Chapter 302 - 295.

Emilia saw him when he came out of Kylie’s room.

He had been inside for only a few minutes, but his eyes were red, and his face looked as though he had aged several years since she had last seen him.

She stood immediately. "How is she?"

"Stable."

He looked at the floor. "She’s stable. The nurse said they’ll keep monitoring her."

Emilia nodded, pressing her fingers to her lips. "Can I see her?"

"They’ll let you in for a few minutes."

She turned toward the door. Then she stopped. "Christian?"

He looked at her.

"Thank you."

He frowned faintly. "For what?"

"For going after her."

Christian’s expression tightened.

"I should have found her sooner."

"You went after her."

"I should have—"

"Christian."

He stopped.

Emilia stepped closer.

"I know you’re going to spend the next few days thinking about every possible thing you could have done differently. I know you’re going to blame yourself for things that weren’t your fault. And I know that telling you to stop won’t make you stop."

She paused.

"But you went after her."

His jaw flexed.

"You didn’t send someone else to do it. You went yourself. You got her off that ship. You stayed with her when she was bleeding. And you brought her here."

Emilia’s eyes filled again.

"She is alive, Christian."

He looked away. "Because the doctors did their jobs."

"Yes. They did." Emilia nodded. "And because you got her to them."

For a moment, Christian didn’t respond.

Then he gave a small nod.

Emilia reached for his arm. "Go and clean yourself up. Please. You don’t have to sit in that shirt all night."

He looked down at the dried blood.

For the first time, he seemed to notice how much of it there was.

"I’ll change later."

Emilia withdrew her hand.

She looked at him for a moment. Then she nodded. "Okay."

Christian exhaled slowly. "Go see her." He stepped aside. "Tell her I’m waiting."

Emilia gave a watery laugh. "Go and see Adrian."

His mouth twitched. He nodded. "I’ll also change."

She gave him a proud smile, turned and went into Kylie’s room.

Christian watched the door close behind her. Then he looked toward Adrian’s room. He hadn’t forgotten. He couldn’t.

.......

Adrian’s room was next door.

Christian found Selena sitting beside his bed when he entered.

The lights were dimmed, and the steady hum of medical equipment filled the room. Adrian lay motionless beneath the white hospital blanket, an intravenous line attached to his arm and a dressing covering part of his shoulder.

His face was bruised.

There was a faint swelling near his temple, and a cut had been closed above his eyebrow.

He looked pale.

Christian stood at the doorway for a moment.

"Any change?"

Selena looked up. "Not yet."

Her voice was quiet.

"The doctors say his condition is stable. They want to keep him under observation."

Christian nodded. "Have they said when he’ll wake up?"

"They can’t give me a time."

He looked at Adrian.

Christian had often teased him about it.

He had once told Adrian that he could probably maintain a straight face during the end of the world.

Adrian had replied that someone would have to organise the evacuation.

Christian had laughed for a full minute. Now, he would have given anything to hear that dry response again.

He moved closer to the bed.

"You’re making a habit of this," he murmured.

Selena glanced at him.

Christian looked down at Adrian.

He paused. "You know, if you wanted attention, there were easier ways to get it."

Christian let out a breath. "Come on, Ashford."

He stood beside the bed for a moment longer.

Then he looked at Selena. "Emilia is with Kylie."

Selena’s expression softened.

"The operation was successful. She’s stable."

Selena closed her eyes. A quiet breath left her.

Christian nodded. "She’s still unconscious, but the doctor is cautiously optimistic."

Selena pressed her fingers to her lips. "Emilia must be relieved."

"She’s still terrified."

Selena opened her eyes.

Christian glanced toward Adrian. "So am I."

Selena looked at him for a long moment. Then she reached for his hand. "You’re allowed to be."

He looked at her. "Simve be’s stable, we can’t tell his mum amd sister. She’s undergoing treatment for cancer. And his sister loves him too much not to drag her mum down here the moment we tell her about it."

Selena squeezed his hand. "I understad."

Christian glanced at Adrian. "Adrian would have to wake up amd tell them himself."

Selena smiled, but it faded quickly.

She looked at Adrian.

"I spent years believing that if I loved my daughter enough, I could protect her from everything. I thought that if I was careful enough, if I made the right decisions, if I watched the people around her closely enough, I could stop the world from hurting her."

Her voice trembled. "I was wrong."

Christian remained quiet.

Selena looked at him.

"We can love people. We can stand beside them. We can do everything in our power to keep them safe. But we cannot make every decision for them, and we cannot guarantee that nothing terrible will ever happen to them."

She glanced toward the door.

"Sometimes, all we can do is be there when they need us."

Christian looked down at Adrian. "That’s not enough."

"No," Selena agreed softly. "Sometimes it doesn’t feel like enough."

She turned back to him. "But it matters."

Christian didn’t answer. He looked at Adrian again. "Wake up, you stubborn bastard."

Selena laughed softly through her tears.

Christian gave Adrian’s shoulder a careful squeeze, avoiding the injured area. "Emilia is waiting for you."

His voice lowered.

"And I don’t think you want to make her wait any longer."

Adrian didn’t move.

Christian stayed another minute. Then he looked at Selena. "Call me if anything changes."

"I will."

"Go and take a bath Christain." Mrs. Hayes urged, staring at the blood on him.

He nodded and left the room to the bathroom.