Chapter 80 Brain Dead

Chapter 80 Brain Dead
Gianna

My knee won't stop bouncing as we wait for the doctor assigned to Alec.

"Where the fuck is he?" I mutter, my patience wearing dangerously thin.

Before I can spring out of my seat and hunt the doctor down myself, a warm hand settles over my bouncing knee.

"Gia." Dmitry’s cool voice hits me, it’s softer than usual. It pisses me off, literally and I don’t bother to look at him.

He doesn’t understand how I feel, nobody does.

"They've been gone forever."

"It's been eight minutes."

I scoff, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"That’s not what I meant, you need to be calm to see Alec.”

I finally tear my gaze from the hallway to glare at him.

"Whose side are you on? They aren’t even letting me see him and you’re calm!"

"Yours." His thumb brushes slow circles over my knee until it finally stops bouncing. "Always yours."

My chest rises with a shaky breath.

"What if something's wrong?" My voice cracks despite my best effort to keep it steady. "What if we got here too late?"

"We didn't."

"You don't know that."

"No." His fingers lace through mine, squeezing gently. "I don't. But driving yourself insane before the doctor speaks isn't going to change whatever they're about to tell us."

I bite the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste blood.

"I hate hospitals a lot."

"I don’t think anyone does."

"I hate waiting."

"Me too."

"And I hate that nobody's telling us anything."

"I know that too."

His free hand cups the back of my neck, drawing my attention to him.

"Look at me."

Reluctantly, I do.

"We'll deal with whatever comes next." His forehead rests briefly against mine. "One thing at a time, okay?"

I nod, though it feels more like my body giving up than agreeing.

Just then, the door to the consultation room swings open.

A man in blue scrubs steps into the hallway, a file tucked beneath his arm.

"Family of Alec Ramirez?"

Both Dima and I are on our feet before he'd even finished saying Alec's name.

The doctor adjusts the file in his hands before letting out a measured breath.

"I'm sorry,” He starts, adjusting his glasses. “I’m afraid this was a false alarm, it is common with coma patients."

"What do you mean?" Dmitry asks beside me.

"There was a brief period where Alec appeared to regain consciousness, but he wasn't actually conscious in the clinical sense. His body responded to external stimuli for a few moments, but there was no meaningful neurological awareness."

I stare at him blankly.

"No..."

"The swelling in his brain has worsened. To reduce further damage, we had to place him in a medically induced coma."

"And because of the extent of the injury..." His expression softens. "I have to prepare you for the possibility that, if he does wake up, he may have suffered severe neurological damage. We won't know the full extent until—"

"That’s not possible!"

"When we brought him here, he was fine!" I scream, shoving a finger into his chest. "He was breathing! He was with Dmitry, they spoke!"

I turn to Dmitry who’s been silent since the doctor started talking, “Go on, tell him!”

"Ma'am, I understand this is—"

"No, you don't!" My vision blurs with tears. "You people did something to him! You put him in that coma!"

"It was medically necessary—"

"Necessary?" I laugh, the sound breaking halfway through. "You expect me to believe that? He was okay when he got here!"

"Gianna," Dima says quietly.

I yank my arm away before he can touch me.

"No! Don't tell me to calm down!" I snap, glaring between the doctor and the nurses beginning to gather nearby. "You promised you'd help him, and now you're telling me he'll wake up brain dead?"

The doctor remains composed despite my shouting.

"I know this is incredibly difficult to hear, but we're telling you the risks, not certainties. Right now, our priority is preserving as much brain function as possible."

"Liar!"

The word echoes down the corridor.

"You did this to him!"

I shove at his chest again before Dima's arms wrap firmly around my waist, pulling me back against him.

"Gia," he says, his voice low but steady. "Enough."

"No!" I fight against his hold, tears spilling freely now. "They're lying! They're all fucking lying!"

Dima tightens his grip just enough to keep me from lunging at the doctor again.

"I know," he murmurs against my temple. "I know you're scared."

"Fuck off," I choke out. "You don’t fucking understand a thing."

I bite back my words, fuck. I can’t do this’

"Dmitry... let go of me."

His grip loosens only slightly. "Gianna."

"I said let me go." My voice cracks. "Now."

For a long moment, he doesn't move, then, with obvious reluctance, his arms fall away.

"I'll be waiting," he says softly.

I don't even know where I'm going. I just need to get away from the hallway... away from the doctor... away from the words brain dead, away from Dmitry just then the tears I'd been fighting finally win.

A sob tears through my chest, Alec is my only family. WHY!

I stumble into a quieter wing of the hospital, my back hitting the wall before I slowly slide to the floor.

"It's not fair," I whisper brokenly.

I bury my face in my hands and cry, an ugly shriek breaks through me, blinding my vision.

Just something soft nudges against my arm, I frown, lowering my hands. A small brown teddy bear is being held out to me.

I blink out the tears at it before slowly looking up.

"...Braide?"

He offers me a small smile, one that doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Hey."

I hastily wipe at my face with the sleeves of my hoodie, sniffling as I stand.

"What are you doing here?"

He glances down at the teddy bear before handing it to me properly.

"I usually come by once or twice a week."

My brows knit together.

"Why?"

"There's a pediatric oncology ward upstairs." He shrugs, almost awkwardly. "I spend time with some of the kids... read to them, play games, bring them toys whenever I can."

I stare at him.

"You... do?"

He nods.

"They've had enough people treating them like patients." His gaze drifts briefly toward the elevators. "Sometimes they just want someone to laugh with."

I look down at the teddy bear in my hands, my fingers curling around its soft fur.

"I saw you crying," he says gently. "I figured everyone feels a little better with a teddy bear."