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Waiting is fucking agonizing, and my thoughts are all over the place until the head doctor finally comes out of the room, taking off his gloves.
"So?" I bark at him. "She's going to be okay, isn't she? She's going to be fine?"
"She'll be okay," the doctor mutters, not quite meeting my eyes. An awkward pause follows.
"What are you not telling me?" I hiss.
He groans, running his fingers through his hair. "We're doing everything we can, but... we aren't sure if we'll be able to save the baby."
"The baby?" My eyes widen. My pupils dilate. I'm in fucking shock because this can't be fucking real. "There's a baby?"
"You didn't know?" The doc regards me with pity, and I want to knock that look off his face. I restrain myself, though, hands forming fists and my nails digging painfully into my palms. "She's pregnant."
I nod wordlessly. I can't think of anything to say, but my heart is fucking swelling, afraid of losing something I never knew I had. Finally, I ask the most pressing question on my mind. "When can I see her?"
"In a few hours," the doc responds. "We've got her on an IV drip, and she's still unconscious. She was severely dehydrated. She’ll need to be on bed rest for a while." He gives me a long look before leaning in closer. "I have to ask. What happened? A woman in her condition shouldn't be exposed to this. We still don't know if we can save the baby."
"A mistake at our home," I mutter. I'm not going to sell Parker out. My father's motto still rings in my ears, reminding me family needs to come first. "She was locked in the family tomb for almost a full day because of... a mistake."
The doc's eyes bore into mine. I can tell he doesn't believe me, that he's fighting himself trying to decide whether he should doubt my words out loud or not. Finally, he just nods. "That's what we'll tell the police then. But Mr. Miller... If there's someone out there that's a danger to your stepsister, it would be wiser to let us know now."
"There's no one," I reply, a beat too fast. His doubtful eyes speak volumes and I know he's not buying it. But he doesn't follow up, merely nodding at me and disappearing back into the examination room.
The next few hours of waiting are excruciating. I ask every person who leaves the room for updates, but they won't tell me much except that I should wait until they can give me more information. Finally, another doctor emerges, and I race up to her, making her raise her hands to warn me off.
"Both your stepsister and the baby are stable," she tells me firmly, and a weight that's been crushing my chest falls off, making me grin. "She's waking up and asking for you, so I'll let you see her now. If you could come with me, please."
I follow the doctor into the room. June looks fucking tiny in the huge hospital bed with the IV dripping into her system and hopefully making her better. I rush to her side, squeezing the hand that doesn't have the drip in it and whispering her name. June looks tired, but her eyes light up the moment she sees me.
"You're here," she whispers weakly.
"Of course I am. How are you feeling?"
"I'm... okay." She clears her throat, glancing at the doctor. We can't talk freely while there are other people here, and I glare at the woman until she leaves us alone with a sigh. "What happened, Kade?"
"It was..." I swallow the lump in my throat. A part of me still doesn't want to admit it. If I say it out loud, it'll be true. "Parker left you in there by mistake."
"It wasn't a mistake," June argues. "It was on purpose."
"June, please." We stare at one another, and my heart pounds as I pick the right words to use. "I know you must hate him right now, but he's... he's not doing well. We need to protect him. Remember my father? He would want us to have Parker's back."
June's mouth forms a thin line. I can tell she doesn't like this one bit, but I need to insist—if for nobody else's sake, for my father's—to respect his memory. And as much as I want to fucking kill my brother for what he did, I can't help but respect my father's wishes.
"Is he gone?" June whispers, and I nod, my hands fisting.
"I made him leave. I don't think he'll ever bother us again."
"Good." She looks so relieved as she leans back on her pillow, breathing a sigh of relief. "I never want to see him again, Kade. Never. Again."
"Me neither," I mutter. It's the truth, and even though I thought my brother could never push me away completely, I now understand he's taken this too far. The darkness that's running through his veins has taken over, and he needs time to think. Still, a part of me is desperate for Parker's return. I'm not complete without my other half, and the loss of him pains me.
