Chapter 21

twenty-one

Alexandr

It's been another hour since the nurse came to talk to us. Damian called Sergi, and he's now just walked through the doors with a pretty little thing next to him, with dark black hair and violet eyes.

He walks over to me, where I am sitting on the floor, my back leaning up against the wall, and my arms hanging over my bent knees. His girl looks shocked to see the blood all over me and is quite scared. I know she's only just met my girl, but I understand why she's here; he's in love with her, and he needs her, so he brought her.

He kneels before me. while Damian sits with a sleeping Sofia in his lap. My parents cuddle up near the door, watching me with concern.

"Any more news, brother?" Sergi rasps, and I shake my head. He leans down, leaning his forehead against mine. "She's the strongest person I know; she'll make it out of this." I nod. "Have you called Basil and Juan?" I shake my head, and he clears his throat. "Call Basil, and I'll tackle Juan, okay?" I nod, grateful to him. I know how hard it must be for him to call the man who didn't want him.

I watch while he takes his girl to my parents, who are basically his parents, too, and introduces them. He kisses her forehead, whispering something, and she nods. Then he goes outside to make the call while she sits near my mother, who's looking at her with suspicion. I know I should address the look, but my mind is just not in the right frame of mind.

I get up and go into the corridor, get my phone out, and press call, but not to Basil. First, I need to call her lawyer. My mind finally clears again, and I'm back to thinking logically. I need to ensure Basil doesn't have power of attorney. I know she mentioned a few weeks ago about her ensuring he didn't, but I wanted to make sure, and then I need to call her friend in California before I tell Basil.

Twenty minutes later, after a call with her lawyer back in California, who was not happy about the wake-up call until he realized what the buzz was about, he confirmed who had power of attorney. I then had an emotional phone call with Abby, who couldn't stop crying, stating she's on the next flight here with Ares. I call Phoebe's father last, and he picks up after three rings.

"Basil," he answers, clearly wide awake.

I clear my throat. "I need you to come to General," I rasp.

"What the fuck, Alexandr? What's wrong?" His voice is full of concern.

"Phoebe was stabbed twice and shot in the chest by Mihai; they don't know if she'll make it," I choked out. I hear a loud noise; things being thrown as he roars out in pain. I close my eyes against the tears. He might not have done things right, but he still loves his daughter.

I hear Selene in the background asking sleepily, "Father, what's wrong?" but he ignores her.

"I'm on my way," he croaks, and I hang up and walk back toward the waiting room where I bump into Sergi.

"Juan is on his way; the call didn't go well." He sighs.

I nod, knowing the phone call would have been hard for many different reasons, and now I must add more pain to his already heavy-laden shoulders.

I deeply breathe and say, "You have power of attorney."

Sergi looks at me in shock as he shakes his head. I grab his shoulder before stating, "I've spoken to her lawyer back in California; she made sure to put it in writing four months ago, signed, and official. If she dies, brother, you get everything she has; she made it airtight, so her sister or father don't get a penny."

I swallow hard.

"The inheritance, Basil's house, everything will be yours; Juan signed off on it." He looks pale, like he's going to be sick, and I pull him toward me and hug him tight as I whisper, "It also means Basil can't pull the plug if she ends up on a ventilator; she's put it in writing that he is not to have any say in or knowledge about her care." I feel him nod against my shoulder, which has gone wet from his tears.

We hear the doors open, and his girl looks out, and when she sees us, her eyes brim with tears, his pain becoming hers. He pats me on the back and walks over to her, and she hugs him tight. I'm guessing she still doesn't know who we are yet. Fuck, I hope she doesn't leave him when she finds out, because he's probably the worst out of the three of us; he'll either burn the city to the ground or self-destruct.

I head back into the waiting room and lean against the wall. I tip my head back and sigh, closing my eyes. I stay like this for about twenty minutes, when there's a commotion. I look up just as Basil walks in, his eyes red, and fucking Selene right behind him, looking hopeful and smug. I scowl and walk toward them with Damian, my father, and Sergi at my heels. Thankfully, my mother, Sofia, and Avery—Sergi's woman—are seated at the far end of the waiting room.

"Any news?" he questions as I get closer. I shake my head, making him scowl. He snaps out, "This is bullshit; I'll go see what's happening."

He goes to walk away but I declare, "They won't tell you anything."

