Behind the Walls. NOVEL By Claire Darcy.

39. Terms and Conditions.

FRANKIE.

I had no idea why Sebastian had wanted my help in the first place, but it turned out that I was quite useful. When we reached the medical centre, the nurses were all so scared of Seb that they could hardly listen to him. Luckily, I was able to find Andy's mother, Mary, and explain the situation. By the time she'd found some other nurses and doctors to come and help Ace, Rowan walked through the door with the girl in his arms.

"Frankie, give me a hand," he ordered, headed straight for Dr Arthur's room. I ran ahead and opened the door for him. Rowan laid Ace down on the operating table and looked up at the very flustered Dr Arthur.

Rowan gestured at the large, bleeding wound on Ace's side and said, "You might want to fix that."

Dr Arthur didn't need much more explaining than that. After a brief summary of the events that had occurred to leave Ace in her current state, the doctor began the job and we were ushered out of the room.

"I told Tyler I'm on my way, are you two coming?" Rowan asked, looking up from his watch as we walked.
I didn't really know what to say. Since finding out about Rowan's contract with the Council, I was unsure about what to think of him. Plus, that he had nearly confessed to having feelings for Ace was sort of like a knife to the heart.

"You run ahead, Rowan. Make sure Josh is okay- his girl just got shot, I doubt he's happy about that."

Rowan made no objection, nor responded to my calling Ace 'Josh's girl', either. He ran off, leaving Seb and me alone.

"Josh's girl, aye?' Sebastian asked.

I shrugged, "He seems pretty down for her."

Sebastian laughed, "What, and your brother isn't?"

I scoffed. "Tyler? No way. He'd never go for a girl like that." I'd been stuck with my twin brother my whole life. I was pretty sure I knew him better than Sebastian did. Tyler never kept secrets from me. Even if he was rather taken with her now, he'd be over it in no time.

Sebastian seemed puzzled. "A 'girl like that'? You don't like Ace?"

I shook my head in denial. "Of course I do," I explained, "I just don't get what all these guys see in her. Even people I don't even know- I pass them in the halls or in the courtyard and they're all talking about her."

Sebastian smirked. "Sounds like someone's jealous," he said slyly, "Besides, people like who they like. Didn't you used to have a huge crush on Rowan, of all people?"

Ignoring the fact that I very much still did have a huge crush on Rowan, I refused to let Sebastian trap me with my words. "Rowan can't love, you know that, right?"

Suddenly Sebastian didn't seem to be so amused. "What do you mean?"

"I can't tell you," I said, "I'll show you."

...

ACE.

There I was, lying in a bed in the medical centre, staring at the stark white roof, when suddenly Sebastian burst in.

"Ace! You've got to see this!" he yelled, waving about a paper folder. I sat up, pushing my blankets back.

"What are you doing?" Dr Arthur demanded, his chubby cheeks going red, "You can't just barge in here!"

"No doc, it's okay. He's a friend."

Dr Arthur looked at me, then at Sebastian, then at Frankie who snuck in the door. He sighed, flattening his thinning hair out. "Very well, Ace. You're lucky you healed so quickly," he said curtly, leaving the room. Sebastian bit his lip as he knelt beside me, somewhat awkward and unsure.