Page 41 of Breathe
“You’re leaving?” He tried to keep the hurt and anger out of the words, but miserably failed.
“It’s for the best,” Real said gruffly and then stood and stalked to the door.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get to the hospital by myself,” he hissed, shaking back his long ass hair.
Real froze at the door.
Indecision kept the man with his grip on the handle.
“Just get the fuck out,” Azrael snapped.
After another small moment of hesitation, Real bolted from the room.
“Motherfucker!” he yelled and tossed off the sheet.
Leaping from the bed, his hair flew wildly around him.
This was fucking war.
Roughly an hour later, Azrael sat at the side of his brother’s hospital bed.
Bleach and antiseptic filled the air. The machine hooked up to Apollo gave reassuring beeps.
The last time he’d seen his brother had been that Sunday at Dave’s place.
“You take care of yourself, baby bro,” Apollo had said.
Azrael snorted at that, but hugged his twin just as tightly.
“I will.” A lump grew in his throat. Parting from his brother was painful, but he knew that Apollo had to live his life and he, his own.
Now…Apollo lay unmoving from a gunshot wound that had almost cost him his life.
And he was going to use everything in his power to find the killer and cut his throat.
“Az,” Apollo rasped.
His heart pounded and he shot up from his chair to sit on the edge of the bed. He lifted the hand that didn’t have an IV in it and gripped it tightly.
“Hey,” he breathed out the one word through a throat tight with tears, but he managed to hold them back.
He didn’t need to break down and cry in front of Apollo. That would only make things worse and it wasn’t his brother’s fault that he was feeling raw at the moment.
Earlier, the nurse told him that when Apollo woke up, his brother could have ice for now.
“Ice chip?” Azrael whispered and dipped the small spoon into the cup of melted ice to hold it up to Apollo’s dry lips.
His brother gratefully sucked it down and Azrael fed him another.
“Where’s Cash?”
“He’s in the cafeteria getting some food. He’ll walk back through that door any minute. He hasn’t left your side.”
“I’m sorry I worried you guys.” Apollo’s voice was almost inaudible, but the room was very quiet, save the beeping of the heart machine.
“Not your fault, bro. Your skills have gotten rusty, but I’m going to re-teach you some duck and cover moves,” Azrael said, keeping his voice light and teasing even though he was crying inside.
“Yeah, I’ve grown hella rusty.”