He frowns. "Of course, they will; I'm her next of kin, her father."

I sigh and rub a hand down my face. Things are about to get heated, and I haven't the strength to deal with this. "You're not her next of kin, and you do not hold power of attorney."

Selene pales a little.

I shake my head. Of course, she wants to see if she'll get her grandmother's inheritance.

Basil laughs darkly. "No offense, Alexandr, but you two never married."

Fuck, I hate the reminder that, right now, I should be married to the woman I love, but I fucked it up.

I look him in the eye and state darkly, "I never said it was me, Basil. You have no legal right to any information regarding your daughter. Four months ago, she legally cut all ties with you, and the paperwork is airtight. I already spoke to her lawyer, who explained it. There are specific instructions, including who can have knowledge of and any say over her care if she were ever admitted to the hospital. You and Selene are both on the restricted list."

"She fucking gave Juan power of attorney? That won't stick; we can say she was coerced into signing it." Sergi chuckles darkly, getting Basil's attention. "This isn't fucking funny, boy. My daughter may be dying. I need to ensure she gets the correct care and isn't kept on a ventilator for months. She won't want to be a fucking vegetable."

Selene chimes in, "We also need to ensure my grandmother's inheritance isn't given to the wrong people."

Sergi smirks at her. He looks like a deranged sociopath, still covered in his cousin's blood. His voice dark, he remarks, "Well, considering she made all these plans behind everyone's back, being coerced into signing shit won't stand, and as for her being ventilated, if she makes it off the operating table, I will decide what happens with her care. As for the inheritance, you, Selene, will be getting fuck all." Selene and Basil look at me, confused.

"My woman made her blood cousin her power of attorney. Sergi gets the final say, Sergi gets any inheritance, Sergi will own your house, and it seems as though he is also a blood relative to Athena, and the legal documents were personally signed by Juan as witness. That means, you two can't do anything."

Selene's face goes bright red, and I look at Basil and say, "I called you because she's your daughter, but by the shit you just spewed about her being a vegetable, and Selene instantly chimed in about the inheritance, you don't actually give a fuck. You let that bitch get in your head on the way here, as usual, listening to the evil one. That tells me all I need to know; stay out of my fucking way." I turn and take a seat. I lean forward and place my head in my hands. I feel someone sit next to me, and I know it's Basil.

He sits for about five minutes before he says, "I haven't listened to her; I just don't want to see my daughter on a ventilator, but I also don't want to lose her."

I nod but don't say anything, because I know the fucking feeling.

Two more hours later, the doors open again, and I jump up, knowing it can't be Juan yet. His flight is roughly eight hours.

I see the doctor, his scrubs covered in blood. My face pales, and I go to him with everyone else at my heels. He rubs a hand through his hair as he looks at me.

"It was touch and go; we lost her a few times on the table. I managed to save her large intestine and her lung. Her esophagus is badly bruised but should heal just fine, and she has a concussion, probably from a fall."

He rubs his face and his words filter through my head…. She died on the table…more than once. A tear starts to fall down my cheek, and I don't wipe it away.

The doctor continues, "The bullet was 1 mm from her heart; it was lodged in her chest cavity. She'd lost a lot of blood, but she survived the surgery." I can feel my knees going weak while I hear my mother and Sofia sob. I look at them to see my father holding them both. Avery is holding Sergi up, while my brother grips my arm. Basil stands there stone, still listening to the doctor list his daughter's injuries, and even Selene has gone pale, realizing the severity of the situation.

"The next 48 hours will be the most critical; she's not out of the woods yet." He clears his throat. "She is in an induced coma; we'll try weaning her out of it in 3–4 days, but I don't know if she will wake." My legs give out, but my brother is there holding me up as my father quickly grabs hold of my other arm as the doctor continues. "If she does wake up, we're not 100% sure she will be the same again; each time she had to be revived, she was losing oxygen to her brain. If she wakes, she may be awake , but she might not be there , or she may not have her memories or even her speech and motor skills. We won't know until she regains consciousness."

He reaches forward and squeezes my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Alexandr, but her chances are not great; all we can do is wait and pray that she fights."

Then he turns to leave as I roar out in pain, falling to the ground. My father and brother wrap me in their arms as I sob silently. I can hear my mother and Sofia wailing, and Basil shouting 'no' repeatedly, while Avery tries to help Sergi, who falls apart in her arms.