~~PEYTON~~
Kira’s eyes lock onto mine.
Her usually perfect hair is a little messy, some strands clinging to her face.
She’s wearing a crumpled blouse, definitely thrown on in a rush.
For a moment, she just stands there, her chest heaving, like she’s just run a marathon.
“I just heard,” she says.
“I came as fast as I could. Oh, Odin. How is he?”
Axel and Raphael, who’d both turned when she burst in, flash glances at me.
“Who is she?” Axel is the first to speak.
“Odin’s girlfriend obviously.” Raphael chimes in casually, and that’s when Kira finally notices the two perched at the bench.
Her eyes linger on them for a minute too long, then they move from Axel and just stick on Raphael.
She’s totally checking him out, her gaze sweeping over him from his head to his shoe.
It’s looking quite expensive by the way.
I watch the look on her face.
She’s squinting.
Biting her lips.
As if she’s instantly impressed, a clear look of admiration, almost awe.
It’s like her brain just screams, Who is this hot guy?
Is she marking her next target?
Oh, this should be good.
Rap is unhinged hope she can handle crazy.
Raphael, feeling her stare, shifts uncomfortably, then narrows his eyes at her.
He’s not used to being ogled, especially not by Odin’s alleged girlfriend.
“He-llo-o Odin condition.” I snap Kira out of her momentary daze, and she finally focuses.
“Right.
Is he…
is he going to be okay?”
”He’s…
stable, .
But it’s serious.
He has several broken ribs and significant bruising.” Axel replies.
Thankfully.
“But the head injury is the main—”
Just then, a doctor comes out of PACU.
He’s a tall, weary-looking man with kind but tired eyes.
Our small group immediately rushes him.
“Family of Odin Thorne?” he asks, his voice low
Axel steps forward.
“Yes, we are.
“She’s his colleague, Kira.”
Kira grimace.
“Colleague?”
”Shhh.” I hiss elbowing her sharply in the side.
My eyes fix on the doctor.
The doctor nods slowly, taking us all in.
“Mr. Thorne is stable, his vitals are holding steady, which is good news..
However,” he continues, and the air immediately tenses again, “he sustained a severe head injury.
We’ve managed the immediate swelling, but he’s in a medically induced coma to allow his brain to heal.
It could be days, weeks…
possibly longer, before he wakes up.”
My stomach drops further.
A coma.
Not just unconscious.
A coma.
The phrase hangs in the air.
Kira lets out a soft sob, covering her mouth with her hand.
Axel’s shoulders slump.
But Raphael?
Raphael is as stoic, as ever.
“We’ll continue to monitor him closely,” the doctor adds.
“For now, he needs rest. We’re moving him to the ICU shortly.” He offers us a small, sympathetic smile.
“You can see him briefly once he’s settled in the ICU. We’ll let you know when.”
With that, he turns and disappears back into the bay.
Silence falls again, heavier this time.
The brief relief of “stable” has been crushed by the reality of “coma.” Weeks.
Possibly longer.
The thought is staggering.
What does that even mean for…
everything?
For Odin, for his company, for me?
God!
For me.
Well, the house will be quiet, which is a good thing.
But I’ll have to find a way to access Odin’s funds for the piling bills that will soon come due.
And guess what?
I don’t have the password to his online banking, and I can’t find his debit card.
Screw me.
I glance at Axel.
He’s rubbing his temples, his jaw tight.
Raphael is staring at the floor again, his foot tapping a nervous rhythm.
Kira is openly weeping now, leaning against the wall, her shoulders shaking.
What an actress.
She should get a degree.
“ICU,” Axel murmurs, almost to himself.
“This is going to be a long road.” He looks at me, a deep concern etch on his face.
“Peyton, are you really okay? You look like you’re about to pass out.”
I’m not sure if I am okay.
The initial adrenaline has worn off, leaving me feeling hollowed out and strangely numb.
The chaos of my life hasn’t just paused; it’s taken a sudden, violent swerve into a ditch.
My breathing is ragged now, and I don’t know why, but I’m smiling a nervous smile that makes me look like a joker.
“Peyton?” Axel’s voice comes again.
My heart is slamming in my ribs so loudly that I can hear it pulsating.
Oh my God, I’m having a panic attack.
“Peyton!” Axel’s voice is sharp as he shakes the life out of me.
“Are you still with us you like you zoned out.”
I manage a nod.
“I’ll be fine. I just… It’s a lot to take in.” My mind is already racing, and it’s not really for Odin, but about the practicalities.
Money.
Bills.
.
This is a financial and logistical nightmare waiting to unfold.
“I need some air,” Raphael announces suddenly, his voice gruff.
He pushes off the bench, his gaze still avoiding ours, and walks towards the exit without another word.
The door swishes shut behind him, leaving the three of us in the strained silence.
Kira watches him go, a strange, calculating expression on her face, almost as if she’s already forgotten her tears.
And then there’s me.
Stewing in my own mess.
Axel’s eyes are still on me, softening with concern.
“You look like you need a drink, Peyton.
A cold one, or would you prefer hot?”
”Yeah, I think I need a coffee,” I say.
“I would’ve preferred alcohol, but acute gastritis won’t let me.”
The truth is, coffee probably isn’t ideal either with gastritis, but right now, the thought of caffeine is the only thing keeping my head from spinning completely off my shoulders.
Axel nods, putting his phone away.
“We’ll be right back,” he says to Kira, who just gives a distracted nod, still staring at the door Raphael exited through.
Axel gently takes my arm, leading me away from the hushed waiting room, and towards the distant scent of hospital coffee.
Guess I really have to sell my Lamborghini.