Heir Ascending

That's the thing about pain. It demands to be felt- John Green

As we meandered back to the room, neither one of us had dared to tempt the silence.

"Can't we go in?" I asked Drax as we approached the closed room.

"Oh, Kim's not in there. He took her to a room to operate."

"What?!" I blustered.

"She's fine," Drax put up his hand. "Scott found fluid in her brain and had to drain it."

"So do we just wait?"

"Scott said to leave him be. You're unpredictable with your abilities and having you around a situation that makes you emotional could compromise things."

"How long is he going to be," I said hushed as I slid down the wall next to him.

"An hour. Maybe two. He doesn't have imaging, and he's never performed a blind brain surgery before so there's that," he says cynically.

"She'll pull through," I vowed, taking his hand in mine and leaning my head on his shoulder.

If suffering is unavoidable, I will arrive fast. Because I have a life to live, and for me to do that Kim has to be there. I want to reach out and take Oliver's hand in mine, right over my heart, where it hurts the most right now. I'm not sure if doing so would heal me or break my heart irreparably, but either way, this wait would be a little more bearable, knowing that I wouldn't lose two people to come to the conclusion of it.

Oliver and Drax, who both leant against the wall on either side of me, took one of my hands in theirs, and judging from the strength of their own grasp, they are both just as worried as I am. A faint dripping sound could be heard from down the hallway, and I wondered if it was starting to rain. But when the dripping got louder, I realised it wasn't a leaking roof, but the sound of shoes souls clicking against the floor.

"Guys," I alerted as Scott made his way towards us.

Generally, when you look at someone, their face or posture, or even the way they make or avoid eye contact will indicate the nature of the atmosphere. Scott however concealed any emotion, which was making us all visibly annoyed.

"Well?" Drax asks.

He was only met by silence, and then finally, "I managed to remove the fluid. We were out of the woods. But then she just stopped breathing. Or maybe she was brain dead from the first few incisions. Without the correct equipment-", but that was the last thing I heard before my ears started to ring and drown him out.

"No. You're lying!" I pin him to the wall with my forearm. "You're trying to manipulate us. She's fine. We're going to walk through that door and she'll be awake and breathing and fine because you're lying!"

Scott looks at Oliver and then back to me.

"Don't look at him!" I scream. "Look at me!"

"I-" he stutters looking at Oliver again.

"Stop looking at him you coward! Look at me!" I shove him harder against the wall. "Look at me and tell me you're lying!"

"Angel," I hear a voice behind me murmur and they pull me off Scott, folding me into their embrace.

"Please, I want to see her, I can still help her," I beg.

"Eden please," Oliver's voice begs into my hair.

"I promise I'll stop the Visitors, I promise not to put myself in danger, I promise I won't take anything for granted ever again, please Oliver, please don't let her die," I desperately beg.

"YOU let her die!" Drax shouts and slams his fist into Scott's jaw, sending him stumbling backwards.

Scott makes no effort to block the next blow, and while what looks like his set jaw of indifference fuels Drax's anger, beneath now, I can feel his guilt and pain.