Chapter 23 - Em #5
My shoulders lower. I’m certain he’d prefer to be able to speak, so as my eyes trace the line of his IV, I find the button that pumps in more painkillers into his system.
To distract him for a moment, my hand in his moves to his chest, where sure enough, there’s hard metal where his heart should be. My other hand glides by his side, clicking the release of more painkillers that will help him get through the next while.
I wait for his words, even though I want to counter that we can talk at another time. But then I recall the regret I had a mere moment ago, how I wished I listened to him. So I intend to do that now.
His eyes drift shut for a moment before opening again. His pupils turn into near-pinpoints, a sign that the painkiller’s working through his system.
“Set,” he says, voice thin. “He’s been harvesting organs. Renowned surgeon, so he gets away with it.”
I keep still. My breathing becomes heavier as if my body is bracing for impact.
“He wants hearts,” Idris says. “Compatible ones.”
My breath stutters. I feel it catch high in my chest.
“Suspect his is failing,” he finishes.
The pieces come together slowly. When they do, the weight of it presses down behind my ribs. “His heirs,” I whisper.
He nods, coughing lightly that I rub the nape of his neck to soothe him.
Silence stretches between us. The machines fill it easily. I count the rhythm of his breathing, the slight delay between each assisted rise and fall.
“Damon and I planned for this,” he continues. “With Darius. Set threatened to take away his son from him, but Darius can be…triggered to do what Set says.”
“Slow down,” I say, sighing.
Idris nods, frowning. “Set used the same methods as Clo. Kys, programming. Darius was the first success. He spared me from that fate by being our father’s executioner.”
I look away, frowning over their misfortune. It was there all along, but I hadn’t noticed. They hid their nightmares well.
“Em, I’m sorry, but Damon will be hiding me away,” he explains. “I’ll be living covertly.”
My breath stops. “For how long?”
“A long while,” he whispers. “I’ll only be out of reach, Em. It’ll take time, but once we take down Set, I’ll come back to you.”
The plan’s practical, but my heart holds different ideas.
Idris is my closest companion, my dearest friend. Someone I’ve spent so much time with, that words don’t need to be said for us to know we can rely on each other.
He brings my hand closer to his lips. I stare at the motion, wondering why he doesn’t listen when I tell him to save his energy.
When I look at his face, I see his smile as he kisses my knuckles, and my worries disappear.
“Idris, it’ll be difficult, but I…” A bittersweet smile pulls at my pursed lips. “I trust you.”
His eyes widen at that, searching my face. “I trust you too,” he says. “And I’ll miss you so much.”
“Both of us?” I ask, placing my hand deliberately on my lower abdomen, where sure enough a slight bump has been developing.
This time, it’s his breath that hitches. But that’s concerning, considering his state, so I urge him to breathe by letting him see my visible breath, my chest lifting and lowering.
He mirrors it well, even when he lets out a shaky chuckle, sounding surprised.
“So you know,” he whispers, looking rather relieved now that the secret’s out.
Nodding, I say, “It took me time, but the pieces came together.” I let out a short, light giggle. “The other day, you nearly said the pills you made for me contained prenatal vitamins.”
“So you caught that, didn’t you?” Idris looks pained when his smile stretches. “Truthfully, it’s a weight off my shoulders, but I’m so sorry I kept it from you.” He groans. “I couldn’t risk putting more stress on your body when you’re carrying my child for me.”
He braces, I can tell. His fingers tense faintly around mine, breath shallow again, as if preparing for a less ideal reaction.
I smile more genuinely instead.
It surprises him. Relief crosses his expression so quickly it almost hurts to witness, like he had been holding his breath longer than he realized.
“While I waited to see you, I thought about the past few weeks. How you didn’t want to show me my blood results,” I say.
“That suggested there were markers you didn’t want me to see.
Then you replaced my coffee with ginger tea.
You, Lix, and Stan became unusually attentive about my meals and rest. And there was the matter of my pills’ contents. ”
A soft laugh slips out of him, followed by a wince that makes me caress his chest with our entwined hands.
“But what confirmed it,” I say after a moment, “was Stan.”
His brow furrows, then relaxes, as he listens.
“On occasion, he talks in his sleep,” I explain. “One night he was holding me and whispering about how I’d be a great mom soon.” I hesitate, then add, “And how he couldn’t wait to—as he put it—put more babies in me.”
Idris exhales, a sound caught between relief and disbelief.
I don’t hesitate when I say, “For the record, if you had told me, it would have always been a yes to grow a legacy with you.”
The door opens before either of us can say any more.
Damon steps in. “Apologies for interrupting, but we need to move forward. Time is of the essence.”
Stan follows him. “You ever hear yourself, dude? You sound like a boring dictionary.” He rolls his eyes. “Emphasis on dick.”
Damon ignores him.
Stan’s attention moves to me, his expression softening into an apologetic frown. He mouths “sorry,” clearly having heard that he revealed Idris’ secret to me in his sleep.
I huff a light laugh. “You’re forgiven,” I say, turning back to Idris. “You as well, but I suppose it’s an unfortunate farewell for now, Idris,” I say.
“For now, Em,” he agrees. “I promise I’ll come back to you one day.”
I nod, trusting him entirely.
Stan helps me stand up. Damon takes over where I was, speaking with Idris, who I catch watching me as I step out of his hospital room.
Lix is waiting outside, reaching for my hand without a word, and I let him guide me into the hallway.
While we walk, he brings a cold water bottle to my lips. “Drink,” he says. “At least a little, please.”
I take a sip, the chill sharp against my tongue and down my throat as I swallow.
This day has been a whirlwind, but we keep moving forward, the hospital lights blurring overhead as we go.
Idris may be gone for the foreseeable future, but I’ll be carrying a part of him with me, and I’ll make sure his heir grows healthy and well for him. For us.
Stan shouts, “Wait up!”
He sprints to catch up, inserting himself between us and draping his arms across our shoulders.
“So the news is out, babe!” he tells Lix. “Em’s pregnant, and you’re next, Lix. Gonna put a baby in you too.”
Lix scowls. I lift my brows, wondering how Stan could accomplish that.
“You two haven’t heard of mpreg?” Stan chuckles. “Okay, we gotta do some serious reading together, babes.”
He starts mentioning titles of stories I don’t understand, but I like the look of Lix laughing at the absurdity of Stan’s suggestions, while in the back of my mind, I think of how Idris will be returning to this, to all of us enjoying each other’s company someday with his heir ready to meet him.
All I have to do—no, all we have to do is wait a while.