Pained.

Twenty-Nine.

"Alex you can't leave the hospital yet, you're not healed." Ryder warned as Alex stood up from the bed.

"And who's going to save Kane while I'm here?"

"That's what I'm here for! That's why I'm your right hand! Leaving right now is too risky because we don't know who helped Clint put that hit on you. We don't need anybody knowing you're alive right now, not until we know for sure who wants you dead." Ryder scolded Alexander as if he were his father and as much Alexander hated it, he knew Ryder was right.

"I promised him, Ryder. I promised him that I would never leave his side and that I would protect him and I can't even do that. What kind of husband am I?" Alexander said as he sat back down on the hospital bed.

"I'm going to save him Alex! I got this, you just calm down. What do you want me to do with Clint once we find him?"

"Bring him to me alive. I want to kill him myself."

"Noted." Ryder's phone pinged in his pocket. He took it out and looked at the message, "I gotta go Alex! We got Clint's location!"

"Where are they?"

"In Hawaii."

"I change my mind, I'm coming!" Alex tried to stand from the bed but sat back down once the pain in his stomach ignited again.

"You stay put. I promise when I get Kane, the first stop we're making is to you."

Alexander nodded. "Okay, get him as fast as you can Ryder. I can't lose him man."

"I got you Alex. Don't worry about it."

* * *

Kane listened to the phone ring nervously before the line picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Anica. It's me." Kane chewed his bottom lip nervously. He hadn't spoken with Anica since he'd first moved to Hawaii.

"Hey Kane. How are you and the little one?"

"We're great. I'm sorry I called so late."

"No, no, it's fine. What do you need?"

"I wanted ta' know what's Stockholm syndrome?"

"Stockholm syndrome is when you grow affection or bond with your abuser. You may form emotional or physical bonds with them by spending intimate time together. You also develop positive feelings about them and their goals and negative feelings about those who try to rescue you from your abuser. It's a psychological survival mechanism. When a victim develops Stockholm syndrome, they become more compliant which results in less abuse from the abuser."

Kane listened to Anica as she explained to him what Stockholm syndrome was. Did he have it? Was what he felt for Alexander just based on his survival?

"What if ya' started feelin' things fo' them after they changed and showed ya' how sorry they were fo' what they put ya' through? Would dat still be considered Stockholm syndrome?"

"We didn't go over Stockholm syndrome that much in med school, so there's only so much that I could go off of. However, in my professional opinion, I wouldn't consider it Stockholm. I'm assuming you're asking me these questions because you've began to feel some things for Alexander, correct?"

"Yes ma'am." Kane answered guiltily. He felt so stupid. How could he feel something for Alexander after everything that he'd done to him? He felt foolish, "Is it wrong fo' me ta' feel this way?"

"There's no need to be upset with yourself Kane. It's a natural human reaction to grow attached to someone we've been around for prolonged periods of time. You didn't have interest in Alexander when he was abusing you, right?"