Chapter 63 Fix It
ELIJAH
I sat in the chair beside Leo’s bed, watching him sleep. The steady rise and fall of his chest was the only thing keeping me grounded right now.
He was alive. He was going to be okay.
But every time I closed my eyes, I saw him bleeding in Adriana’s arms. I heard his heartbeat becoming faint and his eyes closing. Each time, I would almost go into a spiral again.
I keep checking his heartbeat and if he is breathing.
The door opened quietly and the pack doctor stepped in with a clipboard in hand.
“Alpha. I didn’t expect you to still be here.”
“Where else would I be?”
He nodded in understanding.
“How is he?” I asked, even though I’d asked this question a dozen times already.
“He’s doing very well. Better than expected, actually. The wound is healing cleanly. No signs of infection. His vitals are strong.”
Some of the tension in my shoulders eased.
“When can he go home?”
“If he continues at this rate, maybe two more days. Three at most. We just want to monitor him to make sure there are no complications.”
I nodded, grateful for his thoroughness.
“And the pain?”
“Manageable. We’re keeping him comfortable. He’s a tough kid, Alpha. You should be proud.”
“I am.” I turned to his small body on the bed. Emotions clogged my throat.
The doctor hesitated, shifting his weight. I fully turned to him, which made him clear his throat and speak.
“There’s something else I wanted to discuss with you. The young woman who was with him when it happened.”
My body tensed immediately.
“What about her?” I spoke through gritted teeth.
“We’ve stabilised her and warmed her up. Her arm will heal nicely too.” I nodded, noticing he was still giving me that long look, I asked what was on his mind.
“Her reaction when you confronted her.” He paused. “Alpha, I’ve been a doctor for thirty years. I know the signs of prolonged physical abuse when I see them.”
I felt sick.
Was it that obvious?
I mean that wasn't a normal reaction and any sensible person would see the signs immediately. I guess I wasn't ready to hear someone confirm what I already knew. It made it more real, somehow. Along with the realization that there was nothing I could do about it.
“Her father.” I finally replied with a sigh.
“I suspected as much. She also has old scars. Multiple healed fractures that weren’t set properly. Whoever did this to her did it repeatedly over a long period of time.”
My hands clenched into fists. Donald. That bastard.
“She’s been through a lot,” the doctor continued. “And last night, when she thought your son was dying, when you blamed her… that kind of trauma compounds, Alpha. It doesn’t just go away.”
“I know that,” I said quietly.
“It’s just the way you spoke to her—”
“I was scared!” The words came out harsher than I intended. “My son was bleeding out and I was terrified and I needed someone to blame. I know it wasn’t right. I know it wasn’t her fault. But in that moment, I couldn’t… I couldn’t think straight.”
The doctor’s expression softened slightly.
“I understand. But she needs to know that too. She’s been blaming herself, Alpha. She thinks you hate her.”
“I don’t hate her.”
“She doesn't know that.”
After he left, I sat in silence. Lost in my thoughts.
Adriana had been abused. Repeatedly. By her own father.
And I’d made her relive that trauma because I was too angry to think clearly.
I stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the hospital grounds. Somewhere in this building, she was probably lying awake, thinking I hated her.
The truth was so much more complicated than that.
I didn’t hate her. I couldn’t hate her even if I tried.
But I was angry. Angry at the situation. Angry at Donald. Angry at Lisa. Angry at myself for not being there to protect Leo.
And it was easier to direct that anger at her than to deal with the fear that I’d almost lost my son.
“That’s not fair to her,” I said aloud to the empty room.
Ezra stirred inside me.
“You know what you need to do.”
“I know.”
“Then do it.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Yes, it is. You apologize. You tell her the truth. You stop being a coward.”
I wanted to argue with him, but he was right. I was being a coward.
I looked back at Leo, sleeping peacefully, and made a decision.
I settled back into the chair, pulling it closer to Leo’s bed. My mind was still racing, but at least now I had a plan. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, Hazel was shaking my shoulder.
“Elijah. Wake up.”
I blinked, disoriented.
“What time is it?”
“Almost one in the morning. You should go home and get some rest.”
“I’m fine here.”
“You’re not fine. You look like hell. When’s the last time you ate?”
I couldn’t remember.
“Come on. I’ll stay with Leo. You go home, shower, eat something, get a few hours of actual sleep in a real bed.”
“I can’t leave him.” I shook my head.
“Yes, you can. I’ll be right here. If anything changes, I’ll mind-link you immediately. But he’s stable, Elijah. The doctor said so. You’re no good to him if you collapse from exhaustion.”
She had a point.
“Fine. But just for a few hours.”
“Whatever you say.”
I stood up, my body protesting the movement. I’d been sitting in that chair for too long.
I leaned over and kissed Leo’s forehead gently.
“I’ll be back soon, buddy.”
As I walked out of the room, I passed by the hallway where Adriana’s room was. I stopped, staring at her closed door.
I could go in now and talk to her.
But I was exhausted and emotional and I didn’t trust myself not to say the wrong thing again.
I turned and walked away, ignoring the guilt that gnawed at me with every step.
When I got home, the house felt empty and cold. I went straight to my room, stripped off my blood-stained clothes, and stood under the shower for what felt like hours.
The hot water did nothing to wash away the guilt.
I kept seeing her face. The terror in her eyes when I yelled at her. The way she’d covered her head with her hands.
The doctor’s words echoed in my mind: “Prolonged physical abuse.”
What had Donald done to her? How many times had he hit her? How many times had she cowered like that, waiting for the blow?
And I’d made her feel that way again.
I got out of the shower and collapsed onto my bed, but sleep wouldn’t come.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Leo bleeding. Or Adriana crying. Or both.
Around three in the morning, I gave up on sleep and went to my office. I had work to do anyway.
Hazel had left a report on my desk about the attack. Three guards were dead.
Someone had helped the wolves come in. Hazel was right about that. The timing was too perfect. They’d known exactly when we’d be gone.
But who?
I made a mental note to have Aiden investigate everyone who’d known about the midnight run.
There was also the matter of dealing with Donald. And Lisa.
But that would have to wait. Right now, my priority was Leo. And Adriana.
I needed to fix what I’d broken.
The question was how?