"Mr. Zane, we have a problem."
My heart drops and beside , Lucas goes rigid. Aria imdiately grabs the armrest of her chair.
The doctor looks between us before continuing.
"You were aware your wife was pregnant?"
"Yes."
The answer leaves my mouth instantly.
My voice sounds strange, like it belongs to soone else.
The doctor nods.
"During our examination, we discovered.." he coughs.
Every muscle in my body tenses.
"What?"
The doctor hesitates.
Then says quietly,
"Your wife wasn’t carrying one baby."
The world seems to stop and my mind imdiately races. Not carrying one baby?
Does that an.....
The doctor continues.
"She was carrying twins."
Silence...plete utter silence.
I feel like sobody just punched directly in the chest.
Twins.
Elaine was carrying twins.
Two babies. Two of my children
I hear Aria gasp beside .
Lucas curses under his breath.
And all I can think is that Elaine would have lost her mind when she found out.
She would’ve panicked. Then probably spent the next hour arguing with but she would be happy.
A painful smile almost touches my lips.
Then the doctor’s expression grows more serious and the smile dies before it can form.
"The bullet caused significant trauma."
My stomach drops.
"No."
The word escapes before I can stop it, the doctor lowers his eyes.
"We managed to save one baby."
Everything around disappears.
The hallway, the hospita, the people.
All of it.
Gone.
"We lost the other."
The words hit harder than any bullet ever could. For a second I genuinely can’t breathe.
We still have one baby but we lost one...a child I never got to et, never got to hold.
Never even knew existed until monts ago.
Gone.
Beside , Lucas places a hand on my shoulder.
I barely feel it my entire focus is on the doctor and the next thing he says. Because sohow I know he’s not finished.
Not yet.
"There’s more."
Of course there is.
"There is extensive blood loss."
Fear imdiately returns, stronger this ti.
"We’ve stabilized her for now, but she needs a blood transfusion imdiately."
My head snaps up.
"Take mine."
The words co instantly.
No hesitatio or thought. Take all of it if you have to, just save her.
The doctor opens his mouth but Lucas cuts him off.
"No."
I turn toward him ready to fight, ready to tell him to go to hell.
But his expression isn’t hostile, It’s logical and Calm.
That’s one thing I loved about him, right from when we were just boys. He was the calm one and I was the hotheaded one, that’s why we fit together so well and walked hand in hand. Until Thomas destroyed that.
"The doctors should test first."
"What?"
"She’s my blood."
His jaw tightens.
"My biological sister."
Lucas looks toward the doctor.
"There’s a better chance of compatibility, we don’t have ti to waste."
The doctor slowly nods.
"He’s correct."
I hate it, every selfish part of hates it. I should be the one helping her, I should be the one saving her.
But Lucas is right and right now this isn’t about my pride.
It’s about Elain and my baby.
The doctor turns toward Lucas.
"We need to move quickly."
Lucas imdiately starts towards him.
Exactly like Elaine’s brothers always do when it cos to her.
"Let’s go."
The doctor nods, then starts leading him away. Lucas pauses briefly, looking back at .
"She’s going to be okay."
I wish I had his confidenc, I wish I believed it.
Instead I just nod. Because if I speak right now, I might break.
And as Lucas disappears down the hallway with the doctor, all I can do is stare at the doors separating from my wife.
From my child and pray that when those doors open again...
I won’t lose either of them.
The mont Lucas disappears down the hallway with the doctor, the silence settles around us.
It’s strange....a few hours ago, I thought my sister was dea, now she’s sitting beside .
Alive and breathing
My eyes drift toward her, she’s staring at the floor, hands folded tightly in her lap.
Like she doesn’t quite know what to do with herself.
Honestly? Neither do I.
For years, every mory I had of Aria ended at the age i thought she died.
That was where my mind always stopped.
But the woman sitting beside now isn’t that age anymore. Life happened while she was gone, life happened while I was mourning her and that’s a hard thing to wrap my head around, for both of us.
