Keifer POV
Jay fell asleep like someone being pulled under.
Not gently. Not naturally.
One second her lashes fluttered, breath uneven and shallow, fingers curled tight against the sheets. The next, her body gave up the fight and sank into stillness as the medicine took over.
The room went quiet in a way that felt wrong.
Not peaceful. Empty.
I watched her chest rise and fall, slow now, counted each breath like it was something I could lose if I stopped paying attention. The machines hummed softly, pretending everything was fine.
Nothing was fine.
The doctor adjusted the IV and straightened. "She's sedated. She needs rest. Absolute calm."
As if calm was something you could just order into existence.
Everyone stood there. Section E. Adults. Too many people with too many thoughts, all pretending they hadn't just watched a girl almost shatter in front of them.
"Give her space," the doctor said again, firmer this time.
One by one, they stepped back. Voices lowered. Footsteps retreated. Even the anger had nowhere to sit anymore.
Hex stayed close. Too close. Like a guard who refused to clock out. When his eyes met mine, I understood something else without words.
He was scared.
So was I.
When the room finally thinned out, it was just a few of us left. Victor spoke quietly to the nurse. mom wiped her eyes when she thought no one was looking. Angelo stood near the door, arms crossed, jaw tight.
I didn't move.
Pain throbbed through my side when I shifted, but I ignored it. Compared to what Jay carried, this was nothing.
My eyes went back to her.
She looked younger when she slept. Less sharp around the edges. Like the world hadn't had time to hurt her yet.
But I'd seen it.
The moment before she pressed the bell.
The way her breathing broke.
The way one word had undone her.
Daughter.
The word echoed in my head like a crack in glass.
So that's who she was.
Her.
I clenched my hand into the blanket.
Jay never talked about her family. Never complained. Never explained. I thought it was just distance. I didn't know it was damage.
The nurse adjusted Jay's blanket, then glanced at me. "You should rest too. You're not in great shape."
"I'm fine," I said immediately.
She didn't argue. Maybe she saw it in my eyes. I wasn't leaving.
After she left, the room settled again. Just the beeping. Just Jay breathing.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes for a second.
Not to sleep.
Just to think.
Whatever that woman did… it wasn't small. You don't react like that to something small. You don't look at your own mother like she's a storm you survived once and don't want to face again.
Jay didn't need answers right now.
She needed safety.
I opened my eyes and looked at her again.
"Sleep," I whispered, so quietly even I barely heard it. "I've got you."
And this time, I meant it in a way that didn't feel temporary.
Jay stayed asleep.
That was the only good thing in the room.
Everything else felt like loose wires sparking at the wrong time.
Jeana and the man with her had already been escorted out. The door closing behind them didn't erase what they brought in, but at least the air could breathe again.
My mom was the first to move closer to me.
Serina Watson.
My mom.
She sat at the edge of my bed and touched my arm gently, like I might disappear if she pressed too hard. Uncle Victor followed, looking exactly like he always did, worried but hiding it behind jokes. Keagan stood near the foot of the bed, arms crossed. Keiren hovered like he didn't know whether to sit, stand, or panic.
"You look like someone tried to return you under warranty," Uncle Victor said. "Poor condition."
"Victor," my mom warned.
"What? I'm lightening the mood," he said, then leaned closer to me. "You should see the other guys though. Oh wait. You did."
Keiren snorted. Keagan tried not to smile.
My mom ignored him and focused on me. "Keifer… do you know who did this?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Saying his name felt like reopening a wound that never healed properly.
"Yes," I said finally. "I know."
The room went still.
"It was Kaizer," I said.
My mom froze.
For a second, she looked like she'd been pushed backward through time. Her hand tightened around mine before she caught herself.
Victor exhaled sharply. "I knew it," he muttered. "He won't stop until he gets the company, will he?"
My mom didn't answer him. She just looked at me, eyes glossy but sharp. "Are you sure?"
"I heard it from them," I said. "They said he sent them."
Silence again.
Victor clicked his tongue. "That man has the persistence of a mosquito."
"Victor," my mom snapped.
"What? Mosquitoes are dangerous."
She sighed, then shook her head, clearly forcing herself to change the subject before she broke. "Then… who did that?" she asked softly. "Who fought them?"
I swallowed.
"Jay."
Everyone looked at me.
"All of them?" Keagan asked.
"Yes."
"Injured?" Keiren added.
"She ignored it," I said. "She didn't look like herself. At all."
I explained. Everything. How she moved. How she didn't hesitate. How it scared me more than the men did.
My mom covered her mouth.
Victor whistled. "That girl is terrifying. I like her."
I didn't laugh.
While they were still processing that, Hex appeared at my side like a shadow that belonged there.
He stared at my face, eyes narrowing. Then he reached out and poked the bruise on my cheek.
"Does it hurt?" he asked seriously.
"Yes," I said.
Keiren leaned in. "Heh. Of course it hurts."
Hex slowly turned his head toward Keiren.
He stared.
Really stared.
Then he grabbed Keiren's hand and dragged him closer to my bed, inspecting him like a scientist with a new discovery.
Hex tilted his head. "You look similar."
Keiren blinked. "To who?"
Hex's eyes widened.
"Oh my God," he gasped loudly. "Keifer… you have a son?"
The room exploded.
Laughter everywhere.
Keagan laughed so hard he bent over. Uncle Victor slapped his knee. Even mom laughed, shaking her head.
Aries chose that exact moment to walk in and immediately ruffled Hex's hair.
Hex swatted his hand away. "Don't touch my hair."
Mom wiped her eyes and smiled at Hex. "No, dear. That's Keifer's brother. The small one is Mir Keiren Watson."
She pointed to Keagan. "And that tall one is Mike Keagan Watson."
Hex walked over to Keagan, looked him up and down. "Boy, you are tall."
Then he went back to Keiren. "Hi, Mir."
"Please don't call me that," Keiren said.
"That's your first name," Hex replied calmly. "So I will call you that."
Keiren groaned.
Teasing started. Loud. Fast. Annoying.
Angelo checked his watch and cleared his throat. "I think the kids should go home and sleep. They have school in…" he glanced again. "…about four hours."
"What?!" Hex and Keagan said together.
Groans echoed from the Section E boys.
One by one, they started leaving. Victor offered to drop some of them off and dragged Keagan and Keiren with him, still joking like nothing had happened.
Soon, it was just me, aunty gemma,mom… and Hex.
Hex walked up to my mom. "Can I borrow your phone?"
She handed it to him, confused.
He typed quickly, then gave it back. "Saved my number."
Then he looked at me.
Winked.
And made the call sign with his hand.
Then he left with aunty gemma .
Mom turned back to me, softer now. "You need to sleep."
I nodded, exhaustion finally winning.
As my eyes closed, the last thing I thought about wasn't the pain.
It was Jay.
Still sleeping.
Still here.
And for now… still safe.