The Hidden Gemstone

Chapter: 45

Alex's POV:

As I burst through the glass doors of the hospital in Toronto, my eyes immediately searched for Jesse.

The presence of so many people - doctors, patients, nurses, and visitors - should've made it impossible to spot her, but somehow, my eyes found her within a second. She was pacing back and forth anxiously near one of the rooms, her eyes and body language giving away her exhaustion.

I sighed in relief when I saw her and ran forward, pushing through the bodies of people and trying to keep my feet from slipping against the polished tiles of the floor. Her head turned when she heard me approach and relief flashed across her face.

Closing the distance between us, she pulled me in a fierce hug, and though it almost choked me, I didn't push her away. Instead, I relaxed in her embrace and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her perfume which too often reminded me of my mother.

"Dear God, Alex, where have you been?" She demanded as she pulled back and inspected my face and body as if to check for injuries. "I've been worried sick ever since Xander told me everything."

I paused for a moment, staring at her before saying, "So you know-"

"That you and your friends have been off battling some sort of immortal lunatic? Yeah, I know," she said sharply and I winced slightly. Then, she took a breath to calm herself. "I'm sorry, I'm just too overwhelmed by... everything. I guess I just need a little more time."

"It's okay," I told her. "Take your time."

"I'll wait here for a bit in case they report about Xander's surgery," Jesse said and I felt my heart sink. "Although they said they're almost done. Emma's getting her wound patched up and-"

"Emma?" I asked, taken off guard. "I thought you said-"

"I said it was a long story," Jesse said and took a deep breath before starting, "Your father made a pact with River's father. I don't know what it was, but they had mutual goals. They came to get River and Xander, but Xander somehow got the news to Emma. She and Troy shot each other before Troy shot Xander." I winced. "It was incredibly messy, but... then your grandmother came out of her room. She knew what was up and she somehow got them all to leave. I don't know if they're going to come back but-" she broke off, sighing. "Just do me a favor." I nodded and she glanced back. "Please get her to respond. She's been sitting like that since she got her arm patched up."

I followed her line of sight and saw River sitting in one of the chairs in the area, staring at her bloodied hands. Her clothes were blood-stained too, the sleeve of her shirt ripped, a white bandage peeking from underneath the slit. I cursed under my breath and moved past Jesse, kneeling in front of River.

"Hey," I said softly, taking her face in my hands, and tucking a strand of her blond hair behind her ear. "River, talk to me."

She looked at me for a moment, and her eyes held a sea of emotions threatening to break free. "I tried to stop the bleeding, I really did, but it wouldn't work. His wound wouldn't-it just wouldn't-I didn't know what-"

"Hey, hey," I interrupted softly as tears rolled down her cheeks. "It's okay. You were very brave. It's alright." I leaned forward and kissed her forehead, softly stroking her hair. "You did great."

"I can still hear the gunshots," she told me, and the tone of her voice broke my heart. "And they still haven't told us whether he's okay or not."

"Look," I said. "It's going to be fine. I promise. Xander's strong. He'll be fine."

The longer I looked at her, the more my heart broke. She didn't deserve any of this. She deserved to go to school and laugh with her friends all without the voices in her head, the terrible memories of blood, and the fear of someone coming for her. She was too young to go through that. To be staring at the blood of someone on her hands, not being able to get rid of the gunshots in her head, to be reminded over and over again of the horrible dark place she had left behind.