Temporary ✔️

Chapter 30: Heart

AN: here's chapter 30. Enjoy, people.

Third Person's POV:

Ace stared at the white wall, his left knee bouncing rapidly and his fingernails reduced to jagged stubs. Lexi had gone into surgery twelve hours ago- and he'd not slept since, surviving on caffeine and immense hate for the universe and its inhabitants.

"Hey." Ryan said softly, sitting next to Ace. 

The younger boy nodded in response, then resumed his staring at the wall. 

"She's gonna be fine." Ryan muttered. But it sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"I hope so." Ace's voice was as dry as sandpaper. He cleared his throat and squeezed his eyes shut. "I just got her back- I don't know what I'd do if she- if she-" 

"She's gonna be fine." Ryan repeated with more conviction.

"But how do you know?" Ace asked quietly, staring down at his trembling hands. "Lexi is the strongest person I've ever met- but how many fights can a person go through before they just... give up?" Fear he so desperately tried to bottle up spilled out, taking on a liquid form as it cascaded down his cheeks. 

Ryan didn't know what to say. How could he comfort someone on the fears he himself had been feeling? How could he look at Lexi's best friend in the eye and tell him it would be okay, when he himself wasn't sure it would be? 

Fortunately, he didn't have to answer as Hayden DeLaCruz came barrelling down the corridor like his life depended on it. He skidded to a stop in front of them, panting heavily. "She's out of surgery."

The two men jumped to their feet, dangerous hope glimmered inside their hearts. They sprinted to Lexi's room, where the others were crowded outside of it, their expressions ranging from pure anger to disgust. 

"What's going on?" Ryan asked, shoving his way to the front of the crowd. 

Sam breathed heavily through his nose, rage rolling off him in waves. "What's wrong is this nurse won't let us see our sister!" 

"She's in a delicate position right now." The nurse- Jamie- stood his ground, despite being terrified of the very angry men and women in front of him. 

"WE ARE HER FAMILY!" Savannah shrieked. "LET US THROUGH OR SO HELP ME GOD, I'LL TORTURE YOU SO BAD, NO MEDICINE IN THE WORLD WILL BE ABLE TO CURE YOU!" 

Jamie gulped and paled but to his credit, stood his ground. "Y-you can see her once the doctor has checked to make sure everything is f-fine." 

"Move you pathetic little man before I shove my foot up your-" 

"Sav," West said gently, laying a hand on her shoulder. "The nurse is just doing his job, we don't want to hurt Lexi right now- she's fine, that's all that matters. And besides, the stress isn't good for the baby." 

Savannah closed her eyes and nodded, giving him a side hug while resting a hand on her swollen belly. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She narrowed her eyes at Jamie. 

"J-just wait for a little while u-until the tests are over." Jamie stammered. "T-then you can s-see her." 

X

When Alexandra woke up, the first thing she felt was pain. Pure, blinding pain. She groaned softly, her eyes snapping open as she tried to figure out where the hell she was. 

"Ah good! You're awake." A smiley doctor with short, blonde hair and blue eyes noted something on her clipboard. "Do you want some water?" 

Lexi nodded and the doctor helped her drink a glass of water through a straw. The memories filtered through her hazy mind. Isla. Karen. Getting shot. 

"Where am I?" She croaked out. 

"The hospital." The doctor answered. "Your brothers brought you here after you were shot- you had to go to surgery and it's been twelve hours." 

Damn. Lexi's eyes widened. "Where are my brothers? Can I see them?" 

"In a minute- I just need to make sure everything is fine. My name is Doctor Hanford- do you mind answering some routine questions?" 

Lexi nodded and answered the questions, eager to get it over with so she could see her family again. 

"Well, it seems everything is looking good." Hanford smiled. "We'll keep you here for a few days- just to be on the safe side."

"Thanks. Can I see my family now?" Lexi asked, slightly impatient. She had a thousand questions that could only be answered by them. 

"Of course." Hanford left the room and told Nurse Jamie to let the family in. 

"LEXI!" Savannah barrelled through the door and threw her arms around her friend, careful to not injure her. Lexi buried her face in her friend's blue hair and closed her eyes, hugging her back just as tightly. "Don't do that to me again, okay? My baby needs its godmother." 

Lexi chuckled, wiping away her tears. "I promise I won't." The rest of her old gang hugged her- even Diana, who hated any type of physical contact- and they chatted for a bit. They left after a while, knowing she wanted to see her brothers, and promised to be back tomorrow. 

Ace was the next one through the door. He marched to the bed and engulfed Lexi in a warm, sweet embrace. "You scared me, Lex." His shoulders shook with tiny tremors as he thought about how close he came to losing her. "Don't leave me again, please." 

"I pinky promise." She whispered, kissing his cheek. "And the same goes for you too." 

He chuckled and pulled away, staring at her with pure love in his eyes. "I pinky promise too." His lips tilted in a smirk. "Your friends from school were here as well- they left a few hours ago, though, since it's a school night and their family dragged them away. Jackson seemed very worried about you, though." 

I flicked his forehead, knowing exactly where his thoughts were going. "He's a friend, Ace. There's nothing going on." 

"Damn right there isn't." Lexi's gaze shot to Sam's and a wide grin stretched her lips. Soon, she was enveloped by a crushing force, as all her brothers enveloped her in a group hug. Her sides flared in pain, but she was too happy to care. She was safe and surrounded by the people she loved- what could be better? 

End of chapter 30. 

Kinda boring but it took everything in me to not put a cliffhanger or kill her off... yet. The next chapter MIGHT make you guys hate me. 

I hope you guys liked it!

Stay safe and thanks for reading :)