Chapter Text
Today was not a good day.
In fact, it was proving to be the worst day ever.
Her engagement ring spun anxiously between her fingers as her legs bounced in restless rhythm as she waited. And waited, and waited some more. She sat in a plush armchair which was deeper and more comfortable than any standard issued furniture to the right of the hospital bed.
She still felt shell-shocked by everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. The aches and pains in her body felt more pronounced —not from the crash— but from her chronic illness, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). She knew that aside from her daily medication that she would need to take painkillers on top of it. Her wrists and elbows felt aching in a way that was different than the norm. Not to mention her knees from when she hit the dashboard.
She took in a shuttering breath, and hoped that would calm her nerve. It didn’t. She closed her eyes and behind her lids unfolded so quickly and yet agonizingly slow: the screech of tires, the crunch of metal, the flashing lights of the ambulance, the chaos of emergency surgery… and now, this.
Silence.
A silence so thick, so suffocating, it was almost worse than the waiting itself.
Violet Sorrengail, 25, was in the VIP ward of Tyrrendor Hospital. And the man she had believed to be invincible now lay in a medically induced coma, hours after undergoing emergency brain surgery. The sight of him so still, so fragile, was unbearable. How had this happened? Obviously, Violet knew how but she just couldn’t wrap her brain around it.
She couldn’t stop stop crying, her anxiety over the situation spilling over into near hysteria after the nurse tried to examine her and tend to her scrapes and bruises she’d earned in the crash. None of it mattered, her pain, her injuries because she wanted him to be OK. She needed him to be ok.
What if he didn’t wake up? She tried to shove the intrusive through down but it kept popping up. What if the last time she saw him alive and well was shortly before the accident when they exchanged ugly, hurtful words. She shook her head, refusing to accept that. No, that would not be the last time. Their story could not end like that.
Surely, fate could not be so cruel. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest at the thought.
She walked like a zombie to gaze out the window. Gripped the windowsill so heavily that her knuckles were white. It hurt to see him like this, it hurt to remember the last words they exchange. Everything just hurt. “Damn you Xaden.” Her vision blurred and she couldn’t see the stars twinkling in the sky nor the skyline of the downtown area.
She forced herself to stay grounded in reality, to cling to the facts—because if she let her mind wander, fear would consume her.
The surgeon explained in a calm, measured tones that the crash had slammed his brain against his skull, tearing blood vessels. The bleeding and swelling that followed required emergency surgery. And that was their only chance to relieve the rising pressure.
She was grateful that her fiancé was a control freak and left nothing to chance because he insisted they name each other as medical proxies when they got engaged. At the time, it had felt like an unnecessary formality. Since upon their marriage it would be automatic. Now, it was the only reason the doctors could speak to her directly, the only reason she wasn’t left in the dark about his condition. And for that, she was endlessly grateful for his foresight. It was almost like he knew.
Going to his beside, she greedily soaked him in. Her eyes darted over Xaden Riorson, who laid unconscious, head slightly turned, gauze wrapped around part of his scalp. His breath was steady, but slow. Even in this state, he was still beautiful. She pressed a gentle kiss against his forehead. “I love you,” she whispered, even though she didn’t know if he could hear her. Even though she didn’t think he would want to hear her—even if he could. “Please please be OK,” she gently pressed their forehead together and just stayed there for a moment. “I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it. Any of it.”
She rose and began to pace, her eyes flicking to Xaden’s still form before tracing the quiet room around them. This entire floor was reserved for VIP patients and those who could afford the kind of care that blurred the line between hospital and luxury hotel.
The bed was centered in the room, surrounded by polished stainless-steel equipment that beeped and hummed in steady rhythm. Above the headboard, a discreet digital monitor displayed vital signs — pulse, blood pressure, oxygen — in soft, pulsing neon. No alarms. Just the quiet, constant reassurance of function.
A large window took up most of the right wall, covered now by sheer drapes that filtered the city lights into a hazy, golden glow. Through the fabric, distant headlights blinked like stars drifting across the skyline. If she closed her eyes long enough, she could almost believe this wasn’t a hospital.
The usual chaos of a hospital ward was absent. No urgent alarms, no frantic footsteps. just the steady, measured beep of the heart monitor and the faint hiss of oxygen threading through his nasal prongs. There were no crying children or noise from other patients or their family. Just peace.The staffs selected to work this floor were professionals and discreet.
