Broken Doll {ManxMan}

CHAPTER 11

"I don't think you should be reading this," Bryn was chiding when I woke up again; my blankets had been pulled up all the way to my chin and tucked comfortably around me, and my mind was slow as I blearily tried to register where I was and why Bryn would be with the Con Rồng, "You can tell just by looking at him that he was busted up worse than he ever has been before, and that it'll take a while for him to heal."

"I'm not a child, Bryn, I think I have the mental stability to read my fiancé's medical records so I know exactly what he went through."

"I'm sure you do, but I'm still against it," there was rapid shuffling, and Tobias grumbled in irritation, "I'm not giving it to you."

"Now who's being childish?"

"Listen, he's alive, that's all that should matter."

"That's all that does matter, but I need to know," more shuffling, I could practically see the way Bryn was dancing away from Tobias, holding the clipboard above his head, "Mr. Keller, if you do not give me that record, then I will not hesitate to force you to comply."

"Tobias, I don't-."

"Give. It. To me."

The room grew silent, until Bryn sighed heavily, likely giving up the clipboard that Arthur had been writing in; my medical record from the moment I arrived. It was probably filled with all the screwed-up information about my fucked health, like how I'd have stress seizures when I was catatonic, how my back was shredded, hips broken and fractured, how I'd try cutting my wrist open if someone wasn't watching me close enough; all of it. I agreed with Bryn, Tobias wasn't going to enjoy reading that.

Arthur wasn't an idiot, he was a trained medic who lived in a broken world and had likely seen the worst of the worst, which meant he probably knew exactly how my hips had gotten so screwed in the first place; and Tobias would know too. I'd have to tell him what happened to me, the fact my own brother had been the one to hurt me so badly. He was going to be so mad.

"Tobias," I murmured his name, fingers curling into the sheets beneath me as I forced my eyes open to watch him lean over the bed and place a hand on my head, smiling.

"I'm here, love. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yea," I answered, my voice quiet and strained.

I cringed and struggled a little to push myself forward more, wincing with a pained noise as Tobias stepped closer and eased me back against the pillows stacked behind me against the elevated head of the bed, making sure I was comfortably leaning back without pain. He then sat down beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close and kissing my temple.

"Do you need anything?" he asked me, "Food? Something to drink?"

"That's probably a good idea," I mumbled, looking at the IV's in my arm and the back of my hand, "I can't really use my right arm, though."

"Oh, that's my fault, I'm sorry," I lifted my head to see Arthur standing in the open doorway, "When Dakota brought you back I just wanted to get an IV in you as soon as possible, and it was easier to find veins in your dominant right arm."

"Guess I'll just have to feed you," Tobias teased, and I huffed a little as Arthur laughed and turned back to the door.

"I'll get you something light to eat that won't affect the drugs in your system, then check over some of the worst injuries. Be right back."

"Thank you," Tobias said, and the door closed softly before he turned back to me and I laid against his shoulder, closing my eyes.

He kept one arm around my shoulders, but I could hear paper turning, and peeled one eye to see Tobias was looking through my medical report. The more he read, the more tense he got, tightening his grip on me and holding me closer after every word. I could see the page he was reading, there was an outline of a human drawn onto the page, covered in red, blue, and green marks, likely a diagram of all my injuries, front and back.