Page 142 of Fall of a Kingdom

He’d expounded the probability of her living past the five-year mark.

Quinn, Sasha, Ash, and Duncan had been keeping vigil in the waiting room for two weeks, rotating in and out one or two at a time. Since they began attempting to wake Barrett up, everyone was there constantly. I blinked tired eyes when I saw Duncan rise from his chair as I walked into the waiting room.

“She’s awake. Well, she was. She fell back asleep, but she was lucid. She remembers everything, and as far as I can tell, she’s still Barrett.”

There was a collective sigh of relief.

“Brother,” Duncan said, coming toward me and grasping me in a strong bear hug. “You look like hell.”

“He smells like hell,” Ash said with a watery smile. Her statement didn’t stop her from embracing me.

“I need to tell the nurse to page Dr. Elmond and let him know that she’s awake,” I said.

“I’ll take care of it,” Quinn said. As she walked past me, she took my hand and gave it a hearty squeeze. I squeezed it back.

“I don’t want to leave her,” I said. “But we have business to discuss.”

“Quinn and I will stay, “Ash volunteered. “You guys talk and sort out our future.”

Chapter50

BARRETT

The doorto my hospital room opened and Ash strode in a few feet and then stopped. “You’re awake,” she said.

“Dr. Elmond was just here,” I said.

“Oh.” She paused, like she wasn’t sure what to say.

“Where’s Flynn?”

“He needed to discuss some things with Duncan and Sasha. He’ll be back.”

I wasn’t sure I was ready for Flynn to return any time soon. The confrontation between us had been tempered and it felt like a reprieve.

“Okay.” I peered at her. “You’re not asking about what Dr. Elmond said.”

“I figured if you wanted to tell me, you’d tell me.”

“Convenient,” I muttered.

“What?”

“I said that was convenient,” I snapped, finally finding some fire.

“Why are you pissed at me?” she demanded.

“Because you knew.”

“I knew what?”

“You knew I didn’t want the surgery and you let Sasha approve it anyway.” I sighed. “Do you remember how hard it was on me when I was bedridden the last time?”

“I remember.”

“That’s going to be me again. Only worse. Because now I’ll be puking up my guts while toxins run rampant through my veins to kill what’s left of this thing inside me that wants to kill me. I didn’t want this, Ash. I didn’t want sickness and vomit, and thatsmell. God, that smell of disease. It’s horrible.”

I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them. “It’s all too much I can barely stand it. Flynn told me he’d have made the same decision as Sasha, if he’d been able.”