Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ The Last Bearers ❯ Chapter 26 ( Chapter 26 )

Bryan brought me into the clearing. As always, it was empty.

“We can lay here,” he murmured.

We lay side by side, our fingers entwined. Finally, Bryan leaned over and kissed me.

“Don't hold back. Please,” I whispered.

“Jayden, I…you have no idea how I'm feeling right now.” Bryan brushed my bangs out of my eyes. “I want you…so bad. I don't know if I can control myself. I've never felt this way before around you. You're just so…tantalizing.”

“Then don't hold back,” I said softly.”I'm not afraid, Bryan. I want to.”

“Okay.”

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Chapter 26

Daire stuck close to Aleksei as they entered the Breeders' dormitory. The Breeders stared as they passed, though none of them said a word. Aleksei took Daire by the hand, pressing his lips together in a frown. He tugged Daire through the dormitory.

They found Bryan with Jesse and Alden in their usual corner. They looked surprised to see Daire and Aleksei there.

“We need to talk to Bryan privately,” Aleksei said, his eyes darting from Bryan to Alden, and then to Jesse.

“All right.” Bryan rose and followed them out of the dormitory without asking any questions.

The guards didn't even glance at them as they passed. Bryan raised his eyebrows questioningly but didn't ask. They found an empty classroom and made themselves comfortable on top of the desks.

“So what's going on?” Bryan asked.

“Have you heard much about what has been going on with Caelyn and Aidan?” Aleksei asked.

“Only bits and pieces,” Bryan answered carefully. “I don't trust what I hear from gossip. I prefer to hear the entire story first.” He gave Aleksei a meaningful look.

Aleksei turned to Daire. “I believe you are better suited to tell this story. You know Caelyn and Aidan a lot better than I do.”

Daire nodded and looked at Bryan. “I don't know how long Aidan and Caelyn's relationship has been going on for. They were here longer than I was. I don't think they had sex other than that one time. They tried really hard to keep it a secret. Then Caelyn got pregnant. That's when they told me. I understand that they wanted to keep a secret so they didn't tell me until Caelyn was pregnant. I don't resent them for not telling me. Anyway, while we were waiting for Caelyn to finish seeing Dr. White, Aidan told me that there was a possibility that he had gotten Caelyn pregnant. He was a nervous wreck. I've never seen him so shaken before.”

“I can imagine,” Bryan muttered.

“Then we found out that Caelyn was pregnant,” Daire continued as though there had been no interruption. “There was no way to tell if the baby was Aidan's or not. We decided that we had to keep it a secret no matter what. Then Halen…” Daire's throat constricted.

“Yeah,” Bryan said darkly.

“Anyway, despite the stress of dealing with what Halen did, things were going okay. Caelyn seemed happy that he was finally going to have a baby and then Rian was born.”

“He looked like Aidan and not Halen,” Bryan filled in. “So John got upset.”

“Yes,” Daire replied. “Aidan was put in confinement because he refused to answer John's questions.”

“Why?” Bryan interrupted. “Why didn't Aidan want to answer John's questions?”

“I don't know.” Daire shifted uncomfortably. “Maybe he wanted to protect Caelyn. I really can't say.”

“But John already knew, didn't he?” Bryan asked. “So that doesn't make sense.”

“Then I don't know.” Daire frowned as well.

“So then what happened?” Bryan asked.

“I went back to the apartment and talked to Aleksei. Several days later, Caelyn was released from the Medical Facility. We had breakfast together and then we went to talk to John. He tried to get us to talk about what happened. We wouldn't talk so he tried to separate us and put us in confinement. Aidan went nuts. He was going to attack John and John shot him. Aidan was rushed to the Medical Facility and John went with him.”

“So how did you get out?” Bryan asked.

“The guards,” Daire answered. “They let us go.”

“Just like that?” Bryan asked incredulously. “There wasn't a catch?”

“Catch?” Daire blinked confusedly. “Why would there be a catch?”

“They could be tricking you.”

“There isn't any sort of a trick.” Aleksei shook his head. “Bry, they hate John as much as we do. I can just tell, okay? Trust me.”

“Okay.” Bryan sighed softly. He frowned. “What do you plan to do?”

“We're not really sure,” Aleksei replied truthfully. “We were thinking about getting out, but we don't really know how.”

“I agree that it's a good idea to get out of here,” Bryan said slowly. “The Institute is obviously stressing Caelyn out and if it keeps up, he'll get sick. If we aren't careful, he could die. Not to mention they're going to take Rian away.”

“I never want that to happen ever again,” Daire muttered.

