter, Doctor? Is it about Preston?" Ryder ignored Ian's strange expression and leaned forward immediately.

Ian nodded and let out a breath. "Would you mind telling me if all the members of the Intelligence had evacuated from the building before it exploded?"

Ryder was just about to answer him when Ian stopped him. "Please think carefully. This is very important."

Ian's words only served to add more to Ryder's bewilderment and he scrutinized him for a moment, which Ian did not mind. He waited for Ryder to accept his peculiar question and answer him.

Ryder was stupefied by Ian's question. Nevertheless, he still thought about it and recalled the time a few moments before the building exploded. A frown marred his face as he looked back at Ian.

"I remember, Doctor. All the members of the Intelligence had escaped from the building and we were quite far away when the bomb detonated." Ryder spoke after recalling the incident carefully.

"In that case, there is no way Preston would be trapped under the building and anywhere near it." Ian mused and Ryder's brows shot to the sky on hearing him.

"What's wrong, Doctor? Please tell me. You are scaring me now." If not for his severely wounded leg, he would have gone in search of his friend himself. Alas, he was helpless.

"As I have said before, Ryder, we have been unable to find Preston. We do not know where he is." Ian had no intentions of hiding the truth from Ryder. The man would find out sooner or later.

"We have searched the entire port twice. But...." Ian shook his head and let out a tired sigh. "We just wanted to confirm that Preston was far away from the building before it collapsed. Otherwise, I am afraid that..."

"No, no, no, Doc. Preston was just beside Valerie when the building collapsed. There is no way he would have got caught in there." Ryder declared with conviction.

"Then, that increases the chances of him being alive." Ian still had a worried expression on his face, one that mirrored Ryder's. The two men had the same thought in mind.

If Preston had managed to leave the building before it tumbled, where did he go?

"What are we going to do now, Doctor?" Since Ryder was injured, he could only seek help from others.

"All the people who are injured will be moved to the hospital in a few minutes. Some of the severely wounded patients will be transferred first. I will look for Preston again. Maybe, someone rescued him and we do not know about it. We might find him somewhere." Ian said with hope and looked at the man behind him, who left the tent after receiving his silent orders.

Ryder clenched his fists as he looked out of the tent from the small opening.

"You will have to leave too, Ryder. I have done my best in the condition we are in. Your leg needs further scans to make sure the wounds are not severe." Ian did not allow Ryder to protest and gave him a serious look, one that had Ryder accepting his suggestion without complaining.

"Deputy and you will be moved to the hospital and Maggie will accompany you two. I will try to look for Preston in the meantime."

Ryder just smiled at the man in gratitude. This was the best arrangement they could come up with in the situation they were in.