I didn't choose her, my heart did

The meeting

Keira's POV:

My heart pounded in my chest as I walked down the corridor, following the nurse. It seemed like my whole body was in survival mode. Why was someone out to harm Lucy again? Who was this man who suddenly appeared in the hospital?

At the security desk stood a man. He was about in his late twenties, solidly built, with a slightly gruff look on his face. His posture was tense, but there was nothing immediately threatening about him. Still, I felt an uneasy tingling in my stomach.

'Are you Keira?' he asked in a deep voice.

I looked at him suspiciously. 'Who's asking?'

He frowned, as if irritated that I did not answer his question immediately. 'I'm George, Lucy's brother.'

I stiffened. Lucy's brother? My brain was struggling to process this. Lucy had never told me anything about a brother. The thought that she had family I didn't know felt strange.

'Why are you here?' I asked coldly, crossing my arms.

George rolled his eyes. 'Ella called me. She said Lucy had been shot and it was serious. Why didn't Lucy call me herself? Or did you have something to do with that?'

The accusation in his voice left me stunned.

_

I swallowed away my irritation. This was not the time to argue with a man who clearly had a bigger history with Lucy than I did. But I felt desperate. This was my Lucy, and suddenly there stood someone else who claimed to have a more important place in her life than I had ever known.

'I had nothing to do with what happened,' I said, my voice flat. 'And Lucy can't call you because she... She's fighting to stay alive.'

George's eyes sharpened. 'What do you mean by that?'

I cleared my throat. 'She was injured in an incident, and the doctors are preparing her for a second operation. It's serious.'

His face contorted, as if the information finally hit him. 'I want to see her.'

'You can't now,' I said quickly, my protection of Lucy immediately bubbling to the surface. 'She needs rest.'

George sighed and crossed his arms. 'Rest? Seriously? I'm her brother! And you... You're just a teammate. Aren't you?'

The words cut through me. I knew he didn't know, but it felt like my connection with Lucy was being completely waved away. I wanted to correct him, to shout that I was more than that, but before I could say anything, Ella came around the corner.

_

'Keira, calm down,' Ella said softly as she put her hand on my shoulder. She then turned to George. 'I called him because Lucy hasn't seen him for months.'

George looked at Ella and frowned. 'Why didn't you let me know earlier that she was hurt? Why didn't Lucy call me?'

Ella sighed deeply. 'Because you weren't in touch, George. You know how hard she had it after the split in your family.'

I stared at Ella, confused. Breakup in the family? Lucy had never said anything about a family conflict. But now was not the time to ask questions.

'George,' Ella continued, 'this is not the time to bring up old quarrels. Lucy needs you now.'

George looked away uncomfortably, as if embarrassed. 'Okay. But I want to see her.'

Ella nodded. 'You'll get your moment. But know that she can't handle a lot of stress. Keep it short.'

_

Ella walked with George to Lucy's room, and I stayed behind in the corridor, my thoughts racing. What did she mean by 'break in the family'? Why had Lucy never told me she had a brother? And more importantly, why didn't he know anything about us?

I suddenly felt like an outsider again. As if, despite everything Lucy and I shared, I was still not allowed to know parts of her life.

I wanted answers, but all I could do was wait.

_

Twenty minutes later, Ella re-entered the corridor, looking worried.

'What is it?' I asked immediately.

'Lucy is not doing well,' she said softly. 'Her condition has worsened. She has developed complications, and the doctors have decided to operate on her immediately.'

I felt my legs almost sink out from under me. 'What kind of complications?'

Ella shook her head. 'I don't know exactly. But they said something went wrong internally. George is with her, and I think you should be there too before they take her away.'

I almost ran to the room and felt my heart beating in my throat. When I entered, I saw George sitting by Lucy's side, his face filled with regret. Lucy's eyes were half-open, and her breathing was heavy.

I sat down on the other side of the bed and took her hand. She looked at me, her gaze cloudy but recognisable.

'Kei...' she whispered weakly.

I brought her hand to my lips and pressed a kiss to it. 'I'm here, Lucy. I won't leave you alone.'

She smiled faintly, but her face contorted in pain. A nurse came in and started preparing her bed to be taken to the operating room.

'Lucy,' George said softly. 'I... I know I've done a lot wrong. But you're my sister, and I don't want this to be the end. I'm here now, and I'm staying here.'

Lucy's lips moved, but no sound came out. I felt her grip on my hand weaken, and I had to swallow my tears.

'She has to go,' one of the nurses said softly.

I stood up and followed them to the door of the operating theatre, while George walked beside me. We stood there together as Lucy's bed disappeared through the double doors.

_

The hours in the waiting room were unbearable. George and I barely spoke to each other, except for a few short sentences about Lucy. It felt like there was a wall between us, made up of secrets and unspoken words.

After what seemed like an eternity, the surgeon came out. His face was serious, and I felt my heart freeze.

'We stabilised her as best we could,' he began. 'But...'

I couldn't get him to finish. 'But what?'

He looked from me to George. 'Her body is not responding as we had hoped. We are doing everything we can, but... the next twenty-four hours will be crucial. Prepare for the worst.'

I felt my legs trembling and looked for a foothold against the wall. George cursed softly and turned around, his face hidden in his hands.

All I could think was, 'What if this is the end?