Page 121 of Sticks and Stones (Shadow Valley U)

I can’t keep up with the pain. My head. My stomach. I hold onto her shirt. But I can’t hold onto consciousness.

CHAPTER41

WREN

Everything hurts.

Especially my head when I think too hard about the beeping noise in the background.

I think of Stone.

Beep.

I think of my father.

Beep.

I think of Kerrigan and his disgusting sniffs.

Beep.

I think of the equations I did and what happened after.

My eyes open, and I blink rapidly, trying to adjust to the stark whiteness of the room. Mouthfuls of air do nothing to relax my lungs as they scream in agony with anxiety.

It’s going to be okay.

“Oh! You’re awake.” A pretty nurse flies in the room in blue scrubs.

I squint, trying to piece together how I got here.

My head cranes to the IV pole near my bed, and I follow the clear tube all the way to the crook of my elbow.

“Where—” My voice is more of a creak. “Where is Stone?” Pain scratches at my throat, and I don’t sound like myself.

Her nose scrunches, even though she’s busying herself with the bag of liquid draining into my arm. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I can’t give you any information on anyone who isn’t a family member.”

That’s absurd.

I want to yell at her and plead my case on why I deserve to know where he is, or if he’s okay, but I’m too afraid I’ll taste blood in my throat.

“Is he okay?” I whisper, refusing to give up.

There’s a knock on the door, and I sit up, wincing at the pain radiating through my skull.

“Can we have a minute?” A man wearing a shiny badge with a gun strapped to his side slips in the room.

The nurse nods once before checking my IV site.

Her whisper is hardly audible, but I hear her.

“He’s in surgery.”

Surgery?

The beeping ramps up, causing the law enforcement to shift his attention to the heart monitor.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He tries to reassure me and takes a seat in the only available chair. “You’re not in trouble.”