Twisted Complications by Nikita Parmenter
Chapter Thirty
Rage
Iput my phone to my ear as I crash to my knees beside Ever, shakily reaching my fingers forward and placing them on her neck. My breath whooshes out of me in a rush when I feel the steady thump of her heartbeat.
Not dead, she’s not dead man. Keep it together.
“What’s up?” Atlas answers the phone sounding like he’s just been laughing about something.
“Ever’s come off her bike just down the road from ours.” I rush out and hang up the phone.
He’s just going to ask me a thousand questions I don’t know the answer to, and I want to check her over. I’m careful not to move her, not wanting to injure her more, thank fuck the visor on her helmet is up though, so I can at least see her face.
“Ever?” I ask, trying to wake her. “Puddin’?”
She doesn’t even blink and I start to panic, her bike is in pieces, I can feel her heartbeat, but fuck knows what injuries she has.
Footsteps pound the sidewalk behind me, and I jump to my feet, dropping down into a crouch and getting ready to take out whatever fucker did this in the first place. It’s clear from the behaviour of that fucking car that this was done on purpose.
I’ll kill the fucker.
If she dies, I’ll kill every fucker who’s ever laid a finger on her. I’ll hunt them down and slaughter them.
“Whoa, it’s okay. It’s just us.” Trick says his voice strained.
I instantly stand down.
“Fuck!” Jensen yells as his eyes land on Ever.
“Don’t touch her.” Cash orders. “You could hurt her worse. Trick, ring an ambulance.” He bends down and checks her pulse.
“What the fuck happened?” Atlas growls, close to losing it.
The other guys’ attention lands on me as they all gather around Ever.
“I saw a car driving fast down the road with the lights on full beam, next thing I heard was the sounds of crash, I raced down here and found Ever. The cars had disappeared.” I explain my hands gripping my hair as I stare at her.
I have never been so damn scared in my life and the fear just keeps climbing.
“Fucking hell, her bike is trashed.” Rafe says, looking over the hedge to see the mangled remains.
“She’s lucky she’s not dead.” Riot grinds out, his voice strangled.
“Don’t fucking say that.” Jensen growls, his eyes are wild.
“She’ll be okay man, if there’s one thing Ever is, it’s a fighter.” Trick tries to assure him but the pure fear in his eyes, bellies his words.
“Where the fuck is the ambulance?” Luc’s panicked voice echoes in the dark street.
“It’s coming.” Trick replies shortly.
I look at them all, she is the glue that holds them all together, I’ve always thought that but looking at them now it’s more obvious. They’re only holding it together because of her and because that’s what she needs them to do right now, me included. I’m right there with them and the realisation shows me just how far gone I am for her.
“Do you think this was done on purpose?” Rafe asks, his voice rougher than usual and a sheen on his eyes as he gently picks up one of Ever’s hands.
The other one is stuck underneath her body and I’d be willing to bet it’s broken. It looks like she landed on it.
“I assume so, the fact the guy had his lights on full suggests it, but we can’t be sure until she wakes up and can tell us herself.” Trick answers him, his voice firm as if he’s daring someone to argue with him about her waking up.
None of us do. We all need that hope, she will wake up from this.
“Liam?” Cash growls, his eyes flashing with deadly intent.
That look reminds of how he dealt with the fucker at the party, I never thought he was capable of threatening the things that he did, and the injuries he inflicted were intently made to cause the most amount of pain without killing him, it was fucking impressive and a bit terrifying. I’m fucking glad he’s on our side. God help the fuckers who cross him, who cross any of them, each one is deadly and capable in their own right.
“Normally, I’d say yes,” Atlas starts as we finally hear the sounds of a siren in the distance, getting louder quickly.
“Thank fuck.” Cash breathes out, still tense and the fact he’s worried sends a spiral of sickening fear through me, he’s got the most medical experience out of all of us, if he’s worried then it might be as bad as we all thought.
Atlas swallows thickly, coming to the same conclusion as I have. I share a look with all of the guys, in that moment they truly feel like my brothers as we all silently agree, if she dies then the fuckers who did this and whoever orchestrated it die too.
Atlas clears his throat trying to distract us from the revelation we all shared. “I’d normally say that this was Liam’s doing, but he hasn’t made even a threat on her life so far. I’m not saying it’s not him, but we need to keep an open mind, I don’t want to miss an enemy because we were focusing on the wrong one.”
“Fine.” Trick says, just as the ambulance comes around the corner at the end of the road. “Jensen flag down the ambulance!” He orders.
The demand cuts through the panic encapsulating him and he immediately does what Trick asked him to do. Riot stepping out to help.
“We need to keep an eye on him, this might send him over.” Trick mutters to the rest of us.
The ambulance pulls to a stop, the paramedics hopping out and instantly going to Ever, asking what happened. We all step back giving them space to work as I quickly explain what I heard and tell them no one has moved her; Cash then takes over. His words only slightly reassuring.
