Chapter 138 138

Chapter 138 138
EVA

I woke up to the beeping of machines, a blinding white ceiling and antiseptic smell. My head wasn't pounding as much as I thought it was going to, but it still did, and my ribs felt like someone had taken a hammer to them. I blinked, trying to focus, and remember where I was and why everything hurt so much.

A nurse suddenly appeared above me, almost startling me. "Ms. Bishop? You're awake again."

Again?

I stared at her, confused. "I was awake before?"

She nodded, checking the monitor beside me. "Briefly. You were quite agitated. Your blood pressure spiked, so we had to give you something to calm you down. You've been out for about two days. How are you feeling?"

Two days?

I I tried to sit up, but the pain in my ribs stopped me. I gasped, and the nurse gently pushed me back down.

"Easy. Take it slow. Your body needs time to heal."

I lay there, trying to piece together what happened. The car. Yes, I remember that. The crash, yes too. Oh. And the police, and blood thieves. It all came flooding back.

Lily.

It felt like someone tried to jumpstart my heart. I tried to climb down the bed, ignoring the pain protests from my ribs, my leg and head.

"Lily," I breathed out, panic washing over me. "My daughter—"

"Your daughter is safe." The nurse quickly grabbed my arm as gently as she could and pushed me back down hard when I wouldn't let her do so gently. I cried out in pain.

"Stay still ma'am! We received word earlier, that all the children are safe, so your daughter is fine. She's completely safe. The thieves only took blood. No one was hurt."

I stared at her, trying to process her words. "Are you sure? What about her surgery?"

"We called the hospital earlier and were told the surgery will commence at the same time today."

I exhaled, exhaling in relief so fast I felt lightheaded.

The nurse suddenly looked at me then at the monitor. “Are you okay ma'am?”

I nodded, trying to catch my breath. “Yeah, yes. I–I’m glad she's safe.”

She shook her head. "Ms. Bishop, your blood pressure is still climbing. I need you to calm down."

“I am calm. I'm calm, my daughter is safe, I–” I tried to breathe, but my chest was too tight, the walls closing in on my burning lungs. 

I blinked furiously against the harsh light while trying to tune out the persistent sound of the beeping of the machine,  speeding up, and almost matching my heart rate.

The nurse said something I didn't catch, and the next second I felt a pinch in my arm, and slowly cold liquid spread through my veins. The beeping soon slowed, and with the sound, everywhere went dark.

—

I woke up to the beeping of machines. Again. This time, the pain in my ribs was dull compared to my arm. I groaned and tried to shift, but it only made it worse.

The doctor was standing by my bed. He looked at me and smiled. "Ms. Bishop. Welcome back."

I blinked, trying to sit up. "What happened?"

"You needed rest. Your body was under a lot of stress." He checked the monitor. "How are you feeling?"

"My arm hurts."

He nodded. "That's expected. I'll have the nurse give you something for the pain."

He stepped aside, and I saw two women standing near the door. They were dressed in suits, their faces blank, and they looked like guards or something.

"Who are they?" I asked.

The doctor hesitated.  “After what happened—"

Before he could finish, the door burst open and Chloe rushed in, her face pale with tears streaming down her cheeks. Mira followed close behind, her expression tight with worry.

"Eva!" Chloe ran to my bedside and grabbed my good hand. "Oh my God, we've been looking everywhere for you. We checked every hospital in the city. They said you weren't admitted anywhere. We thought you were dead!" She said in one breath. Kissing my hand like she just proposed.

I stared at her, trying to process her words. "I was here. They—"

"Your phone was dead," Mira cut in, pushing her aside. "So it was hard finding you when we couldn't reach you, and now that we did they wouldn't let us in without ID. How were we supposed to run around with IDs?"

They didn't let them in?

Who? Did the hospital put up a new policy after the blood attack? Or has it always been like this? I don't really know where we were or how it even looked from the outside, I could be fine china and wouldn't know.

“I'm so glad you're safe.” Chloe cried. "We were so scared. We thought something happened to you. Whoever did this to you will—"

"You guys, I'm fine." I squeezed Chloe's hand then grabbed Mira's. "I'm okay. Just... bruised."

Mira stepped closer again and tightened her grip on my hand. "How are you feeling?"

I nodded. "I'm fine. Just tired." I paused. "Did you visit Lily?"

Chloe sniffled and wiped her face. "We went to the hospital to meet you there for the surgery, but they said someone named Sage came and took her."

Sage?

He's back?

"Sage?" I blinked.

"You know him? He said she's safe. That's all we know. I'm assuming he's someone the hospital knows so that's why they let her go with him."

I felt relief wash over me, so strong I got lightheaded again. Lily was safe and Sage was back. 

Was he sent by Dante? Is he even awake?

“What really happened? How did you end up like this? With your birthday around the corner I didn't think this would happen? Was the driver drunk? This is not how you should be spending the days before your birthday."

I stared at her, confused. "My birthday?"

Right. I've been so lost in getting my life back on track with all the sickness, accidents, assassination attempts gone and forgot that I was going to be twenty six soon.

How was I going to celebrate my birth now with a broken leg, arm and ribs. It was hard already in this hospital gown. How am I going to celebrate my birthday in the Pinterest inspired dress I bought last month?

The door opened again, and Nico walked in. His face was more colored than the last time I saw him. One could see the bandage peeking under his sleeve if they looked closely. 

I glanced at Chloe and she didn't even look worried and that only meant one thing. She didn't know. I wouldn't put it past him to not tell her that he almost died.

The doctor looked at him, then at us. "I'll give you all a moment."

Nico stepped forward. "Good morning Ms Bishop. Your daughter is safe, and she's currently at the estate undergoing the surgery there. We'll be taking you with us. Your discharge papers have already been signed. Helen is waiting for you."

I stared at him. "Helen? She's there?"

He nodded. "She'll take care of Lily along with the other doctors until you get there, and continue to you."

I nodded and he straightened up. 

"I have to go now, safe will take you." He said.

I tried to sit up. "What about Dante? Is he—”

Before I could complete my question he was gone. 

I sat up and tried to stand up, Chloe and Mira rushed to my side and helped me up. 

I paused and patted Chloe's shoulders. "He's hurt. Go after him."

"What?" She blinked, confusion flickering across her face. "Oh. Thank you.”

She hesitated, then nodded and rushed out the door.

The doctor returned again immediately and began removing my IV and every other thing.

"Will I be okay to travel?" I asked.

He nodded. "You'll need to rest, but you can leave. Just take it easy."

I changed into a new set of  clothes the hospital provided. My ribs ached with every step or movement I made. 
After finishing, Mira collected my broken phone on my behalf and we left.

Once we got outside, especially to the car which I recognized. "I know I won't be allowed to follow," she said. "But I'll watch the house. If you need anything, just call."

Sage got inside the driver's seat. He didn't say a word as I climbed in. He just started the car and drove off.

I tried to sit up until we got there, but the pain in my ribs was too much. I gave up and lay down flat on my back, staring at the ceiling of the car.