Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 151

The couch was more comfortable than the floor, and Vivian managed to get a bit more sleep once Gilbert had finished the strangest interrogation she’d ever taken part in. He hadn’t really asked her anything important, just generalized questions. There’d only been one question she refused to answer. She hoped he’d taken her silence as the inability to remember, but deep down she knew he saw it for what it’d been: unwilling to admit she did, and thus open herself up to more pointed questions on the topic.

It was morning when she woke on her own. A few minutes were spent trying to figure out where she was, before the events of the previous evening returned.

“Get changed and come eat,” Gilbert told her as he set a plate on the table and motioned for her to join him.

After changing into the clothes Jacques had provided, Vivian took a seat at the table. The breakfast was simple; bacon, eggs, and toast. It weighed heavy in her stomach, but not eating wouldn’t solve anything. She forced half of it down before calling it quits.

For his part, Gilbert didn’t seem bothered that she hadn’t cleaned her plate, taking it away once she’d set down her fork.

“Let’s go,” he said as he moved to the front door and waited.

“Where are we going?” Vivian asked as she followed his example, slipping her shoes on as she spoke.

“To see your brothers.”

Vivian heart hammered at the thought of getting to see Laurent and Sebastian. There was no need to say more. She followed Gilbert to the elevator and down to the parking garage. Here, he opened the back passenger door of a silver car she’d never seen before. Was this his personal vehicle, or the one he used because Tyrell was using the other? Did it even matter?

The drive to the hospital felt like it took forever. Post holiday morning traffic was steady, but not too busy, so they made decent time. When Gilbert was looking for somewhere to park, Vivian suddenly thought of something. “Hey, Gilbert… about school…”

“They’ve been informed you and Laurent will be out for the remainder of the week, due to a family emergency.”

It was a little scary how good the man was at his job.

By the time they parked and gotten out of the car, Tyrell had found them and waited just a few spots away. “Good morning, Miss Vivian,” he greeted her with a nod before locking eyes with Gilbert. From her perspective, it looked like they were having some unspoken conversation but, about what she hadn’t a clue, and didn’t care in the moment. She wanted to see her brothers, not watch two grown men stare at each other.

As if sensing her impatience, Tyrell returned his focus to Vivian and nodded. “Follow me, Miss.”

Gilbert followed a few steps behind, never saying a word as they entered the hospital and made their way to the elevator. They stepped out on the third floor, where things felt a little too quiet for Vivian’s liking.

“We cleared most of the floor,” Tyrell explained before she could ask. “Only authorized people are allowed beyond this point.” By this point, he meant a man sitting behind a desk in the middle of the hall.

“Mr White,” he greeted, jumping to his feet. “And Mr Morris. And… Miss, uh, Devreaux.”

Vivian blinked, not disliking the fact he’d used her family name instead of her legal one. Maybe one day she’d change it.

“Anything happen?” Tyrell inquired as they paused at the desk.

“No, sir. There’s a sergeant, detective, and two officers waiting to speak with the witnesses. They’ve been made to wait in the southern family room.”

“Good. Thanks.”

“Sir.”

They left the man behind, who flopped into his chair, looking relieved once they’d begun to move away.

Two guards, a man and woman, were posted outside a room. They were well dressed, but comfortably so. Vivian was certain the blazers they wore hid the guns they carried — what guard wouldn’t be armed, after all?

“Sir,” the man nodded to Tyrell, then Gilbert, as the woman said, “Nothing to report here.”

“Go on in,” Tyrell told Vivian as he opened the door, motioning for her to go inside.

Nervous, she stepped into the room by herself, Tyrell closing the door in her wake so she and her brothers would have some privacy.

“Hey, Vivian,” Laurent greeted her from his bed. He was sitting up, appearing tired but, considering the shape of the vehicle he’d been in, looked to be in decent shape. There was a bandage covering one of his ears, some of his neck and shoulder, and she guessed there’d be more under his shirt and pants, but wasn’t about to ask about that. The most startling change to his appearance was the lack of jewelry; his piercings had been removed, making his face look naked.

“Hey,” she greeted in return, her eyes travelling to the left of her brother, where Reagan sat in a chair, looking grim. “Reagan.”

“Hey, Vivian,” the redhead greeted.

