Every chair in the room was uncomfortable. Benedict tried every one of them, over and over, hoping for something that wouldn't feel like a torture device. After three days at the hospital, praying Eloise would open her eyes, any chair would have felt like something out of the Inquisition.
Looking at her unmoving face, seeing her vacant eyes — that hurt worse than any physical pain.
Edgar sat near the grimy window, watching him watch Eloise. Benedict knew perfectly well why Logan sent Edgar to babysit him — to make sure Benedict didn't lose his shit if Eloise died, and to put Benedict down if he went rogue. There was no other explanation for Edgar being there.
They remained at the makeshift hospital, which was actually nicer than Benedict expected, because all the staff were shifters or nonhuman of some kind. They didn't ask questions about what she was, although the doctors hemmed and hawed over what could cause that kind of paralysis. They ran test after test after test, and yet found no answers. She wasn't fully stone, but she didn't wake. Didn't blink. Didn't eat or drink. Didn't seem to breathe.
His throat closed if he thought about it too much, so he pushed it away. Got up to pace again before settling on another chair. Rested his elbows on the mattress next to her side and stared at her. Willed her to blink and sit up and laugh at him.
Someone knocked but he didn't move. Edgar got up, nodding gravely as he shook someone's hand. "Harrison. I heard about Cal. Damn shame."
Benedict looked away from Eloise long enough to see Harrison Armstrong, the new heir to the jackal clan, standing in the doorway with a bouquet of flowers. He edged inside and set the flowers on a side table. "Thank you, Edgar."
Dark bruises marked Harrison's eyes, and a purple knot decorated his chin. He stood at the foot of Eloise's bed and studied her. "My brother passed yesterday. The funeral is this weekend. It would be best if the lions did not roam south of the city until Tuesday. While I understand the role Eloise played in discovering who killed Cal, the rest of the clan is not quite to that point."
"Understood," Edgar said. "Thank you for the notice."
The jackal took a deep breath. "And we owe you thanks as well, for allowing us to get a little vengeance for Cal during the confrontation with the hyenas. While I would have liked to kill Val Szdoka myself, that a lion did was sufficient."
"You did okay for yourself," Edgar said, then nodded at the other man. "Since you killed a hyena with your bare hands."
Harrison winced a smile. "Doesn't help any, though." He took a deep breath. "They said she's still stunned. Hasn't woken up yet."
"She will." Benedict rested his chin on the mattress next to her cool hand, playing with her fingers. "She'll wake up."
A long silence stretched behind him, and Benedict wanted to turn and scream at both of them. Doubters. That negativity was why Eloise still slept. He couldn't stand the pity in Edgar's eyes when his brother tried to convince him to go home and sleep or shower or eat. Bullshit. Edgar just wanted to distract him so they could make Eloise disappear. Take her away from him. A growl rumbled in his chest at the thought.
Harrison cleared his throat. "I know where you're at, Benedict. I was there with Cal. I hope she gets better, man, but hope is a dangerous thing. Just — try to tell yourself she might not wake up."
"She'll wake up."
There wasn't any question. Benedict couldn't imagine any other future. She would get better, they would get married and have babies and life would be perfect. His eyes burned and he blinked rapidly to get rid of some moisture so he could see her face again.
The jackal retreated, headed for the door. "I'm sure she will. I'll see you at the council meeting next week, Edgar."
The door shut behind him but Benedict didn't move.
Edgar sat forward, elbows on his knees, and tried to get Benedict's attention. "Ben, you have got to go home. It's been three days. You need to sleep. Shower. Change your clothes. Get some food. Rest. Then you can come back. She'll be fine. We'll stay here with her."
"No." Benedict touched her hand again.
His brother sighed, then shoved to his feet. "Okay. Carter is on his way to sit with you. He's bringing food. If you don't eat something, I'll send Natalia over to force feed you. Got it?"
Benedict didn't blink or acknowledge his brother leaving. He couldn't look away from Eloise. Just in case she opened her eyes. He wanted her to see him when she woke up. Wanted her to know how much he loved her.