Page 10 of Crimson Flames

Grief fills me, bringing with it complete devastation and the sensation of loss so potent that my limbs begin to tremble. This can’t be happening. She can’t be gone this quickly.

I had only just allowed myself to love her. To believe that we could do this. I just started to have hope.

But as sure as the sun is going to set, I can feel it in my bones. Aiden is gone, and I am left an empty, lifeless shell.

Chapter 3

I drive to the hospital, a solemn mood seeping through my bones. My job is to counsel. It’s to help all of them.

But how can I help them when I’m hurting too?

Nessa’s become like a daughter to me. She was finally clawing herself out of the mold her father forced her into and truly beginning to find herself along with her own happiness.

It’s in these moments where I really fucking hate the world I work in. To live in ignorance of the underworld is something I wish I could do, but I’ve come to realize that it is not my fate, and I am a better person because of it.

It is because of this world that I’m able to truly make a difference. Without counsel and direction, emotions like the ache for revenge and baying for blood turn good people into monsters. I get to help prevent that from happening.

I’ve grown to love these people and this family they’ve created. They may not always do the right thing, but they’re always looking out for each other. I’ve explored so many avenues of therapy from being a child psychologist who worked in foster care, helping adults with bipolar depression, and even guiding adults to use kink and BDSM to cope with trauma. They’ve all given me a sense of identity, but this family has given me a real purpose.

Pulling into the hospital car park, I build up my mental shields, fortifying them to be as strong as steel. Everyone is going to be looking to me for the support they need, so I need to be the reliable doctor they’ve come to know.

As soon as I walk into the waiting area, I’m greeted by faces I know well, all wearing grim expressions with red puffy eyes.

“Any news?” I ask.

“She attempted to wake from the anesthesia, and she had a seizure before they could put her back under,” Boris says, not looking away from the door I assume leads to Nessa.

“Doc doesn’t know where she’s bleeding from, but he is infusing blood as quickly as he can until he finds it.”

This comes from Cillian. I don’t know him from Adam to be honest, so I make a mental note to rectify that once Nessa is in the clear.

Laney sits next to Arrow, while Evie and Alexi sit on either side of a young boy I’ve not laid eyes on before.

“Alexi,” I nod in greeting as I approach. “How are you?”

He shakes his head in dismissal, and I can see the misery pouring from his eyes. Not only is Nessa back there, but hispossible half-brother or sister is hanging by a thread too. When his gaze lands on the boy next to him, he clears his throat.

“We are managing,” he says, some strength returning to his features, I assume for the sake of the child.

The young boy watches him carefully before glancing at me, his pain almost mirroring Alexi’s. His black hair slides over his face in a way that seems to mirror Cillian’s, but his has a slight curl to it. He looks dirty, with dried blood and grime making his tanned skin look even darker.

“Who are you?” he asks, his eyes narrowing with unease.

“I’m Dr. K.” I lower myself in the seat across from them. “Who might you be?”

“Are you here to help Nessa?” he asks with a glimmer of hope shining in his eyes.

“No, unfortunately. I’m a psychiatrist, not a surgeon or general practitioner like Doc.”

The boy visibly deflates. Nessa’s red gun is tucked into the front of his pants, and I instantly want to take it from him. I won’t though, I have no idea who he is or what is happening.

“Do you need anything? Maybe a cup of sugary tea?” I doubt any of them have bothered to eat, much less think to get any drinks.

He shakes his head, then pauses.

“I just need her to be okay.”

I nod in understanding.That’s what we all need.

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