him now. The hard part will be wrapping him up again.”
“Okay. Go. I’ll calm her down.” She came to me while Darius left and got both arms around me. “Jaylyn, shh. It’s all right.”
“It’s not all right! Have you seen him?!”
“Everything will be all right. He can only get better from here. Shh. Try to relax, all right? He wouldn’t want you to be like this.”
I just kept crying. In all of my years of being around death, even causing it, there was only one time that I saw anything that bad; it was my father and now Troy has the same wounds. It probably would have killed him if I wasn’t there and he could still be at risk. I couldn’t lose thought of it.
“Jaylyn, shh.” She was still trying to calm me.
“I can’t. I’ve—I’ve seen him—my father, Ruby. He looked like my father.”
“It’s okay. He’s not going to die. We would never let that happen and you’re here so it won’t. Here, lay down.” She led me further on the bed and I laid in the middle of it. “Sleep. You’ll feel better when you wake.”
My eyes closed but my body remained to tremble. I could only hope she was right. I wanted to feel better but I just kept thinking of Troy suffering the same fate as my father and even my dreams weren’t giving me peace.
Chapter 23
Darius
“I need your help now.” Zayden said. “We’ll have to lift him up.”
“Don’t ask me to help.” Troy muttered through deep breaths. “My muscles are weak. I can’t flex any of them.”
“That’s all right. I won’t need your help but it’s going to hurt.”
“Where’d you take Jaylyn?”
“She’s with Ruby. She’s calming her down.”
“Good. I’m ready.”
I nodded and got my hands under Troy’s back, pausing there as I looked at Zayden. Zayden had a bandage ready and nodded. That’s when I got some help with my strength to lift up Troy into a sitting position. He probably felt it worse. His breaths were short and quick but suffered through it while Zayden tried to quickly wrap him up so it was over with.
As soon as the three bandages were wrapped around him to cover his entire torso, he was laid back down and his breaths got slower and more relaxed. “I like this much better.”
“You’ll get used to it the more we have to do it.” Zayden said, cleaning up the bloody rags. “We’ll check on them in the morning.”
Troy was still in pain that all he could do was nod.
“Get some more rest for a few minutes. We’ve got to get some food in you before you go back to sleep.”
Troy nodded again and I helped Zayden take the stuff out of the room.
“I’ll have someone send up his food.” Zayden said. “You can give Jaylyn the okay and get to bed yourself.”
“On it.” I turned from him and walked right to my room, going inside.
“Shh!” Ruby whispered.
Jaylyn was curiously tucked away in the middle of our bed. “Is she asleep?”
“Yeah, just. She’s going to stay with us tonight.”
“Where am I supposed to sleep?”
“There’s room on the other side of her.”
I looked at Jaylyn and back at Ruby. “That would be weird.”
“It’s okay, Darius. It’s just for tonight.”
“Can we at least move her over so I can be by you?”
“No. She’ll wake up. She needs to sleep. It’s not like I’m asking you to do anything else.”
“Fine but I was coming in here to tell her she can go to Troy.”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea right now. She was freaking out. She kept mentioning her father and how he looked like him.”
My eyes widened. “Oh, shit. Bryce was tortured to death, wasn’t he? I didn’t even think of that.”
“It’s okay. She’ll be fine. Maybe you should go tell Troy she’ll be staying with us.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back and we can all get some sleep.”
Ruby nodded and I walked back to Troy. He was still on the bed where we left him and had his eyes closed.
“Troy?”
“Hmm?”
“Zayden’s
“Okay. Go. I’ll calm her down.” She came to me while Darius left and got both arms around me. “Jaylyn, shh. It’s all right.”
“It’s not all right! Have you seen him?!”
“Everything will be all right. He can only get better from here. Shh. Try to relax, all right? He wouldn’t want you to be like this.”
I just kept crying. In all of my years of being around death, even causing it, there was only one time that I saw anything that bad; it was my father and now Troy has the same wounds. It probably would have killed him if I wasn’t there and he could still be at risk. I couldn’t lose thought of it.
“Jaylyn, shh.” She was still trying to calm me.
“I can’t. I’ve—I’ve seen him—my father, Ruby. He looked like my father.”
“It’s okay. He’s not going to die. We would never let that happen and you’re here so it won’t. Here, lay down.” She led me further on the bed and I laid in the middle of it. “Sleep. You’ll feel better when you wake.”
My eyes closed but my body remained to tremble. I could only hope she was right. I wanted to feel better but I just kept thinking of Troy suffering the same fate as my father and even my dreams weren’t giving me peace.
Chapter 23
Darius
“I need your help now.” Zayden said. “We’ll have to lift him up.”
“Don’t ask me to help.” Troy muttered through deep breaths. “My muscles are weak. I can’t flex any of them.”
“That’s all right. I won’t need your help but it’s going to hurt.”
“Where’d you take Jaylyn?”
“She’s with Ruby. She’s calming her down.”
“Good. I’m ready.”
I nodded and got my hands under Troy’s back, pausing there as I looked at Zayden. Zayden had a bandage ready and nodded. That’s when I got some help with my strength to lift up Troy into a sitting position. He probably felt it worse. His breaths were short and quick but suffered through it while Zayden tried to quickly wrap him up so it was over with.
As soon as the three bandages were wrapped around him to cover his entire torso, he was laid back down and his breaths got slower and more relaxed. “I like this much better.”
“You’ll get used to it the more we have to do it.” Zayden said, cleaning up the bloody rags. “We’ll check on them in the morning.”
Troy was still in pain that all he could do was nod.
“Get some more rest for a few minutes. We’ve got to get some food in you before you go back to sleep.”
Troy nodded again and I helped Zayden take the stuff out of the room.
“I’ll have someone send up his food.” Zayden said. “You can give Jaylyn the okay and get to bed yourself.”
“On it.” I turned from him and walked right to my room, going inside.
“Shh!” Ruby whispered.
Jaylyn was curiously tucked away in the middle of our bed. “Is she asleep?”
“Yeah, just. She’s going to stay with us tonight.”
“Where am I supposed to sleep?”
“There’s room on the other side of her.”
I looked at Jaylyn and back at Ruby. “That would be weird.”
“It’s okay, Darius. It’s just for tonight.”
“Can we at least move her over so I can be by you?”
“No. She’ll wake up. She needs to sleep. It’s not like I’m asking you to do anything else.”
“Fine but I was coming in here to tell her she can go to Troy.”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea right now. She was freaking out. She kept mentioning her father and how he looked like him.”
My eyes widened. “Oh, shit. Bryce was tortured to death, wasn’t he? I didn’t even think of that.”
“It’s okay. She’ll be fine. Maybe you should go tell Troy she’ll be staying with us.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back and we can all get some sleep.”
Ruby nodded and I walked back to Troy. He was still on the bed where we left him and had his eyes closed.
“Troy?”
“Hmm?”
“Zayden’s
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