Chapter 157

I don’t know how long I sit on the bathroom floor holding Neil, unconscious, in my lap. It could be seconds. It could be hours. Time doesn’t really have meaning right now.

Neil is cold. He’s barely breathing. He looks like death.

That is all that matters.

I continue to scream my head off. My voice is hoarse when the brothers rush into the room. Though I don’t think too much time has passed. They’re all panting like they’d run here.

When they see Neil, three pairs of eyes go extra wide.

“Holy shit,” Beau says.

Steven rushes forward, going to his knees along with me, on the other side of Neil. He takes his pulse.

“His heartbeat is faint.” Steven then starts to unbutton Neil’s shirt. He only gets a few buttons down before he stretches it out enough to see the silver.

My own breath catches in my throat.

The area where the silver is and for several inches around it has turned black as night. The spider-web tendrils of the poison have also stretched farther, increasing in number and size as they scatter over his entire chest, and even up the side of his neck.

How did I not notice earlier? I’d been so worried about my own silly drama that I couldn’t properly tell how badly he was hurting?

Steven looks at the marks, then he turns his face to his brothers standing just inside the doorway.

“He needs to go to a hospital. Now.”

“If we take him to a hospital, they will take the silver out,” Archer says, so matter-of-fact. It’s a ruse though. I can see the way he’s gripping his fist around the cellphone. The edges are starting to crack.

“That’s exactly what he needs,” Beau says.

“It goes against his wishes,” Archer replies.

“What wishes? The man is dying on his bathroom floor! He doesn’t have time for wishes!” Beau’s voice rises. His concern is clear. And heartbreaking.

“He’ll be furious,” Archer says. “You know he has his reasons.”

“He’ll be alive!” Beau snaps. “We’ll deal with the fallout afterwards.”

“He needs a hospital,” I say, with more venom in my voice than I’ve used with them for a good long time. Their argument, however much with Neil’s interests in mind, is taking up precious time the doctors might need to save his life.

“Chloe,” Archer starts. “You know why he’s keeping the silver. If he removes it…”

“I’m making the call, Archer. I’ll take the blame, no matter what happens. But I won’t let him die for this.”

Archer nods. He lifts his cell phone and makes the call.

The paramedics arrive in record time. When they see the silver poisoning, the blood drains from their faces. That can’t be good. These people see it all, from bad to worse to worst. For even them to have such a visceral reaction…

I can’t even think about it.

“Help him,” I say, but they’ve already recovered and have sprung into action.

They stabilize Neil as best they can, then put him on a gurney and carry him to the ambulance. Once there, they immediately speed away to the hospital.

The brothers and I have followed them outside. I look at them now.

“I’m going.”

“We’re all going,” Archer says.

Steven places a kind hand on my shoulder. It’s then, with the contrast of his steadiness, that I realize I’m trembling so fiercely.

“We will have to take Mia with us,” Steven says. “Maybe prepare an overnight bag for her?”

Yes. A purpose. Good.

“Okay.” I run back inside.

Archer drives his car, with Beau in the passenger seat, while Steven, Mia, and I are in the back. Mia is sleepy but is reading the energetic excitement of the room enough to keep her eyes wide open. She doesn’t cry though, for which I’m relieved.

She’s such a smart baby. Maybe she knows what’s going on. Or at least, how nervous we all are.

Archer drops us off at the entrance before he goes to park. We rush inside. The nurse assures us that Neil has been admitted and is being seen to by the doctors, but she won’t let us see him.

“Not until he’s stabilized,” the nurse says.

Beau tenses like he wants to argue, but then he looks at me, and then at Mia, and nods. There’s no need to make a scene. This is the best hospital in the kingdom. The doctors simply need time to work without anyone else in the way.

We move to the waiting room as Archer joins us.

Then the waiting begins.

If I thought time had no meaning before, now it truly eludes me. I’ll look at the wall clock and it’s ten till the hour. I wait what feels like an eternity, then look again, and only five minutes has gone by.

We each take turns holding Mia. Before long, she falls asleep in our arms. She’s being so good tonight, I can’t help but be in awe of her. This evening could be even more chaotic, but it’s like she’s purposefully holding herself back.

When it’s time to feed her, one of the nurses offers me a private sitting room, like I’m the mother and will need to nurse her.

I don’t have it in me to correct her. For her to think that is the nicest kind of compliment. Mia is such a wonderful little girl. Sometimes I wish she were mine.

“She takes the bottle,” I tell the nurse, who nods with understanding.

None of the brothers comment.

As time continues to stretch, and night slowly slips into early morning, I’m noticing more and more people are gawking at the brothers. They must be used to it, they don’t even notice.

Beau is sitting beside me in the chairs. I’ve just finished giving Mia a bottle, and Beau holds out his hands to take her.

“She needs to burp,” I say.

Beau gives me a soft smile. “I’m not totally inept, Nanny. You’ve taught us a thing or two.”

I hand Mia to him and watch in amazement as he holds her against his shoulder and begins to gently pat her back.

Nearby, Steven is searching through this tablet. Gods know what he is researching now, though I’d wager my life it has to do with silver poisoning.

Archer is up and pacing between the chairs. His face is stern and emotionless, but there’s a twitchy sort of edge to the way he’s walking that indicates his true anxiety.

“I’ll be right back,” I whisper to Beau and stand. I approach Archer just as he does a 180 and faces me again. He stops short when he sees me.

I don’t say anything. What is there to say? Instead, I reach out and place my hand on his arm.

He looks at that hand, then at my face. Something shifts in his gaze, I can’t tell what. Then he lifts his own hand and places it over mine. His fingers are so warm. Or maybe I’m just cold.

He opens his mouth as if to speak, when suddenly, a doctor comes out from the emergency room. He looks around until he spots us, then he comes straight over. Beau, holding Mia, and Steven both rise to join Archer and me as the doctor stops in front of us.

I don’t know about the rest of them, but I’m holding my breath.

The doctor’s brow is furrowed. He doesn’t look happy.

My heart is beating nearly out of my chest.

“I’m afraid I have bad news,” the doctor says.