Chapter 108
I can feel everyone’s heavy stare on me. Stares full of questions and suspicion.
Damn it all to hell. How could I fucking slip like that?
My heart’s pounding so hard it feels like it might burst through my chest. I don’t even understand why I asked about the baby in the first place. I don’t care about the baby, or about her and yet, the words just slipped out before I could stop them
“I was getting to that,” the doctor says, offering a small, reassuring smile. “The baby is alright. We’ll be keeping a close watch on both mother and child once she’s out of surgery, but the baby is healthy. There wasn’t any direct impact on her womb, so everything looks good so far p>
The tension in my shoulders eases unexpectedly and in a way that startles me. I’m the one who didn’t want this baby. And yet hearing that both of them are okay sends waves of relief crashing through me.
“Now, onto her injuries,” the doctor continues. “She has mild swelling on the brain, her right arm is broken, and a piece of glass pierced her side p>
Sierra’s mother gasps, breaking down in tears again.
The sound takes me back years ago, to when we almost lost Mom after she was shot while pregnant with Iris. I still remember the chaos, the sterile smell of the hospital, and the beeping machines. They had to take Iris out prematurely, and no one was sure if either of them would survive. Mom slipped into a coma for months. Iris spent weeks in an incubator, barely clinging to life.
The memory hits harder than I expect, and I have to force it down. I’m only realizing now that I’m no stranger to hospitals. First with mom, then Chloe and now this.
“We were able to stop the bleeding and set her arm,” Doctor Martin goes on.“She’ll be in a cast for a while, and we’ll keep her in an induced coma until the swelling in her brain goes down. She’ll remain here for observation over the next few days to ensure there are no complications p>
I lean back against the wall, letting my head rest against it. The breath I didn’t realize I was holding finally rushes out of me. I try to stay calm, to give nothing away, but relief is written all over me, no matter how hard I try to mask it.
“Any questions?” the doctor asks.
No one speaks. Not a single sound.
He nods slowly. “Alright, then. I’ll leave you to it p>
He turns and walks away, leaving the room heavy with silence.
Lilly wipes at her tears, whispering a quiet “thank God” under her breath. Aunt Harper pulls her into her arms again while Sierra’s mother sits down, shaking, murmuring prayers between sobs.
Dr. Martin goes back to the theater room while everyone else stays behind, talking in hushed voices.
I watch them from a distance, but my mind is miles away. Physically, I’m here. Mentally, I’m somewhere else entirely. Thoughts slam into me one after another, each one heavier than the last, all circling the same point- these feelings I can’t make sense of. Feelings I don’t understand.
I stand there, watching all of them, this circle of love and worry surrounding Sierra, and for the first time, I feel like an intruder.
I shouldn’t be here. Not after everything I said to her. Not after the way I treated her… and yet my feet won’t move.
I drag a shaky hand through my hair, exhaling hard. I don’t understand it, but the thought of her not waking up scares the hell out of me.
“I’m surprised you’re here p>
The voice pulls me from drowning.
I turn, finding Gunner standing beside me, his eyes sharp, piercing and impossible to ignore.
“I thought you didn’t care about Sierra or the baby p>
Yeah, what can I even say to that? That I don’t know why I’m here? That I can’t explain why I can’t seem to walk away? I said I didn’t care. I wanted that to be true. And yet, my actions keep proving otherwise.
“Don’t start with me, Gun,” I growl, my tone low and clipped.
“Or what, Noah?” His voice hardens, the faint edge of anger lacing through it. “Look around you. Everyone here cares about her.” 1
I scan the room. He’s right. You can see it on their faces. They care deeply for her, every single one of them. Except for her mother, the rest aren’t blood related, but all of them look like they’re waiting for the world to start spinning again.
“If you didn’t care about her,” Gunner presses, “what are you doing here p>
“I drove them here,” I say flatly, the same line I’ve been repeating since we arrived.
He scoffs. “That’s a fucking excuse and you know it. You’re fighting so damn hard to hide it, but it’s written all over you… you were just as worried as everyone else p>
“Shut up, Gunner. You don’t know shit p>