Chapter 168
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-EIGHT
MADDIE
“All right, Vera,” Mrs. Abara said, leaning against the hospital door, “you’re free to go. Just make sure you get a lot of rest these next few weeks and keep your bandages clean. I’ll have Imani come over and check on you throughout the week. If you have any questions, you know who to ask.”
Vera nodded and sat up in her hospital bed, smiling softly. “Thank you.”
After helping Vera out of the bed, I closed the curtain around her bed and gently helped her out of her hospital gown and into some sweatpants and an oversize Redwood Academy T-shirt that wouldn’t rub up against her wound.
“There you go,” I said, rolling her shirt down her stomach so she was covered.
Wincing, Vera grabbed her coat and slung it over her forearm. “Could you grab my overnight bag from the chair? I don’t want to forget anything. Blaise has been itching to get home since I checked in.”
Once I grabbed all her belongings, I thrust the curtain apart and opened the hospital door. Nicole, Imani, Allie, Blaise, and Jace walked down the hallway toward us with goodies from the cafeteria.
“Why’re you up?” Blaise asked, walking over to us.
“I can leave,” Vera said, gesturing to the overnight bag in my hands, her movements much slower than they once had been. She winced again, stiffening her muscles and standing straight. “Can you take this from Maddie?”
“I can hold it, V,” I said.
Blaise took her bag from me anyway, then grabbed her other hand to lead her toward the elevators.
Imani held out a pudding to Vera. “I got you an extra, if you want it. They have banana cream today, which is a total score!”
“No thanks,” Vera said, stepping into the elevator.
We all piled in after her and rode the elevator down to the lobby.
“Do you think Sakura is almost finished with her appointment?” Nicole asked.
“They’ve been gone for the past thirty minutes,” Allie said. “Maybe.”
The 1 button lit up on the elevator, and the doors opened on the main floor. I helped Vera out of the lift and through the hallway. But instead of heading toward the exit, she walked to the waiting room.
“We should wait for Sakura,” Vera said. “I wanna know what she’s having.”
“What we need is to get you home,” Blaise said to her. “You need to rest.”
“Rest and write smut,” I hummed. “Sounds like everything you’ve ever dreamed about.”
Vera giggled and tucked some dark hair behind her ear. I wrapped her jacket around her shoulders and zippered it so she wouldn’t be cold once we left the hospital. She smiled softly at me and rested her head on my shoulder.
“Come on,” Blaise said, nudging her. “I want to get you home.”
Honestly, I would bet that it was more than wanting her to rest. After what had happened, we had all been on high alert. Who knew if those fuckers would try to kill us again? We still didn’t know their motive. Was it a coincidence? Or had it been planned?
“Please,” Vera said, pushing him back. “Sakura should be out soon.”
After muttering under his breath, Blaise stood between the lobby and the exit, his gaze on the sliding doors. I gulped down the tinge of fear that whoever it was would try to hurt us again and smoothed out Vera’s jacket.
“So, what’s going on with your mom and Blaise’s dad?” I asked Vera.
Imani smirked. “Do I smell another stepbrother-stepsister relationship stirring up?”
Allie playfully rolled her eyes at Imani.
Vera shrugged. “I’m not sure. They have mostly kept to themselves lately.”
Nicole wiggled her brows. “You think they’re hooking up?”
“Whatever it is”—I smirked at her—“Mama Rodriguez was glowing earlier.”
“Ew,” Vera said, scrunching her nose.
A couple of moments later, Sakura bounced down the hall next to Mr. Avery, both grinning at each other. My lips curled into a smile, and I waved them over to us, desperately wanting to know the baby’s sex.
“So?” I said. “Don’t leave us waiting!”
Sakura gazed up at Mr. Avery, who tugged playfully on her ponytail. “It’s a girl.”
“Yes!” Nicole exclaimed, jumping up and throwing her hands into the air. “I knew it!”
“I am so excited!” Allie cheered.
“We’re already planning a baby shower for you,” Imani said.
Sakura blushed and buried her face into Mr. Avery’s arm, giggling. “You don’t have to.”
“Of course we do,” Vera said, cheeks rounding.
“How are you doing?” Sakura asked Vera. “Are they letting you leave?”
Vera nodded as Mr. Avery’s phone buzzed.
“I have to take this,” Mr. Avery said, stepping toward the side of the room.
After he began talking, Imani’s phone rang. She stared down at it quizzically, then lifted it to her ear. “What the hell do you want, Jo?o? I’m in the middle of celebrating Sakura’s gender reveal.”
Then, a moment later, my phone buzzed. Alec.
What the hell is going on? Why is everyone getting calls at the same time?
“Maddie,” Alec whispered over the phone, voice shaky, “where are you?”
“At the hospital. Why? Where are you?” I asked. Alec paused for a long moment, and then I heard someone, who sounded like Oliver, in the background. I furrowed my brow, wondering when they had returned to being best friends again. “Is that Oliver?”
Mr. Avery returned into the room and whispered something to Blaise, who tensed.
“Come with me,” Mr. Avery said, glancing around the room. “All of you. We have some cleaning up to do.”
I followed the girls toward the exit of the hospital.
“Alec?” I asked through the phone when he still hadn’t responded to me. “What is going on? Why is Mr Avery bringing us back to his place? What happened?”
“My mom is dead.”