Page 54 of Zero
Not the panic that surged through me as they wheeled her away.
Crash and Dude had to hold me back at the hospital as I went at the people who were taking her. I needed to keep my eyes on her. I needed to make sure she was safe, that no one else could hurt her. But as the doors closed in place, blocking her from my view, all I could do was crumble in Crash’s arms. All I could do was shake and worry and break.
“They’re going to take good care of her.” Crash told me, holding on tightly. “Don’t worry.”
But I had no words.
My job was to protect Bailey. “I should have done a better job at protecting her.”
“That’s not on you,” Barbie spoke up. “You were in danger and she stepped in the way to protect you. Any of us here would have done the same thing. You would have done the same thing.”
That didn’t make me feel any better.
“That has to mean something, right?” Jasmine patted my back. “You should go home and get changed and try getting some rest.”
“I’m not leaving.” I snapped while tearing myself from Caleb’s arms.
“You’re covered in blood, Zero.” Caleb said.
Bòkò walked into the room and caught my arm. “Or stay here. I’ll run down to the gift shop to see if there’s anything you can change into.”
He left us and I paced the floor while the time ticked by like a curse. Each time a door opened, or anyone stepped through one, I looked up. But it was never about Bailey.
“I know this is a bad time.” Tex’s voice came through the headpiece. “But Eton and Patrick have Justice at the same hospital. Dude, I need you to go to Justice. I’m sending Patrick and Eton back to the warehouse for clean-up.”
“Jasmine…” I turned to her.
“On it.” She replied.
“I’ll head out as well.” Barbie stood. “I can be their backup just in case there are any stragglers.”
I didn’t have the energy to fight. I nodded. “Watch your backs.”
“They won’t be alone.” Tex advised me. “The drone is ready to go again.”
I agreed to it and tried sitting. By the time Bòkò returned with a T-shirt from the giftshop, I was exhausted. Still, I thanked him.
“Wait, where’s Morena?” I asked.
“Locked up in the cell beside Ortega.” Bòkò replied. “That’s where I was earlier.”
“What time is—never mind.” I left him and Crash to go and change. It was then I realized Bailey’s blood was also on my hands. Tossing the shirt over my shoulder, I turned and scrubbed my hands—but her blood was like a stain. No matter how long I washed or how hard I scrubbed, it wasn’t going away.
I growled and slammed my fist into the mirror in front of me. Though the pieces sliced through my hand, I felt nothing.
I felt nothing.
Fighting to regain control, I removed my shirt and slipped into the one Bòkò had gotten me. I didn’t bother trying to save mine—instead, I tossed it in the garbage then went right back to washing my hands. When I closed my eyes and opened it again, the blood wasn’t physically there anymore, but mentally—I was screwed.
I couldn’t seem to stop my hands from shaking.
As I stared at myself in the shattered glass, Crash barged into the bathroom.
“Zero, the doctor is out.”
Without drying my hands, I rushed into the waiting room to hear what the doctor had to say. He had a grim look on his face, and I wanted to punch him until he changed his expression.
“Are you the family of Bailey Smith?”