Why was Reagan there? Vivian knew Samuel referred to him as family, but to be allowed into the hospital room when security was as tight as it was seemed odd to her; then again, long time family friend status probably changed things.

Laurent had gotten to his feet, wincing as he pressed a hand to his side. “Come here already.”

Vivian walked across the room and was pulled into a hug, which she returned, careful not to press against any possible injury. “I’m glad you’re alright,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

“You and me both,” he replied, giving her a final squeeze before letting her go. “All my shit is superficial. I get to stick around until this evening — for *observation* or whatever — but, after that, I’m free to go.”

“What about Sebastian?” She asked, worried about the answer.

Laurent limped the few steps over to the curtain that separated his bed from the rest of the room, and slid it back to show their eldest brother. Sebastian looked like he was sleeping, with a number of machines all around him making soft noises as they kept track of his vitals.

Unlike the youngest Devreaux brother, Sebastian was covered with a lot more bandages. His entire torso was wrapped up, as was his neck and left arm. There were cuts on his face that’d been stitched, and bruising around his eyes and left temple all the way down his jaw. He definitely looked like he’d been in some kind of accident.

“The doctor said he had a collapsed lung, but they fixed it in surgery,” Laurent explained as Vivian moved to stand next to the bed. “Some fractured ribs and all that fun stuff. It’ll be at least a week before he’s allowed to leave, but so long as he recovers the way he should, he’ll be good as new by Christmas.”

“That’s good,” she nodded, relieved that both of them had made it out in one piece.

At that moment, Sebastian cracked open an eye, and gave a small smile. “Hey, Viv…”

“You look horrible,” she told him as a greeting, making his chuckle, then wince. He waved a hand at her worried expression.

“I probably shouldn’t be laughing,” he explained. “Hurts when I do.”

“Sorry…”

“Don’t be. I needed a good laugh.” Sebastian took a deep breath and tried to sit up but failed.

“Yeah, you should stick to lying down for now,” Laurent chided him with a smirk.

“Mmmhmm,” Sebastian hummed, accompanying it with a small nod. “Good plan.”

A soft knock at the door was followed by Tyrell popped his head into the room. “Mr Laurent, Mr Montague would like to speak with you again.”

“Be right there,” Laurent told the bodyguard, who closed the door once receiving confirmation. Her brother turned back to give Vivian another look. “Did Auntie Pat really try and grab you?”

Vivian fidgeted a bit before nodding. “Yeah.”

He sighed in response. “Of course she did. At least you got away.”

“Yeah… well… I… accidentally shoved my fingers up her nose,” Vivian grimaced, the memory coming to her mind’s eyes. There’d been a lot of blood. “I think I gave her the worst nose bleed I’ve ever seen. She swore really loud.”

A loud snort came from Reagan, who slapped a hand over his mouth in an attempt to muffle his laughter.

“You… how do you accidentally shove your fingers up someone’s nose?” Laurent pretended to demand, as Sebastian chuckled again, followed by a groan of pain.

“Sorry,” she told her eldest brother, feeling guilty. “I wasn’t trying to make you laugh that time.”

“I know,” he assured her with a lopsided smile. “Just trying to picture it…” he started coughing before settling. “I doubt she’ll try and grab you again, not after you hurt her face.”

“I wish I could have seen it,” Laurent said, voice wistful. “But, for now, I get to talk to Charles. Keep Sebastian company for me, would you?”

“Okay,” Vivian agreed.

Reagan left with Laurent, a hand on his arm to keep him balanced, as he was walking with a limp.

“Come here, Viv,” Sebastian called, holding out his right hand, which she took. His grip wasn’t strong, but it still spoke to how grateful he felt that she was there.

“I’m glad you’re alright,” she mumbled, unsure what else to say.

“Same. I’m glad you’re okay, too.”

“Mmm…” she hummed a little, feeling awkward. What were you supposed to say when visiting someone in the hospital? “Have you ever been to Gilbert’s place?”

“No, can’t say I have,” he said after a few seconds, as if he needed to think about it. “Why?”

“I stayed there last night. He needs to get more furniture, or something.”

“Tell me about it,” Sebastian told her as he closed his eyes but kept his grip on her hand, so she knew he was awake and listening, as she recounted her time spent in the man’s apartment — and how spartan the place had been.