The Twelve Zenati Pt. 02

Everything felt wrong for her now. It felt as if she was trapped in a nightmare. At least her stomach had stopped hurting now that she had eaten something. The easing of that discomfort had made her better able to deal with the ache as well as the man who forced her to speak when she knew Remy wouldn't like it.

"Hands," Genesis said in a warning tone, and Serena was surprised to find they had been moving over the top of her legs near the apex of her thighs. As if startled, she gasped and drew them up her body and rested them on her chest.

"May I talk?" she asked, turning her head toward him.

"I wish you would, sweet girl," he sighed. "I will not restrict your speech as long as you do not nag or prattle on endlessly about nothing. You will be respectful at all times to those you speak to, however," he instructed.

"I would like to keep the ring, please," she said softly, her hand covering her breast protectively.

"I heard that you gave the nurses quite a fight to keep it but that is not your decision now, little one. It is mine to make, as Remy decided to give it to you. Tell me why you want to keep it, and I will consider your reasons," he compromised. "Be warned that I am not inclined to allow a girl who belongs to me to wear a ring that signifies her engagement to another man. Remy did not share you when you belonged to him. You can hardly expect me to share you with a ghost."

"A ghost?" she asked, startled by the word.

"Yes, a ghost, a memory of the man you once loved but who will never be part of your life again," Genesis said, trying not to feel compassion for her growing understanding of the loss of Remington Royce. "That is all that ring is now. If, on the other hand, you like it as a piece of jewellery to enhance your appeal to me, then I will replace it with a ring of my choosing rather than just remove it." It was the best compromise he could come up with on the spur of the moment.

"A ghost," Serena repeated in a whisper. "No, he is sleeping, but he is alive."

"No, little one, his brain is dead. Once the machines are turned off he will die. Once a relative has made the decision to turn the machines off there will be no opportunity to give him back his ring and say goodbye. I need to remove that ring so that you can see him one last time tonight and say that final goodbye." He reached out to stroke her hair and cursed himself for his softness.

"Give it back to him," Serena repeated the words and tilted her head into his hand. She wanted so much to be touched, and she closed her eyes, wishing it could be Remy petting her hair. "Say goodbye," she whispered.

"Do you remember what happened?" Genesis asked curiously. "Can you tell me how you got your injury."

"I was..." Serena's voice cracked and her eyes misted. "I was getting married. I said my vows, and then there was a fight or something at the back of the chapel, so I turned to look," she frowned and looked down at her side where the padding covered a deep gash where a bullet had torn along her side between her ribs and hip. "Then Leila made me leave and brought me here."

"You were shot, little one. Remy couldn't keep you safe because he was shot as well, more than once. That is why I must care for you now and protect you. Remy didn't keep you or himself safe enough," Genesis said softly. "This ring means nothing now, and we have to remove it and give it back to Remy. Do you understand, little one?"

"Remy was shot?" she gasped.

"Yes, several times," he confirmed. "Once the ring is removed. I will take you to where he is lying in a coma. He is not asleep little one. He is dead, and only the machines keep him alive, until someone tells the doctors to turn them off. The police are searching for his brother."

"His brother was murdered too," she said sadly. "On the dock near Olivia's boat. The bad men who are looking for Olivia Gambaro did it. Remy saved me and kept me safe from them. Did the bad men shoot him because of me?" Serena asked woodenly. "Is it my fault?"

"No, this was not your fault." Genesis swore inwardly. That explained why they hadn't found the brother they were looking for. He would need to speak to Dominic to see if her story was true. There was nothing reported about a murder on the docks. He would have been assigned something like that by his editor. They needed to speak further to Kairos. He needed Dominic to stop the Federal Police from moving the man to another location. It might be something the Tatar could discover if given the right questions to ask. He was stopped from saying anything further by the nurse returning with the doctor and a sterile kit and dressing for him.

Serena was dying inside. Guilt and grief filled her with such a sense of despair that she didn't resist the doctor's examination this time nor did she have to be restrained by the well-meaning nurses as the doctor probed her body when she knew no one should be touching her. She answered their questions robotically and held herself together as she silently endured the removal of her engagement ring. None of this was right. It was all wrong, and she hadn't been shot. She wasn't dying. Remy couldn't have been shot either. He was strong; he was smart. He wouldn't let anyone shoot him.

Genesis asked the doctor a lot of questions, and Serena heard the doctor confirm that she had been grazed by a bullet meant for the man she was marrying or so the authorities had said. Genesis had constantly kept a hand on her during the examination. She had barely noticed it as she wallowed in her own despair and grief until his touch was gone. He removed his hand and moved away to talk to Gideon, who arrived as the examination was finishing. She felt a real sense of loss from the removal of his firm touch on her shoulder or leg. Her eyes followed him, and she watched him speak briefly with Gideon, who left as quickly as he had arrived.

"How are you feeling?" Genesis asked in an unemotional voice when the doctor and nurse had left her room. Serena shook her head and couldn't find the words to answer him. She didn't know how she felt. "You will answer me when I speak to you, little one," he said sternly and frowned, showing his displeasure. "Are you in physical pain?"

"A little," she shook her head again. "From the examination," she clarified.

"I spoke to the doctor about your pain relief and adding a muscle relaxant for the ache you feel," he told her even though he knew she had been listening throughout his exchange with the doctor. "You will also be given something stronger to help you sleep tonight. You will not argue about taking the medication," his voice lowered menacingly. "There are already enough misdemeanours from your behaviour today to ensure that you are punished severely once you are well enough to endure it."

"I understand, Genesis," she said contritely lowering her head.

"There is one more thing we must do, but it can wait until your medication starts working," Genesis said in the same stern voice as the nurse bustled in again with her chart and made some notes. "Rest for a while, little one, and let the medication start to work, then we will tend to the other tasks you must complete today."

Serena nodded and relaxed back into the pillow as Genesis pulled a chair to the side of the bed and rested his hand on her thigh. She could feel herself relax into the silence of the room after so much activity. The hunger pains had subsided with the food he made her eat, and now the medication was working to dull the pain in her side and the ache low in her pelvis. She closed her eyes with a sigh, feeling calm and safe for the first time since coming to this place, and slipped into sleep.

*****