Refuge In The Shadows

22.

The rainfall was so heavy that Cadeyrn could hear the downpour from where he sat by Carys's bed, but it was not enough to drown out the frantic thoughts of his whirling mind. He was beginning to lose himself after several days waiting for his twin sister to come back to him–he did not register his exhaustion, his aching muscles, his grumbling stomach, not when Carys was in such a fragile state. Cadeyrn gripped the sides of his wooden chair as he watched the rise and fall of her chest. She looked so tiny on the bed wrapped in multiple blankets and surrounded with pillows. Her skin had lost its lively glow and was reduced to a pallor, accentuating the myriad of bruises and scratches on her face, as well as the stitched remains of the jagged cut near her collarbone.

She is alive. She is alive. She is alive. Carys's shallow breathing and faint heartbeat were the only things getting him through this nightmare. The bullet just missed piercing her heart thankfully, but she lost quite a bit of blood in conjunction with the cut on her neck. A centimetre to the left and he would have lost her. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Carys almost died for him. Cadeyrn felt like scum–he had failed her. And he was going to spend the rest of his days making it up to her, to prove his worth.

Cadeyrn did not know how long he stared at her face when the door quietly opened to reveal Jonathan. He approached the bed and brushed his fingers on her arm. "Scotland Yard confirmed it was a suicide just as we intended. Wright is mediating the acquisition of the company to a Michael Smith as I speak. Not a bad bloke, perhaps could afford to stop being so goddamn serious all the time." Jonathan stopped when Cadeyrn did not laugh.

"I may not have known your sister all that long, but I do know that she will wake up. She will crawl her way back to consciousness kicking and screaming." Cadeyrn gave him a small smile and got up to change the bandages on her chest. "And William Carraway?" Jonathan scowled at the attempted murderer's name. "Locked up indefinitely. Wright is letting you decide his fate." Cadeyrn turned the news over in his head as he replaced the bloody bandages with fresh ones. "Carys will be the one to decide." Jonathan nodded and brushed some hair off Carys's forehead, "Choose wisely, sunshine."

*****

Everything behind closed eyelids was a kaleidoscope of odd shapes and much too bright colours. They swirled around and around, faster and faster in a nauseating fashion. It was all too much. Carys wanted out. For the past few hours she faintly heard voices of people coming and going but much to her frustration, she could not make out exactly what they were saying. Carys did feel a constant presence by her side that made the chaos in her mind less overwhelming. Cadeyrn. There was no doubt that he was beside himself with panic that she had not woken up yet. She needed to get to him, needed to explain to him that what she did was not at all his fault. Through the colours and shapes she willed herself to bring Cadeyrn's face to the forefront. Carys recalled the scar on his right cheekbone, the dark curls falling across his forehead from the leather strap he used to tie his hair back, the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled–if the serious man ever did.

Slowly, the brightness started to fade away until a real image of her brother appeared once Carys finally could pry her eyes open. Cadeyrn sat in a chair next to her bed, his body slumped so his sleeping face rested on the edge of the mattress. She took in the dark circles under his eyes and wanted to let him sleep. Unfortunately though, the slight shift of her body was enough for Cadeyrn's high alert senses. His eyes opened and he jolted back up in an upright position in his chair. They stared at each other, not moving, not speaking as if they could not believe they were so close to being torn apart.

Carys winced as she tried to lean herself more upright on the pillows, but then gave Cadeyrn a weak smile. "Now how about some of that whiskey you owed me? Some alcohol would help ease the feeling that my chest is on fire." Cadeyrn continued to stare at her for a long three seconds before tipping his head back to laugh, a rich, joyous laugh that warmed her freezing limbs much faster than the swaddle of blankets she was in.