Chapter 19 - Torrin
The hospital is starting to get busy with morning rounds when a nurse finally leads us to Luna’s room.
We fan out around her bed and my chest throbs painfully at how small and fragile she looks lying there.
Her skin is so pale I can see her veins under it.
There are dark purple bruises under both of her eyes but it’s her chest that I keep my eyes on.
Every rise and fall of it has the pain I’ve been holding onto easing bit by bit. As long as she breathes, so can I.
Elenor makes a sound that’s half anguish, half anger. She’s trying to lift one of Luna’s small, pale hands to her lips but a padded strap is holding it down to the bed frame. Reid whimpers and steps back from the bed but Julian’s savage tone is what has me flinching.
“OFF! Get those fucking things off of her, right now!”
The nurse holds up her hands like she has any chance of backing down the enraged beast he’s become.
“Sir! Sir, calm down, please! It’s hospital policy to restrain a patient who has a history of self-harm. The restraints are only there to protect her.”
He takes a menacing step toward her, but thankfully Gage throws an arm out between them. Julian stops but tells her in a deadly calm tone, “Get out.”
She darts a nervous look around at all of us and opens her mouth to say something else. Julian's control breaks and he rages at her.
“Get the fuck out right now!”
The nurse rears back and then quickly leaves the room.
We all stand in shock at what just happened.
None of us has ever seen him lose control like that before.
Julian’s eyes slide to Reid and some of the fury in them banks.
His voice is softer when he tells him, “It won’t be the same, Reid. I… we… won’t let it be the same.”
I have no idea what he’s talking about but I trust him completely.
Reid’s eyes, glued to the straps on Luna’s wrist, are filled with so much terror that I reach down and gently undo the Velcro holding her right wrist in place.
Elenor unstraps her left wrist as I turn and pull Reid closer to the bed and place Luna’s cold hand in his.
The tears pouring from his eyes are heartbreaking.
I don’t know how to make it better so I just squeeze his shaking shoulder in support.
Julian has moved away from the bed and turned his back to us.
The trembling that wracks his shoulders tells me he’s trying to get ahold of himself.
Gage moves to him and leans in close, whispering something I can’t hear.
Whatever he says seems to work because Julian’s head lifts and with a nod, he swipes his phone from his pocket and starts typing.
His fingers fly over the keyboard at a frantic pace as he fires off message after message.
I don’t know what’s happening there, so I turn away and slump into the chair beside the bed and reach for her.
I brush her hair back from her face and wait for her to wake up.
The crushing weight in my chest won’t go away completely until I see her beautiful green eyes looking back at me.
In the silence of the room, my mind goes back to a few nights ago outside the bar.
The way her fingers gripped me, the desperation in her eyes and voice when she begged me to help her feel something again.
I turned her down. I failed her. I sit with the guilt of that, the regret, until the door to her room opens again and a new doctor comes in, followed by an orderly who is pushing a wheelchair.
“NO, get out. You aren’t taking her.” Jules snarls and steps between Luna’s bed and the doctor.
Gage comes to stand beside him, adding a wall between them and our girl.
“What is this?” He asks in a dangerous tone, picking up whatever Jules is putting off.
The doctor’s brows furrow in confusion but he takes a breath and puts a sympathetic expression on his face.
“I understand you all must be worried. Please rest assured we’re here to help her, I promise. There are protocols in place when a patient attempts to take their life that must be followed. It’s in her best interest to…”
Julian barks a nasty laugh, interrupting him.
“Is it? Is it in her best interest to take her away from everyone who loves her and isolate her? Is it? Put her in a padded room for 72 hours so you can assess her? Leave her exposed to asshole orderlies on power trips to do what they want with her? Then make her sit in a fucking circle of other mentally disturbed patients to talk about her feelings? Yeah, fuck you! That’s not happening! ”
The doctor quickly loses his pasted-on sympathetic expression and takes on an offended, unfeeling look that matches his ice-cold tone.
“I assure you, she will be cared for and safe in the psychiatric ward. Our staff prides itself on its professionalism. Besides, holds are required by law for anyone…”
Julian takes a menacing step forward, causing the doctor to quickly step back, and Reid throws himself over Luna like he’s protecting her from something.
“You think I care about fucking laws? I’ll paint the walls fucking red with your…”
“Stop! Mr. Stillwell. Do not finish that sentence!”
All heads swivel to the suited man that has stepped into the room. He has an air of authority about him, and his stern glare moves from Julian to the doctor.
“Doctor Tavish, please step out of the room. I will handle this.”
“Sir, protocol says that…”
“Enough! I’m well aware of the protocols. I am the Chief Medical Officer, after all. Now step out of this room. I will be with you shortly.”
Dr. Tavish makes a frustrated sound but turns and waves the orderly out and follows him, closing the door behind him. The Chief shoves a hand through his thinning hair and hits Juliam with an exasperated look.
“Stillwell, you can’t just go around threatening my staff like that. I understand you have concerns for your…” he leans to the side to look at Luna and then back, “friend, but there are still rules that need to be followed.”
A dark smirk crosses Julian’s face. “Fuck your rules.” He angles slightly and points out the window.
“That’s my family name on that wing over there.
Your rules don’t mean shit when it comes to me.
You or your staff even think about trying to take her on a hold and all the money we donate to this place is gone like that! ” He snaps his fingers harshly.
“You can add the Channing name and funding to that loss as well.” An icy cold voice says from behind him. He turns enough so we can all see Kara standing in the doorway. Her chin is up and the look in her eyes is enough for me to be scared for the guy.
He lets out a frustrated huff and tries one last time.
“Your friend clearly needs help. She tried to kill herself.”
Jules shakes his head. “No, she didn’t. It was an accident. She hasn’t been sleeping well since the death of her family. She merely took a few extra pills. She was obviously confused in her exhausted state. She didn’t try to kill herself.”
The look on the man’s face clearly says he doesn’t believe that, so Julian yanks the chart from the wall and thrusts it at him.
“Check her chart. See what they pumped out of her.”
The man takes it and flips through the pages, reads some of it, and then sighs.
“They only found four partially dissolved tablets.”
“See? She mixed up her doses. Unfortunate, but not a suicide attempt. If she were trying to kill herself, she would have taken a lot more than that, right? Her medication will be strictly monitored going forward and she will receive the best private care available from now on.”
My eyes crash closed as memories of the bathroom where we found her fill my head.
Julian forcing her to puke and the many pills that were in the puddle of her vomit on the floor.
His doing that not only saved her life but made it so she won’t have this on her record.
I press my lips together. I don’t know what goes on in the psychiatric ward, but if he’s fighting this hard to keep her out of it, I’m on board.
A soft, ragged groan has my eyes flying open. Luna’s eyes are open and flashing around the room with wild panic. I lean over and cup her cheek until her scared gaze settles on mine. Her voice is a harsh croak when it comes out.
“Tor? What’s happening? I… I don’t want to be here. Please… please, can you take me home?”
I place my lips against the chilled skin of her forehead and kiss her as the tightness clenching at my chest finally eases completely, then whisper, “Yes, love. We’ll take you home.”