Page 93 of Lie to Me

They look between each other. Enzo’s mouth opens, about to answer me, when the doctor walks into the room, eyes fixed on the monitor beside me.

He frowns at something he sees before looking between me and my family, shooting them a pointed look, and I swear to fuck, I’m about to lose my shit.

“Someone better tell me what’s happening, right fucking now.” My voice is cold with an edge of danger to it, along with a sliver of raspiness since my mouth is dry as fuck.

The doctor clears his throat. “Sir, you suffered some very serious injuries, and it’s in your best interest to try and keep your heart rate stable. Maybe if we—”

“And it’s in your best interest to tell me where the hell Sloane is before I put a bullet between your eyes. Now, I’m only going to ask one more time. Where. The. Fuck. Is. She?”

I shoot a pointed look towards my family and my father shakes his head. Luca remains tight lipped while Enzo throws his hands out in exasperation before giving me a pitying look.

“Brother…” he says, uncharacteristically soft. There’s only one person he uses that tone with, and it sure as hell isn’t me. “She was fine. Really, she was,” he says and looks to our dad and brother for confirmation, who both nod.

“But then, well… we got the news that you were gonna be okay and she just collapsed. She was seen to straight away and well…” He trails off and a sickening feeling lands in my gut.

Or maybe that’s just from being stabbed, I don’t know.

“Well what?” I ask, running out of patience.

The doctor clears his throat once more. “I was given permission by Miss O’Brien’s next of kin to share the following information. Miss O’Brien must have suffered some form of head trauma which resulted in her developing a subdural hematoma. If it was caught earlier, it could have been easily treated. However, since she waited so long to have it looked at, we’re unsure of just how badly she will be affected by the injury. At this moment, she is in a medically induced coma in an attempt to reduce the swelling on her brain and has been for the last week. We started to reduce the medication to bring her out of it two days ago, so she should be waking up any day now.”

“The last week?” I ask, my brain not yet catching up to what I’m hearing.

“Yes, sir. You’ve been in and out of consciousness for the past week, but you were never awake long enough for us to inform you of the circumstances,” he says, but I’m only now realizing what he told me.

Sloane is in a fucking coma.

Sloane.

In a coma.

A head injury?

I think back, trying to recall when she must have hit her head, but I come up blank.

It could have been during the fight with Nolan just before my family arrived, but I can’t be sure. Or maybe it was from the car accident?

“Take me to see her,” I say, my voice void of emotion as I work to catch up and process everything. Part of me still refusing to believe that this is really happening.

Or maybe I really did die, and this is hell.

“Uh, Marco,” Luca mutters and waves to my battered body. I don’t give a fuck about that right now, all I care about is getting to my girl. Even if I have to fucking crawl to her, I’ll do it.

“I don’t care. Take me to see her, she shouldn’t be alone.”

“Finn’s been with her the entire time and him and the girls are with her right now,” Enzo says, meaning Izzy and Robyn. I give him a look so full of fire I’m surprised it doesn’t burn him.

He looks at me with understanding, knowing that he would want to do the exact same if he was in my position, and nods towards me before looking to the doctor.

“Get us a wheelchair. If he needs to be attached to any of that shit,” he says and waves towards the monitors still beeping away next to me, “just point out which ones and we’ll carry them there if we have to.”

My father, who has been silent throughout the whole interaction, or since I woke up, really, places a gentle hand on my shoulder as the doctor rushes from the room.

“We’ll get you to her, son,” he says softly, pain and heartbreak in his eyes. He hates hospitals, always has done since our mom died, so I’m sure seeing me here for the second time this year, not long after Luca was here himself for his own gunshot wound is killing him.

Once the doctor comes back with a wheelchair, I don’t waste time climbing from the bed—with the help of my brothers since my body seems to be fucking useless right now—and have them take me to Sloane’s room. Luckily enough for my sanity, my family had the foresight to make sure Sloane’s room was directly opposite my own, so it doesn’t take long to get to her.

Izzy, Robyn, and Finn are standing outside of her room. Izzy squeezes my shoulder as Robyn gives me a small smile of acknowledgement. It takes me a moment to realize she’s cradling Lilliana in her arms. While I’m excited to meet and fuss over my niece, I really can’t focus on her right now, but Robyn’s understanding look tells me she knows and that she feels the same. I nod at her before turning my gaze to Finn, expecting him to blame me for what happened, except there’s nothing but gratitude in his eyes.

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