Abstract paintings broke up the pale walls, a flat screen TV hung opposite the bed, and beneath it a sleek sound bar. Even the air smelled elevated; touched with a whisper of lavender that tried to mask the antiseptic scent and to make the occupants of the room forget they were in a hospital.
Violet was jarred from her musing by a gentle tap against the closed door. Slowly, it was opened. She looked up and a middle-age woman in scrubs entered with a stethoscope around her neck.
“Hi there,” she said softly, her eyes warm and reassuring. “I’m Reagan, the night nurse assigned to this room. I’ll be checking in on the patient throughout the night. If anything changes or you need help, just press this button here, and I’ll come right away.” She pointed to the call button to show exactly which one she meant. “I’m just going to check his vitals and fluid, then I’ll be out of your hair.”
Reagan moved efficiently around the room, consulting her digital chart as she worked. She checks the IV line, then gently takes his blood pressure with practiced ease.
“I’m sorry to bother you Reagan, but can you tell me if he’s… if he’s really okay? I mean the doctor said the surgery went well…..” Violent’s words trailed off as she looked everywhere but at the nurse, as she voiced her biggest fear.
“He’s stable right now. His vitals are strong, and that’s exactly what we hope to see at this stage. He’s not out of the woods yet, but… everything is moving in the right direction.”
She nodded, appreciating her words and that she didn't give her any false platitudes. “Stable is good.” She kept her gaze on the other woman, watching silently as the task was carried out.
Moving closer to the patient, Reagan lifted the corner of the gauze with gloved fingers, nodded quietly to herself, and then spoke aloud “no swelling, no drainage. That’s a good sign.” She said it for the young woman’s benefit, to give her hope. She had seen countless patients in similar situations and always tried to stay positive, while remaining honest. She leaned in with a penlight, gently lifting one eyelid, and then the other. His pupils reacted.
“If you don’t mind me asking, who are you to him? Family? Wife?”
Violet stared at her for several long moments before she cleared her throat. “I’m his fiancée,” she says quietly. “We were planning to get married at the end of next year. At least that was the plan—”Her voice cracked as a tear slipped down her cheek.
“I’m sorry.” She mumbled as she turned away, embarrassed. She had to get it together.
“You’re doing the hardest part right now, waiting,” Reagan’s voice was full of sympathy. She reached out and gently squeezed her shoulder. “Is there someone you can call? In my experience, its nice to not be alone.”
Violet squeezed her hand back, appreciating the human contact. “Thank you. His brother, and cousin is on the way.”
Driven by nerves more than anything else, she begins to explain, “We don’t actually live here. We currently live in Navarre, but Xaden wanted me to see Tyrrendor—he grew up here, and he wants to raise any future kids here.” She pauses, her words tumbling out. “Everyone we know is back in Navarre, so… anyway, I’m sorry for oversharing.”
Even though she couldn’t see it, she face her a small smile. Liking the other woman. There was a kindness to her. “Tyrrendor is a beautiful region. I don’t blame him.” she gives her shoulder, one more squeeze, and then removed her hand.
“Take heart. He had the best brain surgeon operate on him. Surgery went well. Couldn’t have gone better. I’ll be back in an hour to check again. Until then, talk to him. Sometimes… they hear more than we think.”
Violet waited until she heard the door gently close before turning back around. The tears had never stopped. She breathed in deeply the odd antiseptic and lavender scent of the room and counted to ten. Exhaled loudly. Repeated it until she felt the tension in her body release.
“Violet!”
She was so lost in her head, she didn't hear the door open and close.
As her name is called, she spins around to see a tall blonde man approaching her. Without hesitation, she breaks into a short run, and collapsed into his arms.
“Oh, Liam… I’m so, so sorry,” she sobbed, the tears renewing at the familiar face.
Liam held her tightly, his brow furrowed with confusion. “What are you talking about Vi?” His gaze shifted to the man lying in the hospital bed—his brother—and tears welled up in his own eyes. “What happened?”
He remembered when he got the frantic call from her, and then from the hospital as he is listed as an emergency contact. He was already packing a bag when Garrick and Bodhi called him three way. They had to work out logistics and operations strategies for the company. All four of them couldn't be out of commission at the same time.