“We have to come up with a plan fast,” Bryan said. “The other Breeders are getting out of hand. They won't be controlled for much longer.”

“We need to get Aidan out too,” Daire said.

“We don't even know if he's going to live or not,” Aleksei murmured.

“We should find out then,” Daire said. “I just don't know how.”

“How about we sneak in then?” Bryan suggested. “I know a way to get in undetected, but there's a risk we'll be discovered.”

“I don't care,” Daire said.

“All right. Follow me then.”

Bryan led them out of the empty classroom and through several back hallways.

“How do you know these hallways even exist?” Daire asked in amazement.

“Aleksei and I went wandering around quite a bit when we were first brought here. We managed to find a way to evade the guards and explored a lot of The Institute.”

Daire looked at Aleksei. “You never mentioned that.”

Aleksei shrugged. “It never came up.”

“We need to be quiet.” Bryan pressed his index finger to his lips.

Aleksei and Daire fell silent. Finally, Bryan stopped and pushed a door open. They were in a long whitewashed hallway.

“Wait here,” Bryan said softly. “I'll be right back. I just want to make sure it's clear. There's no sense in all of us getting caught.”

Daire and Aleksei nodded at the same time. Bryan silently slid down the hallway. After a few minutes, he was back.

“This way. It's not far to Aidan's room,” he said.

He expertly led them down the hallway. Then, he stopped.

“Hang on,” he ordered. He opened a door and stuck his head in. “All right. It's clear.”

They entered. It was a small hospital room with little in it besides a bed and some medical equipment. Daire was the first to step toward the bed. He looked down at the bed's occupant and flinched.

“Oh Aidan,” he breathed.

Aidan was awake, but barely. His chest had been bandaged and the bandages were stained with crimson. A plastic breathing mask covered his nose and mouth. An IV had been stuck into his arm, a liquid slowly dripping into his body. A container of blood hung suspended, attached to the IV stand, supplying him with fresh blood.

Although Aidan was barely conscious, he still managed to smile weakly.

“Hey Daire,” he croaked.

“Hi,” Daire managed to reply.

Aidan's breaths came in uneven gasps. “I…I think I'm dying.”

“You shouldn't think like that,” Daire murmured.

“I know I'm dying. I can feel it,” Aidan replied.

Daire's eyes filled with more tears. Suddenly, Caelyn appeared with Rian in his carrier. Daire looked at him curiously.

“Bryan came and got me,” Caelyn explained.

Daire threw a quick glance over at Bryan, who was standing back with Aleksei. He hadn't even realized the dark-haired boy had left. His attention returned to Caelyn, who stepped forward.

Aidan smiled weakly when he saw Caelyn. “Hi Cae. I'm glad you came.”

“There's no way I couldn't come.” Caelyn's eyes filled with tears.

Bryan appeared out of nowhere with a chair.

“Have a seat,” he said, putting the chair by Aidan's side.

Aleksei also appeared out of nowhere carrying a chair for Daire. The two Bearers sat.

Aidan smiled slightly. “I'm so fucking lucky, you know. I've got my two best friends by my side when I die.”

More tears filled Caelyn's eyes.

“There will be no crying, all right?” Aidan's tone was stern. “You have to be strong, all right Cae? You've gotta be strong for our son.”

“All right.” Caelyn nodded and wiped away his tears.

He took Aidan's hand and gently held it. Daire positioned himself at Aidan's head. Bryan and Aleksei hovered in the background, unsure of what they were supposed to be doing.

“I'm so glad…I got a chance to say goodbye,” Aidan whispered.

“I don't want you to go,” Caelyn whispered. “I love you.”

“I do too.” Aidan's voice was barely above a whisper.

They were silent after that. Caelyn just held Aidan's hand, waiting for the end. Aidan's heartbeat got weaker and weaker. Then, it was gone. Caelyn started sobbing quietly and kissed the back of Aidan's hand. He let go of it, gently placing it by his side. Daire began weeping quietly as well. Aleksei rested his hand on Daire's shoulder, his eyes clouded with pain.

“I'm so sorry Daire,” he whispered.

Daire stifled a sob. Caelyn buried his face in his hands, his sobbing growing louder.

“Oh god Aidan. It's all my fault!” he cried. “You're dead because of me! Please forgive me!”

Caelyn doubled over. Daire gave a soft shriek and pressed his hands to his mouth to stifle it. Aleksei tightened his grip on Daire's shoulder.

He looked at Bryan. “Take care of Caelyn. I'll take care of Daire.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Bryan looked incredibly perplexed. “I'm not good with this sort of thing.”

