Page 31 of Wreckage

“Hold on,” he muttered, voice tight.

I squeezed my eyes shut, focusing on the warmth on my other side.

Troy.

I felt him move, his body stiffening as I struggled to breathe through the pain. They both survived. My mind immediately went to Dean, but something about the silence told me all I needed to know. I sent a silent prayer that he was OK and maybe just working on getting us some help.

Adrian cursed under his breath.

“I don’t have much,” he admitted, voice grim. “But I found some pain meds in the first aid kit.”

He knelt back beside me, pressing two small white pills against mylips. His expression was tight, his lips a firm, thin line.

“That’s all I’ve got,” he murmured. “I don’t know how long they’ll last.”

I nodded weakly, parting my lips for him. He slipped the pills inside and offered me a bottle of water. Adrian helped me tilt it toward my mouth.

The liquid was cool and refreshing, but it sent a sharp ache through my throat as I swallowed. I whimpered at the pain but kept slurping the contents down until my belly was full of the liquid.

Adrian stayed quiet, his movements careful as he reached for my injured arm.

“I need to clean this,” he said, his voice oddly distant.

I didn’t protest.

He worked in silence, unwrapping old bandages. His jaw was clenched so tight that I could see the way the muscle moved.

I watched him through teary eyes, my vision still hazy but clear. His hands were steady, but I could see the tension in them—the way his fingers stiffened when he touched a new wound.

He wasn’t talking. He wasn’t looking at me, but he was upset. And not just about the crash.

Something deeper.

Something he wasn’t saying.

I licked my cracked lips, my throat still dry despite the water I’d just had.

“Dean?” I whispered.

Adrian stilled. His fingers tightened against my arm, his jaw locking, his gaze flickering toward the floor.

The look on his face made my stomach turn. My heart plummeted. I already knew the answer. I sucked in a breath, but it was too much. I’d hoped so hard he was scurrying around outside, working his magic to get us home.

A sob wrenched itself from my chest. Adrian inhaled sharply but didn’t say anything.

Troy shifted beside me, sitting up. I felt his eyes on me before I even looked at him.

He didn’t speak right away.

“Here,” Troy said softly, his deep voice trembling slightly.

I turned my head, my vision swimming, as I saw him holding out a granola bar.

I blinked, tears blurring my sight again.

“I— I can’t,” I whispered.

Troy sighed, his mouth turned into a frown. “Just try. Please. You need your strength. You’ve been out for almost two days, Elena.”

---