Chapter 13: Shocked
1466 Words
RAYMOND'S POV
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The hallway outside Room 5A was quiet—too quiet.
Hospitals had a way of wrapping silence around you, muting everything except your own thoughts. I leaned against the wall, hands in my pockets, eyes focused on the small security camera at the far end. Always watching. Just like me.
Then the door creaked open.
I turned.
It wasn’t Ivy.
It was him.
Bruno Quinn.
He stepped out of the room slowly, his movements stiff, as though even walking had to be summoned through pain. His eyes met mine. Steel gray. Alert. A far cry from the coma I expected.
We stood facing each other.
“You’re the one,” he said.
Not a question.
I nodded. “Raymond Hart.”
His lips curled slightly at the edge, not a smile but something resembling amusement. “ You said you are detective but you are The Alpha Vamp, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir.”
He let out a small breath, then looked toward the hallway. “She came to see me.”
I nodded again. “She wanted to say goodbye. We may be leaving for a while. Something important.”
He didn't flinch. “Dangerous?”
“Yes, have you seen her yet?.”
“No, I was in the bathroom, she was talking to her mom, so I snuck out to give them some alone time” He said.
“So, how do you know all this?” I asked.
“My wife told me, a day like this would come and I knew it would be soon since the attack at her grad”
I simply nodded.
“And you’ll protect her?”
“With my life.”
He finally looked at me again. “You don’t even hesitate.”
“I care about her. A lot more than she'd ever imagine.”
Bruno gave the faintest grunt. “Ivy was always stubborn. Quiet, but too bright for her own good. If she picked you, then you must be something.”
I didn’t say anything.
“I wouldn’t mind,” he said softly. “If she left. She’d be safer with you than around any rivalry s**t that might come looking for me.”
I almost replied—when we both heard it.
Her voice.
“RAYMOND!!”
My blood turned cold.
The urgency in her scream cut through every wall, slicing across the hallway with unholy clarity. Without another word, I sprinted for the room, Bruno behind me, already hitting the alarm button on the wall.
Machines were beeping, and Ivy’s voice was panicked, sharp—
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IVY'S POV
The machines kept beeping.
I leaned down, pressed a kiss toher forehead.
“I love you.”
Then I turned to leave but sensed a movement.
My mother’s hand twitched.
That’s the first thing I noticed before the machines screamed with beeps that weren’t normal. The steady rhythm from before now spiked into a pattern I couldn’t recognize—jagged and urgent.
Then her eyes flickered.
Not open. Just movement. Rapid, beneath pale lids.
I froze.
“Mom…?” I whispered, voice trembling.
Then I heard it.
Not out loud—but through the haze of my vampire hearing, laced with that strange, mystical hum that had been sharpening more each day.
*"Princess…"*
My breath caught in my throat.
Her voice. Her lips moved in a slow manner like a whisper.
My mother’s voice. In my head.
“MOM?!” I shrieked, rushing to the bed. “Raymond!!”
I pressed my hands against her arm, feeling the faintest surge of magic move beneath her skin—like static, but warmer. Real.
The door burst open as Raymond and my father rushed in. He took one look at the monitor, then slammed the red emergency button on the wall.
Doctors were already running down the hall.
“Ma’am, step back!”
I was pulled away as three nurses swarmed the room. A tall doctor snapped orders and two more machines were wheeled in.
“No, please—she was *awake*! I heard her! She said something!” I fought to get closer, but Raymond wrapped his arms around me from behind, dragging me out into the hallway as my father stood frozen, staring at his wife from the threshold.
“No, please!” I cried, voice cracking. “I heard her…”
The door slammed shut.
I broke.
Sobs tore through my throat like claws. My body gave way, collapsing into Raymond’s chest. I hated crying—I wasn’t supposed to. Not in front of people. Not like this.
But he held me.
Tightly.
Not saying anything. Just *there*. Strong. Steady.
His arms were warm around me, and I gripped his jacket like it was the only thing keeping me together. My tears soaked his shirt, but he didn’t flinch. Didn't pull away. He simply let me break.
When my sobs finally slowed, he lowered his head near mine and whispered, “Be strong, Ivy.”
I nodded weakly, still clinging to him.
“You need to go talk to your dad,” he added softly. “He’s shaken. He needs you more than you realize.”
My heart cracked again, but I knew he was right.
I stepped back, wiping my face. “I’ll… I’ll go to him.”
He nodded once, hands still lightly at my elbows, steadying me.
I turned and walked toward my father, who stood with wide, silent eyes and trembling hands. When I reached him, I touched his arm.
“She’s fighting,” I said.
He looked at me, glassy-eyed. “I thought I’d never hear her heart again…”
“She called me,” I whispered. “Not out loud. But in my head. I swear.”
He pulled me into a hug. The first real one in years. I let him. We both needed it.
—
RAYMOND'S POV
She’d cried herself to sleep in the chair beside me while her dad went for a walk, and somehow I’d ended up holding her again, seated behind her, arms loosely draped to cradle her weight so she wouldn’t slump. Her cheek pressed gently into my chest, her hand resting on my thigh, like it belonged there.
Her breathing was steady now. Warm.
She looked… peaceful.
Soft in a way I rarely got to see.
And beautiful.
Not the kind of beauty that comes from perfect hair or flawless skin. But raw, real beauty—the kind that lives in people who have every reason to fall apart, but don’t.
Her hair was a wild mix of brunette, soft blonde streaks, and something golden-brown when it caught the light. Like a sunset had kissed it. I studied the shape of her lashes, the faint scar near her collarbone, the way her lips slightly parted as she dreamed.
She held onto me tighter than she probably realized.
Like even in her sleep, her soul knew who it trusted.
Just then, Mr Bruno Quin arrived.
A Few Minutes Later...
The door creaked quietly.
One of the doctors slipped in. He gave a nod to Bruno Quinn, who stood beside the window, quiet and steady, watching the streetlights glow beyond the glass.
“She’s stable now,” the doctor whispered. “Awake. Alert. A little groggy, but speaking.”
Bruno turned, and for the first time since we met, he looked… shaken.
Not weak. Just human.
“I’ll go see her,” he said, almost to himself.
Then he looked to me. “Can you…?”
I nodded.
Gently, I shifted Ivy in my arms, adjusting so she rested more comfortably. Bruno gave me a long look before walking toward the door, his back stiff with emotion.
I looked down at Ivy again.
Still asleep.
Still warm.
Still holding me like I was home.
And for the first time in centuries, I *felt* like home might actually be a person.
Her.
IVY'S POV
*Hours passed.*
I didn’t remember falling asleep. But I woke up warm, safe, and cocooned in something that felt like—
Raymond.
I blinked slowly, my cheek pressed against the smooth fabric of his shirt. His arm was around my waist, his other hand resting beside mine. I was curled into his side like we’d done this a hundred times.
I didn’t move.
Not yet.
His voice came low and gentle: “She’s awake now.”
I jerked up.
“What?”
He nodded slowly. “Your mom. About thirty minutes ago. She said your name first.”
Tears filled my eyes all over again.
“She… she’s okay?”
“She’s weak. But yes. Doctors say she’s stabilizing.”
I pressed my face into his chest again and breathed.
For the first time in a long time—*hope* didn’t feel like a lie.
- Writer
