Page 106 of Rematch
I flinched at the bluntness in his tone. “How many times?”
“Four: one in the shoulder and three in the chest.”
“And his brother…?”
“He took one to the ribs. The bullet didn’t hit any vital organs, so the doctors aren’t too worried.”
“But, Max…?”
Sighing, he seized his steps and turned to face me. “You want me to be honest?”
I nodded.
“It’s not looking good.”
The confirmation of my fears made my eyes burn. Tears I’ve been holding back came to the surface, and I didn’t fight them from falling over my cheeks. “Have the doctors mentioned if the bullets hit his…?” I waved my hand over my heart.
“No. None of them have come out of surgery for updates yet. When we brought him in, they just said…” He trailed off, his own eyes glazing over with a layer of moisture. His jaw muscle bounced as he blinked to clear them. “He’d already lost a lot of blood and given the complexity of the wounded areas, they…they just promised they’d do all they could.”
I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to offer some comfort. “Well, he’s a fighter, so…”
Adrian nodded in silent agreement. He turned on his heel and resumed his stride.
“Where are you going?” I asked, jogging to catch back up with him.
“The cafeteria.”
I raised a brow. “But it’s the middle of the…” I trailed off as he gave me a firm look that told me not to question him.
“Do you want anything?”
Unsure how to answer, I shook my head.
“I’ll be right back.”
We reached the exit on the other end of the hall. Lingering in front of the doorway, I watched him hurry off with the same urgency and rage Tatianna carried when she strutted in.
I didn’t know what he was up to, but I knew it was nothing good.
Sighing, I turned on my heel and headed back down the hall.
Stepping back into the waiting room was like stepping into purgatory. The mindless elevator music, the bland white walls, and anxiety of the known were a perfect recipe for insanity. It didn’t help that the staff purposely avoided eye contact, keeping their gazes straight ahead or on their clipboards as they walked, hoping to steer clear of questions they didn’t have answers to.
I felt bad watching Tatianna pace back and forth, Rafael fidgeting with his unlit cigarette and phone, and Janelle - Jayden’s mom - interlocking and separating her fingers. The worst possible outcome was probably running through their heads, and no amount of preparation would help them with the blow if it came.
Papa tried to keep Tatianna calm while Dad sat beside Janelle in a comfortable silence. Although there was nothing either of them could say to comfort the mothers, I knew they sure wished there was.
After an hour or two, Rafael glanced around and suddenly noticed his nephew’s absence. “Where’s Adrian?” He asked.
“He went to the cafeteria,” I replied. “To get us all coffees.”
Rafael narrowed his eyes, seeing right through my lie. “Fuck,” he swore as he stormed off down the hall.
Tatianna finally cracked a smile. “I hope he burns the whole city down,” she mused.
Not too long after Rafael disappeared, two doctors, a man and a woman, finally came down the hall. The male doctor approached Tatianna while his colleague went to Janelle.
I tried to keep an ear on both conversations, but found myself gravitating to the one Tatianna was speaking with.
