Too late

A night not to remember

Jack's pov

We stood there waiting in tension when a woman with brown hair, placed in a tight bun, came running towards us. I saw a guard tense a little, as we didn't know to expect. As she came closer though, it became clear she was a fairy. She was almost next to us when she called out for Tristan.

"Mom, what are doing here?" He asked her, taking her by both elbows and moving her to the side. She was a little out of breath but tried speaking anyway. I started getting a bad feeling. A royal fairy making such a mess of herself usually meant something really bad had happened. Something to someone close to her.

"You mean you haven't heard?" She asked, eyes wide.

"Heard what?" he asked her intensely, as he too sensed something was wrong. I'd never liked Tristan, but a family tragedy was something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

"Rufus called the emergency center. They were attacked in Balton Rouge. They don't have much information on them but by the sounds of it… Oh, Tristan, I am so sorry." She broke down crying, and Tristan's eyes got a distant look as he pulled her closer to him and moved them out of the way, so he could place her on a doorstep to sit down. Then it dawned on me: Tristan's mother had been a Hale before she married into the Arrent line, Alishia had told me once. The Rufus she talked about was probably Rufus Hale, Haley's assignment. Meaning it was Haley who was coming in with injuries bad enough that they had opened the gates. My world came crashing down. No, it couldn't be. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it sounded, maybe it was Rufus who got injured. My mind tried to argue for all kinds of different events, but deep down I knew. I knew that when that car came in I would be facing Haley. And tonight I might lose her. Again.

I looked behind at Alishia to see that she luckily hadn't heard the news yet. I made eye contact with Kian. "Get her away from here!" I yelled to him, and luckily he understood and placed his arms around her to move her away from the scene.

"There they are! Get ready!" The guard in charge ordered as the first headlights came into view. The car soon took form as it headed towards us at an enormous speed. At the last minute the driver slowed down, and soon the car stooped in front of us with squealing brakes. The driver's door opened and Rufus got out, staggering a little. He had blood dripping down his forehead and a few scratches on his arms as he stood before us in only an undershirt.

We put away the stakes and let the emergency team come through as soon as we saw the blood. They ran for Rufus but he pushed them away. "No, take care of her first! She needs it," he told them, nodding towards the passenger side. I was already there, tearing the door open. There she was, my Leah. Covered in blood with a soaked shirt pressed to her shoulder in an attempt to stop the bleeding. She was unconscious, and I felt myself panicking, thinking we were too late: She was already dead. Then someone pushed me out of the way and knocked me out of my haze. A strong-looking male fairy in a security jacket lifted her out, making sure not to worsen her injuries, then placed her over on the stretcher, where they started moving her towards the infirmary. I saw Tristan in the chaos of people, trying to keep up with the pace as he concentrated deeply on Haley. Trying to heal her, I realized and looked for Alishia, suddenly wishing I hadn't commanded her away. But Kian had moved her away far enough that I couldn't spot her.

"You can't let her die," I heard Rufus tell the rescuer, that was checking on him and trying to persuade him to follow into the infirmary. "If she dies, I have to fulfill her dying wish and I am not ready for that," he told the helper seriously. The helper didn't answer and instead pushed him more urgently towards the infirmary. Things quieted down quickly once they were both inside the building. Some onlookers went away, while others kept looking trying to make sense of the scenario.

A guard jumped into the car. "I am moving this to the garages, get people away from here!" He yelled before driving off. The others started telling people to go home, meanwhile, I felt myself moving towards the infirmary in a trance.

The infirmary had probably been just as chaotic as the street minutes ago, but now it had quieted down. I went to the reception first, sending the nurse a small smile. "Excuse me, do you think you could keep me updated on Haley Wright? The girl who just got in?"

She looked down at her computer and nodded. "Are you family?" She asked, and I stiffened a little. Hardly, but could I pretend to be?

"I am here in place of her family until they get here. They asked me to keep them updated."

She nodded, thoughtful. "Normally we can't give information to anyone but close family, but I'll make sure you know if anything changes before her family get here," she told me with a friendly smile that also let me know she was being very kind, not to simply reject me. I thanked her and sat down in the waiting room, knowing it would probably be hours before anything happened.

