Warrior

Chapter Thirty One

Liam

After four fucking hours of just pacing outside the room, some nurses finally confirmed that they were ready for visitors. I had almost yelled at them for doing their job wrong because they were fucking unconscious, they'd been "ready for visitors" since they arrived, but Harry and Satey had kept their grips on my arms locked.

When I finally did loom over Paul's unconscious body, I was overcome with emotion, there was rage, of course-there was always rage-, but there was also fear. Here was the man who'd taught me how to fight, basically raised me into the man I was, and he was beaten up badly. He was the most trustworthy person I knew. I always went to him for guidance and if he wasn't there for me... I was in for a shit ton of trouble.

I sat on a couch near the door and watched with a heavy heart as Satey stood by the brother I never knew she had, hastily wiping tears away from her face as she played with his fingers. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat as I realized that this, this situation, meant she was in for good: there was no way she wasn't involved anymore. I couldn't avoid it any longer.

"Don't do anything stupid," a voice said quietly from the doorway.

I turned my foggy eyes to see Harry standing there, leaning on the frame before he made his way to sit next to me on the couch that observed the unconscious victims.

"I won't," I promised, my voice wavering as I continued to stare at her shaking form.

"You will," Harry contradicted firmly, "I know you, Liam, and you will. You'll try to keep her away from everything, shield her from the world, but even you know she's involved now; her brother lying there is evidence enough. She's a part of this now, just like the rest of us."

"What would you do?" I snapped a little too loudly before lowering my voice and turning to look at him, "if you were in my position."

"I would do anything to protect Louis," Harry admitted softly, running a hand through his hair nervously, "but he can take care of himself and, as much as it pains me, I have to let him."

"This isn't even close to being the same situation."

"It is," Harry said, holding up a hand when I opened my mouth to protest, "Satey is strong. The fact that she's still with you after everything you've been through shows she's willing to at least try to be strong. If not for her brother, then for you."

"Yeah," I replied quietly, my voice throaty with lies as I didn't meet his gaze.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Harry's mouth part slightly as it dawned on him. "You haven't told her, have you?"

I shook my head.

"Liam," he sighed in disappointment, rubbing his face, "you have to tell her."

I shook my head again, tears welling up in my eyes at the thought of reliving the past.

"You know you do," he said as I attempted to rub the emotions away, "she has to know. She's bound to find out through either you or James."

I hated that he was right.

He was always right, even when we were kids, and I always hated it.

I sighed rubbing a hand over my face to clear my thoughts, deciding to change the subject. "So you think that my... that James did this?"

Harry nodded, observing the unconscious bodies that lay ominously still on the beds. "There's no way this wasn't him. If he found you, he knew how to find Paul."

The thought made me cringe. "How'd he find her brother then?"

Harry sighed. "Paul said you saw him at your fight?"