Bloodline [h.s.]

sixteen.

"Is Nate here? Is he okay? I want to see him." I asked Nick.

I was pacing back and fourth in the hallway to keep myself from losing my mind. Two weeks ago, I had no living family. Today, my sister was alive, and my brother was found. I didn't know how to react.

"He's in rough shape. He's been beaten half way to death. His right femur is broken, which is excruciatingly painful. His left shoulder is dislocated. Two of his ribs are broken, and he has third-degree burns and evidence of torture on his back and legs." He explained.

"Take me to him." I demanded. My heart was pounding so hard I was convinced it would thrash out of my chest.

"You can't see him here. As far as anyone else is concerned, you have zero connection with him." Nick said trying to keep me calm.

"Nick, that is my brother, who, I was told, has been dead for fifteen years. I have to see him. What if something happens or he dies before I get to see him?" I pleaded. This type of nagging feeling of needing to see someone was so new to me. I didn't know what to call it or how to deal with it.

"He isn't going to die, Aiden. His injuries are serious, but they aren't fatal."

"How do you know?! People get fatal infections from burns all the time. You don't know that!" I began to raise my voice. Nick look at me with sympathy in his eyes.

My arms and legs were jittery and unsteady. I wanted to pull my hair out. As Nick recognised this, he did something slightly out of the ordinary and wrapped his arms around me in a hug. It felt strange at first. The awkwardness faded away into relief as the pressure of the embrace mellowed my racing nerves.

"Three police officers are guarding his room because they have yet to find the abductors. He was found on the floor of any empty hotel room in Los Angeles. I can't promise you anything, but let me see what I can do. Now, calm down and go back to Bridget. I will call you when I can get you to him. I promise you I won't let anything happen to him."

I looked down to see my hands shaking. I wanted to see my brother and murder the people who hurt him. When I looked up, Nick was nowhere to be seen. I forced myself back to Bridget, who was standing outside Megan's room, oblivious to everything that was going to happen to her.

I snaked an arm around her as she nuzzled her head into my neck. Everything happening with Nathan made me empathise with Bridget.

"Do you think it's better that she doesn't know how bad it is?"

"I don't think you should mislead her into thinking she's okay, but it's better that she doesn't understand how bad it really is." I told her.

We stood there for what felt like hours before Nick texted me to come to the fifth floor of the hospital. Bridget's mum arrived shortly after, giving me the perfect window to step away.

"I need to make one more call for work. I'll be back."

I didn't even bother waiting for the lift. I ran down the stairs as fast as my legs would allow me. Nick was waiting at the bottom of the steps with a cap, glasses, and a jacket to cover my shirt.

"No one is going to know who you are, but put these on just in case. There are a lot of people here. You don't know who is watching."

"Thank you," I said "Is he awake?"

"Yes."

The floor was empty aside from hospital staff and police officers outside what I assumed was Nate's room. I followed Nick in.  Nate looked more like our father than I remembered. Unlike Abigail and me, he had deep blue eyes. Abby's were bright blue, almost electric. She was sat next to him. She looked surprised to see me.