They decided Liam would leave first —not that that was up for discussion—and the other two would leave Saturday. His assistant was already making the necessary arrangement for the private jet to leave as soon as possible. Which took a lot longer than he wanted.
When all she can do is cry harder, Liam gently pulled back just enough to look at her face, not seeing the effects of the crash as he tried to get through to her. But he realized that she doesn’t need to be interrogated right now, but comforted so he draw her back into the circle of his arms. His voice soft but steady as he tells her everything will be ok.
After a little while, when her cries subsided, he shifts his hold and reaching for the of Kleenex. He hands them to her and watched as she goes through several sheets as she wipes her face and blows her nose.
“I’m such a mess.” Violet complained, she could only imagine what she looked like.
Liam cleared his throat and shook his head at the younger, shorter woman. He ran a hand through his blonde hair, eyes sweeping over the quiet hospital room. “You’re not,” he said softly, “This is a lot. And you’ve been running on empty. ”
She hiccuped, “ I-I hate that we came here. I just think that if we never came here than none of this would have happened.” A lot of things would never have happened. “Xaden would be fine right now.”
Liam walked to his brother’s side and the worry he felt since learning of his accident almost overwhelmed him. “You can’t think that way,” he told her. Truth be told, he thought the same thing. When Xaden told him about him about the impromptu trip, he had asked him why the rush. It wasn’t like him to be spontaneous. But he was insistent that he had to go now.
He blinked away the tears. Xaden was the asshole that won at everything and people secretly hated. He squeezed his hand hard. “You don’t get to do this,” he told him harshly. Memories of their time in foster care flashed through his mind that solidified their brotherhood— not in blood but in surviving.
“I’m sorry,” Violet murmured again, the words caught in her throat. She took a small step back. She didn’t know why but she just felt like this was her fault.
“I’m going to grab something from the cafe. You stay here with him.”
Liam caught her hand to stop her. “You don’t have to go,” he said.
“I know. I just… want to give you a little time alone with your brother. I’ll be back.” Violet reassured him with a small smile.
He held onto her hand a beat longer, and gave her tired smile. “He’s going to pull through, you know. My brother’s way too possessive of you to let another man have you.”
He didn’t know what he was talking about. “Liam…”
“This is tough, but its going to be OK.” He didn’t just say for her but for him too.
“He will be.” Violet saw through him. He needed to be reassured. “The nurses have been checking on him like clockwork and they say everything’s fine. I’m just—” she exhaled—“scared. But I’m glad you’re here.”
She pulled him into a quick, comforting hug. “Let me go grab us some food from the cafe?”
She slung her bag over her shoulder as she walked out, her phone in her hand. She checked it quickly, several missed calls, and even more text messages. She had told her closest friends what happened, and her sister.
Violet pressed her phone to her ear and returned her best friend’s call
“How are you?” Rhiannon Matthias asked immediately. She didn't bother with pleasantries.
Violet chuckled, Rhi never had any chill. “I’m barely holding on, Rhi. I—I don’t even know what’s up anymore.” And, that’s not even the worst of it. She sighed. She looked at the signs on the wall, indicating where to go for the cafe.
“You were in the accident too,” she reminded her, “and Xaden is badly injured…. I don’t know too many people that would be holding on after all that.”
She let out a noncommittal sound as she walked down the empty hallways. The walls were stark white, echoing softly with each step. She passed the nurse’s station, where one person typed at a computer and another spoke quietly on the phone. Up ahead, an arrow pointed toward the café, and she headed in that direction.
“Anyway how are you doing? Be real, no tough girl act.”
“I’m ok—really. I’m just a little banged up. Nothing too bad.” She admitted. The hospital gave her ibuprofen 800 which did help with the initial pain that she felt and inflammation.
Violet caught her reflection in the polished tile wall and cringed Her eyes and nose were red, face blotchy, hair falling loose around her shoulders from her low bun. The elegant, open back black dinner dress she’d worn hours ago is wrinkled now, her four-inch heels absurdly out of place in the sterile hospital corridors.
Her whole body felt raw, as if worry and anxiety have worn her thin.