“From what I can tell, she hasn’t got any broken bones, but I can’t be sure. Her airways are clear, and her pulse is steady. She’s out cold though and isn’t waking when I call her name.” Cash explains to the paramedics.
“Good job, young man.” The elder one says, a small smile of reassurance.
We watch helplessly as they check her over and place her on a stretcher, it’s all a blur and in what seems like seconds the paramedics are turning back to us.
“Only one of you can ride with her.” The woman says expecting a fight clearly.
But we care more about her than any sort of ridiculous argument we could come up with.
“Atlas you go with her.” Trick says, tilting his head in a way that suggests protect her with any means necessary, his eyes darting to the paramedics.
It may be paranoid of us to be wary of the paramedics but if this really was on purpose then it looks like someone is out to kill Ever. No one is taking any chances with her safety.
Atlas pats his hip, telling us he’s armed.
He then nods, getting in the back of the ambulance, we don’t waste any time watching it leave as we all rush back to the house to get our own cars and follow.
Luc
Ihave never been happier that my car is fucking fixed than I am in this moment, it’s fucking fast and I need fast right now.
“Jensen get in the car.” I order, deciding to take it upon myself to keep an eye on him. Not only to help him and make sure he doesn’t go off the deep end but also because it helps me to keep my mind occupied.
The image of Ever lying on the floor twisted and looking like she’s sleeping peacefully is burned into my mind and I highly doubt anything could get rid of it. I think all of us will be having nightmares about seeing her lying on the floor for a long time to come. The rest of the guys pile into Trick’s SUV which he had modified a long time ago so although it can’t keep up with my car, it comes closer than any other SUV does. We pull out of the gates with speed and I race towards the gates.
Jensen’s phone buzzes and he answers, automatically putting it on speaker phone.
“Rage called one of the guards at the gates, you should be able to go straight through.” Trick’s strained voice sounds through the speaker before he hangs up.
He’s right and I speed straight through the gates, Trick and the others hot my heels.
“Jensen, pull up the directions to the hospital and tell me where to go. Ever needs us.” I tell him, knowing that like me, if he has a task, he’s less likely to spiral.
He hasn’t said a word since he saw her apart from to snap at Riot when he said from the damage to her bike, she should be dead. That’s a sure sign that he’s in turmoil, we all are but thanks to Jensen’s past seeing someone he love’s hurt and unconscious, sends him down a dark path. His eyes are clear though and they’ll stay that way for as long as Ever needs him. I just might need to remind him that she’s going to need him there when she wakes up.
He gives me the directions to the hospital in a monotone voice and I’m fucking glad that we aren’t too far away. Finding a space in the lot isn’t that difficult since it’s a small-town hospital. I hope that Ever doesn’t need any specialist care though because that would mean that she’s got to be flown out of here. This would be the perfect opportunity for Liam to grab her, while she’s vulnerable.
As soon as we get out of the car me and Jensen join the guys and I voice my concerns as we walk into the hospital.
“We need to be extra vigilant.” I start. “It would be the perfect time for Liam to take Ever and if he did plan her accident then this could be why.”
“Fuck, you’re right, I hadn’t even thought about that.” Rage mutters, he keeps running his hands through his hair and grabbing it in fists which means his hair is now sticking straight up.
Ever’s going to have a field day with that when she wakes up.
“Is everyone armed?” Trick asks quietly as we step through the doors.
“Always.” Jensen replies, the only word he’s spoken.
I think the promise violence has him coming back to himself a bit more. The rest of us nod. Ever since we got to this school I’ve always been armed unless I’m sleeping and even then, my weapons are within reach. We live in a dangerous world and I’m not risking anything.
“Hello, we’re here for Ever Thomas.” Trick says to the receptionist, I’m glad he remembered the fake last name she was using because I had absolutely no fucking idea.
“Unless you are family, I can’t let you in.” The nurse says shortly, looking over us suspiciously.
We don’t have fucking time for this, I need to know what’s going on with Ever. I place my hand on Jensen’s arm as he goes to step forward and watch worriedly as Rafe does the same to Cash, he has that cold look in his eyes that he gets right before he’s about to say something truly frightening, he has a way with words, just a couple of sentences has the most fearsome of men crumbling. That is not what we need right now, if he threatens her, the police will be called in minutes and we won’t fucking get anywhere.
Trick takes a deep breath trying to calm himself.
“They’re with me.” Atlas grinds out from by the doors leading further into the hospital.
“Oh of course, so sorry sir. Go on through.” She smiles at us her entire demeanour changing in an instant.
Fucking hell.
We don’t spare her another glance as we rush towards Atlas.
“Any news?” Riot asks.
“They made me wait outside while she’s being examined. I refused to leave the door though and wait in the waiting room but Rage texted me saying that you were having trouble.” Atlas replies as we all rush down the sterile hallway to her room.
He’s obviously come to the same conclusion that we have.
Ever is not safe.
When we get to her door, I’m pleased to see that she’s been given a private room, but we still aren’t allowed in the room. Whatever Atlas said to them means that they don’t try to make us wait in the waiting room though and we can at least keep an eye on the door to make sure no one goes in who shouldn’t be in there.
