Chapter 130 The brother I never had

Chapter 130 The brother I never had
DANDELION.

The wail of the ambulance sirens pierced the dark city streets.

"Ugh!"Another wave of pain tore through my lower back. I curlerd tightly onto my side on the narrow stretcher, unable to straighten my legs.

"Angel, look at me," Alex pleaded, his voice kaced with fear.

He knelt on the floor of the moving ambulance, completely ignoring the paramedics shouting instructions over his head. .

Both of his hands gripped my trembling fingers. His face was pale under the fluorescent lights, his green eyes wide with desperation.

"Alex, it hurts," I sobbed, squeezing his hands as hard as I could. "I am bleeding. I am.... losing the baby."

The wetness soaking my lower dress made my chest heave with ragged, panicked breaths.

The force of the impact on the floor was too much.

"No, you are not. You are both going to be perfectly fine. Just hold on. We are almost there." He said, like he was convincing himself more.

The ambulance screeched to a halt. The back doors flew open, and the freezing night air hit my face.

The emergency room was a chaotic blur of bright lights, shouting nurses, and rapid movement.

Everything was suddenly blurring.

The paramedics rolled my stretcher quickly through the sliding glass doors, shouting my vitals and the details of the traumatic fall.

Alex never let go of my hand. He ran right beside the stretcher.
The security tried to pull him back as we reached the emergency bay, but he pushed them away with a glare that promised violence to anyone who tried to separate us.

"Sir, you need to step back so we can work!" a stern female doctor insisted, pulling on a pair of blue sterile gloves.

"I'm staying with her." Alex insisted stubbornly.

"Check the baby," I begged, grabbing the doctor's white coat. "Please, check my baby."

The medical team worked with speed. A nurse cut away my blood stained dress. Another nurse quickly inserted a sharp IV needle into my arm, pumping warm fluids directly into my freezing veins.

I suddenly felt more numb and dizzy, everything was blurring, but I refused to fade out, I struggled to keep my eyes open.

The doctor worked down in my vagina, for a long agonizing hour.

When she was done, she quickly rolled a portable ultrasound machine next to the bed. She squirted a large amount of cold, clear gel onto my exposed stomach and pressed the plastic transducer on my tummy.

Total silence fell over the emergency room.

My breath paused. I stared at the ceiling, too terrified to look at the monitor. Alex froze patiently waiting.

Suddenly, a fast rhythmic sound filled the room.

Thump, thump, thump, thymp.

It was the fastest, most beautiful sound I had ever heard in my entire life.

"The heart rate is strong," the doctor confirmed, letting out a heavy sigh of relief. She turned the monitor so I could see the tiny, fluttering shape on the dark screen. "You lost some blood from the force of falling, Mrs. Graham. You had a minor tear from the fall. But I've stitched you up, and stopped the bleeding. Your baby is a survivor."

I felt myself sob softly with relief.

Alex collapsed forward, burying his bruised face into the crook of my neck.

"Thank God," Alex whispered against my skin with relief. "Thank God."

After helping me clean up, the nurses quickly moved me out of the emergency room into a quiet, private recovery room on the top floor of the hospital.

The pain relief medication flowing through my IV line made my eyelids feel really heavy. I sank deep into the soft, white pillows, completely exhausted by the terror of the long day.

When I finally forced my heavy eyes open again, the private room was completely dark, except for the soft glow of the medical monitors.

I turned my head slowly.

Alexander was sitting on the couch right next to my bed. He had not left my side for a single second. He was deeply asleep, his head resting awkwardly against the edge of my bed like he was afraid to cross boundaries at the same time afraid to be to far away. His dark hair was a mess. His face looked exhausted.

But even in his deep sleep, both of his hands were wrapped around my right hand.

I stared at our joined hands.

For the very first time since we returned from Canvas Island, this was our first intimate contact. And I did not want to pull away.

Alex let out a soft, tired sigh in his sleep, holding my hand tighter.

The door of my room opened softly. A nurse peeked her head inside, offering a warm smile when she saw I was awake.

"How are you feeling, Mrs. Graham?" the nurse whispered, stepping inside to check my IV bag.

"I am okay now," I replied softly, not wanting to wake Alex. "How is Tristan? My brother-in-law."

"He is out of surgery," the nurse explained, writing a quick note on my chart. "The bullet went through his shoulder. Although It missed all the major arteries. He is resting in a room just down the hall."

I slowly pushed the heavy blankets off my legs. "I need to see him."

The nurse frowned, looking unsure. "You should be resting in bed, ma'am."

"Please," I insisted, sitting up carefully. "Just bring me a wheelchair. I will not walk."

Few minutes later, I was sitting in a hospital wheelchair. Alex had woken up the second I tried to loosen my hand from his grip. He refused to let the nurse push me down the hall. Even though I still felt awkward around him, I agreed.

He stood behind my chair as he personally guided me out of the room. We were both silent.

We stopped right outside Tristan’s open door.

I raised my hand to knock, but a soft voice was speaking inside the room, it made me pause completely.

Grandma Winifred was sitting by Tristan’s bed.

Tristan looked really pale. His right shoulder was wrapped in thick white bandages, and his arm was secured tightly in a sling. He stared at the ceiling, looking lost and completely broken by his mother's betrayal.

Grandma Winifred reached out, placing her hand gently over Tristan's good hand.

"You did a very brave thing today, Tristan," She whispered gently. "You stood in front of a loaded gun to protect a Dandy."

"But she is my mother," Tristan whispered brokenly, "She murdered Alex's mom, Noona. And I spent my entire life trying to make her proud. I am so sorry."

"Do not apologize for the sins of a wicked woman," Grandma Wini snapped softly. "You are not her, Tristan. Today, you saved my great-grandchild, your nephew or niece. I always knew you had a good heart. You have always been a true Graham."

Tristan broke down completely and sobbed softly.

Alex pushed my wheelchair slowly into the room.

Grandma Wini wiped her own eyes and smiled brightly at me, she stood up and hugged me tightly.

"I'm so relieved you're okay" She said, and I nodded with a smile, I was equally happy to see her.

"I'll give you three, some privacy" She said and gently walked out into the hallway to give us privacy.

Alex parked my chair right next to the bed.

Tristan wiped his face with his good hand, looking at me with nervous, red eyes. "Dandelion. How is the baby?"

"The baby is perfectly fine," I smiled, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "Thanks to you."

"I am sorry I pushed you so hard onto the floor," Tristan apologized, his voice rough.

"You took a bullet for me, Tristan," I quipped, making sure he understood the massive weight of his sacrifice. "You saved our lives. Thank you."

I looked at the man who had spent his entire life living in the dark shadow of his own mother. He had finally stepped into the light.

"You are the brother I never had," I whispered, meaning every single word. Malcolm wouldn't hold half a candle on Tristan.

Tristan smiled tearfully. He looked past me, meeting Alexander's gaze. Alex gave his younger brother a slow, deep nod of respect.

"I'm forever grateful to you, Tris."

The Graham family was finally beginning to heal. Because the main seed of dispute, Viola had been removed.