It wasn't. only seconds later a pre-med came running out panicked. "She needs blood! We don't have more of her type. Can you call every donor type A-negative and ask them to come in fast? We need all we can get!" He told her panickily, and she nodded springing to work immediately.

"Excuse me?" I asked the guy, having moved without even realizing.

"I don't know if I match, but can you check?" I asked him, and he nodded.

"Sure come with me and I'll check it," he led me to an empty room and pulled out the necessary equipment.

"You don't match." He told me with a frown. "But can I take a bag anyway? It might help someone else," he asked and I nodded, feeling like crap for not being able to help. He filled a bag then told me to go back and get something to drink, so I didn't get ill.

A well-looking dhampir came out seconds after I did. I had seen him before. Jayden, I think his name was. He smiled at me. "Oh hi, Mr. Donnovick! Here to give blood too?" He asked, seeing the Band-Aid on my arm.

"Yeah, did they call you?" I asked hopefully.

He shook his head. "Nah, I was already here doing some cleaning. A nurse fetched me and told me they needed a donation immediately, so I got off to give it instead," he said with an easy smile, seeming pretty satisfied with the trade, then noticed my grim expression. "Is it someone we know?" He asked then.

"Haley," was all I said and he gasped.

"Poor girl, but I guess that is what you can expect in her field. I hope she makes it," he said seriously. I nodded and he came over to give my shoulder a squeeze before leaving.

Kian and Alishia came in shortly after and sat with me.

"Have you heard anything yet?" Kian asked. I shook my head.

"You should have let me stay, I could have helped!" Alishia scolded me.

"You would only have drained yourself more. Haley would have hated that," I told her calmly, and she frowned but accepted the truth of it. Tristan came through the doors from the ICU after about a half-hour.

"Is she?" Alishia asked, not daring to say the words aloud. Dead?

He shook his head. "Not when I left. I managed to close most of the wounds on her shoulder, but they are still working on her. She lost a lot of blood and probably has inner bleedings as well. We just have to wait and see," he told her and fell exhausted into a seat. It had taken all his energy to do the little healing he had. We sat there in silence, waiting while people came and went when Brandi and Frederich came in. They went talking to the receptionist first, who looked indifferent and probably told them to take a seat and wait. Brandi did and came over to us, while Frederich kept talking with the nurse.

"Where you there when she came in?" She asked, and I don't think I had ever seen Brandi Lacey look so scared ever before. She was usually a cheerful person, hard to shake. We all just nodded, and she grabbed her own hand in a tight grip. "How bad would you say it is?" She asked and Tristan shook his head.

"Hard to say. The biggest concern is blood loss. She is a fighter trough, if anyone can make it is her." Brandi nodded and sat down.

Frederich came over too after a while. "They really don't have anything to tell," he growled frustrated, and Brandi placed her hand on his knee as if to soothe him. After hours of waiting finally, a doctor came out.

"Haley Wright?" He asked, seeing as we were the only ones sitting there. We nodded, and he sighed, pulling his board out. "She is still in intensive, but we managed to stop the bleeding, provide new blood and close her wounds. She doesn't have any internal bleeding, so her odds are good. We just have to see if she makes it through the night without any wounds reopening," he told us, and we all let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you her parents?" He asked Brandi and Frederich, and they nodded.

"Are you A-negative? We might need more blood if her wounds open up again," he asked Brandi, who nodded again and he pulled her aside to make the donation.

When she came back, she leaned tiredly against Frederich and yawned. "Wake me if anything happens?" She asked him, and he nodded, placing his arm around her. I don't know when I fell asleep, but I woke up when someone came through the doors, heading for the front desk. He talked to the nurse, who nodded to us, and he came over. I recognized him as he came closer. It was Rufus, packed into several layers of bandage on his arms and one around his head.

"Is she out of intensive?" He asked, and I shook my head, as I was the only one awake to answer.

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a card. "Call me when you know anything," he told me seriously, then left where he came from.

***

Two days later

Haley's pov

Confusion filled me, as I tried to open my eyes – when had I fallen asleep? I tried to pull myself up, but one arm simply wouldn't move. Finally opening my eyes, I found myself in a hospital room. My arm was covered in bandages, and someone had secured it to my side, making sure I couldn't move. My leg on the same side seemed to be covered in bandages too. Images of the attack came flashing back, and I winched. Those injuries were going to get me right back in rehabilitation. Looking around, I finally found the cord for the bell, and a nurse came hurrying in.

