Page 140 of Hidden

Once dressed I walk over to Cain and give him a small smile. “You might look scary, but you have a soft heart for the ones you love.”

He smiles, and it's a genuine one. “Don’t say that too loudly, I still need people to fear me. Have a shower and feel a little back to normal.” He watches me for a moment and then looks over at the door. ‘I’ll get Lileah to bring in the clothes, and just so you know your brother's debt, and the clinic stay is all cleared. Miles took care of it, welcome to the Crawford family.” He leans in slowly and gives me a soft kiss on the cheek.

***

The water is hot enough to sting, I stand under it for a long time, watching the dirt and dried blood swirl down the drain. My shoulders ache, my wrists burn, but the heat slowly works its way into my bones and makes it easier to breathe.

I close my eyes and think about Miles, holding on to the memory of him breathing against my neck, alive, solid, and mine.

He has to wake up. I don’t know how to exist in a world where he doesn’t.

I get out of the shower, dry off, and pull on the clothes Lileah left for me. Soft black leggings, and an oversized sweater that smells faintly of clean laundry. I stand in front of the small mirror for a second longer than I need to, staring at the bruise darkening across my cheek and the raw marks on my wrists. Then I take a slow breath, open the door, and step back out into the corridor.

The air is colder out here, I keep one hand on the wall as I walk, not fully trusting my legs yet mostly because I can still feel they’re weak.

Mason is the first person I see. He’s leaning against the opposite wall, his head tipped back, and his eyes are closed. The moment he hears my footsteps he straightens. Relief flashes across his face so quickly it almost looks like pain.

“Hey,” he says, his voice rough. He quickly moves to me and helps me walk. I must look worse than I feel. “How are you feeling? Mom brought some food.”

“Like death, I don’t think I can eat anything.”

Before he can fight me and say I need to eat, the trauma bay doors open at the end of the hall. Cain steps out and looks directly at me, then at Mason, and gives a small nod.

My heart stutters.

“He’s stable,” Cain says when he reaches us. “They got the bleeding under control. He’s not awake yet, but he’s not crashing anymore.”

The words should feel like relief. Instead, they land somewhere between hope and terror. Stable is not the same as safe, stable is not the same as going to open his eyes and look at me.

I nod once because my voice doesn’t seem to work.

Cain studies my face for a second. “You did good,” he says quietly.

I swallow hard and look past him toward the doors they wheeled Miles through.

“Can I see him?”

Cain hesitates. “Soon,” he says. “They’re still working. The second they clear it, you’re first in. I promise.”

I nod again. The corridor feels too long and too quiet. Somewhere behind the double doors, machines are beeping, and keeping the only person I want to see alive.

I lean my shoulder against the wall beside Mason and close my eyes for a moment, listening to the distant sounds of the hospital, and waiting for the moment they finally let me in.

Thirty-Six

Miles

My first breath tears through me, the pain moving over my collarbone. My eyes stay closed while the pain moves and my body adjusts to it.

My left hand twitches at my side, but I can’t fully lift it off the bed.

I open my eyes, the smell of antiseptic hits me, and the beeping of the machine to my left. I’m in the hospital. Fuck! How bad did it get for me to end up here?

I try to move a little, but my whole right side is killing me, to the point my eyes start to get blurry.

I have no idea how long I’ve been here, but one thing I do know is that my body hasn’t recovered from it all.

I glance over and smile when I see Sadie sleeping on the couch.