Ivy was slurping her Vanilla Frappuccino with the enthusiasm of someone who'd been wandering the desert for days. Her dyed red hair was a mess, and her makeup had smudged under her eyes, giving her a raccoon-like appearance. A burger wrapper beside her was the only evidence that she'd had food.
"How do you feel?" she asked, eyeing me with concern as I sank into the chair beside her.
"Tired," I admitted, leaning my head back against the wall. "But hopefully it'll be enough. Grayson looked horribly worried."
"Of course he did. That's his sister in there." Ivy lowered her voice. "Your sister too."
I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about that right now. "Half-sister."
"Still blood," Ivy pointed out, then winced at her own choice of words. "Sorry. Bad phrasing."
We sat in silence for a while. The kind that only exists in hospitals—thick with waiting and what-ifs. The muted beepingof distant machines, the squeak of nurses' shoes on linoleum, the occasional announcement over the PA system—all of it created a soundtrack to our vigil.
One I'd grown too accustomed to, but I still hated it.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" I asked softly.
Ivy shrugged, eyes on the hallway. "She has to be. From what I've seen of Leo Donati, he wouldn't accept any other outcome."
I thought about the man I'd glimpsed earlier—tall, imposing, with a face carved from stone and eyes that promised violence to anyone who threatened what was his. I believed Ivy was right. Leo Donati would move heaven and earth to keep Meredith alive.
"Do you think they know?" I added, the question that had been burning in my mind since we arrived. "About me?"
Ivy's eyes met mine, serious for once. "If they did, we wouldn't be sitting here calmly drinking Frappuccinos. We'd be getting interrogated somewhere I think."
Before I could respond to that cheerful assessment, Jackson returned. He moved slowly, favoring his leg, but he was upright. His face was pale, but his eyes found mine instantly, and a smile played at his lips.
He looked like hell. But he was alive. That was all that mattered right now.
21
JACKSON
Isat by Elena in the waiting area, watching Grayson approach us with that carefully constructed composure I recognized all too well. It was the face of someone who'd already fallen apart in private and hastily reassembled themselves—just enough to function. The silver threading through his dark hair seemed more pronounced under the harsh fluorescent lights.
Meredith was the only family he had left, and I knew the pain of losing family.
He'd come too close.
"She's stable," he said with relief, although his face was still saddened. "The transfusions helped. But..." He shook his head sadly. "She lost the baby."
I watched Elena's face as the news registered. At first, nothing—just a blank stare as though the words were still traveling to her brain. Then her lips parted slightly, and I saw the moment it hit her. Grief that wasn't technically hers to claim, but cut through her nonetheless.
"I'm sorry." The words were not enough, but Grayson nodded.
"So am I," Elena murmured. "Does… does she know? Is she awake?"
"Yes, and yes. She's… processing," Grayson said carefully. "Leo is in there with her."
Elena nodded, looking down at the floor, and at the sneakers she now wore. She'd gotten changed while we'd been waiting, although I knew she'd want a shower. We all would, although Ivy hadn't complained even once since getting her Starbucks and burger.
The sharp buzz of Elena's phone cut through the weighted silence. One of men who had gotten her clothes from her apartment had picked it up, along with mine. Mine had had several missed calls and messages, whereas Elena's had only a few messages, none of them urgent.
Elena glanced down, frowning at the voicemail showing.
"Bad service in here, sometimes they don't ring," I stated as she lifted the phone to her ear to listen to it.
I tracked the color as it drained from her face—instant and complete, like someone had pulled a plug.
