Page 41 of East (The Moral Compass 3)

“Sutton, Sutton!” he shouts.

“Yeah?” I hear her faintly in the background.

“Zed has only gone and married East!” He’s laughing. Fucking laughing. Has someone drugged him?

“Sorry, bud, but that’s like the funniest thing I have heard in a long time. I can just see it now: you two both wasted, getting married by Elvis. Anyway, seriously. Is she going to be okay, or do I need to fly out?”

“To be honest, West. I have no fucking clue. North went off the deep end before I could even find out any real details on her condition, but seriously, why are you so calm about this? I thought you would have my balls made into crystals and display them on the mantelpiece.”

“Zed, if I could pick anyone for my sister, it would have been you. I was hoping one day you two might meet and, you know, get along. I thought it might be at the christening or wedding, Sutton was desperate to play Cupid,” West says calmly. Sutton is screaming something in the background that I can’t quiet hear.

“Listen, West. Don’t get too excited. It’s not real. It was a mistake.” I should have kept my big mouth shut.

“What do you fucking mean? Marrying my sister is no fucking game, Zed. You break her heart, and Iwillhave your balls. You mark my words. You better sort it out!” he bellows. That’s the reaction I expected earlier on. The angry, protective brother.

“It’s East that wants a divorce, okay? It’s what we both want. So, we are getting divorced as soon as we can. Gotta go.” I click “end” on the call and breathe out.

Well, at least he knows now.

Chapter 17

East

Thedoctorsandnurseshave been in and out for the past couple of hours checking all my vitals and making sure my blood pressure is stable. They’ve said that if I continue to improve, I can be moved to a normal room soon.

I still can’t believe that I reacted so badly to the anaesthetic. I’ve had a couple of operations over the years, and I’ve always been fine. The doctors are puzzled, too. West has been on the phone demanding answers, and Zed has been questioning anyone who moves, so I am fairly confident I’ll find out soon what went wrong.

Sleep overtakes my racing brain, and I drift off into a wonderful dream. It’s the same dream I had in the hotel. I’m all happy, and I feel totally in love with the guy who is sitting on the picnic blanket with me. We laugh and kiss. We hold hands and dance. Then, I’m walking down the aisle. South is beside me, and my arm is linked with his. I get to the end of the altar and kiss South gently on the cheek. South gives my hand over to the groom, and as I look up—

“East? East, can you hear me?” a deep voice whispers close to my ear.

My eyes fly open. “Not again! Why won’t you let me finish my bloody dream?”

Zed looks at me, confused.

“I was having a lovely dream similar to the one I had at the hotel. You know, the one where you woke me up before I could see who I was marrying?”

“Yeah, but that’s not really my fault. I didn’t know you were dreaming. I thought you might just be napping.”

“Well, I was. And just as I got to see who the lucky guy was, you woke me up. Again!”

“I thought it would be obvious.”

“What would be?”

“It’s me. You marry me. Well, you already have, so that should answer the question.”

“It’s not you. It can’t be you. This…” I gesture between us both. “This isn’t real, Zed. You said it yourself. It was a mistake. It should never have happened. So, I know one hundred percent it isn’t you at the altar.”

“Maybe it’s your subconscious telling you it’s not such a big mistake after all.”

I look at him, startled. “What on earth are you talking about? You have spent the whole time telling me that you never want to be married. You never want to be attached to anyone. You love your life exactly as it is.” I can feel my heart starting to pound, and the machine starts to bleep louder and faster.

“Hey, calm down. Don’t get excited. We will talk about this when it’s safer. I don’t want you having any more issues.” He takes my hand in his, and I feel the same electricity. I pull my hand away. This isn’t right, but I notice the look in Zed’s eyes. It looks like hurt or sorrow, but I can’t be sure.

Knock, knock.

The door opens slowly, and Kara slides in quietly.

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