Kylie Bray (Love, Hate and Billions)

I hate that noise, I hate the aches and pains in my joints, I hate this bed.

"Has the doctor said when I can be discharged?" I ask Michael for the umpteenth time this week.

Nothing frustrates me more than hospitals. I despise this place.

When I was nine I fractured my femur climbing the old oak tree at my Papa's house. He rushed me to the hospital and I was stuck there on all the same unnecessary stuff I am today. Besides now I did almost die, and I am currently stuck in a cast for the next four and a half weeks remaining.

Vincent and Michael have been at war with each other on who gets to stay with me and I am likely going to have a heart attack before this week is finished.

My mother has been in and out with Uncle Hector and Rae.

My dad hasn't showed up yet, but Mason is currently waiting outside for Michael to leave.

Vincent barges in and sees me, his eyes are even colder than I remember, that if I wasn't already Frost I would freeze.

"Stone, can you give Vincent and me a minute please?" I ask Michael who is currently on his laptop doing who knows what.

"Make it quick, Mason is still outside." Michael gets up and I watch his retreating form, he is so much bigger than I recall, almost as big as a wrestler, how did I miss that. "You lied to me Kylie," Vincent declares, and I take my attention off the closing door to stare at him.

"I was protecting you," I say softly.

"Protecting me from what?" He comes to stand next to me and I want to tell him.

I want to say I was protecting him from himself but I don't.

Silence is sometimes the only answer you need. Words are just at times far too few.

"I was doing this for you, and you went behind my back, I almost lost you, they won't tell me about the baby," the accusatory is there.

He runs his hands in his hair and I wonder how much has he drank today.

"Were you? Or were you doing this for Catrina, the woman you love? I saw Roberto, he had a shit load to say about the little trafficking ring you guys have going on. What was it he said, oh yes, I was next, ima month or two."

His eyes widen, and he tumbles until his back hits the wall, sliding down.

I try to get up knowing what I see in his eyes is not a man wanting to traffic a woman, no this is a made man falling to the ground,

"Roberto was at that dock?" He says it as a question, but we both know it is not.

I stare at this man that is so hard to love but still, I love him, even if I don't know why anymore.

He shakes his head, and I watch his face crumble,

"Roberto wouldn't betray us, no, he wouldn't."

"Vincent, who do you think shot me."

His eyes shoot up and in it I see the monster, I see death.

Looking back on the time in the

เอนเอ

hospital I always wonder if I had told Vincent the truth about the pregnancy would it have made a difference. But choices and circumstances are never changing and as he got up and kissed my lips

I chose to remain silent.

I chose to hide the truth.

I stayed in that hospital bed for two weeks after that. My father didn't visit. Uncle Hector did and the rest of my family.

Vincent returned every night once

they left, and he never left my side when he did and for those hours a hope bloomed in me yet again. I was foolish, I thought he was done killing.

Now we were going to get that ending.

If only life was so simple.