Mates 147


    Chapter 147


    FREDA WHITLOCK


    The first thing my brain recognized was the beep beep sound from somewhere close to me. My


    consciousness came back to me faster than it had thest time I had woken up from


    unconsciousness… Drug-induced unconsciousness. I groaned and tried to roll over on my side


    because my back was sore. I was met with pain in my shoulders and I immediately took the weight


    off them.


    groaned again and opened my eyes. My vision swam and then fell into focus. I was staring at a


    white, simple ster ceiling. From the scent invading my nasal senses, I knew I was in hospital. I


    turned my head to see Francisco folded up next to me, fast asleep. There were dry tearlines on his


    face and it broke my heart like nothing else had.


    Tears filled my own eyes and I turned on my right shoulder, despite the pain in it. I ced my arm


    on his torso, holding him close, and slept off in that position from the sheer exhaustion I was feeling.


    I did not want to make sense of anything. Just the fact that Francisco was safe beside me was


    enough.


    *** ***


    Lopened my eyes again for what seemed to be a few minutes to


    twilight, and Francisco was not beside me. My heart dropped and I was thrown into panic. I looked


    around the room and no one was there. There were just empty take-out packs in a corner of the


    room, but not the person or people that ate them.


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    Fighting against the disorientation and pain I was feeling, I climbed out of the bed.


    “Francisco?” I called, my voice frail andpletely fried from all my screaming earlier in the day. I


    took a step towards the door and my knees gave out underneath me. I crashed to the ground theProperty ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    needles in both of my hands were pulled out, causing stinging aches to shoot up both of my arms. I


    whimpered and ced my palms over my ears as the IV poles fell. One crashed right beside me


    and the other fell across the bed.


    I took in a shaky breath and looked in the direction of the door as soon as I heard it being pushed


    open.


    Lyra rushed in, followed by Francisco, Kaiden, and then a man I could barely recognize. I had seen


    him somewhere before. I just could not ce the memory.


    “Freda!” Lyra eximed, kneeling beside me. She grasped my face in her hands and I was


    ashamed of the tears that started to fall from my eyes. “Are you okay?” She asked, examining me


    carefully for any wounds.


    Francisco hurried to my side and wrapped his hands around me. I attempted wrapping my hands


    around him but Lyra grasped them. “Sh–I mean crap, your hands are bleeding,” she said, looking


    towards the door. I noticed Kaiden and the man staring at us on the floor, and my face flushed with


    even more embarrassment.


    “I get the Doctor,” Kaiden said, leaving with the man and


    shutting the door behind him. Lyra waited for the door to shut before looking into my eyes. Her eyes


    were zed over with tears, and I rapidly blinked back mine. We couldn’t both be crying in front of a


    child who had suffered a lot.


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    “Are you okay? How are you feeling?” She asked, her voice raspy. I grabbed her hand and kissed it


    aggressively. I loved her. Moved her so damn much. Herself and Francisco were my world, my


    stability. What on earth would I do without them?


    “A little dizzy,” I said with a small shrug and we both broke into tearfulughter. I looked down at


    Francisco who was clinging to me like a ko. I wanted to hold him to me as tight as he was


    holding me to himself but I did not want to stain him with my blood. “Hey little man,” I said, raising


    his head so I could see his face.


    He was crying. Oh, my heart. My poor baby.


    “Hey hey,” I said softly, leaning forward and pressing my forehead to his. “You’re brave. You’re fine,


    I’m fine. Aunt Lyra is fine. We are all fine. You don’t have to cry anymore,” I whispered, wiping my


    tears as soon as they fell from my eyes. “I love you. I love you so much. You are my world,” I said,


    kissing his forehead almost aggressively.


    Lyra pulled us both in for a group hug as he nodded and I could not have been more happy in that


    moment.


    The door was pushed open but we didn’t break our hug. To a lot of people, this might not have been


    a lot, but to us it was. It was a lot for my son and my best friend. I had almost lost them to my sister.


    The thought of losing them was horrible. It was worse when it was at the hands of my sister.


    “I hate to break this up, but we have to get you checked,” I heard Kaiden say and I slowly pulled


    away from the hug and gave him a small smile.


    I had to thank him. I really needed to thank him because he was


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    the reason we were safe. I was not entirely sure what had happened after he came into the meeting


    room. My


    consciousness was slipping from me, and everything bad had been happening in waves.


    But I knew he had defended me. He had helped me. If I liked him before, I loved him now.