Jagged Embrace

Chapter 49 - Will

Will stumbled into the room and shuffled into the bathroom. No idea what fucking time it was, only that he was exhausted. He trudged through his shower, had to get that stink off him. Images of Ander bleeding out on the vet's table assaulted him. He balled his shaking hands as his eyes burned and clenched his teeth to keep his chin from trembling.

Dr. Morton had assured him Ander was stable and that he'd call if something changed. Will didn't trust it. He trusted no one when it came to Ander. Will tilted his forehead against the wall tiles and stretched his jaw before it locked up. He hadn't meant to scare the doctor so badly, but he couldn't help it. All that fucking blood when he started poking Ander.

Mason had to calm everything down twice, just so Dr. Morton would work on Ander. Apparently, he'd been too aggressive with the good doctor. The conversation with Mason had been total shit, as expected. If she didn't show up in the next day or two, it would be a fucking miracle. The backup cell vibrated on the counter. Will turned off the water and snatched up the phone.

"Yeah." His voice sounded foreign. It reminded him of when they had spent months trying to save Ander.

"I just spoke to Dr. Morton. He agreed to put a camera on Ander so you could see he was okay and then rest before coming back. I'm sending the link. Stop antagonizing him, Will," Mason said aggressively. "In fact, don't go back there until tomorrow. He needs time to work on your cousin."

"Don't tell me I can't see Ander-"

"Shut the fuck up!" she yelled into the phone. "He's trying to save his life. Do you want Ander to pull through or not?"

"Of course I do," he growled at her.

"Then fucking listen to me." She took a breath and coughed a few times before she cleared her throat. "It's not your fault."

"You don't get it-"

"Yeah, I do. I used to be in the field. It's not your fault. I know Ander doesn't blame you. We'll talk about what happened later. Get some fucking rest. Sit with your girlfriend."

"She isn't my girlfriend," he said quickly.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Amuse yourself with her for now. Stare at Ander on the phone, but do not, and I repeat, do NOT go down there. Got it?"

"Fine," he replied through gritted teeth.

"I'll call sometime tonight. Stay in the room. Order in if you have to, but don't leave the room. I need time to get things moving."

"Okay," he said in a vicious tone.

"That's an order, soldier."

"I'll keep watch." He ended the call.

Will wanted to break something. The rage coursed through him and made him sweat. Fucking fleabags. Hate surged inside of him. He wanted to exterminate every fucking one of them. It drained his willpower to not act, to not do something. He flexed his hands and reached for his toothbrush. He had to calm down. Until he was positive Ander was going to recover, he couldn't do anything.

After brushing his teeth, he swayed on his feet and had to steady himself against the sink. He peered at his arms in the mirror and saw that they were still wounded, red and angry looking, but not bloody and open like they'd been earlier. Fucking doctors. Dr. Morton was dumb enough to try to touch him, probably to help, but he wouldn't have it. He didn't care about his injuries, only Ander's. At least he couldn't see the bone anymore. It didn't even feel broken. Probably never had been. He was just confused because of all the shit that went down.

Mason's message with the link dinged. He opened it and there was Ander, pale as a fucking shade, asleep. The doctor had him hooked up to a bunch of shit that made Will queasy. He focused on the monitor that beeped. It meant he was alive.

He closed the connection. It was too much like when he'd been in a coma for weeks. Will shuffled to the bed and climbed in with Maeve. She murmured and slid herself against him. He took a deep breath and finally felt the tension leave his muscles.