Page 20 of Beta Team-The Saviors: Part two
Gavin nods. “Sounds like Tyler. You want to go see Ari?”
“Yeah.”
Gavin and I make our way to Ari’s floor in silence, and I look at Gavin in confusion when I see Tivon standing outside Ari’s door. Gavin shrugs when he catches me looking. “We’ve been taking shifts protecting Ari’s door.”
“Can we trust him?”
Gavin shrugs again. “I think so. He didn’t hesitate to throw down with those assholes at the prison, and he didn’t bat an eye when Axel said we needed to guard Ari. He was the first to volunteer. Do I like how he handled Kira? No. But he did what he thought he had to do to protect her, and he didn’t have to tell us where they took Ari and Jason.”
“He did put his ass on the line confronting Axel.”
“We’ll know more when Ari wakes up. Until then, we watch our backs.” We step further around the corner and two faces stick out above the rest holding vigil outside Ari’s room. Kane and Blaze.Fucking great.Kane looks up and his eyes narrow when he sees me walking toward him. “I would say his bark is bigger than his bite, but we all know that’s bullshit.”
“Thanks, Gav. That’s really reassuring.”
“Good to see you standing,” Axel says, coming to stand with us.
I nod and look around the waiting room. “Where’s Kira?”
“With Jason,” Gavin answers. “She didn’t handle seeing Ari very well. Neither did Jason.”
I swallow around the lump in my throat. “How bad?”
Gavin rakes his fingers through his hair. “Seeing Ari look so lifeless is a shock. They did a number on his face too, so be prepared.”
I take a deep breath and walk to Ari’s room. When Tivon sees me, he gives me a subtle nod and steps to the side. Even though they told me what to expect, nothing could have prepared me for seeing Ari completely still with a breathing tube running down his throat. They were able to remove the chest tube keeping his lung inflated a few hours ago, but he is still in the medically induced coma. The soft whir of the machine is a stark reminder that it’s doing all the breathing for him. The nurse standing at his IV pole turns around with a soft smile.
“I’ll be out of the way in just a second.” She finishes what she’s doing and turns to face me. “He’s very loved.” She motions toward the waiting area in front of his room.
“He is,” I agree, my voice cracking. “I don’t know?—”
“Just talk to him,” she says softly. She gives me one last smile before leaving me with Ari.
I drop into the chair beside his bed and grab his hand in both of mine. Tears fill my eyes when his lies limply in mine. I watch his chest rise and fall from the machine for a minute until I bow my head and do something that I haven’t done since my mom was alive. I pray.
I don’t know how long I stay like that, but all of a sudden, Ari’s hand jerks in mine. I jump to my feet, searching for any sign that he’s waking up, and that’s when one of the machines starts blaring. Within seconds, the room is full of nurses and doctors. They bustle me out of the room, but not before I hear what they’re saying.
We’re losing him.
9
GAVIN
Everyone in the waiting area jumps to their feet when we hear the noises coming from Ari’s room, and my stomach sinks when the nursing staff comes running. One of the nurses forces Keon from the room, and it’s chaos as the door shuts in his face.
Keon turns around, and it’s like his knees give out. I’m over to him in three steps, catching him before he hits the floor. He wraps his arms around me, holding on for dear life, and I lead him out of the hallway. Tyler pushes in behind him, lending him his strength.
Keon has been with Ari the longest, which is why he’s second in command. Ari and Keon have had many ups and downs, according to the stories I’ve heard. I feel like my heart is being ripped from my chest, so I can’t imagine what Keon and Tyler feel.
Axel steps up beside us and wraps his long arms around us all. It’s so quiet in the waiting area that you can hear a pin drop. Keon’s body is shaking, and I know it’s from all the emotions coursing through him. We stand huddled together until one of the doctors steps into the waiting room. We look up expectantly, but he looks grim.
“There’s no easy way to say this, but his organs are shutting down. His body has been through so much. We’re doing everything that we can, and we aren’t giving up. However, I think it would be best if you start saying your goodbyes.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Axel says gruffly, trying to hold it together.
With a brisk nod, he disappears around the corner. I can’t say goodbye to Ari. He saved me from myself. He never let me sit around and wallow in self pity. No matter how bad he pissed me off, I get it now.
“Baby brother.” I whirl around at the sound of Ghost’s voice, and he pulls me from the guys into his arms.
