*OLD*Phantom Detectives*OLD*

Ch.44 Not Her Fault

Rodrich M.

Connor had been out for about two hours... and none of us left the room. I stood to the left of his bed, my fists turning white from clutching my sleeves, and the taste of blood in my mouth from biting the inside of my cheek.

I glanced to the servants. Nick looked like he wanted to shoot the next thing that moved. Austin looked like he was bout to cry. Maria had a blank look on her face, but her eyes were filled with pain. Karen... she just lost all composure.

I glanced to Ace and Violet. They had the same look of sorrow and fear on their faces. Their hands were conjoined and had stayed that way since we brought Connor in here.

Tex looked calm, but his hands were shaking, still showing traces of Connor's blood on them, seeing as he was the one who had wrapped up his wounds. Tex hadn't said a word since then.

Grey... he looked like he was going to be sick. You'd think that he would be able to handle something like this since he tried to start a fight with Eloise earlier...

Speaking of Eloise... rage glowed in her eyes like hellfire. Her eye was twitching, her fists were balled up so tight I swear she might have torn her own skin. There was no fear... only grief, stress, and rage.

Then I glanced to James. His face was pale... emotionless... his clothes stained with his brother's blood. I barely saw him blink... hardly heard him breath let alone dare to speak.

I swallowed, breaking the silence by asking softly, "Is he going to survive?"

Tex let out a long, heavy sigh, closing his eyes. After a brief moment, he opened his eyes again and answered, "Yes."

Everyone in that room sighed in unison. I hadn't even realized I had been holding my breath until then. It was almost comforting... to find that we all were doing the same thing. That was until Eloise spoke.

"This is it..." She muttered, "this is all my fault..."

"Eloise, please. D-don't say that, it's not-"

She cut Violet off, "It should have been me. I could have prevented this had I not continued that stupid quarrel with Grey. This whole damned mess is my-"

Violet slapped Eloise in the face. It was an effort not to gape. I never would have thought Violet would do something like that... to her own sister, and at a time like this?

"Eloise. Raven. Millore." Violet growled, her voice filled with anger. "I am sick of this! When are you going to get it through your thick ass head that not every tragedy you are part of is your fault!?"

Eloise stares, aghast at her sister. Yet she remains still, her eyes wide, and her mouth closed... for once.

"You think I'm only talking about now?!" Violet continued. "Even when dad died, as we were both weeping at the loss of our father, you said to me, 'This is my fault,' when you weren't even in the damned country! You were in France! And don't give me that whole b.s. about it being your fault since you weren't there! One human can't stop death! The doctors can prevent it for a couple more years, yes, but not push it away entirely!"

The room was heavy with silence. I locked eyes with almost everyone in the room. When I locked eyes with James, he had this sort of pleading look in his eyes. I wish I could say I knew what he meant.

"Get it through your head Eloise!" Violet shouts, shaking her by her shoulders. "It's. Not. Your. Fault! You drive me insane! You're so dense! You can't ever see what's right in front of you!"

"Violet," I bellow, "that's enough!"

Everyone in the room has their eyes on me. I straighten my back, lift my chin slightly and say, "This won't help Connor."

"He's right," Tex agrees.

"Tex, what exactly is Connor's state right now?" Ace questions.

"Well," Tex huffs, lifting Connor's shirt so we could see his bandages, "there were several bullets fired... thankfully, they only grazed him. But there were so many wounds that Connor passed out from blood loss. But there is one thing I don't understand..."

"What would that be?" The first words that had left James' mouth since Connor was shot.

"Welp, see for yourselves." Tex sighs.

Tex removes Connor's bandages... to reveal already healing wounds?

"That's not possible..." Nick shakes his head. "Even with all the proper medications and drugs, a graze wound would take 5 to 15 days to heal, and seeing as the master has what four? It would take a little over a month!"

"Eloise," Grey starts, "is it possible that the stone you have has sort of healing power?"

"What are you trying to ask me?" Eloise asks.

"I'm asking if you healed Connor with that stone. You were the first one to go after the Reed brothers, and you told us James passed out from shock..." Grey trailed off.

"Are you implying that I knocked out my partner only to heal his brother?"

"I did pass out from shock, Grey." James admits. "I didn't see Eloise until I came to and Tex was patching up Connor."

"Don't jump to conclusions, Grey." Ace hisses.

"Even if the stone could do such a thing," Eloise continues, "I would have used it to heal Connor completely, not just partially."

"Right," Grey gives a subtle nod, "but what exactly can the stones-"

A low moan from Connor cuts Grey off. We all go still and silent, though James shoots to his feet, his eyes wide, a sliver of hope shining through them.

That's when Connor's eyes start to open.