Poseidon

four

The last thing that crossed Theo's mind before what felt like the end was Ryan. In all her frustration she couldn't help but think of him in her final moments of consciousness. From the comfort of his worried eyes to the gentle hand that caressed her messy wound. Like a virus, he singlehandedly infiltrated every inch of her mind and she'd be lying if she said she didn't like it. It made no sense, but it just felt right. 

Which is why waking up in her bedroom wrapped in her best blanket felt the furthest from okay. 

"Theo!" A sudden voice spoke from the doorway. 

She welcomed the sight of her frantic friend bursting into her room.

"What happened?" Theo asked.

With the little strength she had so far, she pushed herself up against the headboard as Alex rushed to her side. She gently took her hand in hers but from the look of her face, Alex was far from happy to see her. For the first time,  Theo saw a vulnerability in her eyes that almost broke her. She'd never seen Alex so down. 

"I thought I'd lost you. There was so much blood and you wouldn't open your eyes and I was so scared." Alex began.

"All I remember is getting to the restaurant and somehow winding up in Ryan's arms. Everything else feels like some distant dream I can't recollect."

"Someone attacked you guys last night. Poseidon had to heal your wound and you lost so much blood we weren't sure you'd ever wake up. While we waited, I just couldn't sit still. "

"We?"

"He never left your side last night.  I was surprised to see him stay. He's a difficult man to read so I mainly stayed out of his way while he watched over you. He was like a statuesque watchdog."

"Wow. Where is he now?"

"Making his rounds and doubling down on the investigation. It's normal for him to be attacked since he's a powerful figure, but it's strange that someone would go so far as to harm you as well."

"I know. All these years I've done nothing but spread the truth, maybe it came back to bite me in the ass. I just never expected it to be so severe."

"You okay?"

"I think so. For now, I'm just in shock. Everything happened so fast.  One minute we were standing there in the middle of yet another argument, then I was lying there bleeding out. It was terrifying. The only reason I'm not crying is that I can barely believe it happened."

"Joan called and wanted to let you know to take off all the time you need. Actually, she said you don't have a choice."

"What about the article?"

"She assigned someone to take over in your absence. When you're ready, the job is still yours but you'll have an extra hand."

"Did she say who?"

"I believe she hired a freelance writer. Some guy named Michael. Rachel will email his information to keep in touch while you're resting."

She didn't feel like resting when it felt like she was never harmed in the first place. When she ran a hand over her side she felt not a thing out of place. If anything, she felt better than ever despite still grappling with the shock of it all.

"Do I really need to? I feel great. It's like nothing ever happened."

"At least take a few days off for me. I'd feel much better if you just relaxed for a while. The article will still be there, the world will still revolve if you just took a break. Or are you just gonna be missing a certain someone?"