Gavin frowned and stroked his chin. Everyone quietly waited for him to make his decision.
He looked at Erza's concerned face; her brow wrinkled in worry. "What do you think?"
"I think…" she hesitated a moment. "I think I would do it if it was me. Even knowing the danger, I would try finding out who, what and why," she said. Both Aria and Lyla nodded their heads in agreement.
Evelyn Johnson bit her lip and finally spoke up. "I'm not sure. I don't want my baby to take such risks by himself." Tears pricked her eyes and threatened to fall.
Erza reached up and rubbed her back reassuringly. "He won't be by himself. He has me by his side." Erza's voice held a solid strength and steel of determination.
Gavin smiled at her. "I'll do it, hand me the tablet." His decision made, he reached his hand out to Dr. Aliza.
"Great, I'll have a nurse come in right away to draw some blood and see what we can learn." She took the tablet back from Gavin and left the room.
"I don't know about y'all. But I'm exhausted. I think I want to try sleeping a bit," Gavin said in-between yawning as he rubbed his eyes. His body may have recovered enough for him to be awake, but he still felt beyond exhausted.
Erza smiled at the way he rubbed his eyes. It's so nice to see that he's still the goofball I love after that terrifying transformation and display of ferocity.
The nurse came in with a tray and placed it next to Gavin's bed. She smiled warmly at him as she placed the tourniquet around his left arm.
"Alright, now you're going to feel a pinch," she instructed as she slid the needle into the vein at his arm. She popped a vial into the slot and it filled quickly with blood. "Alright, I'll have this over to the lab and we should have the preliminary panel back in a few hours, but the ancestral search can take a few weeks." She removed the tourniquet from Gavin's arm and left the room.
Within minutes of the nurse leaving, Gavin was fast asleep. She looked down and tucked a few stray curls out of his eyes as she pulled the blanket up. The others quietly filed out of the room, relief evident on their faces.
Only Erza sat by his side while he slept. Her stomach was nauseous from lack of any substantial meal and growled in protest. She winced and placed her hand over her stomach. "Damn, I should have ate before this." She grumbled and stood up.
The door opened, and Mr. Johnson walked in with a tray of food and set it down next to her. "I know you haven't slept or eaten anything since he got here. So, I figured I'd bring you something now that he's out of the woods." Lucian heard her stomach growl at the smell of warm food and he grinned with victory.
Erza smiled appreciatively as she pulled it over to her. The smell of the hot food made her mouth water. Mashed potatoes, pasta with a red sauce, and some garlic toast.
Enough for a food coma. "Thanks, Mr. Johnson. I feel like I'd pass out eating all this food," she said, her voice quiet and tired. Now that Gavin was awake and out of danger, all the exhaustion from the past few days washed over her at once.
Lucian laughed good-naturedly. "You know, his mom and I always noticed the way you two are around each other. It makes us happy that you both are finally being honest with each other." Lucian took a seat next to her.
Erza blushed and shuffled around her food on the plate. "I never imagined we'd be dating. If you'd asked me a week ago, I'd have said no way in hell," she chuckled and took a bite of food. She almost moaned at how good hot food felt on her stomach.
Lucian nodded in understanding. "Love is funny that way. We can be blind to what's most obvious at times," he said. "Just take good care of him," he stood up and headed out the door.
"Mr. Johnson," Erza called out before he reached the door. He paused and looked back.
"What is it, Erza?" he asked.
"Do you know anything about Gavin's bloodline, heritage, or anything about his family?" Erza asked, as her eyes began to glow a vibrant golden yellow. I didn't want to ask while he was awake, but I need to know.
"I wish I did. I only knew what it looked like when we found them. More than a dozen bodies were scattered on the ground. I suspect it was his mother that tried to hide him, hoping for someone to find him when it was over." Lucian paused and ran his hand through his hair.
"All we knew was we saw this infant, barely a few weeks old. All alone, too young to care from himself. So, we decided to take him in and raise him as our own."
Erza nodded, her face softening and the glow in her eyes faded. "I will do whatever I have to, to help him make sense of all this. More importantly, I'll protect him no matter the cost."
"I know you will Erza. He has surrounded himself with a wonderful group of people," Lucian said with a smile on his face.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a short young woman rushed in. She had a red hoody on and jeans. Her long wavy brown hair fell down her back as she rushed to Gavin's bed.
"Gavin!" she cried out as she saw him hooked to monitors and equipment. She fussed over him as much as she could without waking him. Her eyes were glued to the monitors that showed his vitals stable and calm. Her body shook with held back sobs as she physically checked his condition.
"Tessa?" Lucian called out in surprise. "What are you doing here?" He asked her.
"I heard what happened from Mrs. Johnson and came as soon as I could," she replied as she noticed Lucian and Erza on the other side of the dimly lit room. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of Erza on the cot.
Erza walked over and rubbed the young girl's back, her touch soft and gentle. "He's okay, Tessa, worn out, but okay," she told her.
Tessa stiffened slightly and glared at the older girl. "I've stayed up the past two days worrying about him. It's your fault he's here in the first-place you bitch," she snarled at Erza and shrugged her touch off. Tears pricked Tessa's eyes as she thought of the pain he must have been in. All because he followed this girl into a dangerous situation.
Erza was stunned at the hostility. While she'd never been friends with her and she knew Tessa was close friends with Gavin so she understood why she would be worried, but not to this level of hostility.
Lucian walked over and cleared his throat. "She is the reason Gavin made it to emergency services Tessa. I'd lower your tone a few notches," he said, trying to defuse her anger.
"She's the reason he was put in danger. She's the reason he was hurt. He followed her into that studio without hesitating. He's so stupidly loyal like that. " Tessa argued as she looked between Erza and Lucian. Tears flowed down her cheeks at her raw emotions.
Erza bristled at this level of anger and said quietly, "If you want to argue and yell, we can take this in the hall. But do not wake him up," she growled low in her throat. Her eyes shone golden yellow in the dimly lit room.
"No, I'm sure that won't be necessary," Mr. Johnson said as he stepped in between the girls.
"Oh, I think it is necessary," Tessa growled. She refused to back down. Erza put her best friend in danger. He's in the hospital hooked up on all kinds of machines because of her. She wiped angrily at her eyes, clearing the tears as she glared at Erza.
Erza sighed and walked towards the door. "Then let's make this quick before he wakes up," she said as she waited in the hallway.
Tessa followed her, leaving Mr. Johnson in the room with Gavin. This kitty was going to chewed up bad!