“Do you need me to come? Tara can—”
“I can’t ask you so do that.” Violet interrupted her, refusing to allow her to finish her sentence. “ I appreciate the support, but I really am fine.”
“You aren’t asking Vi. I can’t leave you in that mess alone. Especially with those people who act like your still in kindergarten.” The disdain Rhiannon felt for Xaden’s inner circle clear.
Violet sighed, and rubbed her head. Her head started to throb. She would need sleep soon. She hadn’t gotten more than a catnap at a time. “I’m not alone. Liam just got here.”
“Humph. They are here for Xaden, but who is here for you?”
“I’m not the one in a coma!” She snapped, her voice sharper than she intended. “I’m sorry, I know you mean well and I love you for having my back. But they are here for Xaden as they should be.”
Rhi not deterred continued to pressed, “didn’t you say they thought he was moving too fast with you? So I’m sure you can understand my hesitation with how they will treat you.”
“Maybe. But that’s only because I’m younger.”
“You’re 25, not 21. You’re almost done with your PhD for crying out loud! Do any of them have a Ph.D?” She paused for dramatic effect, “Oh, is that a no? I didn’t think so.”
Violet approached the small cafe. Warm light spilled from recessed fixtures, softening the otherwise clinical atmosphere of the hospital. Sleek, dark wood tables were paired with plush, high-backed chairs, and a few low couches with velvet cushions offered corners for privacy. A marble counter gleamed under the soft glow of pendant lights, behind while a barista made a drink for the short line of people in front of her.
Violet groaned but couldn’t help but laugh.“They all accept me now—well most of them.
“So the best friend is still a dickwad?”
“Yep.” Ugh. Which sucked. Xaden really valued Garrick’s opinion, unfortunately. Violet lowered her voice, “and he thinks I want his money.”
“What?!?” Rhi screeched into the phone so loud that she had to pull the phone away from her ear. “ How are you just now telling me that they think you’re a gold digger?
“Just this reason? I don’t want to make it a big deal.” I’m now up front. “Give me a moment Rhi, let me place my order. “ I order 2 coffee with milk and sugar and croissants.
“That’s insane. Your mom offered to cover your school, your room and board, if you went along with her plan. And you told her to fuck off.”
“Well, not quite like that. But basically.” I heard my name called, and I went to retrieve my items. “I don’t need to prove my self to them. Xaden either wants me or he doesn’t.”
Violet began making her way back to the room. “I’ll be back soon, so I should get off the phone.”
“Vi…if you need me to come kick his overgrown ass let me know. There is nothing more I love then to hand men their ass.”
Violet laughed harder than she thought could given the situation. “Thank you Rhi. I love you but that won’t be needed.”
“The offer stands…Call me if you need anything.”
Next Day
Violet was exiting the en-suite bathroom when she heard additional male voices. She saw Bodhi first.
“Hi!” A genuine smile lit her face as she wrapped her arm around the taller man for a one-armed hug.
Bodhi looked at her face and arms, taking inventory of the scraps and blues-purplish tint to her pale skin. She looked exhausted with deep bags underneath her eyes. “You didn’t say you got hurt this bad,” he admonished her, his eyes narrowing.
Violet shrugged, she made off easy, in comparison. “It’s nothing like your cousin, I bruise really easily.” Her eyes drifted to the center of the room. To the man they were all here for. Her heart constricted in her chest. It was hard to see him there, no matter how many days has passed.
Bodhi wasn’t buying her nonchalant response, he was amazed that Liam didn’t call her out. “You feeling ok? My cousin would kick our asses if something happens to you.”
Violet had to bite back tears because seeing Bodhi hurt. He looked so much like Xaden, just shorter, softer and more approachable. She cleared her throat, she was staring at him too hard.
“Shit, Vi. I’m such an asshole.” Liam swung his legs off the bed and stepped closer, his gaze heavy with guilt as he finally looked her over. “Fuck… how did I not notice?” He had been so consumed with Xaden that he hadn’t really thought about her.
It had been dark when he came in yesterday, and she hadn’t given any indication. “I didn’t even think to ask…” His eyes traced every line of exhaustion on her face, and he winced, voice tight with remorse. He now saw the bruises and marks that Bodhi mentioned. “You… you look like hell. No offense.”
