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I feel like I’m confessing a huge secret, but I am worried. There’s too many variables, too few things we don’t know, and I just need that gorgeous girl to open her eyes so she can tell us what went down before she attempted to end it all.
“What if I keep watch here, just while you speak to her? Can you get permission from the nurses station? They’re kind of scary,” Jonas whispers and I snort.
This is a Catholic hospital. Of course they’re fucking scary.
“Yes, thank you, Jonas.” I sigh, rubbing my face, knowing I’ll need to get another cup of coffee to aid my vigil. “They like me, so I’m sure they’ll say yes.”
Squeezing his shoulder with a wan smile, I walk to the nurses station. It’s early in the morning, and Ash is finally on his way back with Tempest. Knowing she’s going to bring her own problems doesn’t lighten my mood in the least, but we need her.
Something happened to Chastity, and if she doesn’t feel comfortable opening up to me or the guys, she will talk to Tempest. They have a bond like no other.
“Hi, Nurse Preston,” I say to the nurse on duty. There’s a lighter staff right now due to the hour, but they’ve all done their best for Chastity. “I need to step out to speak to Mother Cross. I don’t feel comfortable leaving Chastity completely alone, just in case there’s any changes. Can Jonas stay here while I go speak to her?”
Nurse Preston’s lips press tightly together as she looks up. I know she wants to deny me, but I raise my brow in supplication. Sighing, she nods. I’ve been the only one allowed back here other than Chastity’s grandmother, since I’m her teacher and a fellow man of the cloth. Or so they think, but I’m not about to start confessing my secrets too.
Mother Cross put me down as an emergency contact for Chastity, in case she couldn’t be here, since she has a school to run. I’m to keep her up to date with any changes after she returns to Holy Cross.
Classes will be up and running in a few short hours, and they’ll need her.
“I should really say no, but that poor girl needs everyone praying for her,” the nurse sighs. “Yes, he can stand at the glass outside of her room in vigil while you speak with her grandmother.”
“Thank you, so much. It means a lot to me,” I tell her gratefully.
I rush out of the ward to the outside waiting room, where Mother Cross is sitting with Bast. Bastian looks dead on his feet, exhausted, but unwilling to give up the ghost. I hope she’ll give them a pass from their morning classes to rest up.
In fact… “Mother Cross, you asked to speak to me?” I ask.
Nodding, she stands quickly. “Where’s Jonas?”
“I asked him to pray for Chastity while I stepped away,” I explain, and she gives me a grateful smile.
“Come, I wish to speak with you before I take the boys with me to the Academy. I appreciate your willingness to stay back and be with her while I take up my responsibilities at the school,” Mother Cross says, as we step away for some privacy.
Bast stares intently after us, but I know he won’t be able to hear anything with how quietly Mother Cross speaks.
“It’s no problem at all. I care about the girl’s well-being,” I tell her as professionally as possible. The last thing I need is for her to suspect my interest in our Eve is anything but professional, as her teacher.
“Before we get to what you need to speak to me about, I’d like to suggest the boys be allowed to skip morning classes in favor of going to sleep. As their mentor, I worry they won’t be able to retain anything.”
Looking over her shoulder as Bastian watches us, his eyes droop despite his best efforts. “Yes, I agree with you there,” she murmurs. “They’re all dead on their feet. I don’t have any problems allowing this. Now for my matter at hand?”
I incline my head, asking her to continue. I wouldn’t usually interrupt her, but I am worried about how tired the guys are.
“Excellent. You are the person who will receive updates about Chastity’s health while I’m away. I would appreciate a phone call whenever the doctors speak to you with news, or every three hours,” Mother Cross says. Grunting my acceptance, I wait for her to continue. “I’ve been attempting to get ahold of Chastity’s father, to find out what happened while she was in his care, but all of my calls go to voicemail. I will continue to call, but I find this disturbing.”
Frowning, I decide to call my father as well, to see what I can find out. “I agree, the amount of bruises on her body concerns me. The doctor asked if she had been assaulted, but—”
“They performed a sexual assault examination earlier,” Mother Cross whispers furtively, shaking her head. “I would have thought she was at a party and had gotten into trouble, if I didn’t see her leave with her father. Chastity didn’t stray from her path while she was outside the gates of Hidden Hills.Somethingevil happened to her.”
I don’t think I’ve ever heard her speak so vehemently about her granddaughter, and my jaw drops in shock. I thought Mother Cross would blame Chastity somehow for the bruises, despite it being obvious that someone attempted to beat the life out of her.
Mother Superior blows out a breath as she sees my expression. “I have failed my granddaughter in many ways in my attempts to help her find her redemption, but she did not put hands on herself. Chastity cannot tell us what happened to her, so I will do everything in my power to protect her until she wakes, and beyond that. I will continue to pray for this child. No one deserves to be beaten as she was,” Mother Cross says, shaking her head.
Swallowing hard, she pulls back the emotions of despair, fear, and sadness for Chastity. It’s hard to wear the mantle of such responsibility as the headmistress of an academy, and still be a woman with feelings and worry for their granddaughter. I appreciate that she doesn’t bury them completely. It’s nice to see that she’s human too.
“I’ll watch out for Chastity,” I murmur. “Please ensure the boys sleep when they return to Holy Cross.”
“Of course,” Mother Cross says primly, before turning and walking over to Bastian. Gently shaking him awake, she leads him into the ICU to get Jonas, and to say goodbye to Chastity through the glass.
