The flickering of the lamp from the living room was only the most recent oddity of the night. Dillon frowned as his hand hovered over the ignition of the car, before thinking better of shutting it off. "Stay here. I'll come back out or call you in a bit… Something feels off…"
Sabastian nodded nervously from the passenger seat, his eyes trained on the flickering light in the window as well.
Dillon snatched his phone from the console and pushed open his door with uneasy rigidity. Nothing about today had gone well. First, none of the other security staff or officers seemed to know the officer who had been sent to their room to investigate the tracker. The bastard had even been smart enough to avoid the hotel cameras when coming to and from the room… but why? He'd tried getting ahold of Rin multiple times, but Rin had ignored or rejected the calls… probably because he and Rory were either fighting or fucking… Dillon rolled his eyes as he made his way across the driveway. But something else stood out in his mind… There had been a black sedan parked less than a mile from the main gates of the property. There was no way someone would have come this far and broken down… right? There aren't any other properties out here other than Rin's… Dillon lumbered up the steps, his feet feeling heavier than normal for some unexplainable reason. A sudden wave of hesitation rattled his body as his hand froze over the knob. His hand shook as he moved to turn it, but he couldn't explain the apprehension he felt coursing through his entire body. He clasped his wrist with his other hand, forcing his hand to steal as he turned the knob, but his apprehension didn't ease… no… it only grew.
Dillon's eyes widened, and his feet involuntarily made haste backward away from the scene that greeted him. His trembling hands clamped over his mouth, forcing down the bile that threatened to rise and spill out as his wide eyes moved over the gruesome front entryway floor. He heard the door to the car open and quickly snapped around to face Sebastian. He held his hand up to halt Sabastian from coming forward. "Stay there! Get back in the car and call 911!"
Sabastian stared up at Dillon's face, now completely depleted of all color. He forced himself to nod before crawling back into the car and doing as he was told.
Dillon watched the glow of the cell phone light Sabastian's face through the dark car window briefly before forcing down the bile that had risen in his throat once more, his mind going back to what had greeted him just past the door. He clasped the front of his sweater tightly as he turned back toward the open entry and stepped inside. His heart thudded against his chest as his brain worked overtime to assess the situation. A puddle of blood continued to grow, but who exactly was it coming from? His eyes moved over all three bodies covered in and surrounded by the thick crimson liquid. He swallowed hard as he forced his feet into the liquid. There's no way this is from one person… Dillon's eyes scanned Rory, who leaned against the wall, covered in blood, gripping a broken shard of a vase in his hand. Rory's eyes were open but stared out into the room without blinking. Dillon waved his quaking hand in front of Rory's face, but there was still no reaction. He could feel hot tears build in his eyes as he lowered his hand to Rory's throat. Before he had the chance to fill for a pulse, Rory gasped and caught his wrist with a blood-covered hand. Dillon let out a yelp as he stumbled back onto his ass. His wide eyes stared up at Rory, but it was obvious he was in severe shock. Dillon's gaze moved to the bodies he'd fallen against. An unmoving, massive body lay atop a familiar frame. He quickly stumbled to his knees and shoved the huge man aside. "Rin!" Dillon's eyes scanned Rin's body and quickly clasped his stomach as the bile filled his mouth once again. He choked it down, gagging on the putrid taste as his eyes froze on Rin's lower half. "Oh fuck, man. What did this bastard do to you?!" He bit back his own anger and frustration at not being there for either of them as he pressed one trembling hand against the oozing wound in Rin's shoulder and pressed the other against Rin's throat to check for a pulse. His vision blurred with tears. Though weak, there was still a pulse. "Thank fuck, man… You can't fucking leave me like this, dude! You hear me!" He'd lost track of time when he finally heard sirens. Shortly after, flashing lights lit up the driveway. Dillon lifted his head for the first time since he'd found Rin's body to see Sabastian huddled by the front door, his phone clung to his chest, and his face streaked with tears. Of course, he hadn't listened…
**
The waiting room was silent. Sabastian had cried himself to sleep over an hour ago. Dillon continued to watch as Mandy paced back and forth in the tiny room like a caged animal. "You know, pacing isn't going to speed up anything. You might as well come have a seat if you won't go home." He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "It's already nearly 4 am."
Mandy wrung her hands out as she temporarily paused. She chewed her lower lip. "I know… but I'm worried… plus you know Rodric will want a full report as soon as anything is known…"
Dillon nodded. "Don't worry Mandy, I'll call as soon as I know something. Go home to your family and get some rest."
Mandy frowned as she shot the clock a wary glance. "I'll give it another thirty minutes… I'm sure we should at least know something about Rin's condition by then, right?"
Dillon leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. "Let's hope so…"
Time seemed to creep by slower than molasses in winter as they continued to await news in the stifling waiting room. Dillon's heart jumped with expectation any time someone new would emerge through the doors leading into the emergency department. When a disgruntled nurse hurried out searching their face,s his eager expression quickly faded. "Wha… what is it?"
The nurse seemed to hesitate as her gaze trained on him. "Are you Mr. Harting's guardian?" Her eyes moved from him to the document in her hand, then back up hesitantly.
Dillon shot to his feet. "Yes. What's happened? Is everything alright? What about Rin? The other person that was brought in with him?"
