“Sorry if it doesn’t taste all that appetising. I raided the kitchens and put in every vitamin and mineral I could find. Lots of tropical fruit along with kale and spinach and a bunch of other vegetables from the fridge.”
I sucked on the paper straw, wincing as the icy, earthy liquid hit my tongue. I wouldn’t have cared if it tasted like the bottom of a dumpster. I would drink every drop.
Slurping as fast as I could, tensing against the chill spreading through my stomach, I took in the rest of my surroundings. Sully lay beside me. We no longer sat like discarded toys against the wall but had been spread out on the bed, sleeping side by side, cramped and cosy, entwined in each other.
He remained asleep while Dr Campbell checked his vitals and added another bag of fresh liquid to the IV in the back of his hand.
A sharp bite in the back of mine made me look down, eyeing up the needle puncturing my vein.
The doctor saw me looking. “While you two were out, I took the liberty of taking care of you.” He glanced at Sully. “I sewed a few of his stitches that’d pulled apart again, rebandaged, injected more antibiotics, applied new eye drops, and tended to his other maladies the best I could. He’s running on empty, but I hope I’ve given him enough strength to keep fighting.” He smiled sadly. “I know this is all my fault, but…I couldn’t keep letting him hurt those girls. I hope you understand.”
I swallowed hard at the utmost sincerity and apology in his gaze. “You don’t have to explain to me.”
“I do. If only I’d waited a little longer. You would’ve stopped his use of elixir and Euphoria.” He shook his head. “I’m not the reason he’ll destroy four hundred vials of his drug. You are. He fell in love and earned a conscience along the way.”
“I’m also the reason he strangled Calico, Neptune, and Jupiter.”
He nodded. “You are but only because you finally woke him up that everyone deserves protecting. His violence came from affection for his own kind…something he never had before. So…thank you. And I truly am sorry for not waiting longer for you to succeed.”
I blushed. “It wasn’t my intention to make him change, Dr Campbell.”
“And that’s precisely why he has.” He patted my shoulder. “You loved him as he is, not for what he could be. There’s a difference in unconditional acceptance and being unable to see past the barriers we all erect. You forced him to look into a mirror and see what he’d become. He was the one who wanted change because he wanted to deserve you.”
Goosebumps slid down my arms. I didn’t expect nor want gratitude or worship. I didn’t want this man to think Sully’s evolvement had anything to do with me. I was just a simple girl who happened to lock horns with a god. I hadn’t done anything special. I’d just been special. Just as he was special to me. “We were meant to find each other…that’s all.”
“You were. And I’m glad, because now that you’ve given him his freedom, perhaps he’ll grant all those in his imprisonment the same luxury.”
Smiling gently at me, he rocked Sully’s shoulder and raised his voice. “Sinclair, time to wake up.”
Sully groaned.
“Sinclair!” Dr Campbell shook harder.
Sully’s eyes flicked wide, blank to start with, then filling with comprehension. He sat up stiffly, another groan rumbling in his chest. “Shit! I need to go.”
“Drink this.” The doctor shoved an identical glass into Sully’s hand, eyeing us up. His tone switched from the soft conversation we’d shared to pragmatic surgeon. “You’ve both received anti-inflammatories and intravenous glucose and saline. Your systems are heavily depleted, but with some proper food and the six-hour sleep you just had, you’ll rally round quick enough.”
“Fucking hell. Six hours? Jesus Christ!” He tried to climb off the bed but Dr Campbell pushed him back.
“Don’t worry. Drake is still comatose. His mercenaries left him on the tile in Euphoria so his wake-up call won’t be nearly as beneficial as yours. You have time.”
“Time is relative,” Sully snapped. “I need every second I have to kill him.”
“No, you need to be wise and heal. Drink your smoothie.” Campbell padded across the room to check on Jealousy. He tapped her cheek lightly, his voice much kinder than he’d been with Sully. “Jess…time to wake up, sweetheart.”
Nothing.
No twitch.
No try.
Just a girl with blonde hair spread over her pillow and her skin mimicking the snowy white sheets covering her.
My heart hurt. “Is she okay?”
Dr Campbell shrugged, leaving her be. “I honestly don’t know. The scans show normal brain activity, so her seizure didn’t disrupt her mental capacity. Her heart is still suffering arrhythmias, regardless of the beta blockers I administered.” He sighed. “Only time will tell.”