Chapter 166

Cara’s POV

I blinked my eyes open, still expecting to be in Mia’s hospital room held by Alaric. I was surprised to find that I was somewhere else. No, just somewhere else, but in my own hospital bed…

“What happened?” I asked groggily, not anticipating a response.

Even so, I received one.

“You passed out,” said a familiar voice from my bedside. “The Healers suspect you might have exhaustion.”

For a moment, I believed I was dreaming because that was the only way for that voice to be here right now. Ruby was a thousand miles away, focusing on her medical training. There was no way she could be here, and yet…

I blinked a few more times, trying to clear any sleep from my eyes as I turned my head to look at her.

Yes, there was Ruby, standing beside my bed, looking at me with concern in her eyes.

“Am I awake?” I asked.

“You are.”

“You’re here.” I still didn’t believe it.

“I am,” she said smiling.

I was feeling better after resting so I pushed myself upright, then held my arms out for her. Immediately, she understood, as best friends so often did, and leaned in to hug me tightly.

“Ruby, it’s been too long,” I said, tears welling in my eyes.

How much I had missed her! In all my dark moments over the past several months, I had missed the care and support of my best friend. Her presence could have made everything so much more manageable. And while we had talked on the phone, it was nothing compared to having her here with me in person.

“Far too long,” she agreed.

In the wake of the sheer joy and relief of seeing her again came some confusion. Pulling back, I looked up into her face. “I’m happy to see you, but what are you doing here?”

“Your brothers called us,” Ruby said. “We heard about Mia, and came to help. We’ve made a lot of progress in our research, and while we don’t have all the answers yet, we’re closer than we’ve ever been before.”

I narrowed my eyes, just a little. “You said ‘we.’”

“I did,” she admitted, glancing away.

“Who is we?” When she didn’t answer right away, I pressed. “Ruby.”

“We brought back one of our most skilled colleagues, Grayson. He is a Healer with a ton of experience and has really been vital to our research,” she said.

She was still saying we.

“It’s not just Grayson,” I said.

With a small sigh, she said, “It’s not.”

“Who else is here?” I asked.

She worried her bottom lip, hesitating in her answer. That hesitation told me all I needed to know.

“Richard,” I said.

There had been so many mistakes made in the past, perhaps it was wrong of me to hold a grudge against someone who had only attempted to hurt me because he was under false pretenses. Yet, at the same time, it was difficult to trust someone again who had allowed themselves to be so easily manipulated by Lilia into hurting someone else.

My brothers were protective and I loved them for it. But I had always been clear that they shouldn’t just hurt people needlessly, all because they suspected those individuals might be doing me harm.

This mindset, this insistence, was likely my leftover mindset from being hurt in the past.

Ruby didn’t deny it when I said my estranged brother’s name.

“Since he discovered Mia’s health issues, he’s been working hard to find a cure for her,” Ruby said. “Harder than anyone else I had ever seen. He’s like a man possessed.”

“He can’t be here,” I said, caught somewhere between dread and disbelief. “You brought him here?”

“Well, he brought me,” Ruby admitted. “He was the one your brothers called.”

I kicked my legs out from under the blankets, eager to stand. “Where is he? Is he with Mia?” I couldn’t allow that. I had to get there.

Over the years, Richard had tried to convince me that he was apologetic, sending occasional letters. But I never responded.

I knew he had been deceived misled by Lilia. But it was still difficult for me to forgive, even if he was my brother.

He had stayed away out of respect for me and my family, but now…?

I had to get to Mia, to watch Richard closely. What if he was still in contact with Lilia? What if he was being deceived somehow again? What if he hurt Mia this time?

“You need to stay in bed, Cara,” Ruby said. “You aren’t well either.”

“I’m going to be at my daughter’s side,” I said. How could Alaric allow this? Even if it had been my brothers who conspired to bring Richard back, Alaric was here now at the hospital, wasn’t he? Surely he would have moved to protect our daughter.

“Cara, please listen to me.”

For her sake, I did pause as I was standing. My legs still felt weak. I needed a moment anyway for the blood flow to return to normal within them.

Ruby came around the bed to stand in front of me. I could see the earnestness in her eyes. I knew how much she cared for me and the kids. She wouldn’t purposefully go along with anyone or anything that meant us harm.

“He is trustworthy no,” she said. “I promise you this, on my life. He only wants to help Mia, and he has the means and the skills to do so. He’s been studying. He’s been working hard. He wants to make things right, but more so he just wants to do his duty as a Healer and cure your daughter.”

Ruby was my most trusted friend. I would put my life in her hands, and I always knew she had my back.

But there was a difference between trusting someone with my life and trusting them with my daughter’s.

At Ruby’s insistence, maybe I could give Richard a chance, but that didn’t mean I was going to trust him implicitly. That kind of trust had to be earned with time and effort.

And I needed to be in the room to see it happen.

“Even if Richard was a stranger, I’d want to be in the room,” I said. “That he is who he is may make it more desperate.” When I saw her mouth start to open, likely to argue with me, I shook my head. “He can treat her, but I want others there. Including you. And me.”

I still didn’t fully trust my legs but I still forced myself upright, drawing strength from my willpower as a mother.

Fortunately, I hadn’t been passed out long enough or my condition wasn’t serious enough for the hospital staff to change me out of my regular clothes. I could walk around the hospital without drawing any attention.

Ruby stayed close, arms out like she half-expected me to fall. Honestly, I was grateful for the support, because I certainly felt like I might fall at any moment.

“I did miss you,” Ruby said, as we went to the door.

“I missed you too,” I told her, though I wished our reunion had come at a happier time.

Lately, those happy times seemed so far and few in between.

Maybe Ruby’s presence was a good omen. Perhaps they would find a cure for Mia and turn everything around.

The future was uncertain but not bleak. I just had to think positively.