Trust Issues

Chapter 18

I dipped in and out of consciousness that night. Flashes of blurry faces, snippets of hushed conversations—everything was in bits and pieces. Whenever I tried to focus on something and fully regain consciousness, sleep tugged me back under again. My shock-induced nightmares were full of sadness and grief.

I had no idea if I ever fully regained consciousness during the night. It was only when the sun streamed through my windows that I opened my eyes and sat up. Jonah was asleep beside me, but he opened his eyes moments after I did.

For a moment, neither of us said a word. I snapped my head around as I heard the knock on the suite door. Jonah stretched, then swam out of bed and headed to the door. I heard him open it, then a hushed conversation with whoever was on the other side. When he and another merman swam back into the bedroom, I was slowly getting out of bed.

"Faye?" Dad's voice was weary as he spoke. The dark circles under his eyes and their hollowness indicated it had been a while since he'd slept. "Drew's awake, and he's asking for you."

I examined him as he finished speaking—the exhaustion that lined every inch of him. I swallowed hard, blinking past the tears that threatened to fall. A lump rose in my throat, preventing any words from escaping. I wanted to go to him, but I felt so heavy.

Weighed down by faces, voices, memories. Dad searched my face, reading the unspoken words in my eyes. He swam to one side of me and took my hand as Jonah did the same. "Take your time," Jonah said softly. Dad squeezed my hand.

Slowly, the three of us left the suite and headed to the hospital. It took longer than it should have, thanks to my drained energy. When we finally arrived, I was panting and leaning heavily on Jonah's body. We paused as we reached Drew's room, Dad glancing at Jonah, then me. "I'm okay," I gasped out.

Dad took a steadying breath, then knocked on the door. "Come in," a familiar voice called out. Tears sprang to my eyes at the sound of my brother's voice. 

With a trembling hand, I opened the door and swam inside, Dad and Jonah hugging my tail. Mom was sitting in a chair beside his bed, the same exhaustion that was present in Dad on her face as well. Drew was shirtless, with a large bandage covering most of his back, chest, and right shoulder.

Judging by the weariness on his face, he was exhausted, but his eyes were clear. When he met my gaze and saw the tears in my eyes, his own softened. "Faye," he said hoarsely.

I was moving before the word had even finished echoing. Careful of his injury, I gingerly hugged Drew, my body shaking as I sobbed. He gripped me tightly, neither of us letting go for a few seconds. "I was so scared I was going to lose you," I whimpered into his shoulder.

When we finally broke apart, he studied my face, and I did the same. He put a trembling hand on my face, and I leaned into his touch. "Never," he whispered, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

Dad cleared his throat, and we both turned toward him at the sound. "I spoke with Coco, and she said though your injury is healing nicely, they want to keep you overnight for observation. If everything looks good in the morning, you can go home tomorrow." Though a smile was on his face, there was a lingering haunted look in his eyes.

Drew nodded. Jonah swam to my side, taking my hand. The former met Jonah's eyes and took a deep breath before speaking. "Thank you for taking care of her." His unspoken words were clear. If Jonah hadn't been there for me... I don't think I ever would have gotten out of bed.

When Mom spoke, we all jolted at the sound. She hadn't so much as opened her mouth since we'd arrived. "Have you had any luck identifying the assailant?" Her voice was hoarse as if she hadn't spoken in a while.