34. Drop Him

Connor's POV

His heart was still beating, but not as fast as it should be. There was blood pouring down from a wound on his arm, and his little body was hardly breathing. My hands were shaking more than they should have been, but I couldn't convince myself to move. Why can't I? I need to get him help! "Are you alright, sir? Is he?" Carter asked while looking down on us. I took a deep breath, but it felt like I was inhaling knives. It was like we were frozen in time, but we weren't. His time was still running; his blood was still flowing.

"No, I don't think that we are. My son is bleeding out, and I'm scared to be alone."

"Well, then you'd better get a move on." He rested a hand on my shoulder, and I realized how mature he was for the first time. Carter wasn't some small child; he's closer to an adult than even I am sometimes. I don't know why I thought about the boys in front of me as two young children when they were so much more. I guess that I've gotten used to children not contributing much to anything.

I stood slowly with my son in my arms, and he twitched slightly against my chest. I knew that my formerly white shirt was likely already red with blood, but that wasn't what I should think about now. He needs a doctor as soon as possible! I ran through the forest as fast as my legs could take me, and it took me a few minutes to reach the City Hall. I can only pray that it isn't too late for him now.

I sprinted into the medical unit with my near-dead son held firmly to my chest, and I could see everyone staring at me. His blood had overflown all down my body, and I probably looked insane. A doctor came to me immediately and took my child, and I was never going to forgive myself if he died. I wouldn't stop thinking about what might have happened if I hadn't hesitated for so long to bring him back. Would he still be alive?

I paced back and forth for hours, and they still hadn't gotten back to me. This might be very bad. Either the doctors are devoting all they have to save him, or they're trying to figure out how to tell me he didn't make it. What if the only thing that could have helped him was a bit more time to save...

"Connor Pierce?" A voice called out, and I turned around quickly. The man's face was tired but not sad. I don't know for sure if he's just hiding his emotions, but I'm hoping not. I want my son to be alive at the end of today, even if it's the last thing I do. I would willingly trade my soul for his to have a chance.

"Yes, that's me," I responded before walking over.

"It took a while to be sure, but he's alright. He lost quite a bit of blood, and we believe that the animal who attacked him was infected with some kind of disease. We were able to get him more blood from the prisoner we have that's related to him. As for the infection, it was a bit harder to diagnose. We are going to need to keep him while we figure out how to cure it."

"But you're pretty sure he's going to be okay?"

"Unless the illness is something deadly, he should be. We've cleared him of danger for now."

"May I see him?"

"Of course. Your son has been asking for you for a while, but we didn't want the distraction. Doctors need their time to get things right, and not being focused is never a good thing."

I followed the man back to Larp, and I rushed to his side as soon as possible. My baby was pale and shakey, but at least he still lived. I rested a hand on the side of his face, and he turned to me. His eyes searched me up and down, and it took a few moments before he whispered, "Dad."

"Hey, Larpy. How're you doing."

"You found me," he stated bluntly, and I ran my fingers through his greasy hair. How long has he been out there all alone?

"Of course I did. Family has to stick together, don't we?"

"But Papa just left me all alone!"

"Your Papa isn't a member of our family any more, understand? I've learned that he's been lying since before we got married."

"Lying is bad, isn't it?"

"Lying is very bad, Larp. You should remember to never do it if you can help it, alright?"

"I won't, Dad!" He reached out for me, and I leaned down so that I could hug him. I didn't want to lift him just in case it messes with his wound. However, I could still give him comfort.

"I love you; always remember that, alright?"

"Alright!" he yawned right after, and I pulled away.

"Get some rest, Larp." He gave me a sleepy nod before falling asleep, and I felt strangely at peace. I may have lost my husband, but I don't think that he ever loved me in the first place. It's better for me to have dropped someone so toxic before he hurt me more.

I walked down the hallway feeling a bit better about myself, and I knew who I needed to go to for advice. I didn't know if I should be open to forgiving or not. I mean, I would assume that I shouldn't, but I really needed that extra voice telling me I wasn't wrong. I knocked on my father's door, and he opened it quickly. "Oh, it's just you."

"That isn't offensive at all."

"Well, what are you doing here? I don't need your help with anything today. I would've thought you would still be celebrating over the victory."

"I got tired and figured that it wasn't a real victory when they were just going to come for us again. The real celebration is going to be when we win this thing."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Well, I'm here to ask some of your advice."

"On what?"

"It appears that my husband has betrayed me and the rest of the world."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He's the one that revealed our original location to the humans; he started this whole thing. He's been acting as their mole for so long, and it just... I don't know what to do."

"It should be pretty obvious you need to divorce him."

"I know, but I don't want to hurt Larp."

"What makes you think that it would hurt him. You know that Varian rarely spent time with either of you; he was always away on work."

"I don't know... I guess that he also left our son alone in the woods..."

"He did? Definitely get rid of him then; child neglect is never okay."

"I feel like I still love him, though."

"Whatever you say. Just know that Varian is never going to get better, so you should drop your emotional attachment before you get hurt."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Now, go get some sleep. Tomorrow is another day."