Page 56 of Perfect Chaos

He stops right in front of me, quickly checking that I am okay before her places a kiss on my cheek. “It’s good to see you awake, Little Tornado. We are going to step out of the room to give you time to talk to Mrs. Carter. I’m sure you have some catching up to do.” He gives me a weak smile even though he sounds hesitant before he turns and walks out of the room with Atlas following behind him.

I turn my attention back to Mrs. Carter, realizing she had a front row seat to the entire exchange.

“I met your boyfriend, Atlas, the day you left. If his friend is anything like him, then you must be a lucky lady.”

My cheeks flush at her observation. It's the first time someone has brought attention to our relationship. And I'm not exactly sure how to respond.

“Oh, don't get all bashful on me now. Clearly, I got around myself back in the day.”

“Mrs. Carter!” I chuckle before wincing in pain.

“Well, it's true. In fact, when I was a little younger than you, I met these two boys.” She pauses for a moment, looking like she is replaying a happy memory. “They were inseparable, did everything together. I fell in love with them both differently, but with the same intensity. I imagined that’s similar to what you have now?”

“Something like that.” I feel my face heat even further than before. I don’t mind it, though. I’m so intrigued that the fact that I currently look like a tomato doesn’t bother me. I want to know more about Mrs. Carter’s life with her men. “So what happened with them? You never mentioned them before.” I can’t hide the curiosity in my voice.

“We lived a long and happy life. All three of us together. Most people didn't understand what we were at the time, but we didn't care, as long as we had each other.” Her eyes twinkle as she talks about them.

“Was it easy?” I chew on my fingernail while I anxiously wait for her response.

“Not at first. It took us some time to figure out a dynamic that worked for us, but once we decided that all that truly mattered was being together, the rest was a lot easier to figure out.” Her words hold so much love, her eyes reflecting the type of joy and admiration I feel in my soul. I know, without a doubt, she understands how I feel about Atlas and Gavin. She is so much like me that it’s almost scary.

“Where are they now? I would love to meet them.” Excitement bleeding into the sentence. Mrs. Carter is amazing. I am dying to meet the people she loves so dearly.

“We grew old together. The best years of my life were with them by my side. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to meet them, sweet girl. Martin passed about five years ago and Paul passed on right before you showed up.” She sounds reminiscent and somber at the same time.

“Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up.” My heart feels heavy. The words spill out of me as the guilt for mentioning them eats at me. I didn’t mean to bring up a sad memory. It makes sense why she never brought them up until now. I couldn’t imagine being able to speak about the boys if they were no longer here. How does she do it?

“Don't be sorry, sweetheart. You are a godsend. I couldn't have my own kids; for the first time since meeting my boys, I was on my own. Until you showed up like a ray of sunshine.” Her words warm my heart. They sound so heartfelt.

The conversation is a little too much for me to handle. So I changed the subject. “Omg. I didn't even ask how you knew I was here.”

“Atlas called me from your phone, actually. Once you were out of surgery, he called to tell me what happened. They paid for me to stay in the hotel across the street, said they wanted me to be comfortable until you woke up.”

I glance through the window to where Atlas and Gavin are talking. Neither one looks like they have slept in days, both of them still wearing the same clothes as the day of the mission. Have they been by my side the entire time?

I turn my focus back to Mrs. Carter, realizing I zoned out for a moment. “You didn't have to drive three hours to come see me, though.”

“Sweetheart, I would have flown across the country to be here if I had to. You are family; you can't get rid of me that easily, sugar.” She pats my leg, giving it a little shake. “Now that I see you're okay, I'll let you get some rest. Next time, call me if you need me. I don't just say that. I mean it.”

My throat and eyes burn as I fight back tears. “You're my family too.” I practically choke on the words as I force them past the lump in my throat. She squeezes my hand one more time before standing up. My eyes begin to feel heavy. I fight to keep them open but lose the battle, the pain meds finally kicking in. I drift off back to sleep as she leaves the room.

Gavin

Maizyn fell back asleep after her conversation with Mrs. Carter about an hour ago. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit jealous that Mrs. Carter got to talk to her first. I understand that it was best to let them get their conversation out of the way, so Mrs. Carter could head back home but it doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it. I was asleep when she first woke up, so I missed my chance to actually talk to her. Sitting at the foot of her bed while once again waiting for her to wake up is agonizing. There are so many things we need to discuss. The longer I have to wait, the heavier the conversation feels. My eyes haven't left her for more than a few seconds, watching the rise and fall of her chest with each breath she takes. I still don’t think it’s settled into my head that she is alive. In my mind, she is still bleeding out with her blood all over my hands. Atlas hasn’t said much either. I don’t know if he is suffering the same problems as me or if he is entirely unaffected. The silence is becoming too loud.

“I can feel you staring at me; stop it.” She forces the words out, sounding hoarse.

I jump at the sound of her voice, almost thinking I imagined it. Her eyes opened shortly after, allowing a little bit of the weight to lift off my shoulders. Atlas grabs her water from the side table while I stand to help her sit up. She takes the offered beverage, gulps down half of it before handing the cup back to Atlas and slumping back against her pillows. Before we can have much of a conversation, a knock at the door steals our attention. We all turn to see Natali standing in the doorway.

“I’m sorry if I am interrupting anything. I heard you were awake. I wanted to check in and see how you were doing.” I watch her eyes scan Maizyn, almost like she can see beneath the blankets and hospital gown to the injuries scattered across Maizyn’s body.

“I am doing well given the circumstances.” After the water, her voice is beginning to sound more normal. I am thankful for that.

“Good. I’m glad to hear that. Maybe now that you are awake, your boys here will finally let a doctor check them over.” Natali raises an eyebrow as her eyes lift to stare accusatorially at my own.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, they haven’t left your side the entire time you have been here. They refused any treatment until they knew you were okay, despite Xeno and I insisting otherwise.”