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“Dorian, have you anything you’d like to say to your fans, especially given this amazing turnout?” He wasn’t sure which of the reporters had asked, but he’d take these sort of easy questions all night long.
“I’m just so humbled by the response. It wasn’t an easy decision to come out, and I feel I need to apologise for not being my true self for so long. I love these guys.”
He glanced behind to see Robin had been stopped by a reporter and Simon seemed to staring towards the entrance. “I’ll be right back, I need to make sure a friend of mine’s not being left out.”
Dorian caught up with Simon and saw what had distracted him. A young lady, not even out of her teens, had jumped the barrier a few metres away.
She was picking up speed, unimpeded by the long dress she was wearing or her heels, her hand out in front brandishing a fan. It was then he realised she was heading straight in their direction. Her eyes were wide and staring, an unhinged quality about them that gave Dorian pause.
She lunged at Simon.
“Robin belongs to Dorian. If you won’t leave then I’ll remove you so they can be happy.”
Dorian shoved her to one side but Simon was already sinking to his knees. He pitched forwards and rolled onto his back. For a moment Dorian didn’t know what to do, but he threw himself to Simon’s side.
He was vaguely aware that the woman had been yanked away and was now buried under a pile of security officers. Simon was pressing his hand to his stomach. “Fuck,” Simon growled. “You need to apply some pressure.”
Dorian did as he was told, the wetness of Simon’s blood making his hands sticky.
Someone was kneeling next to them. Paramedics took over but he could tell Simon was having trouble keeping his eyes open.
He heard Robin screaming Simon’s name, and then strong hands were pulling him away. Security had stepped in, finally. “We need to get you clear, Mr Marsten.”
He tried to struggle but they weren’t having any of it. “But Simon?”
“He’s got the best care with the ambulance crew… they need space to work.”
Dorian tried to lunge forwards one last time, but he was ushered inside the cinema, Simon’s blood drying on his hands.
CHAPTER16
Robin sobbed uncontrollably in his arms. The last four hours had been a cycle of rage and despair. Simon’s parents were in a similar state and Simon’s dad, Jim, was dozing on a sofa in the waiting room they’d been escorted to, his mum, Hayley, curled up next to him. Despite washing his hands several times Dorian still had Simon’s blood under his nails.
Now they were waiting at St Thomas’ hospital for the outcome of an investigational surgery that he couldn’t remember the proper name for and Robin had discovered the hard way that no matter how rich someone was, or what their name was, there wasn’t any way around hospital bureaucracy and surgeons could not be rushed.
Robin pulled back and wiped his eyes. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“No, no, no. You don’t apologise for this.” Dorian hadn’t told Robin what the girl had said about removing Simon so they could be together. He didn’t think Robin hearing that at the moment would help, there was already enough guilt in the room over them not treating the threats as real, and saying anything would cause a downward spiral he wasn’t sure he could get Robin out of.
Simon had been rushed to A&E in an ambulance, Robin trapped inside the cinema alongside Dorian and had been unable to go with him, he’d wailed like a banshee until he’d been released. The countless guests and reporters inside had been wise to give them a wide berth, Robin was upset, and had enough influence to destroy a career in a moment of grief and anger. Eventually, they’d heard Simon had been taken to St Thomas’ and Dorian had insisted he’d go with Robin.
The door opened and a man in scrubs entered. “I’m Mr Fitzwilliam, the surgeon who’s just operated on Mr MacLove.”
Simon’s dad jolted awake. Dorian had never seen three people look so terrified, each one waiting for the worst but desperate for it not to be the case.
“He was lucky, I couldn’t see any damage to a major organ, but it was close.”
“Where is he? Can we see him?” asked Robin. Dorian thought Robin should have known the answer to the second one.
“He’s still in recovery at the moment and he’ll be transferred to a ward for observation. Thankfully, we’re not looking at a visit to ICU. You’ll be able to see him later during visiting hours.”
“How long will he need to be kept in?” asked Hailey.
“A few days, I can’t be more specific at the moment.”
“So he’s out of immediate danger?” asked Robin.
“Yes, but as I said, he will need to be observed depending on the situation, additional tests and scans might be required.”