Violet snorted, “you two are great for my self esteem…I’m fine,” she assured them. She did need her medication badly, her joints were getting worst. A change of clothes and shoes would be clutch. And better food. In that order.
It was then that she noticed the other tall man in the room, his hazel eyes sharp and guarded. His face was grim, arms folded across his chest. Garrick leaned against the wall, watching her the way someone might watch a criminal they’d reluctantly allowed into their home. He didn’t trust her and he made no effort to hide it. Prick.
A shiver of unease ran through her. She shifted slightly, unsure where to place her hands, her gaze flicking away from his, feeling the weight of his suspicion pressing down on her. Often, Xaden would tell her he would come around. That Garrick was just protective. She was still waiting for him to come around.
Liam and Bodhi moved to Xaden’s bedside. All further conversation stopped for the moment. The gravity of the situation weighed on them heavily.
“I can’t believe…” Bodhi closed his eyes briefly to stem the tears. Xaden is the only blood relation he had left. And seeing him like this was unreal. It left him feeling unmoored.
“Yeah, tough as shit seeing him like this.” The blonde, greened eyed put his arm around the the other in comfort. “Before you know it, he will be bossing us around again.”
“You shouldn’t be here,” Garrick stated bluntly to her, his words sure as he leveled her with the full weight of his hostile stare.
Violet refused to cower in front of him, even though she wanted to.
She was a Sorrengail.
Her joints hurts. She was fatigued, and she was suffering from a broken heart. She didn’t have any fucks to give at his point.
She straightened her back, “My fiancé and I were just in a wreck in that resulted in him being in a medically induced coma. I’m where I’m supposed to be, and if you don’t like it. That’s too fucking bad..”
He leaned off the wall, approaching her, eyes blazing. “No, you don’t get to play dot—”
“Stop being a dick Garrick,” Liam intervened stepping in between them. With a hand on his hip, he pointed to the other man, “Xaden would want her here, and you have to get over your bullshit with her. He proposed to her for fucking sake. That should tell you something.”
Garrick’s jaw was firmed as he regarded the other foolish man. “You are too easily fooled by pretty eyes. You don’t know everything.”
Violet’s heart began beating rapidly in her chest. Her palms were slick with sweat. What did he know? Her eyes darted between the two men, locked in a heated standoff.“Can we—”
A gentle tap sounded at the door, and the nurse from earlier stepped in to make her hourly check-in.
There was always medical staff checking on him, making sure the automatic mattress adjusted properly to prevent bedsores, monitoring his fluids, scheduling MRIs, and attending to every detail of his care. Some of them spoke with them quietly, offering small reassurances, while others went about their tasks in silence.
Once the they were alone, Bodhi leaned against the bed, one hand tucked into his pocket. “So, what exactly happened that night?” he asked.
Violet walked to the window, stared out. It was midafternoon and the weather was clear and sunny. Her fingers curled tightly around the windowsill as she drew a deep breath.
“We were coming back from dinner,” she recalled, her voice steady but distant. She repeated the same account she had given the police at the hospital, but the words felt hollow in her mouth. “We were heading back to the villa. Xaden and I were talking… and then, out of nowhere, a car hit us.”
What she doesn’t share was that he’d been looking at her upon impact. Distracted. She had been silently wondering if it could have been avoided if he had been looking at the road.
Garrick’s face is a stone wall, the only indication that he is affected is a tick at his jaw, and the flare of his nostril. She wasn’t telling the truth, he could practically taste it. The question was why. “The police says the driver was drunk, blew through a red light.”
“Fuck,” Liam punch the wall. One selfish decision caused all this.
Violet stiffened, rage flashing hot through her veins. Someone had been drinking and chose to get behind the wheel. And due to their reckless actions they may have cost Xaden his life.
She hadn’t known that detail. Of course he found out. He always knew more than he let on. He was like Xaden in that way. They liked to gather information and then reveal at the most opportune time—for them.
Turning slowly, she faced the three men. Her gaze swept over them, measured and wary.
She felt completely out of place. Like an intruder in a world that wasn’t hers. Maybe she was. These men had years—decades—of history with Xaden. She had a little over a year. Everything had moved so fast with then.
