Chapter 96: His Only Hope

They sprinted back to the clubhouse. The men were moving in and out of the clubhouse as usual. Nothing suggested something out of the ordinary. There was no crowd and everything was too normal as everyone went on with their mundane routine. However, it just didn’t settle right. Her gut feeling was telling her that something bad happened. She couldn’t think. She had to see her brother for herself.

They rushed into the common area. A few men were lounging around, their expression grave. “Where..” Nelly panted right when her eyes met someone’s, breaking the silence in the space. They pointed in a direction. She remembered what that room was. The first time she was there, she did a surgery in that room.

Her heart jumped to her throat. ‘Please, let him be safe. Nothing serious please..’ She could only pray in her heart as she approached the room. Although they weren’t too close, her brother was the only family she’s left with. She lost her mother. She couldn’t lose anyone else. Her heart couldn’t take the sorrow.

Stacy trailed behind her in a hurry as she marched towards the door. She didn’t even bother to knock. The door was pushed open to reveal the men in it. Will was sitting on a chair. His head bowed and his body bent forward as he held his stomach. His whole body was folded in half and they couldn’t see his expression.

A man lay on the floor behind Will. His face was obstructed. Nelly’s heart leaped in her throat as she moved forward. Chad was squatting beside the man. His hand was full of blood. As she moved nearer, the man’s face was revealed.

Nelly’s heart dropped when she saw her brother’s face. Then, she turned to look at the place where he was cut. It was severe. She knew what to do but her body didn’t want to move. She had to do it right. Every operation is important but this one, she just couldn’t mess it up. Her hands hung at her sides.

“Stay strong. He needs you,” Stacy placed a hand gently on her shoulder. Nelly shook her head, trying to come back to reality. “Give me a hand here!” Chad urged, his tone pressing. Something rang in her head but she rushed forward.

There was lots of gauze. Chad was trying to keep the situation under control, but to no avail. Nelly moved automatically but she couldn’t think straight. She tried her best to breathe through the sour feeling in her nose. The breaths came out shallow, causing the tension in the room to build. “Deep breaths,” Stacy squatted beside her as she tried to calm her down. She removed her hands from Neil as she tried taking deep breaths. They came out stuttered. Tears started flowing out of her eyes. “What happened? Why.. Why is this happening? I.. I can’t! I..”

“SNAP OUT OF IT!” Chad’s voice boomed in the room. They were shocked by his sudden outburst. Nelly’s eyes widened at him. “Get a grip, Nelly! You are his only hope,” he reminded, a little softer now but the sternness remained.

Nelly took two breaths before steeling herself. Her nod was mechanical as she leaned forward to study the injury. Neil suddenly started convulsing. Foam formed in his mouth. Nelly immediately jumped to action. She blinked back her tears. It’s not the time to stress. Chad was right. Her brother needed her. She had to stay strong for him. She wouldn’t forgive herself if she didn’t save him.

Right when Nelly and Chad busied themselves tending to Neil, Will looked up weakly. Stacy immediately turned over. His face was pale. He pressed a piece of what looked like a shirt to his wound. The formerly white shirt was dyed red. The tip of his fingers were white from the pressure he exerted on his wound.

His other hand lifted with much effort. His expression was stressed as he pointed at the medical kit at the other side of the room. Stacy immediately jumped to get it.

“Thank you,” he managed with much effort as Stacy placed the kit beside him. He pulled random things out of it as he tried to handle his own wound despite the pain. Stacy’s brows furrowed as she watched him fumble with them. “Come on, let me,” she tried to intercept but Will turned away from her, causing her frown to deepen.

“Don’t worry, I can do it,” she pressed. He was finally willing to look at her eyes. “I might lose my memories, but that didn’t make me stupid,” she said with a light tone as she reached for some of the things from the kit. “I didn’t mean..” Will tried to explain but Stacy stopped him. She reached for the shirt but Will hesitated.

“It doesn’t look good,” he said with much concern. Stacy snorted. “I’m not a kid, Will,” she carefully removed the shirt and blood immediately oozed out of the wound, causing her to wince. Will tried to cover it but she stopped him with her hand. “Stay still,” she commanded. All protests died in his throat as he sat there looking at her serious profile as she studied the wound.

“We have to stitch this up,” she reached for the things needed. Before starting, she glanced at him, her brows furrowed in concern. “Just do it,” his voice sounded strained. “Hang in there,” she whispered before starting work.

Will balled his fists as Stacy worked. He tried to look nonchalant but the pain always came in his way. He gritted his teeth hard, unwilling to show weakness. “You can scream,” Stacy reminded without stopping her action. Her hands were steady as she worked on the stitches. “Just,” he strained, “keep going!”

A small smile showed on her face. “Alright, tough guy!”

She tried to work fast, to get it done and over with so he wouldn’t be in constant pain. She surprised even herself. Even without her memories, she was able to handle the situation well. She simply knew just the right thing to do. Finally, she wrapped it up.

“There, fixed. Good job! You did well,” her praise got Will a little flustered. “Thanks.”

“No prob! We are cousins after all, aren’t we?”

“Yes,” Will reciprocated the smile before Stacy moved to help with the other operation.

‘Yes, we are.’