It appears that Jeremy no longer believes in formality, not after that. Not that I can blame him.
“Then I’m following you. I won’t leave him,” I insist.
“Atlas,” Julian calls softly. “I’m alright, really. You need to rest.”
“No.” I shake my head. “Not without you.”
The room is silent for a moment, and I can feel four pairs of eyes drilling into me, but I refuse to look away from Julian’s face.
Jeremy approaches, kneeling next to me.
“Alright,” Father begins, “let’s all head to the infirmary, and then we’ll get some rest. In the morning, we can discuss what has transpired.”
This seems to be a decent compromise, and I allow Jeremy to take Julian from my arms. I immediately feel cold and empty without him.
As Jeremy walks away, I can hear Julian whisper, “I’m sorry, Dad. I’m sorry.”
But Jeremy just shushes him.
“I’ll fill your mother in and meet you there,” Father adds, kissing my head briefly before breaking off to go to Abigail’s room.
The entire time that Julian is being patched up, if he is not wincing through the pain, he’s asking where I am, demanding that I stay within his line of sight.
Eventually, Jeremy moves out of the way, and I sit next to where he lies, holding his hand.
His nervous brown eyes dart back to me every few minutes, taking in everything he can see and breathing a breath of relief.
I want to tell him that it’s not his fault—that he did everything he could—but now doesn’t feel like the right time.
With six new stitches and gauze taped over his eye, Julian is done, and he sits up shakily.
Jeremy attempts to coerce Julian into sleeping in his bed for the night, but Julian throws a fit, demanding that he sleep withmein his own bed.
Surprisingly, Atticus and my father don’t fight him on it, and Jeremy gives up rather quickly. Oscar, on the other hand, lets him know that he’ll be right outside the door the entire night.
I balance Julian’s weight on my side as I guide him to his quarters, and Jeremy kisses the crown of his head gently before departing to his own.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Atticus asks as he and my father stand at the end of Hall E2.
“Yes,” I respond. “Plus, Oscar will be right outside the entire time.”
Oscar gives them a stern nod. “With a singular yell, I’ll be inside this room. If that bastard returns, you’ll know.”
That seems to bring my family some comfort, and they depart as well.
I lay Julian on his bed, leaving him in the pajama pants my father had brought to him on his way back from visiting my mother.
“Come here,” he murmurs, reaching his arms out for me.
Stripping off the bloodstained robe, I crawl in naked, letting him wrap his arms around me. As soon as we’re settled, Julian sighs.
“We’re safe,” I tell him, because I can still feel the tremors in his fingers.
“I should have… I’m sor—”
“No. Don’t even think about it,” I cut him off. “Your apology will only make me feel worse. I just want you to be okay.”
Julian sighs once more, tightening his hold on me. “Alright. You’re sure you didn’t get hurt?”
