CHAPTER FOUR
CRISTOBAL'S POV
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It was almost a near calamity, but our reflexes kicked in mid-fall. I didn't even have time to process what had happened, and yet that didn't stop us when we dropped to our knees -- Him and I, his arm and mine carefully stacked underneath her skull, working in perfect tandem until she was slowly dropped on her back.
A moment after that, and it was all him at that point. Roaming around the other parts of her body to check for any other indications besides death.
At the time, it felt like abandonment. Just me and her droopy head. I even had it braced onto my closed legs while he knelt aside from me at first, his fingers just ghosting over her neck before he scooted over to her legs to repeat exactly what I did with her feet.
"She's blacked out... Probably due to blood loss. We need to carry her over to the gurney to raise her levels before she goes into another fit again"
"Yeah... I can see that. Don't need her to die on us, right?"
I groaned out, half expecting a response — which didn't come as we worked gently to pick her up. Her body loosely strung between us, swaying sideways until we laid her on the folding bed across from where we once were.
I didn't say anything to him while we carried her, too. But a view of his trademark smile filtered through my eyelashes. None of his teeth revealed. Instead, it was just a stretch of lips that never wavered. Not until we got to our destination, anyway.
Then, that same smile shortened straight, clearing any hint of emotion except for the rare times his silvered eyebrows twitched whenever he bared down on her face.
He dashed across the room after. Leaving me alone with her for the first time since, well, all this started anyways. It kind of forced to stop gazing at her face. Probably because of the way it unsettled me. Mostly because it had started to remind me of the creeping pallor of death slowly colouring her skin.
"She needs to be stabilised." His words reached where I stood before he did, his chin jutted out now towards the wiry end of the blood bag.
"Take the cannula and insert it into the most visible vein along her forearm."
_________________!!!????? (What the hell was a cannula?) My legs lagged for a second, struggling to grasp what he meant by a "Cannula". He must have understood this, too, hence the gratifying nods that repeatedly progressed the more my fingers trailed down to the correct spot (Arsehole... Why didn't he just say it was the IV line)
"Now gently inject into her bloodstream". His voice was a guiding whisper as I carefully poked the thin tube into her pale arm, my breath long and steady throughout.
"Good, you know it's not too late to head into pre-med. You were always a model student. Besides, what are you..... Sixteen, right?"
"Haah, Haah. Very funny, old fart, very funny. My young face accentuates my overwhelming beauty."
"Keep dreaming, Kiddo. Keep dreaming". We both beamed at his quippy remark, my face cracking into a full smile as I lingered by, ogling at him while he worked to hang the rest of the blood bag on the IV pole.
It was an awful reaction to be honest. Someone was probably about to die, and here we were... Chumming about like old pals. We were, but still. Gladly and weirdly, too, he did that thing where he would know what I was pondering about. Intercepting my train of thought like he was the main driver of it.
"She's gonna be alright"
I didn't let his words sit well with me. Didn't want to set myself up for a heartbreak encore. Instead, I headed aside, weaving through the scattered mess of empty gurneys placed before my glazed windows.
Mentally cursing, I snatched open both ends of my satin covers, hoping the natural light would help accelerate the healing process...and to say God blessed us today would be an understatement.
One could only revel in the warm sensation of the sun's homely embrace. The rays of light, soothing my skin as they peeked through the glazed wall. Cool yet illuminating.
"I am not worried about her, she's j....."
Oh well, there went my "I am just a chill guy" act. Halfway into my spin, the sight of her sitting up filled my vision, twisting the knots in my intestine. I could only stare while Dr Becks rushed his hands over her body, checking to see if she was anything close to being alright.
She still appeared lethargic. High even with the things she started to spew out of her chapped lips.
"My uncle Lukas used to take me to that amusement park. He'd always seemed so nice, of course, I was just a kid... I didn't how deep he was in the business. How much he contributed...."
She stopped, tilting her head back while her eyes scoured the ceiling. Seconds passed before she faced us again, her gaze angled to mine.
"Until he stopped... coming. My dad said it was a little dispute, but I knew it wasn't. I was a kid, but damn was I not stupid."
She quipped, earning a small chorus of chuckles amongst us.
Nothing serious or mildly worth pondering came after. Not until that familiar rasp of hers started to crack aloud again.
"Now listen to me. I don't care who you are or what organisation you work with. But I do know one thing. My uncle is what we like to call "Tony Stark", well this time more heavy weapons and less.... Of that stuff, MCU has pandered to us............."
'I couldn't believe it. The widened gaze from Dr. Becks showed that he didn't believe it, too. The more she spoke, the more the possibilities began to engulf every area of reasoning in me, her voice progressively shrivelling to make way for the endless ideas that fought valiantly for space inside my head.
I knew right before we even apprehended her that she was underworld royalty....Well, born into it anyway---- but I didn't know her connections ran that deep. Deep enough to reach the....'
"Hey!! Pretty boy (It happened again), eyes on me"
She hollered at me, but it came at a cost-- the rest of her words. Hacked midway, all gone to the chesty coughs yanking her back, forcing her to clinch on the edge of the gurney.
We tried to help her, straighten her out at least, but an outstretched palm halted us, holding me still for the final offer.
"You want me to help you, fine. You want me to even link you up to him, finer! But I only ask for one thing and one thing.... We do it together.
Of course. A bargaining chip. I could smell it from half a mile. The boss wouldn't be happy that we were dipping our hands in notorious territory, but if we were going to take down Hugh and his gang, any and every help would be needed.
At that, I could only glance at Dr Becks, taking in the long, deep crease lines that now ran across his forehead, then back at her resolute stare.
Now, all that mattered was her compliance. I didn't even think about the repercussions, didn't even think about complications of having her string along with me. The only thing that remained true in my mind was the fact that we were in... WE WERE FUCKING IN!!!
So, putting on my best smile, I extended my left hand towards her invitingly.
"Be careful. My guess is you are about to make a deal with the devil."
She hesitated, flicking her gaze hastily between me and Dr Becks before her eyes settled back to my outstretched arms.
(An arm that already started to tire, GODDAMMIT!)
And then, she finally reciprocated. Her gentle touch churning up mysterious feelings inside my belly.
"I guess I do, Mr Cristobal. I guess I do".