Chapter 27 #2
“Yes?” I answer first, beating everyone else to it. My throat feels tight and hot. “I’m his sister. How is he? Can I see him?”
“Your brother is going to be okay,” the doctor says, his softer words filling me with precious relief.
“He’s recovering and taking in some fluids and pain medicine now.
It could have been much worse. If Leon hadn’t gotten to him and controlled the bleeding in time, we’d be having a much harder conversation right now. ”
“Leon?” I ask, head whipping to the side.
For the first time since arriving I see someone other than Apollo. I was so consumed with finding him, I ignored all other surroundings. Eyes scanning my friend, I note the blood staining his shirt, and the disheveled look of him.
“Acting quickly saved Yordan from a much more serious condition, maybe even saved his life. You can see—” the doctor continues, but I don’t hear another word.
“Oh my god,” I cry, rushing around Apollo and throwing myself against Leon without another thought. Our bodies crash together in a fumble, my shoulders shaking uncontrollably as hot tears stream down my face. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou.”
His hands fall against my back and he shushes me softly. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. He’s going to be fine now.”
“B-because of you,” I stammer, squeezing him hard. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
Leon nods, seemingly understanding my gratitude. I’m sure he’d feel the same way if someone helped to save one of his brothers—or one of his sons. “Go see him now, Rayna,” he tells me softly. “He’ll want to know that you know he’s okay.”
Sniffing back overwhelming emotions, I push away from Leon to wipe my face. From the corner of my eye, I see Cassio and Ana hugging off to the side, Ana looking shaken up. She must feel awful, having her wholesome event flipped on its head, ending in bloodshed.
Turning back to the doctor, I find Apollo watching me with dark, severe eyes. I don’t have time to analyze his appearance or whatever irrational thing he’s feeling at the moment. My only concern is my brother.
I follow the man in the white coat blindly, hands feeling clammy and numb.
After a short, dizzying walk, I’m led into a small hospital room where I finally lay eyes on my milichko.
His hair is wet and tousled and his face pale.
He’s shirtless, his front covered with large white bandaging that’s clearly wrapped around from the back.
“Why the long face?” Yordan asks, his voice a raspy whisper. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, sister.”
My lips wobble, and I cross the room in determined steps. My face is still wet, and I’m not sure that I can prevent more tears from falling. I try to hold them back anyway, taking a seat on the side of his hospital bed.
“Rayna,” he says softly, seeing my blotchy face.
“I was so worried,” I croak, pushing back his hair to get a good look at his face. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I was shot in the kidney,” he replies, a weak smile lifting his lips. “Ten out of ten, would not recommend.”
When I don’t laugh, he frowns.
“Did I lose my super humor powers? Were they stored in my kidney? What a fucking bummer.” He fakes a groan, smirking after the sound. “Come on, Rayna, smile for me.”
“I don’t feel very smiley right now, milichko.” I exhale through my nose, leaning forward to press a kiss to the top of his head. “Yesterday we were celebrating your birthday, and today you’re lying in a hospital bed.”
“What a wild turn of events, huh?” He chuckles, wincing from pain after.
“I don’t know how you can be in high spirits,” I confess, frowning. “The doctor said you were lucky. This could have been so much worse.”
“I know,” he replies seriously. “They told me Leon kept me alive. I think I remember him talking to me on the way here. It’s a bit of a blur, though. It felt really fast.”
“Yes, Leon helped you,” I confirm. “Something I’ll never stop being grateful for.”
“Same,” he admits, eyes looking a little heavy.
“How am I ever going to let you out of my sight again?” I ask, chin wobbling slightly.
“Ugh,” Yordan groans. “You and Apollo are both going to be insufferably overbearing now, aren’t you?”
My lips flatten into a firm line. “Count on it.”
“Is he here?” my brother asks, almost shyly.
“Of course he is.” I take his hand. “He beat me and Elio here.”
Which now that I think about it, sounds impossible. The Moretti mansion is at least ten minutes farther away from here than the apartment. This was the closest facility to the orphanage, not to the family’s base.
How fast did he drive here? My heart warms, thinking about it.
“Can I see him?” Yordan peers up at me hopefully. “Leon, too.”
“I’ll get them for you,” I say, even though the words hurt. I don’t want to leave his side, but I’ll give him whatever he needs. “Do you want a minute alone with them?”
He bites his lip. “If that’s okay?”
“Anything you need,” I whisper, pressing another kiss to his head before leaving the room.
When I find my way back to the small waiting room, things have changed.
Leon has washed up and changed his shirt, no longer sitting in dried blood.
He’s also holding Leo, his toddler tucked tightly into his father’s side.
Cassio is nowhere to be found, and Apollo…
Apollo is talking in a low tone with Ana, their faces inches apart.
I freeze, watching as Apollo holds her biceps in a gentle grip. Ana is returning his gaze with soft eyes, and I feel like I’m witnessing something that I shouldn’t. Something private and almost intimate. Something that makes no sense. Ana and Apollo?
I feel myself bristle, something akin to anger bubbling up.
“Rayna?” Leon asks, having noticed me.
At the sound of my name, Apollo breaks his contact with Ana, standing up stiffly. She doesn’t seem to mind, but a feeling that something was wrong between them still nags at me.
“Yordan wants to see you,” I tell Leon before flicking my eyes back to Apollo. “Both of you.”
Apollo doesn’t try to engage in further conversation, he gives me a clipped nod and strides right past me. Leon rises slowly, keeping Leo held close.
“Coming?” he asks.
“In a few minutes,” I reply roughly. “He wanted a word in private.”
Sympathy dances in his eyes. “Don’t wait too long, he’ll want to see you before the drugs make him too tired.”
I fully take Leon’s advice to heart, only sitting down in one of the waiting room chairs for seven minutes, according to my watch.
I don’t try to talk to Ana, or to Cassio when he returns with a cup of tea for her.
I don’t know what I witnessed between her and Apollo, but it has unsettled me to an unusual level.
I considered Ana a new friend, though I don’t know her well. But if she has something going on with Apollo, I don’t think that friendship will survive. Shaking off the thought, I head back to Yordan’s room.
I stick my head in the door hesitantly, unsure if he needed more time alone. Thankfully, I find him waving me in with a welcome grin. Leo is sitting on his bedside while the Moretti brothers stand on either side of them. They look strikingly like a family, and it makes my heart thump hard.
“Your-dan, boo boo,” Leo babbles, noticing me. He kisses his tiny little hand and places it softly on Yordan’s bandages. “All better.”
My chest warms, hands reaching up to clutch it.
Leo is absolutely adorable, and a welcome light on this dark day.
“My new doctor clocked in,” Yordan jokes, nodding down to the toddler. “I feel miraculously healed already.”
“I’ll bet,” I reply, smiling for the first time since arriving. “He must be an expert in his field with premium care like that.”
“Like father, like son,” Apollo says, nodding to his brother.
“Doc says I have to stay overnight for at least two days,” Yordan tells me with a disappointed huff. “I’m not sure why, like Leo said, I’m all better now.”
“All better,” Leo echoes, head bobbling with a nod.
My brother grins. “See.”
“As reliable as I find Dr. Leo here, there’s no way you’re leaving against medical advice. You’ll stay as long as they deem necessary. I’ll be here with you, making sure you rest.”
“So will I.”
I don’t need to look away from my brother to know that it was Apollo who just spoke. And for once, I don’t feel even a slight desire to argue with him.