Liam regarded her softly, his voice kind. “ Bodhi and I have been talking and we think you should go back to the villa. Shower, change, rest…. you’ve been with him since the accident. We can hold the line until you return.”
Violet is already shaking her head, no. “What if he—?”
“He won’t,” Bodhi asserts, “you were in that accident too and you have to be feeling like shit. Regardless of what you tell us. The car is downstairs and will take you there. Just get some rest and come back. For him.” He doesn’t add that she needs it, badly. “I’m sure it would be nice to get out of those pumps,” he motioned to her footwear.
Violet eyed the two men carefully, deliberately avoiding the third. She could feel Garrick’s stare on her, it felt like hot laser beams slicing through her. She didn’t understand why he was so determined to see the worst in her.
She glanced at the floor, blinking hard. Bit her bottom lip, thinking hard. She wasn’t sure if she should leave.
“You’re no good to him if you collapse.” Liam reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “They’re not waking him from the coma anytime soon. You need to take care of yourself.”
She was tired. Emotionally and physically. Pretending she was okay when every part of her was falling apart took energy that was depleted. “You will call me if anything changes?”
“Right away,” Liam promised .“You’re not giving up on him by leaving,” he said finally, as if reading her thoughts. “But you can’t give if you are empty.”
She closed her eyes, jaw tight. “It feels wrong. Leaving him.” She swallowed hard. He was right, but that didn’t make it easier to accept.
“He always said you were stubborn as hell,” Liam added with a faint smile. “Don’t make me carry you out.”
A dry laugh escaped her, thin and broken, but real.
“We will watch him Violet,” Bodhi assured her, “ go,”
“Okay,” Violet agreed.. “Just for a few hours. But you’ll call me if anything changes. Anything.”
“First ring,” Liam nodded. “We swear.”
With one more look toward the man in the bed, she leaves.
Two weeks later
It was time.
“I’m nervous,” Violet said quietly,
Bodhi sat beside her. He didn’t speak right away, “me too.”
Over the past two weeks, she’d felt more emotions than she thought a person could feel into such a short amount of time. Terror. Guilt. Love. Hope. Rage. Overwhelming worry. It was an endless loop.
Garrick and Liam had flown back two days after the accident to manage the company. All four of them couldn’t be gone at once not with everything riding on their shoulders. They had a rotating schedule who would stay and who would stay. Thankfully, Garrick always left for the week.
It was probably because he couldn’t stand her.
Thank God for small mercies.
Still, they came back every weekend without fail on the private jet.
Violet hadn’t said it aloud, because they were manly men but she thought it was beautiful how they were there for Xaden. She respected the way they showed up without question. It wasn’t just loyalty. It was love even though they didn’t give it a name. She was glad they were there—even Garrick with surly attitude.
It was time.
The doctors were going to wean Xaden off the sedation that kept him in a coma. His brain swelling had eased. The pressure inside his skull had stabilized. Now came the scary part, how would he be once he woke up?
They had said there was no way of knowing if he would be the same after a traumatic brain injury. It was all individual based, but medically they did all they could. They cautioned them that he would disoriented, confused. May not know names and faces at first. He would be slow to speak, at lost for words. Motor functions would be slow. Not too expect too much.
By afternoon, the sedatives was nearly gone from his system. And there was, no change. His body remained still, the only movement was the gentle twitch of machines taking care of him, breathing, feeding, and regulating.
“Come back to us,” Violet begged, her voice trembling as she held his hand in both of hers. His fingers were warm but heavy, so much larger than her own yet lifeless. She pressed a kiss to the back of his hand, her lips lingering there as if she could breathe life back into him through her will.
“I need you,” she whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of the words. Her forehead rested against his knuckles, eyes squeezed shut. “Please… everything would be different,” she didn’t know what she was saying but everything would be different if that kept him with her. Because now she understand now fragile life was. How precious he was.
Opening her eyes, she pressed another kiss to the back of his hand. Then she saw something shift in his face. “I-I think something is happening” she whispered/scream as she bolted up from the bed. Her eyes focused on him watching for any minuscule movement.
There was a flutter behind his eyelids.
“His eyes!” Violet said and then screamed when she felt a pressure on hand. “He he just squeezed my hand…get the nurse!”
His cousin rushed out of the room and flung the door opening screaming for a nurse.
