Tristan’s POV
The moment Elona crumpled to the floor, time stuttered. My heart lurched, chest tightening as I lunged forward, just barely catching her before she hit the cold tiles. Her body went limp in my arms, fragile and light... too light. Her skin was clammy, her breathing shallow and uneven, her lips were pale.
“Elona,” I whispered urgently, brushing a hand against her cheek. “Elona, wake up,” no response.
My panic surged, raw and animalistic. I didn’t wait. I scooped her up into my arms, bolting out the front door, kicking it shut behind me. The porch light cast a pale glow across the driveway, but I barely registered it. All I saw was her. She was too still and too quiet.
She didn’t weigh much, but the dread anchoring my chest made each step to the car feel heavier. I opened the passenger door, carefully settling her in, buckling her seatbelt. Her head lolled against the seat, and my stomach turned violently.
“Stay with me,” I said. My voice cracked. “Please.”
She stirred faintly as I got into the driver’s seat. “Tristan?” she murmured, her voice was weak as breath.
“I’m here,” I said, starting the engine. “You’re okay. We are going to the hospital.”
The engine roared to life. I reversed too quickly, the tires screeching. Then I shot forward down the street like a man who was possessed. I gripped the steering wheel hard, forcing myself not to floor it completely. Speed could kill her before I even made it to the hospital, but every second felt like a countdown.
I kept glancing at her, each time praying she hadn’t gone more still. Her head lolled, her lashes trembling against her cheek. She looked broken, like a porcelain doll someone had tossed aside. The bruises. I couldn’t get the sight of them out of my head. Dark, blooming shadows down the backs of her legs. It didn’t seem accidental. It didn’t seem natural either. Someone had done that to her. Someone I will find.
I exhaled sharply through my nose, checking the road again. Up ahead, a red light flickered yellow. Instinct screamed: Go. But another car sped from the opposite lane. I braked hard, the car jolting forward before shuddering to a stop. My arm flew out across her chest to brace her. She didn’t even flinch.
“Damn it!” I shouted, slamming my palm against the steering wheel. “Keep it together,” I tried to tell myself. I tried to stay calm.
The light changed. I drove through, this time slower, but just barely. The needle on the speedometer hovered above the limit, but not dangerously. I couldn’t risk crashing. Not with her in the seat beside me, so fragile I was scared to even breathe the wrong way.
I reached over and brushed a damp strand of hair from her cheek. “You’re strong. You’re stronger than anyone I know. Just… stay with me, okay?” I briefly glanced over at her again before returning my attention to the road ahead. But she didn’t answer.
My knuckles were white against the wheel. Every breath I took felt wrong, too loud, and too painful. The guilt twisted in my gut like a knife. Was I too rough with her when we had sex earlier? Did I squeeze her throat too much? Fuck. I had been so lost in my own grief that she literally wanted me to have sex with her as a means to help me with overcoming this grief, but if this is how it would be, then I don’t want to hurt her when I’m rough in my state of mind. I sucked in a deep breath. Angry with myself too. She was here, barely conscious and barely holding on.
The hospital finally came into view. I didn’t bother with the parking lot. I swerved straight into the emergency drop-off, slammed the car into park, and ran around to her side.
“Elona, we’re here. I’ve got you,” I whispered, lifting her into my arms again. She moaned softly, but her eyes didn’t open.
Inside, the bright lights made my eyes ache. The nurses moved fast, a flurry of scrubs and questions. “She fainted,” I said quickly. “She has endometriosis. She-she needs help,” I wasn’t even going to say that we had sex earlier, and that I might’ve been rough.
They took her from me. For the first time since she collapsed, she left my side. It felt wrong... wrong to let her go, wrong not to feel her pulse against my chest.
“Sir, we will take care of her,” one nurse said, gently placing a hand on my chest as they wheeled Elona behind the double doors. “Wait here.”
I watched until the doors closed behind her. And then I stood there, hands shaking, and the silence pressing in. I had to do something. I had to let David know, so I walked to the front desk. “Can I use your phone? Please. I don’t have mine on me.”
The receptionist nodded, sliding a landline toward me. I dialed the one number I knew by heart. Cris answered on the second ring. “Hello?”
“It’s me, your Dad,” my voice was hoarse. “Elona collapsed. She is in the hospital. I don’t have David’s number. I left my phone at home. Can you please call him?”
“Oh my gosh,” she gasped. “Yes. I’ll call him now. I’m coming over too.” I hung up and returned to the waiting area. I sat down, elbows on my knees, head in my hands and I waited.
Minutes crawled by. Finally, a voice broke the tension. “Tristan?”
I looked up. Craig, still in scrubs, stood in front of me. An old friend of mine who informed me about the loss of mine and Elona’s baby.
“She will be okay,” he said. “She was severely dehydrated, she’s weak, and her body is exhausted. It’s a good thing you got her here when you did. She’s on a drip, and she had a very subtle flare-up of her Endometriosis, but she will be okay.”
I swallowed hard. “The bruises on her legs, did you see them?” I asked.
Craig’s face darkened. “Yes. And you’re not the first person to bring in someone from VFS like this. That place has a pattern. These girls… they are being pushed too far.”
“She never told me,” I said quietly. “She just said she fell a lot with the drills they do.” Maybe she was lying to me because of how I might’ve reacted, but this is concerning, and I won’t leave it here.
“You’re her guardian until her father returns,” Craig said. “Which means you can lodge a complaint. And you should. This-what’s happening there-isn’t right.”
I nodded, my jaw tight. “Thank you.” He gave my shoulder a squeeze before leaving, and I sat there with my fists clenched.
Elona was safe...for now. But VFS had no idea what was coming for them.