Chapter Thirty-Six
Too many times, Elias had found him in this exact spot. Theo’s track record of hospital visits was long, yet it never got any easier for him. This time, he had Connor to fuss over as well. He was well-trained in the routine when it came to Theo’s asthma and how it played out with his anxiety. There was a predictable pattern that offered a minuscule amount of comfort when it came to how the hospital dealt with severe asthma. The injuries Theo had sustained and the gnawing worry over Connor’s condition made this round of medical treatment unlike any Elias had sat through before.
He and Caleb had swapped in and out over the last forty-eight hours so that neither of them were too overwhelmed, and Connor and Theo always had someone present. There was also the fact that they were dealing with children as well. Anna and Toby were insistent on staying, but Elias had to put his foot down and send them home with Caleb and Parker after the first twenty-four hours. They were all running on fumes and stubborn grit, but the kids were barely hanging on by a thread.
He shifted his weight in the hard folding chair and flipped another page in his portfolio of work despite the gritty feeling in his eyes. He’d promised Theo he would keep vigil over Connor”s unmoving body. Unlike Theo’s own mother, Elias wasn”t about to break a promise made to the young man he considered a son. Only after promising he would watch over Connor did Theo relent and let himself sleep. His body needed the rest, even if his mind was hard-pressed to accept that truth.
Severe blood loss. A heightened risk for infection. Concerns about pneumonia in addition to a stress-induced flare up of his asthma. Those were just the physical concerns to worry over. They hadn”t even begun to worry about the implications this had for his mental health and the conditions he was already dealing with on that front. Theo was belligerently ignoring all of it in lieu of stressing over Connor’s condition.
Connor’s list was far smaller in scale but much more harrowing in scope. They removed the breathing tube after about the thirty hour mark. He was weaned off the medication that kept him in a coma while they monitored the swelling in his brain. Now, they were simply waiting for him to come out of it on his own. The fact that he hadn”t yet had them all growing more and more concerned with every hour that crawled by. They didn”t express those concerns out loud, but they all felt them.
“Mr. Williams,” a nurse whispered from the crack in the door to the hallway. “You asked me to let you know about visitors not on the list?”
Elias stole a glance at the sleeping men to his left and right. He hedged his bets on being back before either of them woke and rose to his feet with a wince. The lighting in the hallway was viciously bright compared to the soothing dim level he”d set in the private room that was costing him a small fortune. He wanted to return to it as soon as he left.
“Sir, I know you wanted us to check with you first but…” The young nurse glanced over her shoulder. “Sir, it”s the President.”
Elias paused as her words sank in before slowly lifting his hand and pinching the space between his eyes with his fingers and thumb. The rising tension immediately had his heartburn acting up again.
“No. Not tonight. Not any night. Absolutely not.” His voice was stiff with strain.
“B-but… the President, Mr. Williams.”
“The President can turn her presidential ass back around and leave. It”s not happening.” Elias dipped his head to meet the young woman’s gaze. “Am I understood? If I see so much as a hair from her head on this floor, I”m calling the board of directors myself.”
“Uh… um… oh God,” she blabbered in response. The wringing of her hands had his patience wearing thin.
“Where is she? I”ll tell her myself.” Elias cast a glance back at the door. “Tell me where and then go in there and wait till I return.”
“Th-the waiting hall outside the wing, Mr. Williams, Sir.”
“For fuck”s sake,” Elias swore under his breath as he immediately strode in the direction of the waiting room. He had neither the time nor desire for pleasantries. This wasn”t the White House. As far as he was concerned, she”d long since given up her right to show up without even asking first. She”d also given up the right to call Theo family. In Elias’ mind, Theo was his family. And he wasn”t about to let anyone disturb his family.
His irritation turned to pure, burning hot rage as he pushed through the door and veered into the waiting room. It wasn”t just Adelaide waiting. She had the unfathomable nerve to bring Aaron Fucking Evans with her. Elias almost wished Caleb was here to make good on his homicidal promises. Hell, he was ready to wring necks and worry about the consequences after.
“Are you absolutely out of your skull?” Elias stopped short in the middle of the room. “You have some fucking nerve, Addy!”
“Hey, now. Watch your tone—” Aaron made it only one step before Elias unleashed all his anger at the man.
“Shut the actual fuck up, Aaron, or I swear on everything I stand for, I will knock your fucking teeth down your throat!”
“Elias!” Adelaide gasped and dared to look affronted. Elias scoffed in her face without any shame
“Nope. We’re not doing this here, we’re not doing this tonight. The gall you have showing up here, of all places? You should be ashamed of yourself!” Elias shook his head and sidestepped out of the way, raising a hand to point to the doorway. “Leave. Now.”
“I”m here to see my son! I”m not leaving until I do.” Adelaide seethed and clenched her fists. “How dare you, Elias. How dare you—”
“Me? How dare you! Countless times he’s been hospitalized and I was the one sitting beside him. Now you decide to show up, and drag this piece of shit along for the ride?!” Elias flicked a hand toward Aaron with an angry gesture. “Nope. You can get the hell out and remember your place. A place you put yourself in, might I remind you.”
