Page 71 of Piston

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Piston – One Week Later

“You look like shit,” a voice says in the doorway, and I take my eyes off my unconscious wife, connecting them with Cassidy’s hazel ones.

I huff. “Aren’t doctors supposed to be, oh, I don’t know, consoling, sympathetic?”

She smirks and walks my way, handing me a cup of coffee, and I smile at her until she states, “I’ve known your ass since you were fifteen and your brother started working out in my father’s gym. I know consoling and sympathy do jack with you.”

I chuckle, knowing she’s right.

The woman has sent in other doctors, and barely spoken to me since last week, and honestly, it’s pissed me off. She knows Nat; she knows what we were going through, fuck, she slapped the back of my head and told me to claim her before someone else did, and yet, she stayed clear this past week.

“It’s been five years, Cass…. You couldn’t even keep in contact with Perrie?” I ask, finally pleased she’s come to face the fucking music for disappearing.

She flinches and takes a seat next to me, looking toward my wife. I follow her gaze to look at Nat, my heart in my throat.

Her face is bruised as shit, but she’s breathing on her own, which Cass said is good, but she hasn’t woken. Though tests are saying she’s still pregnant, we won’t know if the baby has survived until she hits the seven-week mark, and we can see if the heart is beating, that is if she doesn’t miscarry beforehand.

Fuck, I honestly thought she was on the pill or something, or well, to be fair, I didn’t give a shit if she was or not. We weren’t careful, and since we reconnected, I haven’t used a condom once, unlike I had over the years.

Maybe, deep down, I wanted it to happen, but if she loses this baby as well, it’ll destroy her.

Cassidy sighs and whispers, “He threatened to kill me, Eli, the man I gave my heart to threatened me…. I couldn’t risk Perrie or my mom, even if she is delusional.”

I hum. “Yeah, sure, let’s call her delusional instead of the cunt she is.”

Cass chuckles but doesn’t deny it.

She is quiet for a moment before she moves. I look and watch as she bends down to my girl, eyeing me as she says, “Hey, Natty. A few years ago, Perrie messaged me, hoping I'd reply, which of course I didn't…. Remember when a tub of glue and glitter fell on your head, and you thought it was your clumsiness, then a picture ended up going around college?” My eyes widen. I shakemy head. Still, Cass grins. “Your husband orchestrated the whole thing because you denied him an orgasm after he pissed you off, him claiming he could have any girl he wanted but he chose you.”

I groan. “Fuck’s sake, Cass, seriously?”

I didn’t even mean the words. Nat had been ignoring me, and I knew it was because she had a big test, but I was horny, and I wanted her fucking attention.

That should have been an eye-opener then, to be honest.

Cass sighs. “Honestly, I was hoping it would wake her up.”

I furrow my brows, lean forward, and ask, “What do you mean?”

She smiles slightly, grabs Nat’s chart, and then admits, “Medically speaking, she shouldn’t be in her coma. She’s breathing independently, her oxygen levels look good, and she has brain activity, proving we got her back each time quickly enough. It’s like she doesn’t want to wake up, like she's scared of reality….”

I swallow hard and look at my wife, but I ask Cass, “What do I do then? To help her wake up?”

“Talk to her.” I look at Cass, and she grins. “Admit your deepest, darkest secrets, make her mad or something. Just speak to her, Eli.” I nod as the door opens, and we both look as Steal walks in. Cassidy tenses but gives me a tight smile and says, “I’ll come check on her later, as soon as the bad smell is gone.”

I snort and raise a brow at her, but she doesn’t say anything else. She signs the chart and places it back at the end of the bed, and goes to walk out.

“Cassidy,” Steal says and places his hand on her shoulder to stop her. Suddenly, he’s standing next to her one moment, and then flat on his back on the floor the next. I have to bite my bottom lip to stop the laughter.

“Don’t ever touch me again. Why don’t you go back to your girlfriend, Steal, you know, the patch chaser you accused me of being, listening to her instead of asking me what exactly happened in that kitchen,” she sneers, then leaves.

I lean round the bed as he lays on the floor in shock, and I say, “Well, first things first,” he looks at me, “Cass has kept up with her training, so her dad will be proud.” Steal scoffs and then chuckles when I state, “Secondly, my wife’s going to have my balls for not filming that shit; we may have to re-do it.”

“Why in the fuck are you on the floor, Prez?” Acid asks, and I look to the door to see him and Anchor looking at the man, confusion on their faces.

“He touched Cassidy’s shoulder,” I report.

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