Page 50 of Breaking the Alpha
Grey was in room 212 at Lincoln General.
Grey was alive in room 212 at Lincoln General.
The Feds revealed no other details over the phone, promising to meet them at the hospital where Grey was being treated under a heavy undercover guard.
The call had come in at two p.m.By 2:06 they were on the road, the overnight bags Jocelyn and Angelina had insisted on packing for everyone two nights ago already tossed in the truck bed.
Including one for Grey.
Angelina’s phone played a quiet trill and she snapped out of her daze, her tired eyes becoming alert as she eased her purse onto her lap and pulled out a lukewarm bottle of water and River’s inhaler.“Here,” she said as she rifled through her purse searching around for the pill bottles.“On a scale of one to ten, how’s the pain?”
“I’m good for now,” he replied, swallowing the antibiotics with a grimace.
“Take one,” Birch called over the soft radio coming through the speakers.“It’s going to be another long day and you don’t need the distraction of pain.But only one so you don’t get too loopy.”
With a nod, he held out his hand for the painkiller and took it, stilling long enough for Angelina to press her wrist to his forehead.“How much longer?”
“The GPS says eleven minutes,” Jocelyn interjected, her attention on her phone.“When we get there, Birch will pull up front and you guys will jump out.Angelina and I will find a parking spot, okay?”
The final stretch of the drive was tense and silent, with every red light amping up the anticipation.Pulling up in front of the hospital, Birch threw the truck in park and hopped out, grabbing the crutches from the bed while River limped over to the sidewalk and the women drove away.
“They would have warned us if he was in real bad shape,” Birch said out of the blue as they entered the elevator and pressed the button for the second floor.“Right?”
Nodding, he swallowed the lump forming in his throat.“Sure.They don’t blindside people with that kind of shit.”
Neither of them believed the other, but both silently agreed to pretend.
He adjusted his crutches when the doors slid open, hobbling alongside Birch as they went left toward room 212.
“I thought he had security,” he said, noting the absence of anyone outside the room.
Birch pushed at the door, frowning to find it locked.“Are we sure it’s 212?”
There was movement on the other side, the lock clicking before the door swung open and a beast of a man stepped into the hall.“Can I help you?”
“Birch and River Baker to see Grey Baker,” Birch said, easing his wallet out and handing his ID over.
The man examined it, his eyes moving between the photo and Birch’s face before he passed the card back over and waited for River to wrestle his own out.Confirming his with a little more scrutiny, the man stepped aside.“Go ahead.I’ll alert the hospital staff you’ve arrived.”
Feeling like a coward, he held back a fraction and allowed Birch to lead the way, his eyes on his older brother’s face while he passed the small bathroom and got his first look.
“Aw fuck, Grey,” Birch exhaled, disappearing around the corner.“Am I ever happy to see you, kid.”
Over the soft beeping of machines, he heard his younger brother speak, his voice raspy and weak.“Is it that bad?You look freaked out.”
River paused out of sight, his lungs protesting the deep breath he tried to take before he steeled himself and hobbled forward to take in the sight of Grey on the bed.
A murderous rage washed over him and he slammed it into the recesses of his mind.
His baby brother was not only beaten to a pulp, he was fucking terrified.It didn’t matter if Grey was twenty-three.His blue eyes held the same look they’d held when Birch went to jail, when their last rock and protector was ripped from them.And it had been River’s job to erase that fear and uncertainty before it became permanent.
“Your poker face is shit, Birch,” he said, ignoring the tubes and gauze and zeroing in on his brother’s blackened eyes.“You look like hell.Which sucks for me, because I think you’re about to take my place as Angelina’s favorite patient.”
Grey’s swollen lips cracked a smile as Birch pulled up two chairs beside his bed.“Fuck, it’s good to see you guys.I didn’t think—”
“And we aren’t going to think about it,” Birch interjected as he stood behind one of the empty chairs, glancing toward the hall when he heard Jocelyn’s voice.“You’re here, and we’re taking you home soon.”
*