“Don”t you dare talk to my fiancée like that!” Aaron surged forward and planted his hands on Elias’ chest with a shove.
“Aaron! Shh—”
“Wow. Just wow.” Elias smacked Aaron’s hand from his chest, cocked his arm back, and before he could double-think it or calculate the risk/reward analytics, he swung and felt the sick satisfaction swell in his chest as Aaron’s nose crunched under his fist.
“Nngh! Fuck!” Aaron staggered with the blow, immediately bringing his hands to his face to clutch his gushing nose.
“Elias, have you lost your mind?!” Adelaide shrieked, rushing to Aaron”s hunched form.
“Yes. But I found my balls in the process.” Elias shook his hand to try and ease the sharp but oh so delicious pain from it. “I think it”s best you leave through the maintenance exit. Hospital security will show you the way. Bloodied Senators aren”t good for your precious optics.”
“I can”t believe this!” She pivoted toward him with pure rage in her eyes. “You”re done!”
“Leave, Addy. You made your choice. Now live with it.” Elias once more pointed to the door. “Hope you”re happy with it.”
They stared at one another for a moment that stretched into a long, tension-ridden stand off. He tried to find the remnants of the woman he once considered his closest friend in the world, but they weren”t there. They hadn”t been for a while. In the brutal honesty gifted to him by rage and a deep desire to protect his family, he learned the truth. The person in front of him was a stranger. He wondered if he”d really ever truly known her.
“This isn”t over, Elias.” Adelaide collected Aaron with trembling hands and took the first step that sealed their fate. He felt no remorse whatsoever as she retreated from the room.
“Of that, I have no doubt.”
Aaron glared at him as they passed, his tear-filled eyes carrying a level of undiluted hate that sent a shiver through Elias’ spine and had his heart fluttering in erratic, aching rhythms. “Watch your back, Williams.”
“Get bent, Evans.”
Smug, testosterone filled pride buoyed Elias’ crash as he got the last word in and watched Adelaide and Aaron exit the waiting room and head toward the mob of Secret Service agents lingering near the elevators. He considered the fact that they hadn”t made a single effort to intervene another win for him. Career suicide felt remarkably refreshing as he straightened his shirt, neatened his hair, and stepped into the hall, sharing a quick nod with an agent who caught his gaze. The wink he got in return just made him straight up giddy.
He rode the high of his unlikely win all the way back to Theo and Connor’s room. The high rose even higher as he stepped into it and discovered a half dozen medical professionals buzzing around a very upset, but very much awake Connor. Relief flooded his system as he rushed forward and tried to find the most official looking healthcare worker in the room.
“Oh God, it”s good to see you, Con,” Elias rasped through his tears and squeezed closer to the bed. Theo was just as ecstatic and was already working to disentangle himself from the sheets.
“Mr. Williams, I presume?” A man around Elias’ age peered over his file with a placid expression.
“Correct. Is he… is everything…?”
“I”m pleased so far, yes. We aren”t quite out of the woods, but my prognosis is much more optimistic than it was an hour ago.” He paused to flip through a few pages and then cleared his throat. “We’ll have a better idea as more time passes, and I”ve put in for another CT scan.”
“Oh, thank God!”
“He”s not… Connor?! Babe, can you hear me?” Theo’s voice grew strained as he struggled off the bed and nearly fell to his knees. Elias and a nurse both rushed forward to stop him from crumbling to the floor.
“He”s just woken, and I suspect that he”s in quite a lot of pain. We stopped all pain treatments until we could ascertain whether his consciousness would return.” The doctor eased further toward the foot of the bed to make room as Elias and the nurse helped Theo move toward Connor.
As soon as they were within reaching distance of one another, Elias’ breath caught in his throat, heavy with emotion. Their hands moved simultaneously and their fingers immediately laced together. The grimace twisting Connor’s features softened in an instant and his breathing calmed. Theo climbed into the narrow space alongside his partner, nearly tearing his IV out in the process. Only the quick actions of the nurse prevented the incident. Once they were aligned together on the bed, both exhaled a deep, restorative sigh and grew still. Elias swiped the tear from his cheek before it could fall.
As I was about to say,” the doctor continued in a reverent whisper. “Rest, time, and close monitoring will be needed.”
“And love.” Elias reached out to brush a wayward curl from Theo”s brow. “A whole lot of love.”
He stepped back and let his weight settle on the vacant bed with a sigh of his own. There were quite a few people to call with the good news, but he selfishly took a few moments to revel in the greatest win of the night. It wasn”t a major win in the grand scheme of things, but it was a poignant one. One that would stay with him forever and helped reaffirm the principles he”d fought for tooth and nail all along. Without family, without love, there wasn”t much worth fighting for. Family and love made the wins that much sweeter, too.