Eli's own face relayed his worry - he hoped beyond hope that Tal really would be okay. This was so very unfair and wrong. He'd done nothing but be kind, and this was how he'd been repaid. It was despicable.
Eli turns to stand facing Ryan, taking her by both shoulders and staring at her sternly. "This is not your fault. Not yours, not mine, not Tal's. This is completely Alec's fault and I don't want to ever hear you say it's yours again."
He didn't know what would happen now. Whether or not Tal survived would determine what kind of reactions would come next. Would Alec pay? He hoped so. But he also knew the Elite's hands were tied. He didn't blame Reese, though he was angry with the system. Something had gone wrong somewhere.
"Alec will get what he deserves one way or the other. Whether it's now or ten years from now. But in no way shape or form is it your fault, do you understand me?" Eli loses no sternness. He loved his sister to death and would not tolerate seeing her blame herself for something like this. "We did take Alec seriously - we just didn't know how far he'd go. But even if we had, this still might not have been prevented."
Pulling Ryan in for a tight hug, he kisses the top of her head, never realizing how much like his father he was being. Stubborn. Proud. Loyal. Loving. "It's gonna be okay." His voice had lowered to a softer level. "It's all gonna be okay."
The minutes couldn't possibly go by any slower. The hours dragged on. Finally, finally, the doctor returns to tell them that Tal had made it through this initial surgery and they'd done what they could on his lung. He'd been moved to a room in the ICU and was not awake, but they could go see him briefly if they wanted. He was far from out of the woods and they were monitoring him closely - right now, it was a 50/50 chance he would survive the night.
Eli leads the way to the room, determined to see Tal for himself. Only when they'd arrived does he give his sister a solemn glance. Though he'd seen Tal in his worst condition in the alley, Ryan hadn't, and this would probably be somewhat of a shock.
Inside the little room, monitors and machines beeped and whirred. On the bed, Tal lay silently...unmoving. A tube from his mouth ran to a breathing machine, while wires connected him to multiple monitors and an IV rhythmically dripped. The right side of his face was covered in bandages, as well as part of his head. He had been cleaned up, but stitches and bruises could still be seen, and his closed eyes were dark purple and swollen. A neck brace held him immobile. His right hand was bandaged and in a brace, while his leg, under the sheet and blanket, was elevated slightly, wrapped and in a splint. If one did not know what had happened, they quite possibly would not even recognize him.
Ashlee's apology and the sight of her tears makes Eric's heart crumble. He'd feared she had noticed his offishness, but he hadn't known if she knew about his and Stacy's argument. Apparently she at least knew they'd fought. Tipping his hat back on his head a little, he scoots closer and sets his hand on Ashlee's shoulder. His eyes are gentle and reassuring.
"Let me tell you something... First, you ain't caused any fights. Your mom and I had a bit of a misunderstanding and things probably should have been handled differently - but you didn't do anything wrong, okay?"
He didn't want her to feel badly - none of it was her fault in the least. "Second... your mom and I had a good talk to day and we're still friends. I'm sorry if I ain't been around as much the last couple days, but I hope we can get back to normal." That was the best he could do without telling her too much.
"And third..." He leans a little closer. "If I'm ever mad at you - which is nearly impossible - I will always talk to you about it so we can work it out. But as it sits right now, nobody's mad at anybody so there just ain't nothing for you to worry about."
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