AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I run a hand through my hair, wondering how much more to tell him. I need his help, but it’s been a minute since he was around. I know I need him, but I can’t help question how much help he’ll be with anything beyond dealing with my dad.
Being this cynical and distrusting doesn’t exactly make life easy, but when you’ve lived through and experienced what I have… it’s kind of impossible to be any other way. Letting out a deep breath, I make the decision to just tell him everything. I called him here for a reason, I just have to hope he doesn’t fuck me over to curry favor with Harrison.
I tell him everything that’s happened since I left the hospital, trying to ignore the steady rhythm of the machines surrounding East. He doesn’t interrupt or react, he just listens while I lay it all out. He speculates on a few points as I go but, for the most part, he just lets me work through it out loud.
The only information I keep to myself is what Finn found on Octavia’s computer system.
I don’t want anyone to know what we know until I get a meeting with the Conclave; an ace up my sleeve, as it were. God knows I need as many of those as I can get.
“So Alexander stepped up with the Rebels and had your girl’s best friend kidnapped… on top of you thinking you found your girl, but instead of finding her you found that she was taken by a team from Dranas and delivered to whoever’s been stalking her. Is that an accurate summary? Just so I know I’m not missing anything.”
I nod as he leans back against the wall, folding his arms across his chest. “I know some of the Dranas boys. I can reach out to them, see if I can get any information on that for you. I might be able to get details Finley can’t.”
“Thank you.”
Groans from East steal my attention, and when his eyes flutter open it’s like the crushing weight around my chest loosens a little.
“I’m going to go get the doctor,” Luc says before hightailing it from the room.
East raises a hand to the tube in his mouth, but I intercept and squeeze it. “Welcome back, Brother. Don’t touch it, Luc’s gone to get the doctor.”
His eyes are a little glassy and unfocused, but he’s awake. It’s like I can almost take a full breath, and once we have Octavia back, I’ll be able to breathe properly again.
It’s not more than a minute before Luc returns with a nurse on his heels.
“Welcome back to the world of the living, Mr. Saint.” She smiles at him before she shoos me out of the way so she can tend to him. “This is going to be a little uncomfortable.”
I look away, because I know I wouldn’t want anyone witnessing me like that, and I’m not about to steal any of my brother’s dignity by not. When the nurse announces that she’s done, and that the doctor will be by soon, I move back to East’s side. His eyes are closed again, but they already told us to expect him to be in and out.
“He’ll probably be thirsty, but we need to limit his intake for the time being. I’ll go grab some ice chips for him,” she says before she leaves the room.
I take my seat again and drop a text to Finley and Maverick to let them know he’s awake.
Finn:
Glad to hear it. Still no call from Dranas, but I’ll keep on it.
Me:
Luc knows some people at Dranas. I’ll drop you his number so you can coordinate.
Finn:
Sounds good.
Mav:
Glad he’s awake. Mom’s getting seen now. I’ll take her home and then come by to see him.
I put my phone away and focus back on East. The other monitors are still steady and his eyes flutter open again. He opens his mouth and rasps, “Octavia.”
I smile, because of course it is, then grimace because he’s going to be pissed. I shake my head, deciding not to tell him yet. “Once we’ve talked to the doctor, I’ll catch you up.”
The nurse reappears and helps him sit up properly, walking him through what he can and can’t drink right now. He looks like he just chewed on a wasp, but he nods along as she goes through her spiel.
The doctor comes in just before she’s finished. The same one I spoke to yesterday. She shakes East’s hand before picking up his chart and looking over it as Luc slips back into the room. “You, Mr. Saint, are one very lucky man. I’ve seen injuries like yours before and the survival rate isn’t great. Thanks to your brother acting quickly and getting you here as fast as he did, things went a lot better than expected.” East looks at me, but I don’t let on that I know about him and Harrison. “The bullet entered the chest just below your fifth rib near the sternum. We had to open your chest to repair the damage to the right side of your heart. In order to do that, we had to put you on a bypass machine. We were able to repair the hole in your heart and get it to start beating again, obviously. All of this to say you are very lucky, but the road to recovery is only just beginning.”
“What does that mean?” I ask, a little tired of having to ask that in this place.
