Page 142 of Delirium
“Really bad,” he choked, avoiding my eyes. “I don’t… I don’t know if she’s going to survive. They were reviving her here. Storm… he’s not gonna survive this, man.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“We need to get to the hospital. If he sees the kids, he will at least have something to hold on to. He will. Come on,” I urged him as I sat inside, keeping the kids as close to my chest as possible. “We need to get there as soon as possible. I don’t know shit about babies, but I don’t think they should be this pale.”
As if my words spurred him on, Atlas slammed the door behind me and rushed to the other side, sliding in with catlike grace, turning the ignition on as he slammed his door as well. We pulled onto the road, and just as I instructed, he slammed on the gas, propelling us toward the main road, taking us to the hospital.
I just needed Ophelia to be okay. I looked down at the little girl who kept her eyes on me, while her brother slept, feeling relieved that we at least got to them before Ava could take them away. We at least got them.
I hoped it was enough. It had to be enough.
* * *
I fucking hated hospitals.The smell of them, the feeling of despair, lack of hope, the antiseptic clinging to the air—I fucking hated it all. But for the first time in my life, I fucking loved them.
I loved them because as soon as we rushed through the doors, the doctors surrounded us, understanding we were with Ophelia who was brought in not too long ago, and started working on the kids. I had no idea what was happening, what they were talking about. The only thing I understood was when they said NICU.
They were taking them to the NICU.
“Are you the father?” one of the nurses asked, holding a chart in front of her.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m not. He came in with their mother not too long ago. The girl with the open stomach,” I tried explaining, and understanding dawned in her eyes.
“Okay. She’s in surgery right now, but I need you to come with me. We’ll get the father later, but I’ll show you where we’re taking the kids.”
Atlas was on the phone, talking fast. While I couldn’t quite catch everything he’d been saying, I knew they were taking Tristan and Ava to the Club. Maya and Kieran were with them. I just hoped they would come to the hospital before Ophelia woke up. Because she had to wake up. She fucking had to. And I needed to see my brother, to make sure we were okay.
“Come on, darling,” the nurse urged me on as she started walking through the hallway, leading to the set of elevators. I had no idea what she was talking about, my mind halfway here and halfway with Ophelia.
Was she okay? Was she alive? Fuck, I needed to find Storm.
The nurse urged me to go into the elevator, just as Atlas raced toward us, telling her he would follow. I didn’t care which one of us was going to go, but I knew that Storm needed to know the kids were okay.
“Indigo is with Storm,” Atlas whispered to me as the elevator started going up, while the nurse kept her back to us. “He said that he’s never seen him like this.”
“I can imagine. But his kids will need him, especially now. They’re scared, alone, and they’ll need at least one of their parents with them.”
“We will get him there,” Atlas agreed, placing his hand on my shoulder. “You did the right thing.”
“I know.” I had no doubt in my mind that we did the right thing, even if it meant that Tristan and Ava wouldn’t be among the living for much longer.
I had a feeling that Maya wouldn’t allow that to happen, no matter how much Kieran insisted. I knew he was pissed at Ava right now, but he always had a soft spot for her, and she was always able to get him to her side. I just hoped he wouldn’t forget what a monster she was now, once the initial rage subsided.
“We’re here,” the nurse announced as the doors of the elevator slid open, and she stepped outside, leading us toward the large waiting room. “Wait here, guys.”
She left us standing in the middle of the room as she disappeared through the set of sliding doors. We could hear the kids wailing, the machines beeping, and it was all becoming too much to bear. I dropped down on one of the chairs, unable to stand anymore.
“What a fucking night,” Atlas said, sitting down next to me. My heart raced, thundering against my ribs. “I never thought this would happen.”
“Me neither,” I agreed. “I’m really sorry, Atlas.” I looked at him. “I had no idea that it was them. I really had no idea.”
“Hey.” He turned his head to look at me. “I know. We all know and we aren’t blaming you. We know how much you love Ophelia, and we know you would never do something like this.” If they only knew how much I loved Ophelia, Storm would never be okay with me sticking around. “This isn’t your fault, Cillian.”
“Somehow it feels as if it is,” I murmured, just as the nurse came out, smiling at us.
Both of us jumped up, waiting for her to talk.
“The babies are fine. Slightly underweight, but that’s normal with preemies,” she said as if any of it made any sense to us.
