26. Dek
DEK
THE GOO GOO DOLLS – IRIS
“Hasn’t it been long enough already?” I asked, pacing the corridor for the millionth time since they booted us out of the operating room. “Surely they’re done now.”
Beck scowled from the OR doorway where he’d kept watch over our girl for every second of the last ninety-one minutes. “I told the doc to take his time and make sure he didn’t fuck it up—or he’d lose both his balls out his asshole for his trouble.”
I almost fell over mid-stride. “Wh-what?”
“He means he’d grab a set of those forceps and shove them up the doctor’s ass, jab them sideways, and pluck out each of his testicles like grapes, one at a time,” Van explained, matter-of-fact. Like he’d thought about this particular comment in great detail.
“Well, okay then. That I can get on board with.”
I resumed my pacing for a further six minutes—until Beck took a step back from the door and an unconscious Addie was wheeled out to us on a hospital bed.
The urge to scoop her up and whisk her away was hard to resist, but I knew from experience that the medlab staff needed to do a few more things before I could do just that.
It took them another eleven minutes to set her up in the recovery room, unhook her from all the machines and tubes, and check her vitals before signing her back over to our care.
The second Beck signed that piece of paper, I let the urge win and delved both arms beneath her tiny body.
I dragged her as close to my chest as I was able to, right where she belonged, much to the extreme displeasure of the med-staff.
“Like fuck am I going to let her wake up surrounded by unfamiliar faces in a cold, colourless room,” I snarled, stomping out the door, down the hall, and out into the dark hallways of Blackwing at night.
I left Beck and Van to clean up my mess and collect Addie’s few belongings. It saddened me to realise just how little she possessed—and how excited I was to rectify that once we were on the outside.
Just a few short weeks until that point. A few short weeks until freedom.
Until then, we’d just have to make do with what little the Academy had provided.
I kicked open the exterior doors, cursing when I realised it was snowing and I hadn’t thought far enough ahead to protect her diminutive frame from the weather.
I tucked her in closer, hoping the leather of my jacket would shield her from the worst of it while I crossed the quadrangle and bodied my way through the apartment lobby doors.
Van caught up just in time to press the elevator call button for me, and Beck shoved his way into it a heartbeat before they closed.
While the elevator music played a horrendous tinkling tune, I laughed, thinking about the fucked up situation we’d collectively found ourselves in now.
Van couldn’t help but join in. But Beck… Beck was done for. He had eyes only for Addie’s porcelain face—frowning slightly, even in her sleep. And I couldn’t help but wonder how we were going to get ourselves out of this mess.
Adelaide Sinclair had wriggled her way beneath all three of our skins—and I didn’t think she’d be easy to get out.
I, for one, didn’t want her out. I didn’t want her anywhere but here.
Beck might have something else to say on the matter.
I wasn’t sure he’d be willing to share.