Free The Arrangement 16 by H.M. Ward

Chapter 1
    As I pace back and forth, I wrap my arms tightly around my middle, covering the tear in my bloody bodysuit. The stupid stage costume is still clinging to me and I shiver, but not because of the temperature. It’s Sean.  
    Since I arrived at the hospital, I’ve been stuck in the emergency waiting room. It’s packed with people; some are press, trying to find out what happened. Hospital security tossed out anyone that shouldn’t be here. I’m covered in blood and it’s obvious I was with Sean, so they’ve let me stay, but the hospital staff won’t let me see him. Since I’m not his next of kin, they won’t tell me crap either. The only thing I know is he was rushed into surgery. I overheard the paramedic say Sean might bleed to death before he even got here. If I’d kept his ring, maybe they would take pity on me. Right now, I look like a crazy clown. My stage makeup is smeared all over my face from wiping away too many tears.
    Pacing the floor, I stare into space. My mind is in overload. What I saw cannot be, but I won’t allow myself to think about that, not now. There are more pressing matters at hand, more gut wrenching horrors that I may have to face.  
    Death cannot visit me again, not today. I can’t lose Sean. I couldn’t bear it.  
    After all this time, I wasn’t certain how I felt about him—about his good and his bad, about the light and the darkness within this man. But now that Sean’s time has been cut short, I know exactly how I feel. It’s not fair. Some people my age haven’t lost a single person and I’m losing everyone I love. My throat tightens at the thought.
    Stop it! I scold myself and try to hold it together . He’s not dead. He’ll survive, Sean’s a fighter, and he will fight. It’s what he does best. That makes me smile a little. Fighting is so Sean.
    There’s a burst of noise and then someone shoves through the doors into the ER. Trystan’s brown hair hangs in his eyes, wet with rain. The pavement behind him glitters as flashes of fire and the press tries to find out if he is also hurt. They hurl questions at him in a barrage. His bodyguards push people back, and then manage to follow him into the room. Trystan scans the space until his eyes land on me. Without a word, he races over and opens his arms.  
    I fall against his chest and sob. Trystan’s arms wrap around my shoulders as he kisses the top of my head. “He’ll be all right.”
    “You don’t know that!” I manage the words between sobs.
    Trystan pulls me back and looks me in the eye. “You’re right. I don’t know shit. I don’t know if he’ll be all right or not, but I do know that you can survive anything, Avery.” When he says my name I feel stronger. The way he looks at me challenges me to collect the strength that is rapidly flowing out of me. I want to crumble in his arms, but I can’t do it, not with him looking at me like I’m a pillar of stone.
    Sean was accused too many times of being nothing but stone. Is that what life does?  
    My throat is so tight that I can barely speak. “People break. They can’t endure something like this alone.”
    “You’re not alone. You’ll never be alone, not as long as I’m around. Do you understand? This isn’t the end.” I can’t look at him anymore. He’s so certain and I’m so scared. My gaze lowers to the floor, but he won’t let it stay there. Trystan takes my face between his palms and lifts until we’re staring at one another. “I know what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling. She’s here and if that happened to her, God—” he presses his eyes closed, blinking hard. “Some people will say they know, but they don’t. The thing is, with us—we’re so alike—he’s your shaft of light in a dark place, he’s the cool breeze in the sweltering heat. I know you. I know what you’ve been through. No matter what happens tonight, I know you can get through this, too. Avery, your story is epic and this isn’t the