The nurse rushed in almost instantly, calm and composed, her eyes scanning the room with clinical precision. She didn’t flinch, didn’t waste a second.
Violet couldn’t form words. She could only point toward the bed, her chest heaving as if she just ran a marathon with tears streaming down her face.
But the nurse seemed to understand. With a practiced efficiency, she moved to Xaden’s side, already paging the doctor as she checked his vitals. Her voice was steady, professional—but urgent.
Bodhi and Violet stayed back and as hospital staff entered the room and begun to work.
“He’s waking up!” Violet exclaimed in wonder. Her eyes were wide as she watch the flurry of activity.
Bodhi clasped her hand, “he is,” his voice tight with emotion.
“Why don’t you go be by his side,” she said, breathless. “Be with him. He should see a familiar face when he wakes up.”She paused, swallowing the lump in her throat.“I’m going to call Liam and Garrick.”
Bodhi shook his head, “he wouldn’t want to see my ugly face. He would much rather see yours.”
“Hey! Your face is gorgeous,” she said poking him in said gorgeous face. She lowered her eyes, before looking at him, her eyes blurry with tears. “Let me call them…I—I need a minute.”
He searched her face, unsure why she wouldn’t want to be with Xaden but nodded.
20 minutes later, Violet couldn’t bare to stay away any longer and her steps falters by the door when she hears hears his barely audible, raw and hoarse request.
“…Water…”
Her heart clenched in her throat. Tears welled in her eyes, he was awake. He was really awake. And just as quickly anxiety rushed her.
Violet didn’t step all the way into the room. She hovered by the doorway, her shoulder brushing the frame as if it were the only thing holding her up.
She couldn’t really see him—not with the medical staff and Bodhi clustered around the bed, speaking in low, focused voices. The low hum monitors hadn’t changed, but the air in the room felt different now. Instead of the intense feeling of a pressure cooker, it now felt expectant with a touch of hope.
Her fingers drifted to the ring on her hand, turning it absently around her finger. She did that often now—this nervous little habit she hadn’t had before the day he slipped it on.
She wanted to go to him. She wanted to run across the room and throw her arms around him. Press her lips against his face and feel his heartbeat. But she wasn’t sure of her reception.
So she walked back out, heart thudding in her chest, her thumb tracing the curve of the ring over and over. Happy that he was awake at least.
The nurse leaned in quickly, dabbing his lips with a moist swab. And then pouring a small amount of water in a cup for him to drink and telling him to drink slowly.
After taking small sips, Xaden looked around room, confused. What’s he doing here? And why is he connected to all these equipment?
“Where… I?” The words come out strained and rough. The short sentence taking longer than it should to leave his mouth.
“You’re in a hospital,” the man said gently. “You were in an accident. But you’re okay now. You had surgery… and you’ve been out of it for a couple weeks.”
He recognized the voice. Family. Though he couldn’t think of his name.
The words sank in slowly, heavy and disjointed. Hospital. Accident. Surgery. Weeks.
His eyes flickered to the man that spoke. His face slowly coming into focus. The tone carried a quiet reassurance, with relief and worry.
Xaden’s throat burned. His body ached and he felt like he hadn’t moved in decades. He groaned in pain. Shifted slightly.
His brow furrowed, trying to process the news. His eyes closed again as if that would help his brain to understand. He recalled that he and this— there was a woman. Hazel eyes. Brown and silver hair. He frowned “… head …”
“That’s normal with what you are going through,” the nurse said. “Don’t try too hard to think. Relax as much as you can.”
Xaden slumped in his bed, his eyes searching restless in the room. Something is missing. No someone. “Where…?”
“You really had us worried,” Bodhi said, the relief written all over his face. “If you wanted attention… next time, just call.”
Xaden let out a low grunt, as best as he could. —more like a breath— but the look he gave Bodhi was unmistakably unimpressed—even here, even now, in a hospital bed hooked up to machines.
That classic, deadpan glare.
Bodhi’s grin only widened, he chuckles. A tear slid down his eye which he quickly wiped away. “There he is,” he said softly, voice thick with emotion. And if the nurse hadn’t been between them, checking vitals and adjusting wires, he would’ve wrapped his cousin in a bear hug, tubes and all.
He never thought he’d be so happy to see that stoic face again.