"Oh, you are awake," she smiled at me, but it seemed plastic and fake.

I frowned as she checked up on all my bandages. "Yeah. Why is nobody here?"

She smiled that same fake smile. "Oh, because you are supposed to be in a coma, darling."

I felt my frown deepen. "Why aren't I?"

She shrugged. "Who knows, maybe your body reacted unexpectedly to the drugs? Do you want me to call your family?"

I shook my head. "No, it is fine... When can I go home?"

She pulled back, done with checking my bandages. "In a few days probably. They have to make sure your wounds don't reopen. You hurt yourself pretty badly there," she told me still wearing that plastic smile, almost as if she was lecturing me.

"Yeah, I did," I said sarcastically, mocking the way she indicated I had caused these injuries.

She just smiled at me then left. A doctor came in shortly after. "How are you feeling, Haley?" He asked me, checking over the board.

"Fine, I want to go home," I told him honestly.

He smiled, much more pleasant than the nurse. "Of course. You will be able to in a few days, but we have to keep you, in case anything reopens. You lost a lot of blood last time." I nodded as he sat the board down to actually talk to me. "You hurt your shoulder and your leg, as you probably know. A fairy with healing magic healed most of your shoulder, but you will likely experience scaring that will fade over time if you keep it clean and uninfected. I'll subscribe some cream for you to apply once it is healed enough, that should help it heal without too much scaring. Your leg unfortunately is quite a different story: We managed to put the bone back together, and it should heal without trouble, but… There is a risk you might not be able to feel it." He looked at me sympatric and I swallowed.

"Will I be able to use it?" If I couldn't, I was done. You couldn't have a guard with a bad leg.

"Yes, it might take some time getting used to when you can't feel it, but you should be able to walk and run without trouble."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you doc."

He just nodded. "I'll have you moved to another room, then I am sure your friends and family will come by soon." I thanked him again, then he left and I leaned back against the pillow until someone came in to move me to a different room. I don't know when I fell asleep, but when I woke up, the room was filled with equal parts of people and flowers.

"Oh, she is awake!" Alishia coed, ending the conversation she had with my mother.

"How are you feeling?" Kian asked, moving carefully closer.

"Beat up?" I joked with a half-smile, and they chuckled.

"No wonder! The doctor said he hadn't seen anything like it," Fred told me, coming over beside my mother to place his hand over mine - the one I couldn't move thanks to the bandages.

"Did you bring all these flowers?" I asked, tilting my head towards the big bouquets on both sides of my bed.

"Some of them, but most of them are from other people," Alishia told me, smiling and taking my other hand.

"Most of the court actually: They had to put some of them in the other rooms."

I blinked, trying to figure out why so many people brought me flowers. "Why?" I asked finally when I couldn't figure it out myself.

Kian laughed. "Because you are a hero, Haley. Rufus explained the attack, seeing as you were unconscious. One guard versus four vampires? That has to be some kind of record," he told me, eyes shining with admiration.

"And you made it out, both of you. Most cases like that end with at least the fairy dying. But you kept him safe," my mother said, pride clear in her voice.

"I heard rumors of a statue coming up," my father half-joked, the same pride as my mother's showing on his face.

"Well, he kept himself safe too. Without his magic, we wouldn't have made it," I told them, trying to get rid of the hero status they were giving me.

Kian nodded. "Yeah, he told them about that too. Wouldn't shut up about it actually. It was your idea to make him use it as a weapon. Aurora should be over the moon, she has advocated for that practice for years, but she doesn't think it'll make a difference in the long run." I heard the bitterness in his tone but didn't comment on it. I didn't want to discuss politics right now.

"So, you are telling me, that because of that, people decided to all send me get-well cards?" I asked doubtfully.

Alishia just reached over and grabbed the card on the biggest bouquet and handed it to me. I read it out loud. "Dear Miss Haley Lacey Wright. We send you our thoughts and prayers for your health. Thank you for your service. House of Lorence." I frowned and held the hand out skeptically. "House of Lorence? Like all Lorences?" I questioned. The Lorences was another lordship. They used to own a lot of property, but now they only owned a lot of money.

