Chapter 535: Recovery

Ian's injuries were tended to, and the first thing he did was run to the room where Mina was being treated. He was stopped by his sister who wrapped her arms around him so tightly that it made him intake sharply. She must have forgotten that he had bruised ribs, or she did not care.

"Mother and father?"

"I explained it to them, and they know you are safe, but Ian, when did you get mixed up with the mob? Why would they be targeting you?" Ian had lied to his sister because he knew it would be a death warrant for Mina if any of his family members knew how close she had come to getting him killed. He ignored Luna's question and walked into the room Mina was in.

"Why is she restrained?"

"Zane said she wasn't in a good place mentally. It's just precautionary."

"Why hasn't she woken up yet?"

"Ian, Mina lost a lot of blood. She was given a transfusion, but with her medical history unknown; the doctors stopped at just two bags."

"And how long until she wakes up?" Luna went silent, and her brother looked at her suspiciously. "What aren't you telling me?"

"She may not." Ian stormed out of the room, unable to come to terms with what Luna said. Needing to calm himself down, he went to check in with Zane and he found the man being treated for a wound of his own. Ian filled Zane in about Mina's condition, and he insisted on staying in the hospital with the woman.

Although Ian had needed Zane to keep things running at work, he could not refuse the request. Ian was grateful to the man, who was shot while giving cover to Drax, who had run into the alley despite being under constant fire. After someone shot the person on top of him, all Ian could think to do was keep pressure on Mina's wound, and by the time Drax got to him, he was almost at the edge of consciousness.

It was Drax, not Ian, who carried Mina into a car, it was also Drax who drove all three injured parties to the hospital. At the time, none of them knew the man had also been shot, and Zane told Ian that Drax was still having his wounds stitched. They both went to where Drax was being fawned over by the nurses, but the man looked sick with worry.

"Is she awake?" he asked as soon as his eyes landed on Ian's.

"She is still in serious condition."

"Luna told me that she may not wake up. Is it true?" Zane's eyes went wide, but Ian quickly denied his sister's words.

"Mina isn't stable enough to transfer, but if she isn't awake within two days, I will make the arrangements."

----

With her mother deep in depression, Mina worked harder, taking over where her mother had dropped her hands, and eventually the woman looked at her again; not like the daughter who should have been lost, but like the daughter she still had. Mina was preparing dinner while simultaneously studying for the college entry exams. She did not need to study, but she wanted to breeze through the test without incident and the stress of having Ren follow her around was taking its toll.

As she cooked, Mina could hear her parents arguing, and while she did not mean to listen, once she heard her name, she became as quiet as a mouse. Her father's voice was the loudest, but her mother was not exactly whispering.

"Can you not see how far she has come?"

"She is pretending. The doctor told us that she would do this."

"Anne, I don't think she is. I think we may have cured her."

"What? She didn't even cry for Sadie." Mina felt a sting with her mother's words, but it was dulled by the next sentence from her father.

"Did she ever get the chance? Do you know that it has been Mina helping me to support this household? My brother has not missed a single payment, and it's not because I got more hours at work."

"What are you saying? Are you accusing me of not letting her grieve?"

"No, I am saying that Mina's brain works differently from other children her age. She is more mature, and when she saw that you, her mother, needed time; she gave it to you. Do you really not see it?" Mina could hear her mother go silent before she changed the subject.

"Is that man still following her?"

"She hasn't said anything, but a friend from work told me that he saw the man pin Mina against a wall."

"David, what do we do? I already lost Sadie because of that boy."

"I contacted his parents, and they offered to marry her into their family." Mina dropped the bowl in her hands, sending the sound of broken glass echoing through the house. Her father ran into the kitchen to check on her and found her sobbing as she picked up the broken pieces of glass.

"Daddy I am sorry; I can replace it." Mina could feel her father come toward her and he bent to help her stand.

"You were listening?"

"I'm sorry. I heard my name and I couldn't help it." Her father pulled her into a hug and Mina let her tears fall freely. "Please don't make me marry him. He killed Sadie; I know it, even if I cannot prove it. I will marry Cousin Lennard or whoever you choose, just please not him." Mina felt another smaller hand on her back, and she turned to see her mother's tearful expression.

"We would never do that to you." Mina wiped at her face afraid that she was going to become punished for throwing a 'tantrum.'

"Sorry. I overreacted. I will clean up this mess now." She went to start picking up the glass, but her mother stopped her.

"Mina, I am so proud of you. You have become such a good girl." The compliment filled Mina with an emotion that was a mixture of bitterness, happiness, and pain. She could not help but to cry more. It took death for her parents to show her the love that they had showered Sadie with, and Mina did not know how to feel about it.

----

Ian was sitting beside Mina's bed. Her complexion was horrible and her lips and fingertips were slightly blue. The doctors said it was from blood loss, and it would improve as her body returned to normalcy, words that Ian was relieved to hear. He had gone off on so many doctors for asking him to contact her family, because to Ian, it meant they were saying goodbye.

Ian reached for Mina's hands and could only sigh at how cold they were. He knew the woman was being kept warm by electric blankets, but she was still bound to the bed, so her hands were left neglected. He stood up and brought his mouth above the woman's forehead.

"Please wake up." Ian allowed his lips to gently brush Mina's skin. He could not go back in time, but going forward, he absolutely would make things up to her; the right way. He stood and turned to make the arrangements for where Mina would recover, only to see Luna standing in the doorway. She was looking at him in a way that gave away how long she had been watching.

"Oh Ian," Luna said sympathetically. "Do you-" She paused, clearly uncomfortable with the question she wanted to ask. "Anything you feel for Mina is not real." Ian stared at his sister letting her know that he did not care. "Please listen to me, you need to get help-" Luna was cut off by her brother's darkening gaze.

"I don't want you saying anything about this to her when she wakes up." Ian walked away from his sister, who sighed dramatically. She hoped that her brother would get treatment, because she saw nothing but Pain in the future if he did not.