Chapter 29
Twenty-Nine
Hayden
How is it that I can fight to save my life, run black ops with my brothers, even break down a Glock in under thirty seconds, but I can’t work this fucking toaster. No matter how many times I've changed the settings on the stupid thing, I still end up with burnt toast.
Olivia's sitting at the island, legs tucked under her, hair still a little wet from the shower, and she’s wearing one of my hoodies that swallows her whole. And God help me, it might be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
She’s chewing quietly on the half-burnt toast, not even complaining, but give her time and she will, because it never stopped her before.
“I swear it was the toaster,” I mumble, flipping a pancake that’s not terrible.
“Sure, Chef Ramsay.”
I glance over my shoulder and she smiles, biting her lip.
“Want more coffee?”
She holds out her mug silently, and I top her up, letting the quiet fill the space between us. It’s not awkward. It’s just... easy. Comfortable. For the first time in years, I don’t feel like I’m walking on broken glass.
“I used to think about this,” she says softly. “Breakfast with you. After... everything.”
I set the pan down, leaning on the counter across from her. “Yeah?”
She nods, then chuckles. “Although in the fantasy, you didn’t burn the toast.”
“Wow. Brutal.”
She winks. I pretend to be offended. But really? I’d burn toast every damn day if it meant seeing her like this, barefoot, coffee in hand, and her eyes soft. This is what I always wanted with her.
I look up at the stairs at Declan and Trixie arguing about something, and as they reach the kitchen he shakes his head, at whatever Trixie is signing to him.
“I love you, but the answer is fucking no.” Trixie slaps her hand on the counter, and she signs again making Declan laugh, while Olivia and I watch them both like a tennis match. “Go and see what the fuck will happen.”
“D?” I ask the question without having to ask him.
“She thinks I’m fucking stupid. If she thinks she’s going out with Ash alone she must be fucking joking.
” He takes my coffee and I nod agreeing with him, I mean the guy seems nice, and all but Trixie, even though she’s better now, she will still have a bad day and smoke that shit, which we all hate.
Trixie signs again, this time a lot faster then walks away.
“You’re so fucking lucky I love your mouth,” Declan shouts and rubs his forehead. “You two sure you want to start something; it’s a fucking headache.” He jokes and looks over at Olivia. “He can be a fucking pain in the ass. See you later.” He leaves the kitchen and I start laughing.
“What is the story there?” Olivia asks.
“Where do I start? Her dad remarried a bitch, the stepson was raping her from a young age, she got pregnant, didn’t have the baby, her dad never believed anything that happened to her, so she stopped talking.
Then came Declan, and the rest is history.
” I look at her, and she tilts her head, eyes wide. “You have questions?”
“I do.”
“Ask away.” I sip on my coffee.
“Why does she not talk now?”
“She does with Declan, not much in front of us, but she’s getting there. We don’t push her. She’s been through fucking hell. When she’s ready we’ll talk to her.”
“What?”
“Yeah, D wasn’t happy when he found out the truth.”
“When the hell did he learn to sign?” Olivia puts her coffee down and leans her elbows on the counter.
“He was sent to the Pit in the summer—” I quickly put my hand up to stop her. “Dad and Cain thought it was best if one of us learnt to live down there, so the Crawford family had it. Declan was the lucky one, messed him up but he’s good now.”
Olivia nods her head slowly, not sure what to say back to me about it, and I know she will have more and more questions, and I think I’ll be answering them for a long time.
“One more question, where is her family now?”
“The mom is dead, yes we’re behind it, D told the dad he’s not allowed anywhere close to Trixie unless she wants him there, and only if D is around and the stepbrother—” I stop and smile at the thought of him. “He’s where assholes like him belong. The Pit.”
“So, my boyfriend's family owns an underground worse than a prison, and are assassinators, but to the world they own a well-known clinic. Okay, I can live with that.” I walk around the counter and wrap my arm around her shoulder.
“Like I was going to let you walk away now.” I kiss her, and I’m never going to stop. “Right, let's go see how your parents are doing.” I walk away but stop when Olivia grabs my arm.
“Thank you for giving me another chance.”
I cup her face, kissing her softly. “You’re the only person I’ve ever loved.” She nods then gets off the stool, and grabs her bag, and slips on her sneakers.
The drive to the hospital is quiet, she's staring out the window, probably thinking about her parents. I let her have the silence. Sometimes that’s the best place, for me it is anyway.
Halfway there, I veer off into a small side street.
