Chapter 49 Ethan's pov

Chapter 49 Ethan's pov


It happened in less than a breath.

One second, Alex’s car was still in front of me, and the next...

Metal screamed.

A car burst from nowhere, a violent blur of headlights and steel, slamming into Alex’s side with a force so brutal it stole the air from my lungs. The sound wasn’t just loud, it was wrong. The kind of sound that rewires your brain forever.

“No!”

The word tore out of me as Alex’s car spun, flipping like it weighed nothing, glass exploding into the air. Time slowed in that horrifying way it does when reality fractures. I watched his car roll once,third time then slam to a stop.

Fire sparked almost immediately.

My entire world narrowed to that burning wreck.

I didn’t remember pulling over. Didn’t remember throwing my car into park or leaving the door wide open in the middle of the road. I just knew my feet were moving, my body running on instinct older than fear, older than thought.

“Alex!” I screamed, sprinting toward the wreckage.

Heat slammed into me as I got closer. Flames licked hungrily at the side of the car, smoke thick and choking, the smell of burning rubber and fuel flooding my senses.

I skidded to a stop at the driver’s side.

The door wouldn’t open.

“Fuck,fuck, fuck!”

I slammed my shoulder against it. Once. Twice.

Nothing.

I peered through the shattered window and my heart broke clean in two.

Alex was still inside.

Unconscious.

Blood streaked down his temple, his head slumped unnaturally against the seat, his body held hostage by the seatbelt that cut cruelly across his chest.

“No, no, no, stay with me,” I begged, my hands shaking as I yanked at the handle again.

The flames surged higher.

I didn’t think. I reached down, pulling my pocket knife from the edge of my boot, the blade snapping open with a sharp click that sounded impossibly loud.

“Alex,” I said, my voice breaking completely now. “I’ve got you. I swear to God, I’ve got you.”

I leaned through the broken window, heat scorching my arms, smoke burning my lungs as I sliced through the seatbelt.

The tension released instantly.

Alex’s weight fell forward into me.

I barely caught him.

“Shit! okay, okay.”

I braced my feet, wrapped my arms around him, and hauled him out of the car with everything I had. His body was limp, terrifyingly heavy, his blood slick against my hands.

Few feets away from the car , it exploded. The force of it threw me forward, knocking the air from my lungs as fire roared behind us. I barely kept my footing, collapsing onto the pavement with Alex clutched to my chest.

I rolled, shielding him with my body as debris rained down around us.

My ears rang.

My hands trembled violently as I pressed my forehead to his.

“Don’t you dare,” I whispered hoarsely. “Don’t you fucking dare leave me.”

Sirens wailed in the distance.

People shouted.

But all I could see was him. Only him.

The hospital lights were too bright.

They always were.

Alex lay on the gurney as they rushed him through double doors, nurses running around while doctors gave orders orders I barely registered. Blood stained his clothes, his skin pale beneath the harsh fluorescent glare.

I tried to follow him to where they where taking him but a hand stopped me.

“Sir, you need to stay back.”

“That’s my fucking man” I snapped, my voice raw. “I’m not leaving.”

Something in my face must’ve convinced them, because the nurse hesitated, then nodded.

“Five minutes.”

I stayed by Alex’s side as they worked, my fingers gripping his hand like it was the only thing keeping him tethered to this world.

“I’m here,” I whispered again and again. “You’re not alone baby.”

When they finally wheeled him into surgery, the doors closed with a finality that nearly crushed me.

I stood there, staring at nothing. My hands were shaking so badly I had to clench them into fists. My nails digging into my palm.

I didn’t know how long I stayed like that before voices pulled me back.

Aiden. He was Sobbing. Full, broken sobs that echoed down the hallway.

I turned just in time to see him collapse into Noah’s arms, his entire body shaking as he clung to him like a lifeline.

“I thought...” Aiden choked. “I thought we lost him. I thought...”

Noah wrapped himself around Aiden without hesitation, one hand cradling the back of his head, the other rubbing slow, grounding circles into his back.

“He’s alive,” Noah murmured firmly. “He’s alive. That’s what matters right now.”

Aiden cried harder, his face buried against Noah’s chest.

I watched them, something tight and painful twisting in my chest.

Noah caught my eye over Aiden’s shoulder.

He didn’t say anything.
And everything is going to shit. 

Hours passed.

Doctors came and went. I ask every doctor that came out how Alex was doing. They kept telling and saying different word.

Words like “internal bleeding,” “head trauma,” and “stable but critical” blurred together until they barely meant anything at all. I couldn't understand I just wanted him to be okay.

Finally, a doctor approached me.

“He’s out of surgery,” she said. “He’s stable. But he's stable now.”

I nodded numbly.

“Can I see him?”

She hesitated, then nodded. “Briefly.”

Alex lay in the hospital bed, wires and machines surrounding him, his chest rising and falling slowly beneath crisp white sheets.

I sat beside him and took his hand.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, tears burning my eyes. “I should’ve told you everything. I should’ve trusted you with all of me.”

His fingers didn’t move.

“I love you,” I said softly. “I’ll wait. As long as it takes.”

Behind me, Noah ushered Aiden quietly into the room.
Aiden wiped his face, eyes red and swollen as he looked at Alex.

“He’s going to wake up,” he said fiercely. “He has to.”

Noah squeezed his shoulder.

“He will.”

I stared at Alex’s still form, my heart aching with hope and terror tangled together.

Outside the room, somewhere far too close for comfort, enemies were still breathing.

And I knew...deep in my bones

This wasn’t over yet.

If Joe Blackwood is involved in this, I'll make sure to repay the favour.