Chapter 7

" Where the hell are you?" Adam tried to reply but the guy on the other side of the phone kept shouting, "Why, for God's sake, would you carry phones around if you don't even answer them when you need to ?" He wanted to say more, but Adam's cry stopped him." All right, Allan, I got it. Just tell me, what is it? " Adam's mind was about to go wild, Allan never calls, hardly ever answering the phone whenever he or Sam call to check on him. This is why Adam ignored his meeting and answered the phone the minute Allan's name lightened his phone screen. Anna's previous calls and all worst-case scenarios played in his mind, and he felt his heart tighten with each word Allan said. " Alex was shot, he is alive, but still unconscious in the ICR. Adam, who was already running down the stairs toward the garage where his car was parked, asked out of breath. " Anna? " Allan sighed."I am not sure. She kept it together till like an hour ago. She fainted, the doctor said it was caused by the stress and she barely ate all day, they gave her something for that, she is asleep for now...." Adam could feel that there was something else, so he encouraged Allan to keep talking "and ?? What is it, Allan? "There are some detectives here. They're hanging around here one after the other, " Allan added, but only to confuse Adam more." So what? There's been a shooting, they are doing their job? Aren't they? " However, Allan's next words made him lose control of the vehicle." they are here for Anna, not for A, his orders they said, he asked for her to be guarded " Allan's heart skipped a bit when he heard the brakes and then a long heavy minute of silence cut off by his shaken voice "Adam, still there?" Adam, who pulled aside, finally answered," I am heading toward the airport. I'll be there soon, just stay by her side till then, OK?" Allan sighed in relief and said," Sure, no need to ask, though, she is getting suspicious about why am I hanging around her like that" he hung up the phone without hearing Adam's reply. He turned to look at sleeping Anna, he got closer to her and bent to kiss her forehead before he left.

Sam was deep in his sleep when the sound of the slammed door freaked him out to wake up on the floor. He rose his angry face to Adam's pale one. He automatically jumped up, questioning, " What? What's wrong? " Adam finished texting something on his phone and threw to Sam his phone, he added " Allan called, Alex was shot, Anna needs us " Sam caught his phone and checked it to find a dozen calls from Anna and another dozen from Allan." do me a favor and get Michael after his game is finished, I've already booked a flight, I'll go first" Adam interrupted Sam attempt to figure out what he is saying " is Alex alive?" Sam finally asked. "yes, fortunately, he is, pull yourself together and don't forget about Micheal " Adam said leaving the room and the hospital towards the airport.

Back at the hospital, Anna was already awakened, trying to leave her bed to see her dear brother, " if he is stable why am I not allowed to see him?" She was angrily questioning Liz, who was trying to keep her in bed "You need rest, those are the doctor's orders" Anna pushed her away and sarcastically said while leaving the room "Since you've been working with Alex for a while now, as you said, you should know that we Nilsons don't really follow what the doctors say, it is genetic I guess" Anna headed to the ICU where Allan was waiting, " I started to worry that you couldn't go through that agent" he joked in an attempt to chill, but Anna as usual just rolled her eyes on him and try to pass him to get in. Only for her to stop when he continued "This nurse will help you get ready, and walk you to see him". Anna looked back at him, she wanted to ask him why exactly he was there. how come he could simply arrange for her to see Alex? By what right? But she swallowed all her questions when the nurse gently touched her arm and pulled her to follow her inside.

"Finally," Anna thought the moment she stepped into Alex's room. Her heart felt cold at his sight, he was lying on that patient's bed calm and unmoved but mostly wounded. She took a sit on his side, caught his hand in hers, and with a shaken voice she said " Hi there dear brother, I am here... She wiped a tear and took a deep breath " Your friends here said that you wanted me to be here, so... Dear brother you know how much you mean to me, so please don't give up on me" she said her last few words crying." I am freaking out at the idea of losing you, please dear brother don't go, I can't take it, I won't, I've no idea how." Her tears were running down her face out of her control, Alex was her way out after her and her mom's accident. She managed to start over in a new place with new people, cause he was with her, he supported and loved her unconditionally, and he gave her her life back. After calming down a bit, driven by her unshaken belief that he could hear her, Anna tried to be more optimistic in her conversation with him and kept telling him about all the things she still wanted to do along with him, like finding him a bride, training, visiting some famous places...She kept talking till she got tired and somehow fell asleep. She woke up to the sound of steps next to Alex's bed, Anna opened her eyes slowly to see a man in hospital clothes getting close to Alex, getting something out of his pocket, something that she recognized as a syringe, and despite the bad feeling and fear that crossed her she somehow managed to ask " isn't early for another one, your colleague was just here, and gave him one?" The confused and surprised man dropped his hand before the syringe reached the IV bag, and replied in a suspicious voice " I know but this is the doctor's decision" The stress showed all over the man's face, the sweat showed on his forehead and both his shaken hand and voice were like an alert that made Anna fully awake, and in a sharp closer look Anna noticed clear parts of tattoos around his wrist and neck, the sight gave her a chill all over her body, and along ago forgotten terror made her jump up and cried " wait..." the man noticed her reaction and she could see that he was suspicious so she stepped closer to him reached to the small board hung on the end of the bed in a desperate to attempt to distract him she pretended to give it to him saying " you probably need to check his report " the man looked at her for a second before answering " no need, my instructions are clear" the words made Anna shiver and with no previous planning, in a second, like her body was acting by his own will, she thrown the board on the man's face.