The nurse fiddled with the paper as she quickly spun on her heels. "Please follow me this way, Sir." She waited until the doors leading into the emergency department had securely closed behind them before she began to speak again. "I apologize for the delay of information, but I wasn't at liberty to discuss the patient's condition in the waiting area." She sent him a troubled look as she hurried forward. "Mr. Hartings has come out of the catatonic state he was in when he got here but has now become hysterical. We've given him a mild sedative, but we'll have to administer something stronger if you're unable to calm him down."
"Me? Calm him down?" Dillon stammered as he followed closely behind.
"Well, yes. We're hoping that a familiar face will help ease him some. It may also help if you could provide other contact information for a more direct relative…" Her eyes scanned him quizzically.
Dillon nodded. "His mom, but she lives a few hours away…" His words trailed off as a shrill voice echoed down the hallway, a voice even in its current condition he was able to recognize. He quickly pushed past the nurse and raced forward, following the cries to the closed room at the end. His heart dropped as he shoved the door open. He stood frozen in the doorway, unfamiliar moisture blurring his eyes.
"We don't typically restrain patients, but we had to with him. He wouldn't stop ripping out the IV and trying to run from the room to find the other patient that was brought in." The nurse tried to explain as she stepped around Dillon's wide frame. "Mr. Hartings, your guardian is here to see you. Will you calm down so we can remove the restraints?"
Rory's wailing subsided as his red, swollen eyes turned toward the door. As soon as he realized it was Dillon instead of Rin, the crying resumed along with intangible mutterings.
"You really must calm down, Mr. Hartings."
Dillon forced down the suffocating lump that blocked his throat as he rapidly closed the distance between the door and the bed. He watched the nurse work the restraints free from the side she was on and quickly mirrored them on his side. The second Rory was free, he pulled him into his arms. He brushed the tear-dampened, blood-crusted, blond hair away from Rory's brow, replacing it with his lips. He whispered as soothingly as his wrecked nerves would allow. "Shh… It's alright. I have you… You're alright now. Everything's alright… calm down… just calm down…"
"It's not! It's not alright! It's all my fault! I did this! Rin! Rin…" Rory tangled his fingers into the front of Dillon's shirt and fisted them there. His tears came so heavily that it didn't take long to completely saturate the thin material.
"Shh… No, it's not your fault." Dillon slid onto the bed and pulled Rory into his lap. When the nurse lifted the controller for the bed, Dillon nodded. He braced Rory against him as the head of the bed lifted to meet his back. He leaned back, cradling Rory against his chest as he rocked him gently, still muttering softly against the crown of his head. "Shh, shh…."
"It is my fault. I put you all in danger. I knew when I ran it would only be a matter of time before he found me… and now Rin… Oh god, Rin…" Rory burst out into intangible sobs once again.
Dillon lifted his gaze to the nurse. "Is there any word on Rin? If you look at the charts, I'm Rin's emergency contact as well."
The nurse furrowed her brows but didn't dispute his words. "Miss Perish is out of surgery. The bullet grazed her left lung, but the operation was successful…" The nurse hesitated, a darkness settling over her expression. "There was extensive… damage to her… her lower region that required sutures. She is still under heavy sedation and will most likely remain so for the next few days as the team monitors her condition."
Dillon's throat tightened, leaving him unable to reply. He held Rory more snuggly against him as Rory's anguished sobs intensified at the news.
The nurse forced a half-hearted smile as she quickly added. "As soon as Mr. Hartings is stable, however, we can begin to process his paperwork and have him released. Aside from the lacerations to his hands, though deep, and some minor bruising, he didn't sustain any other wounds."
"Did you hear that? Would you like to go home, Rory?" Dillon's words broke as he choked out the question.
"I can't go back to that place!" Rory Wailed.
"Shh. I know. We'll go back to my place. How bout that?" Dillon whispered softly as he wiped away the tears flooding Rory's eyes.
"We can't leave Rin…" His teary eyes pleaded with Dillon as he clung desperately to the front of Dillon's now soggy shirt.
It broke Dillon's heart to see him like this, to have to be the one to look into those pleading aqua eyes and say no… but he had no other choice. "You want Rin to get better, right? We have to let Rin stay here and get better. We can come back in the morning." He nodded toward the nurse. "And I promise if anything else happens before then, the nice nurse here will call us and let us know. Right?" He asked, moving his attention back to her.
The nurse quickly nodded her agreement as she stared awkwardly back at the pair. "You are the emergency contact after all…"
Dillon forced a reassuring smile. "See?" He pressed his lips against Rory's forehead. "What do you say?"
Rory clung tighter to Dillon. "Can… can we see Rin first?"
Dillon sent the nurse a questioning look, but felt his lungs and heart deflate when the nurse shook her head. "No, baby, we can't… Rin needs his rest tonight… and so do you…"
Rory clasped the hands that cupped the sides of his face as he begged body and soul with Dillon. "Can't we at least look in on him through a window or something? I have to see with my own eyes that he's alright. Please!"
Dillon pulled Rory tightly against his chest, tucking Rory's head under his chin as his own tears threatened to fall. "No, baby… not tonight. I promise first thing in the morning… during visiting hours. We'll be the first people through the doors. Let's go home and rest first."