Xaden ignored what’s going on around him. There is an ache in his chest. “Vi…” he starts again but then stops because he doesn’t know what he was going to say. But he knows that means something.
“Violet!” Bodhi called, the moment Xaden’s eyes flicked past him with unmistakable intent. Of course he would want to see her, typically. From the moment that 5’2 dazzling creature swept into his cousin’s life he was a goner.
He finds her outside . Her shoulders stiff, body frozen like she was bracing for something that hadn’t come yet.
“Hey,” Bodhi said gently, he felt like if he moved to quickly she would bolt. “What are you doing out here?”
Violet blinked like coming out of a fog, “ I didn’t want to get in way,” she said nervously. “How does he seem?”
He shots her disbelieving look. He didn’t know what’s going on with her but she had been on edge since the accident.“He still no sense of humor,” he joked to lighten the tense mood. “Were you able to get a hold of Liam and Garrick?”
She nodded. “ I spoke to Liam.”
“Good.” Taking her hand, he starting walking her back to the room. “He asked for you.”
Violet expression is shocked, “for me?”
Bodhi gives her a nonplussed look. “ I don’t know why you are surprised. My cousin is obsessed with you.”
Before Violet could respond, the medical team stepped out of the room, their voices calm and clipped as they passed.
“The doctor will be in to assess him in about ten minutes,” one of the nurses said with a reassuring nod to Bodhi and Violet before disappearing down the corridor.
“I’ll stay out here to give you guys a minute.”
Violet walked closer to the bed, her throat thick with emotion. His eyes were closed, and she almost turned back around, but forced herself to be brave.
“Hey,” she said softly once she was by his bedside. Her voice cracked.
His gold-flecked onyx eyes opened, landed on her face with quiet intensity. Xaden looked at her as one would a stranger for several long moments. And then, quietly… the look changed.
Recognition.
A flicker in his eyes, his gazed widened slightly.
“Violence…”
Her breath caught. For a moment, all the words she’d practiced while in the hallway, every version of I love you, I’m sorry, vanished from her mind.
“Oh Xaden” tears spilled instantly, “ I was so worried.” She sat gently on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb the wires. Her fingers brushed over his hand before curling around it gently. She felt his finger moved as if they would hold her back if he had the strength.
He felt his heart breaking at the sight of those tears. He wanted to reach up to wipe the tears away, but his body felt so frail. “Don’t…cry…. ok.”
That only made her cry hard harder. “ I should be consoling you, not the other way around.”
“Can’t …stand….you…cry.”
She was beautiful he realized. Even in this. Her skin and eyes was red yet there was a radiance to her. It drew him to her. He couldn’t forget her.
Though his sentence was incomplete she knew what he was saying, can’t stand to see you cry. Xaden has uttered those words to her before. He couldn’t possibly mean that, but as she looked into his obsidian eyes, she felt a longing to stay by his side forever. To believe those words like she did before.
She couldn’t. The last words they exchanged playing back in her head. She pulled back, letting him go. “I’ll go get Bodhi.”
Xaden’s eyes locked onto hers, more insistent now, though his body remained still. A shaky breath left his lungs, every movement ached and rattled inside of him. But being away from her hurt worse.
“Stay.”
She licked her dry lips, and her heart fluttered in her chest. He wanted her to stay. She studied him; he was so pale despite the rich deeper tones of his skin. He looked worn down, and a little broken. But his eyes were open, and steady as they fixed on her.
She couldn’t leave him. Not now. Not yet.
“Okay.”
Night of the crash
“So that’s it?” Violet snapped, her infamous temper flaring. “Just like that?”
Xaden’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as the headache he felt forming at dinner started to throb at his temple. “Yes,” he said through gritted teeth. It annoyed him that they couldn’t just drop this conversation. After all—he already said everything he had to say.
“You are such an asshole,” she declared. Tears welled up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall in front of him. “I regret every meeting you.”
Her words pierced his chest like a dagger. He turned to face her —reckless decision since he should be facing the road, but it would only take a second— and for the first time since knowing her, he wanted to lash out at her. Wanted to hurt her.
Feeling his eyes on her, she glared back. Eyes she used adore looked at her with contempt.
“Your words mean nothing. I don’t love you.”