Blood Means Everything

ELEVEN

My whole life, I've taken walks to clear my mind. It's never about exercise or anything like that. For me, it's about connecting to nature and clearing my mind. After I asked my parents about Raul, I went for a walk, and now I'm taking yet another.

I'm deep in thought when I hear someone shout my name. It's Nick Anderson.

" what do you want?" I ask him.

He looks me straight in the eye. "I'm sorry for the way I acted the other day. I should have never threatened or tried to corner you," he pauses. "I'm sorry, Astraea," he says.

" hmm... did your daddy make you apologize to me?" I ask.

He laughs and shakes his head. " No, my dad didn't make me apologize,"

" I forgive you, but just because you and Kai don't like each other has nothing to do with me. You two don't need to hate each other simply because your fathers used to hate each other," I say.

Nick's eyes widen, and he shakes his head. " You don't know?" He asks.

" know what?" I ask, my brows furrowing.

What the hell is he talking about?

"We don't hate each other because of our fathers' hatred toward each other. It's because of you. I liked you, and Kai knew. He knew how much I wanted you, but then you started to spend all of your time with him, and it made me angry," Nick replies.

I can feel my face heat up. I had no idea either of them felt this way.

" he knew how angry it made me, and no matter how much I tried, you never looked at me the way you look at him," he adds.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes for a moment. " I never meant to make you feel like that, Nick," I reply sincerely. " But I'm dating Kai now, and I love him."

He nods and takes a step forward. I take a step back, hearing my phone ding from my pocket. I pull it out and see a message from my dad.

" your mom is in the hospital," I read to myself.

My heart drops, and I start to panic.

" Nick, can you drive me to the hospital? My mom is hurt," I plead.

He doesn't hesitate and responds, "Of course! let's go." He grabs my hand and leads me to his car, rushing to the hospital as quickly as possible.

I sit in the passenger seat with my thoughts racing faster than ever before. "I'm sure your mom is alright," Nick says, trying to calm me. "And if she needs anything, we'll be there for her."

I nod and take a deep breath as he pulls up to the hospital. We rush inside and find Kai sitting in the waiting room with a worried expression.

" Kai, where are my mom and dad?" I ask franticly.

"they are in a room down the hall. Your dad is with her now," he replies.

" They aren't letting anyone else in the room," he adds, looking up. " what the hell are you doing here, Nick?" He asks.

Shit, I forgot Nick was here.

" Nick is here with me. He drove us here," I explain.

Kai stands up, glaring at Nick. " stay the fuck away from my girlfriend," he says firmly. I grab Kai's arm to calm him down. " Thank you, Nick, but I think it's time for you to leave," I tell him. Nick nods in understanding and gives me a small smile before leaving.

I turn to Kai and squeeze his hand. " You could've been nicer to him," I try to scold him.

Kai shakes his head and pulls me in for a hug. "I don't want anyone else near you, that's all," he whispers into my hair before breaking away from the embrace to hold my hands in his.

We both stand there silently.

" Astraea!" My father shouts, walking up to me. I hug him tightly, and he turns to Kai.

" Thank you for being here for her," He says to him sincerely. " what's wrong with mom?" I ask, pulling away. " they've put her in a medically induced coma for now until they can find the cause for her fainting," he explains. Tears well in my eyes, and I grab Kai's hand tightly, hoping for comfort.

He stares at me with sadness before leaning down to kiss the top of my head. He whispers," I'm here for you no matter what, okay?"

I nod as tears slip down my face.

" she's going to be okay," my dad whispers.