Maybe I'm too simple... but I find the bathtub anyway and place her inside gently, “Let’s get them off you first, okay?”
Her lip wobbles and new tears form in her hazel eyes, but she doesn't allow them to fall, and instead, nods her head bravely.
I'm careful not to touch her as I run hot water over her with the shower head, but a new resentment is burning in my chest for being so completely lost.
Because Christian would’ve known what to do.
“What... what do you need?” I ask her.
Maybe it's because she sees how lost I am, how much I want to help—but she's throwing her arms around my neck, finally allowing herself to cry.
And I give her that.
I know the rest of the team must be livid about my silence and how long I've been gone, but I can give her that.
But strangely, she only cries for a few minutes before the shock takes over. Before she knows it, she's falling into a deep sleep.
I adjust her dress, wrap her sleeping body in a towel from nearby and pick her up in my arms once more before beginning the journey back to the top deck.
She clings to me even in her sleep, her grip slackening only barely. And I feel heavier with her every breath and with each step up the stairs. As though the weight on her shoulders is pushing me down with her, threatening to pull me into the floor and swallow me into her darkness.
All I can do for now is share that weight with her.
When I reach the top, Reuben is pacing and he’s exchanging sharp words with Gabriel.
It’s Xavier who sees me first, “What the fuck.”
Everyone’s eyes snap to me.
And it feels like I'm an ocean separated from my own team as I stop some distance away—
Holding a broken Lucia.
Reuben’s eyes lock with mine. He looks furious but when he sees Lucia, the chaotic energy in him subsides like a receding wave. And I know he's doing it again. Know he's reading the story on my face, like he always does. Our gaze is broken when Tobias takes a step forward, “What happened?”
My hold tightens around Lucia. The air around me becomes so charged, it stops him in his tracks before his brows tighten, “What did you do?”
I know he doesn't mean what I think he does, but if I didn't have Lucia in my hands I’d hit him with everything I have.
The tension between us becomes sharp and gripping, until Camille is rushing past him. I can already see Josei’s death lingering in her eyes, the new sorrow that clings to her and haunts her face as she scans her friend with tears in her eyes.
And the tension is broken immediately with her small voice, “Will she be okay?”
My shoulders relax and I'm still quiet as she looks up at me, searching for hope on my face.
“She’ll need you,” I say softly.
Reuben finally steps forward, but he isn't looking at Lucia. Or Camille.
He's looking at me.
He's always looking at me.
I’m tense again when he gets too close, like a dog baring its teeth at intruders.
“I'm not going to hurt her,estrellito,” his voice is a quiet promise but the protective part of me is still on edge on the inside.
Still, I don't stop him from taking her. I'm holding my breath when her head rests on Reuben’s chest. “My people are on their way,” he promises. “They'll get us out of here and deal with this mess.” His eyes are piercing, “So you need to tell us now if there's anything we need to take care of.”
