Page 54

"I'm fine," Britain asserted with a confident shake of her head. Tears still stained her face; however, she had stopped crying.

J'Ru shook his head. "You going in there will only do yourself more harm than good," he warned Britain.

"I said I'm fine," Britain gritted out as she shook her arm from his grip.

J'Ru maneuvered his way in front of Britain, stopping her from exiting the kitchen once more. "You don't think you've seen enough today?" His oak brown orbs peered down at her.

A look of guilt covered her face. Her eyes went from searing into J'Ru's oak orbs to quickly looking away. Everyone was right: Britain just didn't have it in her. "Quit putting yourself though all this fucking trauma for him. You've solidified your place in his life enough, and he sees that. You don't have to prove yourself to him anymore," J'Ru preached to her."You've done all you can."

Britain bit down on her bottom lip in hopes of keeping her tears from pouring out. J'Ru's words resonated with her, and she couldn't help but feel that he was completely right. She still wanted to prove herself to Priest, not knowing that she'd already done so. She didn't need to sit and put herself through the misery of seeing him in so much pain and agony because she wanted him to know she was there for him. Priest was aware. Britain might not have been in the same room with him, but Priest knew she was there and hadn't left his side yet.

J'Ru couldn't read Britain as easily as Priest could, so he wasn't sure what to make of her silence. A short sigh emitted out of him before he stepped aside. "If you want to put yourself through that because you feel like you have something to prove, then do so," he conceded and shrugged his shoulders. "I can't stop you more than I already have."

Britain watched as J'Ru walked away from her, claiming a seat at the dining table where he was sitting prior to her entrance. J'Ru was immune to the shouts of pain and the tight feeling that arose in his stomach, so he seemed calm. What he wasn't immune to was seeing Priest hurt. That was the only thing he couldn't bear, and he wasn't about to put himself through that.

Britain let out a sharp breath as another wail of pain screeched out of Priest and flooded her ears. She turned around, pulling out a seat at the table alongside J'Ru. She cleared her throat before asking J'Ru a question. "How do you tune it out?"She pointed in the direction of the room where Seven was treating Priest.

J'Ru couldn't possibly expect her to stay away from Priest when all she could hear was his screams. J'Ru’s hands drifted down his face in full distress. "That's the one thing I haven't mastered yet," he admitted with a shake of his head.

Britain huffed as she sulked and hung her head low. She still had to suffer.

In the front of the house, Kaymen and Jeremy wrestled with Priest to keep him down. Seven had a few mishaps due to his constant squirming, which caused two of the stitches to not hold. Going back to put Priest through even more pain than she wanted to was a lot for her, but it had to be done.

"Just pass out already!" Seven bellowed, almost as a desperate plea once another suture tore. Priest's pain tolerance was unbelievable. Someone who had not only endured a through-and-through shot but also stitches with no anesthesia would have already gone unconscious. Priest, however, remained alive and awake.

"Hurry the hell up, Seven!" Remy ordered her as he and Kaymen continued to fight with Priest.

Seven cut her eyes at him for a brief moment. "I'm trying! Just shut up and let me fucking do this!" she spewed back at him as she pulled another stitch through.

Seven managed to successfully close the entry wound, causing her to let out a deep breath of relief. Momentarily, Kaymen and Jeremy released Priest's arms before Seven went ahead to sewed up the exit wound.

"Priest, how are you feeling?" Seven asked in a doting tone. At this point, he was going through torture. She couldn't remain that serious and emotionally detached doctor she would’ve been at the hospital.

Priest slowly nodded his head. His body was going through the phase of exhaustion, which meant Seven had to hurry up and sew the next set of sutures. She did just that. Priest's pain tolerance seemed to be giving out on him as his head drooped and his eyes grew hooded. Seven decided not to give him any grief about not staying awake. She preferred him unconscious for this part anyway.

While he was unconscious, Seven was able to close up the exit wound. Kaymen kept close watch on Priest's pulse to ensure he remained alive.

Eventually, they called for J'Ru to assist with carrying Priest to a much more comfortable place in the house. Jeremy let Priest rest in a guest room, putting everyone at instant ease.

"Thank you," Britain expressed her gratitude to her mother as she wrapped her arms around her.

Seven kissed the top of Britain's head as they rocked back and forth in the embrace. She was absolutely relieved. She wouldn't have known how to deal with Priest dying in her hands. It would have been a lot of guilt to carry with her. "He's fine, Mocha," she assured Britain.

"I should stay here with him," Britain declared as she peeked through the opening of the door. Priest laid on the bed shirtless. Blood stained his skin, but the areas of his stitches were cleaned, sealed, and bandaged by Seven.

Seven shook her head. "Let me take you home so you can get cleaned up," she suggested.

Britain looked down at herself. Her clothes were soiled with Priest's blood, which was still browning on her. She was about to refute her mother's suggestion, but then she thought back to what J'Ru told her. Without an argument, she simply nodded her head.

Seven released Britain from her hold, allowing her time to say goodbye to Priest until she returned. While she did that,Seven trotted down the stairs, itching to leave. She was sure Britain would eventually ask for an explanation for why she was at Remy's house. When those questions came, she was hoping Britain wouldn't run with the wrong ideas.

Britain craned down, applying a light kiss on Priest's lips. Despite him being unconscious, she could see the pain masking his face. What he went through today was something she wouldn't wish on anyone. Priest didn't deserve any of this, yet, like every other bad thing that went wrong in his life, he was left to suffer the consequences on his own.

"I love you," Britain told him as her voice cracked from withholding her tears. "I'll be back soon," she asserted before applying another kiss on his lips.

She exited the bedroom, being sure to shut the door behind her. She waded down the steps, meeting her mother and father at the landing. "You sure you're fine with him staying?" Britain asked her father since she knew that just this morning, he was feeling ill toward Priest.

Jeremy nodded. "He's fine here until you come back. Kaymen and J'Ru left to go check in on Jazzy," he assured her.