And wait.
And wait.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Aoife
TIME MOVES STRANGELY in hospitals. Minutes stretch into hours. Hours compress into moments. I watch the clock on the wall tick forward, but the numbers don't make sense anymore.
Reilan keeps hold of my hand. Neither of us speaks. What is there to say?
At some point, someone brings coffee. I cup the styrofoam container between my palms, letting the heat seep into my frozen fingers. I don't drink it. Just hold it until it goes cold, then set it aside.
William paces. Back and forth across the small room like a caged animal. He's made at least a dozen phone calls, each one brief and clipped. Organizing something. Planning something. Probably preparing for war.
Because that's what this is now. War.
Someone shot my father. Was it meant for me? To end the alliance before it even began? I don't know. But the timing, the location, it can't be a coincidence.
The door opens, and the doctor appears.
I'm on my feet before he fully enters the room. Reilan rises beside me. Even William stops pacing, his entire body coiled tight.
"How is he?" My voice doesn't shake. Not anymore.
The doctor looks tired. His scrubs are spattered with blood. Father's blood. "The surgery was successful. The bullet hit his carotid artery, but we were able to repair the damage. He's stable now."
The relief is so intense it's almost painful. My knees weaken, and Reilan's hand on my elbow is the only thing keeping me upright.
"Can I see him?" I ask.
"He's in recovery. Still unconscious from the anesthesia." The doctor hesitates. "I should warn you—he's going to look rough. The trauma to his throat was significant. He has tubes for breathing and feeding. Monitors. It can be...alarming."
"I don't care." The words come out flat. Final. "I need to see him."
The doctor nods slowly. "Room 307. But only immediate family, and only one at a time."
"Go," Reilan says to me. "I'll wait here."
I start to argue, but he shakes his head. "You need to see him first. Go."
William moves to follow me, but I hold up a hand. "No."
He stops. "Someone just tried to kill you, Aoife. I'm not letting you out of my sight."
"Then you can stand outside the door." My tone leaves no room for argument. "But I'm seeing my father alone."
For a moment, I think he'll fight me. His jaw works like he's grinding his teeth. But then he nods once, sharp and reluctant.
We walk down the corridor in silence. Two security guards trail behind us. The hospital feels emptier now. Quieter. Most of the day staff has gone home. Night shift moves through the halls like ghosts.
Room 307 is at the end of another long hallway. William stations himself outside the door, arms crossed. I don't look at him as I push inside.
The room is dim. Just the glow of monitors and the soft beep of machines measuring things I don't understand. Father lies in the center of it all, so still that he barely looks human.
The doctor was right. He looks rough.
His throat is wrapped in thick bandages. A tube snakes from his mouth to a machine that breathes for him. More tubes in his arms. Wires everywhere, connecting him to monitors that display numbers and waves I can't interpret.