I pace the length of the hallway, the others leaning against the wall or standing staring at the door. The door opens and I think we’re finally going to get some answers.
“She needs a CT scan to make sure her brain is okay; we also need to give her an x-ray because we’re fairly certain that she’s broken her ribs. She’s been given a light sedative, so she doesn’t wake up and panic in either machine. The nurses are just getting her into something comfortable and then we will take her down.” The doctor tells us all.
“Is she going to be okay?” Rafe asks.
“She’s stable for the moment, but we are worried that there could be internal damage caused by the broken rib. One of you can accompany us to both rooms but you will have to stay outside.” He says firmly.
Trick steps forward as they start to wheel a very pale Ever out of the room and down the hall, Trick following swiftly beside them.
The wait is excruciating, the longer it takes to get any news, the more restless we all become. Her image keeps flashing through my mind and dark thoughts keep trying to drag me under. I’m struggling. My gaze darts to Jensen and I watch him worriedly.
“She’s going to need you, when she wakes up, man.” I say quietly to him and I can almost see him grab onto the words like a life raft, using them to keep his head out of the darkness.
“Hopefully, she will be able to tell us what happened when she wakes up.” Rafe mutters.
“She might not remember, there’s a chance she’s hit her head pretty hard and it could cause short term memory loss.” Cash warns us.
“Thank fuck she was wearing her helmet.” Rage comments.
Ever’s wheeled back a couple of hours later and we’re ignored as they go back in and get her settled, the doctor following not long after.
“Did they tell you anything?” I ask Trick.
“Nothing at all, they said we’d be told once the doctor has looked over everything.” He scrubs his hand through is hair, looking helpless.
He hates not being in control and there’s nothing he can do in this situation. The door to Ever’s room finally opens, effectively stopping the conversation as we all stand up taller and face the doctor that’s just exited. The nurse’s bustle past us, all of them give us wary looks but we ignore them as our attention stays glued to the doctor.
“She’s got a concussion. One of her ribs is broken like we thought but luckily it hasn’t punctured her lung, she won’t need surgery. She’s broken her finger and is covered in bruises and small cuts. From what the paramedics said, she’s lucky that she didn’t break anything else.” He explains seriously. “You can all go in now, but it might be a little while before she wakes up. There’s a button by the bed to call for nurses if you need them.”
He moves past us, and we all rush into the room. Ever has never looked so small and fragile. Her hand is bandaged keeping her fingers strapped together, to support her broken one. Her arms are a mottle of bruises and she’s even got some small cuts on her face.
“She’s going to be so fucking pissed that she’s got to rest for longer.” Rafe mutters a small relived smile tugs up his lips.
“Hell, she was bad enough with just the cut. She’s going to have to actually let us help her, now she’s got a broken rib.” Rage adds.
We all take seats around the room, moving as close to her bed as possible. Jensen is starting to come back to himself now that we know she’s going to be okay and I’m so relived. The last thing any of us want is to be chasing after him. He knows that Ever needs us and him though, so he’d never do that.
“Maybe we should think of some stuff that she can do while she’s healing, like stuff so she doesn’t get bored?” He suggests.
“That’s a good idea.” Trick replies.
I’m grateful for the distraction of the conversation as we wait for Ever to wake up, I don’t think I will completely breath easily until I see her eyes open and hear her voice.
“I could find the targets out; can she practice knife throwing with her broken rib?” Atlas frowns.
“I’m not sure. Probably not at first. In the first few days she’s going to be in a lot of pain, but she should be able to walk and stuff pretty much instantly and then in a few days, maybe a week she can do that. Maybe practising with her other arm, opposite to whatever side she’s injured on.” Cash replies.
“Okay, so lots of rest the first couple of days then. No school, but I know that she’s panicking about her lessons or starting to, so we can pick up her work for her.” I add.
“She’s not to be left alone. I want two of us with her at all times.” Trick orders.
“I don’t think any of us were willing to leave her alone anyway.” Jensen points out.
“We can do movie nights, blankets, popcorn, comfort food, all of that stuff.” Riot suggests, she loves her movie nights.
“We can also still do some of the research for the bunker.” Atty suggests.
“And I’ll order her some books I think she’ll like.” Rafe adds thoughtfully pulling his phone out of his pocket and starting to tap away.
“She’s still going to get stabby.” I grin.
“Oh, without a doubt, hopefully we can use distraction techniques to help her.” Riot adds.
My eyes snap to Ever as she groans, lifting her arm to her face. When she realises somethings on it her eye’s snap open, filling with fear as she tries to sit up her hands grasping for knives that aren’t there.
“Ever!” Rage says sharply and I glare at him, until I realise that his sharp tone has snapped through her panic and now, she watching us with clear eyes, filled with pain.
I raise my eyebrow at him in question, surprised that it works. “It helps me when I panic, when I first wake up.”
I nod filing that away in case we need it later, my attention falling back to Ever.