Page 59 of Sebastian

I looked down at what he was talking about and realized I’d been crying all over the medical report and wet drops now stained the page.

“Sorry.” I let go of the clipboard, and with a little help, I returned to my own bed. As much as I wanted to hold Sebastian in that moment, his injuries needed to stay isolated and not be jostled around too much.

Damien spoke with the nurse, probably discussing Sebastian’s care. I should have paid attention to what they were saying, but I was so tired, I just wanted to sleep. I lay back on my own bed with my head propped up on pillows, but I could already tell sleep would evade me. I couldn’t even imagine closing my eyes for a while.

The hospital’s firm mattress barely moved when Rosalind sat next to me. “Hey, Newton. That man...”

She trailed off, looking over at Sebastian with a mix of confusion and surprise.

“What about him?” I watched her, trying to figure out what was causing her odd reaction.

Then I thought back on our conversation several weeks ago and it hit me. I couldn’t help it. I laughed.

It was not a happy sound and made several people wince.

“Surprised? Yes, I was telling the truth about my boyfriend. You believe me now?”

“Yes, I...” She grabbed my hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t before.”

I just shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now.”

“It does,” she insisted. “I shouldn’t have assumed like that. Um, Bastian, was it? When Bastian is awake, I’d like to meet him.”

There was no way Sebastian would want to meet anyone while he was in such a state, but I wasn’t about to tell Rosalind that. Instead, I just shrugged and said “Maybe.”

I was spared from any further awkward conversation when Gabe stormed back into the room. His eyes immediately locked onto my sister, and with his usual tact he just pointed at her and said, “You. Get out.”

“Excuse me?” Rosalind jumped to her feet with an offended flush to her cheeks. “You can’t tell me to get out. I’m Newton’s sister. I have a right to be here.”

Gabe barely paid her a spare glance as he headed for Damien and the nurse. “And I’m the agent in charge of this investigation. Now get out. No extra liabilities are allowed inside this room.”

“Investigation?” Rosalind turned to me with concern. “Newton? What’s going on? The hospital said it was an accident.”

“We’re still not sure what happened,” I told her, which wasn’t technically a lie. We still hadn’t figured out who or what exactly caused the explosion. Only that it was deliberate. “For now, maybe it’s best if you leave. I’ll explain everything later.”

That was a direct lie. Even once we had all the answers, I would not be telling her everything, but that assurance was the only way to convince her to leave. I would have felt bad for lying, but part of me was still bitter over her early accusations.

She’d assumed I was lying when I told her about Sebastian the first time. Now, I actually was guilty of the thing she accused me of.

CHAPTER 17

Newt

Several hours passed before everything calmed down. Sebastian never woke up during that whole time, though that really didn’t surprise me. He’d been given a strong anesthetic and was on some pretty heavy pain drugs.

Still, I wished I could speak to him, even for a moment just to assure myself that he was okay.

No, not okay.

With that many injuries, I couldn’t say he was okay. But I at least wanted to know that the person I cared about still resided behind his eyes, and that this whole experience hadn’t changed him mentally.

Mostly, I just wanted him to tell me that it wasn’t my fault and that he didn’t blame me for his injuries.

Eventually, it was decided that Sebastian and I needed to be left alone to rest, so Damien and Gabe took their conversation to another room. Frankie had intended to stay with me, but I asked him to go with the others.

Not only did I need a few moments to myself, but I trusted Frankie to tell me the truth. So, I needed him to be involved in the investigation as much as possible, otherwise I feared I’d be kept entirely out of the loop.

So, that was how I ended up lying on my bed alone with the lights turned down low, counting the rhythmic beeping of the machines monitoring Sebastian’s health.

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