“Where are we—”
“You’ll see.”
I park in front of a small bakery with pink curtains, and a chalkboard sign out front that says Fresh Today: Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes. I’ve brought her to Four of Hearts Bakery, Cain’s moms place.
Her brow arches. “You’re stopping... for cupcakes?”
I shoot her a smirk. “Not cupcakes. A cupcake.”
Her eyes narrow, trying to read me.
A few minutes later, I’m back in the car and hand her a small pink box.
She opens it slowly, and there it is. The Unicorn cupcake, just like always. She stares at it like she’s seeing a ghost.
“You remembered?” she asks quietly, voice almost small.
I glance at her sideways, starting the engine. “I haven’t forgotten anything, Olivia.”
Her cheeks flush, and she quickly looks down at the cupcake, trying to hide her smile.
By the time we get to the hospital, the mood shifts.
Her hands are in her lap now, fidgeting with the sleeve of my hoodie.
She doesn’t say anything as we ride the elevator up to the ICU, but I can feel the tension building in her chest just from how she’s holding herself.
She’s scared, but I told her this morning, no news is good news.
We’re greeted by a doctor. Mid-forties, white coat with two pens and a tired face. Name tag reads Dr. Sanders, Critical Care.
“Olivia Banks?”
“Yes,” she answers, her voice shaking slightly. I step just behind her, close enough for her to lean on if she needs to. She doesn’t, but I can tell she wants to.
Dr. Sanders leads us toward the consultation room just off the ICU hallway.
“Your parents are stable,” he starts, in a professional tone, but with enough softness to keep it human.
“But they’re both unconscious, your mother hasn’t changed, and last night your father took a turn.
Nothing we are worried about as all his vitals are stable, but he is unconscious now.
” He stops for a moment and then continues, “He is fighting hard to recover, we just have to give him the time.”
Olivia stiffens beside me. I rest my hand on her lower back without thinking.
“The CT scans show signs of cerebral contusions for both, essentially, bruising on the brain. Nothing requiring immediate surgical intervention, but we’re monitoring the intracranial pressure hourly. Your father’s injuries are less complex. He’s responding to pain stimuli.”
“And my mom?”
The doctor pauses. “Her condition is more critical. As you mentioned, she’s undergoing chemotherapy.
Her immune system is heavily suppressed.
The lacerations she sustained during the accident caused significant blood loss.
We’re giving her transfusions, but her hemoglobin is still low.
Her oxygen levels are being supported with a non-invasive ventilator for now. ”
“Why hasn’t she woken up?” Olivia asks, voice cracking.
“Given her pre-existing condition, her body is in survival mode. It’s not uncommon for patients like her to remain unconscious longer.
But I want to be clear, this is delicate.
Her vitals are stable, but we’re concerned about infection risk.
She’s in isolation for that reason. We’ll update you if anything changes. ”
Olivia nods, even though I can tell none of this is sinking in. She’s staring at the wall behind him now. Her grip tightens on her own fingers, knuckles white.
“Hey,” I say softly, leaning in. “You okay?” She nods too fast. Her jaw locks.
I turn back to the doctor. “Can you write that all down? Everything you just said.”
He glances between us, then gives a small nod. “Of course.”
Once he leaves, Olivia sags into the plastic waiting chair like the air’s been ripped from her lungs. I crouch in front of her.
“You did good,” I say. “You were strong.”
Her eyes glass over again. “They aren’t even awake.”
“They’re fighting. Like you. That’s what matters right now.”
She takes a shaky breath and rests her forehead against my shoulder. I stay there, letting her lean. Letting her fall apart if she needs to. Because I’m not going anywhere.
I give her some time, then tell her to go see her dad at least. Telling her we can stay for as long as she wants.
“Are you not coming?” she asks, as I help her to stand, and make our way to the room.
“I have to make a phone call.” Giving her a kiss as we get to her dad’s room, I walk back outside of the hospital and pull my phone out. “Hey.”
“How can I help you today brother? Not had sex in a while, you've forgotten how to do it?” Miles jokes, and I tell him to fuck off. “Joking, what’s up?”
“Can you see if you can find out who crashed into Olivia’s parents’ car, the fucker ran off and before you say it, no Cain cannot know about it.
If he finds out, I’ll take full blame.” We all know Cain’s rules.
Nothing is personal, you do the job he and dad pick.
We don’t do anything unless they both agree to it.
“I’ll get back to you.” Miles ends the call, and I look back at the hospital, wondering how long Olivia will want to be here.