Page 13 of Exile
Avery's face contorts with disgust and my suspicions are right. "He wanted to see you."
"And I'm assuming he didn't since I'm still breathing."
"No. Alyssa and I wouldn't let him."
"Who the hell is Alyssa?"
There's a small clearing of someone's throat by the door and my eyes drift back over to find a nurse in teal scrubs standing where I expected my father to be. "I'm Alyssa, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"
Avery's face softens at the sight of our newcomer, and for a brief moment, it kind of makes me want to kill the healthcare worker. But then I remember she said this woman alsostopped my father from coming into the room and stabbing my unconscious body. So, she can live—for now.
"I'm fine," I grumble, and another beep makes me growl at Avery as she takes advantage of the distraction and hits the medication button again. She seems completely unfazed at the fact she's been caught kneeling over me, leaning back on her heels as cold liquid shoots into my veins. "Give me the button, Avery."
"No."
Climbing off me, she keeps the pain controller firmly in her hand, taking a seat in the visitor's chair next to me. The nurse wanders over, pressing buttons on another machine and I feel a cuff inflate on my bicep.
Despite my wishes, the morphine is oddly relaxing me—well, my body anyway. My mind is very much focused, albeit annoyed that I'm physically weakened at this moment.
"Your father is aninterestingman," the healthcare worker mumbles, and I'm not surprised to hear he's made a lasting impression on her. This woman would be terrible at poker, her face showing all her disdain.
"He's good at charming people," I say, but she just scoffs in reply.
Removing the blood pressure cuff from my arm, she attaches a pulse oximeter to my finger. "Charming is not what I would use to describe him."
Avery laughs softly, still holding the button out of my reach. "He threatened her. And me."
"What?" I snap, turning to look at her. "Tell me what he said so I can remind him when I'm putting the asshole six-feet under."
"He doesn't approve of our marriage," she replies simply with a shrug. "I told him to fuck off and that I very much enjoy fucking his son, and we look forward to having him removed from the business in the near future."
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Avery is evolving, growing into her true self more and more each day—and I have to say I'm loving it.
When I first met Avery, all I could see was an out of control, spiraling woman, unable to control her emotions. Grey insisted she was a dark horse, capable of more than she let on, and he was right.
After what they did to her at Lilydale, no one would blame her for breaking. It would be expected even. The few that returned from the sociopathic doctors downstairs never recovered—most killing themselves within the first few weeks despite us trying to save them.
But Avery? She fought back. Sure, she was a little broken when I first rescued her. Her mind was reliving their torture and making her question her self-worth and our ability to care about her. But she still kept fighting, even putting a bullet into a guard to protect me. And when I finally let her in and she saw my most vulnerable parts, she didn't run away,choosing to fight for me and pulling me back from the edge instead. She could have turned a blind eye—many others would. But she never did, never once abandoning me like I had done to her before.
I was incorrect to ever think she was weak. She's perhaps more dangerous than most in the asylum. No wonder Avery has such a hold on Grey—he sees that darkness in her. Theo as well. Her light doesn't just call to their darkness and compliment it. Her own darkness found companionship, and slowly over time, she's growing into it. Instead of just letting the emotions control her or avoiding them until they implode,she'sstarting to controlthem. Well, most of the time…
The nurse laughs at Avery's response, seemingly amused as well. I wait for her to complete whatever checks she needs to do, mentioning something briefly about a doctor coming in soon to speak to me. When she leaves, I turn to Avery, stony faced as she pulls the button further out of reach.
Holding my gaze, her eyes flash with determination before she presses it again, earning herself another annoyed growl.
"Chill," she scolds. "There's no point being in pain."
Speaking of pain, I say the next words even though neither of us want to hear them.
"You need to go back to Lilydale today."
Despite the fact she already confirmed that she's being forced to go back, her face still twists sadly—as if she can'tbear the thought of leaving me. But that's exactly why she has to.
Here, I can't protect her. And if my father is able to get to her so easily in the hospital, there's no guessing when he will try again. At least back at Lilydale, she'll have Grey and Theo to protect her. It's also important that we start planning our next move immediately and get defensive measures in place.
No doubt Arthur is on his high-horse, spinning a tale of affliction. It's a PR rep's worst nightmare, but that just means his anger will be redirected toward the patients. This whole mess started with him bribing and coercing patients into voluntary experimentation. I have no idea if that will continue—but if I was a betting man, I'd say yes.
Cirque des Mortsneeds to act—now. And if I can't be there myself, I need Grey and Avery to take over. It's her marital duty and right now—her legacy to create. Trust is a tough concept but I trust Grey and Avery with my life. I know they will protect the Lilydale patients.
