Chapter 189 Coma?
Chapter 189 Coma?
Draco’s POV
We didn’t rush out of Matteo’s room.
There was no reason to. He was awake, talking, complaining like himself again, which meant the worst had passed. We stayed long enough to fill him in on what he missed, at least the parts he needed to know, keeping it light where we could, leaving out anything that would drag him back into it too soon.
By the time we stepped out into the hallway, the tension that had been sitting on my shoulders since last night had eased just enough to breathe through it without feeling it press back.
Bella stayed close to me, her hand finding mine again without thought, her fingers sliding between mine like they belonged there.
“Next door,” she said quietly.
I nodded once.
Alex.
That situation hadn’t settled.
Not even close.
We stopped at the door, and I didn’t hesitate before pushing it open and stepping inside, Bella right behind me. The room felt different from Matteo’s immediately. Quieter. Heavier. Not because of noise, but because of presence.
Alex hadn’t moved.
He lay exactly where he had been, still, too still, the kind of stillness that made you question whether it was rest or something deeper. His chest rose and fell, slow and steady, but there was nothing else. No twitch. No shift. No sign he was anywhere near waking up.
I studied him for a second, my eyes narrowing slightly.
“Still out,” I muttered.
“Do you think he’s actually asleep,” Bella asked quietly, “or still in a coma?”
That word again.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “That’s what we were told, but…”
I let the thought trail off.
Rumors had a way of turning one thing into something completely different by the time it reached you.
The bathroom door opened behind him, and Fredrico stepped out, drying his hands with a towel before looking up at us.
“Good morning,” he said.
“Morning,” I replied.
He moved toward Alex’s side without hesitation, checking something quickly, his attention already locked in like he hadn’t left the room at all.
I stepped closer, nodding toward the bed. “So what’s going on with him?”
Fredrico paused for a second, taking a slow breath before letting it out. Then he sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly.
“I had to uncuff him,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
That was the first thing out of his mouth.
I looked at him for a second, then back at Alex.
“I get it,” I said. “He’s not exactly going anywhere right now.”
And even if he tried, he wouldn’t get far.
Not in this house. Not with the number of men we had watching every inch of it.
I gave a small nod. “It’s fine.”
Fredrico relaxed just slightly at that, though his attention stayed on Alex.
“So,” I said, shifting my weight slightly. “I heard he was in a coma.” I raised a brow, watching his reaction closely.
Fredrico blinked once. “A coma?” he repeated, like the word didn’t even belong in the same sentence.
I nodded.
He let out a small breath, bringing his hand up to the back of his neck as he scratched it lightly, his expression shifting into confusion.
“No,” he said slowly. “He was never in a coma.”
That stopped me for a second.
“What,” I said flatly.
“He’s been unconscious,” Fredrico clarified. “In and out, mostly out. But that’s from the medication. I had to keep him under for a while to stabilize him.”
I stared at him.
“So you’re telling me…” I started, then stopped, running a hand over my face.
I let out a short, sharp breath. “I was told he was on the brink of death.”
Fredrico’s brows pulled together. “He was in bad shape,” he said carefully. “But not like that.”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “That’s not what I heard.”
Of course it wasn’t.
Somewhere between here and there, someone had taken “bad shape” and turned it into “he’s dying.”
Typical.
Bella shifted slightly beside me, her gaze moving between us.
“So if he’s not in a coma,” I said, my tone sharpening again as I looked back at Fredrico, “what exactly is his situation?”
Fredrico exhaled slowly, his expression settling into something more clinical now.
“He’s been through a lot,” he said. “Malnourished. Dehydrated. Severe physical trauma.”
I didn’t interrupt.
“Broken bones,” he continued. “More than one. Internal bruising. He was beaten repeatedly over time, not just once.”
My jaw tightened slightly.
“The whole nine yards,” he added quietly.
Bella’s hand tightened in mine just slightly.
“Will he make it?” I asked.
Fredrico didn’t hesitate. “He should,” he said. “With time.”
Time.
That was something we didn’t always have the luxury of.
But in this case we might not have a choice.
“Good,” I said after a second, my voice steady again.
Because I wasn’t done with him. Not even close.
I glanced down at Alex again, studying his face like it might give me answers before he even opened his eyes.
It wouldn’t. Not yet.
But it would.
He needs to hurry and wake up though. I’ve got some damn questions for him.