Freed

13

I stayed two steps behind him as we walked to the front desk. After signing in, we took a seat in the waiting room. My legs bounced up and down with anxiety as I waited for the nurse to call my name.

"You'll be fine," Elijah murmured, distracted by his phone. I stopped bouncing my leg. "It hurts for less than a second."

"Yeah, for you," I scoffed. "You're a murderer, I doubt you can even feel pain."

Elijah's head snapped over to me, his eyes darkening as he glared at me with warning. I realized I'd spoken too loudly and there were people around us. "Watch it, Izzy."

I wondered if I had a death wish because I rolled my eyes in return. "Why? You like the power, don't you? Why wouldn't you want everyone to know about what you do for a living?"

Elijah's jaw tightened and I raised my eyebrows challengingly. "What?" I mocked, deciding two could play at this game. "Why are you silent now – "

I was taken off guard when his hand banded around my arm and he yanked me towards him, speaking so only I could hear him. "You're walking on thin ice here," he gritted out, his fingers tightening painfully. I smiled bitterly and he let go when I stayed quiet in response.

"This is going to catch up to you," I said, keeping my voice even despite the fact that my arm was aching now and I was slightly shaken. Elijah raised his eyebrows in question, as if he was telling me silently that I was seconds away from him losing it. "The way you treat people; it's going to catch up to you."

And it would because I'd made the decision. I was going to help the detective after she helped me. I was going to get Elijah locked up. He was never going to change, and people like him only hurt others. It was all he'd learned; it was all he'd continue to do.

"I'm sure it is," Elijah said, brushing off what I was saying. The nurse called my name and I stood up. Elijah followed, the two of us trailing after the nurse as she led me to the check-up room.

It wasn't the yearly physical exam since I'd done that over the summer. This was only for a few tests that I got done occasionally because my mom used to have thyroid problems, so blood tests weren't foreign for me in the past, either.

It passed by quickly, and I felt Elijah's gaze on me when the needle pierced through my skin. As much as it was almost reflex, I didn't reach for his hand. I did it myself, looking away when the test began.

"The results get sent to me," Elijah told the nurse firmly and she paused by the door, blinking in confusion. "No one else."

I frowned as I wondered who else would get them. Until I was eighteen, the results would go to the parent or guardian.

"We're finding out what Amina gave you," Elijah told me as the nurse walked off and I hopped off the seat, grabbing my jackets. "We'll know in a few days."

Of course. I hadn't even thought of that. I didn't bother replying as I turned around and exited through the door, heading back into the corridor. Elijah had probably figured out I was going to see Caleb as I trailed towards the oncology department.

We ran into Caleb in the hallway, looking like he was walking back towards the room he was staying in. He looked lost in his own head as he strolled, his eyes on the floor.

My heart lurched to my throat and I called his name. He halted and spun around slowly, and I got my running start. Caleb stumbled back a few steps as I crashed into him, wrapping my arms around his waist.

He laughed weakly, wrapping one of his arms around my head to press me into him. "Hi, Izzy, I missed you, too," he teased and I squeezed him tighter. He made a sudden sound and I shot backwards, blinking as I realized I'd hurt him accidentally.