305
Tony
My face throbbed, and my ears were still ringing as I looked down at her. The sterile scent of I had completely forgotten about Ginevra's sister, much the same way I had forgotten her, but seeing her now cut through all of the haze, and my stomach plummeted with guilt. She looked exhausted, harried, like she'd been tearing her hair out.
Hadn't Ginevra said once that Nora always tried to be as polished as possible? She was in sales for some cosmetic brands. It was part of her job to look the part.
"Tony?" Matt said, pulling me from my thoughts.
"I…" I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry, Nora. There were security concerns. It slipped my mind."
"Slipped. Your. Mind?" She snarled, eyes glittering with fury. "Ginevra's my sister, you overgrown coyote! How dare you—"
"I know," I said. "It's… It's been a whirlwind. That's not an excuse; it's just an explanation. As Matt said, it's fixable. She's—"
"Fixable," she spat. "And the last three years? When you knocked her up and fucking disappeared? You know how heartbroken she was? How much she suffered?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Or you don't give a damn because we're not from money? She swore up and down you were different, and yet—"
"It's not like that," I said softly, lowering my gaze. "There were… There's been a lot going on. It wasn't—"
"Where is Quillan?" She asked, her voice cracking. "Do you—"
"He's at daycare," I said. "I dropped him off not even an hour ago."
She shut her mouth. Her jaw trembled. Her eyes were still hard, but it seemed like I had won at least the chance to talk a little.
She sniffled and sank into a seat.
"I really thought you were the one," she whispered, sniffling. "I really thought that Ginevra had found someone who would take care of her… To have to pick her up after you just vanished like that…" She looked at me. "You… better have a damn good reason."
I met her gaze and nodded. "I do."
She sniffled, narrowed her eyes, then nodded shakily, cradling her hand to her chest. My face throbbed. I crouched down beside her, wishing that I had more to say.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what to say," I said. "As much as I would like to make it right, to take it all away and undo these past three years, I can't… all I can do is try to make it right from here on."
To be here for Nora and Quillan if Ginevra didn't make it. It was the least I could do.
"How about we start from the beginning," I said, squaring my shoulders. I knew how much Nora meant to Ginevra. I may not remember everything, but the fact that I remembered anything meant they were close.
"Do you need lodging? How did you get here?" I asked. "Ginevra's getting the best care possible, and… Quillan wouldn't want to see you like this."
She let out a watery sound. "No… No, he wouldn't."
She sighed. "Yellow Ridge called the hospital I'd been taking her to. S-She and Quillan were on my insurance, and I got a call that they'd been taken off and that she'd been t-transferred here. I thought… I thought something had happened to them. They'd been missing for weeks, and none of the police would do anything."
She let out a soft sob. "I drove. I just… Please don't tell me I'm here to collect a body."
"Ginevra's alive," I said. Though for how much longer, I didn't know.
"Q-Quillan?"
"Wearing green and… he doesn't know."
She sniffled. "She's… gotten worse?"
"It's more complicated than that."
My phone chimed with another warning. I cursed, considering telling Mr. D'Amico that I couldn't make it. Then, Matt crouched down beside me.
"You've got to go, right?" Matt asked. "I'll get Nora on the list and up to see Ginevra. I'll make her up a room at the penthouse."
I looked at Nora and nodded. "Will that be alright?"
"I'll get to see Quillan?" she asked shakily.
"I'll bring him this afternoon," I said. "Try to get some rest, okay?"
She nodded, and I looked at Matt. "Thank you."
"Of course," Matt said. "Come on, let's get you on the list, alright?"
She bobbed her head and let him steer her toward the reception desk. I turned away and met the all too deep and knowing gaze of Nurse Greenleaf.
She flicked her fingers in my direction and sent a jolt of healing magic through my face. The ache pulsed into nothingness, replaced by a prickling warmth. My jaw dropped as I stared at her. Then, she turned.
She strolled past, tossing over her shoulder, "Your brother already asked me out, and I don't date within the family."
I sputtered, and she laughed, walking on.
Then, a weak little flicker of anger sparked and fizzled out before I could really register it. Was it about Matt giving up on Lucy? It didn't seem right to be angry. It didn't even seem to make sense.
They weren't mates.
The thought shook me like a gunshot on a clear day. My mind went hazy. My head started to pound, and my phone chimed again.
I had to get to work and deal with the shit show that awaited me. I lingered in the doorway until Matt and Nora were walking further into the hospital. They parted at the main corridor. Matt followed a nurse, Nora followed a doctor I recognized, and I headed to my car.
I settled behind the seats with a deep sigh.
The sight of the hospital dissolved, replaced by the inky canvas of a moonless night. Stars, a million tiny pinpricks, glittered against the velvet sky, yet I wasn't in the dark. I turned just enough and saw her there, just beyond the circle of the lamp I'd brought for the night. The light painted playful shadows on Ginevra's face as she settled down beside me.
I felt younger, reckless, and dizzy with a fluttering, light feeling. Laughed bubbled between us like champagne. Her hand, warm and trusting, fit perfectly in mine as we reclined on the thick warm blanket. Fireflies danced around our feet.
I stopped, rolling onto my side to look at her.
"I have something for you," I whispered, my voice rough with nerves.
She narrowed her eyes. "You know I don't do gifts."
"Too bad."
From my pocket, I produced a small box. She went still as I offered it to her. She took the box but didn't open it.
"It's a bit too big for a ring if that's what you're afraid of."
The look in her eyes told me she wasn't sure if she was afraid of it or not. Still, she opened it, and her lips twitched.
"Cute."
"I couldn't find a tiny motorcycle."
She snorted. "You didn't look."
"You also had plenty of them."
She pulled out the necklace. A tiny dandelion charm made of platinum dangled from the end. She chuckled.
"Did you wish for me?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper.
I took her hand, twining our fingers together.
"Not yet." Her gaze jumped to mine. "But soon."
Her eyes turned molten, and she leaned closer. Our lips met gently, and I pulled her down on top of me, feeling like maybe the next time I gave her jewelry, she wouldn't have that look of fear in her eyes.
I jerked out of the memory. My eyes burned. I gulped in breath after breath, trying to breathe around the agony in my chest. I reached up to where something warm was trickling down my nose. The pain in my head grew so intense I shook.
When I pulled my hand away, my fingers were smeared with blood. The harsh brightness of the day burned my eyes. The echo of Ginevra's laughter lingered in my mind. My chest seized with a sob that got caught and tangled. The grief landed on me, hard and unforgiving.
Then, a tap sounded on my window. I looked up and saw Nurse Greenleaf. Her eyes were glowing. I frowned and rolled down the window.
"Is--"
She offered me a vial.
"For Matt?"
"For you," she said, tilting her head. "You're going to need it."
I looked down at it, and despite something screaming from so far away I could barely heed it, I took the vial, uncorked it, and drank it.
The rush that followed was inexplicable. Something in me shifted, changed, and stood up. I heard howling in me that I couldn't explain.
She smiled and handed over a wad of gauze.
"Your nose." She grinned. "Be sure to give Oren hell, hm?
She walked away, and as I stared after her, I wondered how on earth she knew that I had a meeting with Oren this morning.
My phone chimed again, and I sat up, cranking up the car, and heading toward the company. Oren was going to regret everything he'd done, but never as much as I regretted it.
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