Alishia nodded eagerly. "And not just them. The Arrents, Serpentios, Vodas, Hastings, and Kennedys sent flowers as well, some even send an extra private bouquet, and I am sure the other lordships are following. Well, not the Baltasars, but that was expected, though it does send a bad message. I only brought you one, but know that all Darays send you their best regards," she joked, though I felt the sadness that ran through her upon mentioning her lack of family. Alishia's parents and two elder siblings died in a plane crash a few years ago. Alishia had been at boarding school at the time, otherwise, the entire bloodline would have died. The royal bloodline, next in line for government.

I smiled at her and gave her hand a squeeze. "Thank you, Lisa. Thank you all of you, for being here," I told them sincerely, then reached to grab the card on the bouquet closest to me on my other side. It was a big one filled with white and purple roses. Though I found the flower choice ironic, I'd admit it was a nice bouquet. "Hillery and Gordon Arrent. That was oddly nice of them," I commented, deciding it must have been Hillery's idea, as I didn't think Gordon cared all that much about me.

"Tristan's is here somewhere too. The Donnovicks sent you one as well, but I think it might have been placed elsewhere. They only put the biggest in here," she explained and I nodded then yawned a little.

"Are you tired? We should leave then, let you get some rest."

I laughed lightly but winched, as it hurt my chest. "I just slept for like an entire day," I told her, but she just smiled overbearingly.

"You need all the rest you can get. We'll come by tomorrow. Get well," she told me with a squeeze of my hand, sending warm feelings through me. Magic. I don't think she noticed herself, but I felt it. She used a tiny bit of magic, and while my wounds didn't disappear, I felt the effect in my body. I didn't tell her, deciding not to in front of the others. They all told me goodbye, Fred even kissed my forehead, then left me to get some sleep.

I was released two days later, having made an incredible recovery, thanks to Alishia's small amounts of magic given every day at her visits. Tristan had come too, to play card with me one day and help pass time. The Donnovicks visited as well but not for long. They just wished me good health and told me they would be going home soon. I was slightly looking forward to that, not that I'd tell them that, as they stood there with kind smiles and homemade cookies. I still didn't trust them, and I couldn't help but feel like it was on purpose they hadn't brought Jack or Mia. Speaking of which, thankfully he hadn't been by to visit me. I didn't want him near when I wasn't in a condition to defend myself.

Back home the housekeeper, Mrs. Morgan I'd learned her name to be, helped me in.

"I didn't know what to do with it, so I put it all in your room, but I can remove it!" She rambled, as she opened the door to my room. It was covered in flowers and gifts. Not knowing what to do, I just sat on the bed and looked at it. "Do you want me to put some of the flowers downstairs?" She asked hesitantly. I nodded slowly, not really knowing what to do about all this.

"Can you leave the cards? I'd like to know who they are from." She nodded then grabbed the first big vase and carried it out, leaving the card on the table. One by one she moved them, probably placing them elsewhere, so they didn't fill out an entire room. I started opening gifts, reading the card first then unwrapping the package with my one good hand.

Most of them were from royal lordships. Aria Serpentio had sent me a delicate golden chain, Emilia Voda a pair of pearl earrings, Mitchel Hale a watch. All of the packages held some kind of expensive gift and a thank you note. I didn't know what to do with it. I was a guard - when was I going to wear this? Moving on, I found my friends had sent me things as well. Dana had sent me a scarf, probably lost for ideas. Dawn had sent me a flask of vodka, which I considered the most useful gift. Tristan sent me a dress, a skimpy, silky, dress, no surprise there. Alishia sent me a purse, with pearls and sequins. Kian very characteristically had sent me the message from a fortune cookie. The early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese, It read and I couldn't help but laugh. Somehow that was so very him. Calvin had sent me a bracelet with a charm, forming a bow and an arrow. Lastly, there was one box with no sender, but upon seeing the contents, I knew who it was from. It was a fairytale book, just like the one he got me at the academy. I wondered briefly what he was trying to say with that, but I brushed it aside. He was probably just trying to be kind. Leaning back on the bed, I sighed. Getting sleep was going to be a challenge with my arm still in tight bandages and my leg still being slightly broken. Yet, it didn't take long before sleep took me anyway.