At least he gifted me with his beautiful cerulean stare as I took my last breath, for it was something I planned to hold onto as I traversed purgatory, trying to find?—
A gasp tore through my throat, my body lurching forward as I abruptly sat upright. My head throbbed, my body aching as I glanced around the room—a clinic setting, various medical equipment hung up on walls and pushed up beside my bed, the incessant beep of a heart monitor.
I was…alive?
My eyes immediately closed as I tried to push the pain to the side, but it was useless, my stomach throbbing with the worst level of affliction I’d ever felt. And I’d been through a lot of bullshit.
“A-Ah, fuck…”
The rhythmic chime alerting the medics of my status increased with the influx, only continuing to grow as I sat in the sinking realization. I was alone.
Alone.
Alone.
God, not again. I couldn’t do this shit again. I understood that I’d never been easy to love, easy to hold, but it never made it any easier. It never made the abandonment bearable, and somehow, that’s all I ever experienced in this life.
Stop doubting him, Thorne.
Why didn’t anyone ever fight for me?
Oren did.
Why wasn’t I good enough for one to scream for me to stay, to fight, tolive?
Oren saw me as someone worthy.
A knock at the door was barely noticeable above my blaring thoughts, the sound of footsteps mixing with the beeping from the machines in the room.
The sound of a chair scraping against the floor interrupted the melodic beeps, and then a long sigh, one I was all too familiar with. I didn’t need my best friend here. I didn’t?—
“When are you going to stop scaring me with how fucking idiotic you are?”
Swallowing, I lifted my gaze to find Matthew. “God, Matt… I-I?—”
“You’re lucky you’re even breathing, Thorne.” He placed a hand on my shoulder, gentle, but firm enough to remind me he was here.
“I-I don’t even remember what the fuck happened…” Running a hand down my face, I shook my head. “The last thing… The last… Oren… Where’s Oren?”
Matt shook his head. “You should focus on yourself. The general beat the living shit out of you.”
His words were like ice water; the surge was nearly enough to send me off the bed. “Where. The.Fuck.Is. Oren?”
He gritted his teeth, but that soft, pliable nature returned almost instantly. “He’s… okay, I think. We rushed you here and well, Oren stayed behind. I’m assuming it’s because he didn’t want his father to suspect anything.”
“You think? You fuckingthink?” I moved, a sharp pain shooting across my stomach with enough of a bite to make me stop. My breathing hitched. “Where thefuckis he, Matthew?”
“Probably in his room, but sit the fuck down.” The hand on my shoulder tightened. “If you don’t heal, you’re only going to hurt Oren more.Youneed the rest.”
“Fuck that,” I seethed, wrapping my hand around the wires connected to my body. With one yank, I tore the IV from my arm alongside a few of the pads attached to my chest. “If you’re not going tohelpme out of this bed, then get the fuck out of my way.”
With a reluctant sigh, he stood, offering his hand. “You’re lucky I owe you, but after you see him, I’m bringing you right back. Got it?”
“I’m not staying in this clinic. I’m awake. I’m alive. Let them use the room for someone who actually needs it.” Taking his hand, I bit my cheek as he helped me stand from the bed, every inch of my body aching with even the most minimal movements. “How long was I out…?”
“Several hours. Surprised you woke up so fast, but at the same time, you’re one stubborn man.” Wrapping an arm beneath the blades of my shoulders, he collected most of my weight, easing some of the pain.
“Yeah… Shut the fuck up,” I groaned, leaning into him.
