Wanted

Chapter Eighteen: Reunion

They waited impatiently for any news about Cynthia that they hadn't notice a nurse came up to them. The anxious expression on her face made it obvious that she was thinking that this was a bad time but by the description and information she was given, two out of the three men are often seen in the hospital visiting the patient she as been watching over. 

"Um...excuse me." She spoke nervously and tried to get their attention. Most of them shot up, but the little girl stayed seated with pain written all over her face. "Are you Ms. Slade's kids? Or relatives?" Their expression chanced instantly. 

"Why?" An older looking male asked. His voice was horse and his eyes dead. 

"She woke up from her coma and-" Celeste was the first to run to the room where they held her mother. Soon after all of them followed Celeste action, all but Brett. He walked behind them as his mind was in a different place. He found them standing in the door way of a room with Celeste in front of them, staring intently at whoever was in it. She was the first to move inside as the other hesitated but followed her shortly after. They reached the edge of her bed and as and elderly woman looked up from the book she was given and smiled at the two most familiar faces. Though it has been a long time, a mother never forget the face of her children. 

"Hi," With everything that was going on, Celeste couldn't hold back her tears any more and threw herself in the comforting arms of her mother. Kristina accepted her daughter's hug without another word.

"You've grown up so much Cece," Kristina whispered sweetly to Celeste. Celeste didn't care how loud her sobs were or how ugly she looks when she cried. She has waited so long to hear her mother's voice, and now that she has, she couldn't help herself. "Same goes for you Joey, never thought I would see you become such a handsome man."

For the first time in a very long time, Joey's eyes filled with so much tears that many rolled down his face and onto the floor. Kristina waved him over and had him to join in on the hug. He accepted it without hesitation and hide his face next in her shoulder. Cynthia and Joey have been friends since she was in pigtails. Kristina recognized almost every face in the room. All but two.

"And who might you two be?" She asked politely as Joey and Celeste tighten their hugged on her as if they let go, she's disappear.

"My name is Randy, I've been watching over them for-"

"Not another word, come over here." Cynthia's mother cut Randy off. Her kind demand stunned him for a moment before he regained his posture. 

"No, I couldn't possible-"

"Here. Now." Her stern voice told Randy that if he didn't obey, he would face a much worse than what Cynthia was capable of. He chuckled quietly before joined the hug. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder and hugged them all tightly before turning to the last one in the room. "How about you?" She asked Brett.

"My name is Brett, I'm just a friend of Cynthia."

"Speaking of Cynthia," She looked around the room as she noticed the absence of her oldest daughter. "Where is she?" The room suddenly became uncomfortably quiet as the three of them slowly pulled away. They didn't know how to tell her. "Where is my daughter." She said again as the expression on their face made her uneasy.

"Mom, she's in surgery." Celeste responded sadly. 

"Is she okay? What happened?" They all hesitated

"Do you remember anything?" Joey asked Kristina, making her pause for a moment before horror filled her eyes as she covered her mouth. 

"Don't tell me that she tried to kill herself because of what happened."

"No! God no. It's just that...it was Mason." Joey quickly assured her, though, it wasn't much comfort. 

"What did he do to my daughter?" Her horror truned to anger once Mason was mentioned. Brett began to see where Cynthia gets her anger from. He had let his gaurd down and now his mind was filled with Cynthia. Her smile, her eyes, the way she moved so swiftly when she fought. He mentally cursed himself for it and focused back to the conversation.

"He kidnapped her and Cece two days ago, but Cece got away." Joey continued hesitentaly. "Just as we found them, he put a bullet in Cindy's head."

"Oh no," Kristina eyes quickly filled with tears at the information she was given. Her oldest daughter, was dead?

"She's not dead," Randy quickly jumped in to correct the misunderstanding. "She manages to dodge his bullet, somewhat. He got her in her left eye; that's why she's in surgery. They say they could save her, but they would have to implant a new eye and stitch her back up. They were surprised that she was even alive. She kept fighting, even against death." Though it had eased her a bit, it didn't stop the tears that fell and the guilt that bloomed in her stomach and the pain in her chest.

"If only I were around to protect her," She whispered. Then another being came to mind as she began to question everything. "Where's my husband? Where's Brandon?" Their faces turned sour at his name but before they could tell her anything, his voice filled the silence.

"I'm right here." There standing next to him in the doorway was Brett's cousin, Kathy. As Brandon hugged his wife, everyone one else moved to where they were originally, next to Brett and now Kathy. "I'm so glad your awake." He kissed the crown of her head. Joey spoke with a sharp tone as his eyes harden at Brandon.

"Aunty Kissy, why don't you ask him where he has been these past years. Because I can assure you, he wasn't with Cece or Cindy." Joey can't remember the last time he called her that. Since his mom and Cynthia's were best friends, he practically saw Kristina as his aunt. The expression on her face was enough for Brandon to shit his pants.

"Is that right?"

"Y-yes" He stuttered as his worst fear was coming true. "But-"

"Why?" She cut him off angrily. "What was more important than the well-being of our kids?" He went to speak again, but she decided against it. She didn't wanting to hear anymore of his lies. They always had their rough patches, but when it consider the well-being of their children, enough is enough. "I'm going to finish what I started." She said looking at him with hard eyes. "I'm getting a divorce."

"W-what just a minute. You just woke up and your not thinking straight." He argued, trying to reason with her.

"I'm thinking perfectly fine, its no one else's fault but yours. Now get out of my sight before I have you forcefully removed." He went to speak again, but she only shouted at him with anger. "I said get out you coward!" He looked at Celeste pleadingly to help him, but she did the same thing he did when he got out of the hospital, turned the other way. With his head hung low, he walked out of the room and made his way towards the way he came. Brandon had lost the very things he hoped he would never lose, his family. All because he was such a coward to do anything to protect it in the first place.

Kristina let out a sigh of irritation and saddnes at everything that had just happened. She was furious that he would even think of leaving the kids to defend themselves as if they were ready for the world. For God's sake, they were only kids. It wasn't long after that when the door opened again, and Cynthia was rolled in and placed onto the other bed in the room.

"I figured since you can't move around too much yet, I'll have you and your daughter share a room until both of you are discharge." Doctor Karev explained with a smile as he walked in after the other nurses had left. Kristina smiled wamrly at her brother that she didn't realize she had missed until now.