Slowly, I move closer, she looks up with those sa eyes.
My chest tightens painfully.
God.
She’s really here, bfr I can stop myself, I reach for her pululling her into my arms.
she freezes for a second then she breaks and a sob leaves her. The kind of sob that cos from sowhere deep, aowhere buried for years and suddenly she’s clutching just as tightly.
"Hey."
My own voice sounds rough.
"Hey."
"I’m sorry."
The words tumble out of her imdiately
"I missed you."
Sothing inside cracks beecause I missed her too, every damn day.
"I missed you too, bug."
The old nickna slips out naturally, the one I haven’t said in years. She lets out a watery laugh, Imdiately followed by another sob.
I tighten my arms around her.
"I’m sorry."
This ti the words co from .
"I should’ve found you."
Her head jerks up imdiately.
"No."
"Aria...."
"No."
She shakes her head fiercely.
"You didn’t know."
My jaw clenches cause I should’ve known.
I should’ve looked at her casket, don more....done sothing. Anything.
Instead I buried an empty coffin and spent years grieving soone who was still alive.
The thought makes sick
She reaches up suddenly, pressing her hand against my cheek. The sa way she used to when she was younger.
"You didn’t abandon ."
The words co quietly.
"But I thought you did."
The confession hurts more than I expect.
I close my eyes briefly, of course she did.
She woke up alone, hidden away and cut off from everyone. What else was she supposed to think? When I open my eyes again, hers are shining with tears.
"I thought nobody ca for ."
The words are barely above a whisper but my chest feels like it’s being crushed
"I would’ve burned the world down looking for you bug ."
Her face crumples completely and sohow that makes smile.
She knows I’m telling the truth.
For a mont, neither of us says anything.
We’re just sitting there. Trying to make up for years that can never be returned.
Eventually I pull back slightly, just enough to look at her properly. Then I hold her face between my hands.
"You know."
A small smile touches my lips.
"You scared the shit out of ."
She laughs through her tears, a real laugh this ti and hearing it feels like healing.
Then sothing occurs to ....Sothing I’ve been avoiding. Sothing I’ve needed to ask since finding out she’s alive.
"What do you feel for Lucas?"
Her eyes widen imdiately.
"Zane."
"What?"
She groans.
"I know that look."
She narrows her eyes.
"What look?"
"The look."
"The annoying big brother look.
I grin.
She sighs dramatically.
Then her expression softens and that’s all the answer I need.
Still....i wait.
Because I want to hear her say it.
After a few seconds she looks down, a small smile appearing on her lips. The kind people get when they’re thinking about soone they love.
"I loved him then."
My grin fades, not because I’m upset.
Because of how much pain is hidden inside those words.
Years. They lost years too.
"I still do."
Her voice is soft and Almosg shy.
"My heart still yearns for him."
I stare at her.
Then nod. Because what else can I do? I’ve seen Lucas and the way he looks at her.
The way he nearly lost his mind when he realized she was alive.
Those two idiots have been in love forever.
"I figured."
She laughs, wiping at her eyes.
"I was trying to be subtle."
"You were terrible at being subtle."
"I was not."
"You were."
"I wasn’t."
"You absolutely were."
She smacks my arm hard and i laugh.
The sound feels strange, like I haven’t done it in forever. Then I squeeze her shoulder gently.
"If your heart is with Lucas..."
I pause. Trying not to sound too emotional.
"...then I’ll accept it."
Her eyes imdiately fill again.
Damn it. Now she’s going to cry and then I’m going to cry.
And neither of those things is acceptable.
"Thank you."
I shrug
"I still want to punch the fucker though."
Her mouth falls open.
"Zane!"
"What?"
She smacks my chest this ti Harder.
"You cannot punch him."
"I can."
"No."
"I absolutely can."
"No."
"Watch ."
She groans. Actually groans.
Then points a finger at .
"You impregnated his sister."
I freeze. Then imdiately start laughing.
A real laugh. The first genuine one I’ve had all night.
"Fair point."
"Damn right it’s a fair point."
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