“Neither am I.” Aleksei shrugged. “Just do the best you can.” He turned his attention to Daire again. “Daire?” Daire didn't answer. “Daire, come on. We have to get out of here.” There was still no response.

Aleksei sighed softly and tried again. “Daire, please. We need to get out of here. I know you're upset about what happened and I don't blame you at all. I know what Aidan meant to you. I'm not saying you should totally forget about him, but there'll be a time later when you and Caelyn can grieve, okay?”

There was still no response from Daire. Bryan was having the same sort of luck with Caelyn.

“What do we do?” Bryan asked, turning to Aleksei.

“We resort to carrying them out of here,” Aleksei responded grimly.

Bryan sighed softly. “I was afraid of that.”

“Do you think you can manage both Caelyn and the baby?” Aleksei asked.

Bryan briefly glanced at both Caelyn and Rian. “I'll manage just fine.”

“All right.” Aleksei shrugged.

He moved around to the side of the chair Daire was sitting in and bodily lifted him up. The blond blinked in surprise.

“Relax Daire,” Aleksei said softly. “It's all right. I'm just gonna carry you out, okay?”

Daire nodded and wrapped his arms around Aleksei's neck.

“How are you doing Bryan?” Aleksei asked, turning to his friend.

“I'm doing okay,” Bryan answered, shifting Caelyn in his arms a little. “Although I'm not sure I'll be able to carry both him and the baby like I thought.”

“How do you think…”

“What on earth is going on here?” a voice interrupted. “It was Dr. White, standing in the doorway with a nurse. “What are you doing in here? Aidan is not allowed any visitors at this time.”

“Aidan is dead,” Caelyn said in a flat tone.

“What?” Dr. White asked, staring at him.

“If you weren't such a fucking idiot, you would have realized that he is fucking dead!”

“How dare you!” Dr. White growled.

“Bryan, put me down,” Caelyn commanded.

“Caelyn, I don't think now's the best time…” Bryan protested.

“Just put me down!” Caelyn snapped. His tone softened. “Please.”

Bryan set him down. He held onto Caelyn's arms to make sure he was steady. Caelyn pushed himself away from Bryan's grasp and walked forward. He stared at Dr. White.

“Aidan died,” he said without a trace of fear. “I can't say for sure, but I think he was in a lot of pain when he died.”

“Why did you come?” Dr. White asked.

“Aidan was everything to me. Bryan came to get me. He woke me up and told me that Aidan was…dying.” Caelyn's voice waivered. “I got up right away and came here. I was with him when he died, because I didn't want him to die all by himself. He deserved to have his friends by his side when he died.”

“You had no right…” Dr. White started.

“He had every right to be at Aidan's side,” Aleksei interrupted. “Aidan was Caelyn's best friend and his lover. He was also the father of Caelyn's child. He wanted to say goodbye to Caelyn and Daire and he got the chance because we were brave enough to come here even though it was not allowed.”

“I know it's my fault Aidan is dead.” Tears rolled freely down Caelyn's face. “You can blame me all you want; I don't care. But I loved him and no matter what happens, that is not going to change.”

Dr. White was stunned. Aleksei took advantage of the situation.

“We're leaving now. Come on,” he commanded.

Caelyn picked up Rian's carrier and he and Bryan silently followed Aleksei out of the Medical Facility.

They were surprised when they realized that Aleksei was bringing them to his and Daire's apartment, but didn't dare question the redhead. Aleksei managed to get the door open even though he was carrying Daire.

The door swung open and Aleksei expertly navigated through the room in the dark. Bryan slowly followed, trying hard to not run into anything. He blindly groped around until he found the light switch and flipped the lights on. Caelyn waited at the door with Rian until it was safe.

Aleksei was bent over the couch when the lights went on, trying to get Daire to let go of his shirt, which he clenched tightly with his fingers. Bryan and Caelyn watched as Aleksei patiently pried Daire's fingers apart, speaking soft words of encouragement. Finally, he was successful and straightened up, long pale fingers smoothing out some of the wrinkles Daire had made in his shirt. His eyes reflected strangely in the light.

“Aleksei? What's wrong?” Bryan asked with a frown.

Aleksei's voice was strangely calm though his eyes seemed to dance wildly.

“We're going to break out of The Institute.”

To be continued…

Notes:

Daire: Hello there. Once again, the author has given me her notes and run off to barricade herself in her steel bunker. This time, I agree with her that it's needed. According to her notes, Aidan had a very good reason for dying. So far, from what can tell, Aidan was shot so he could die so something else can happen. I'm not sure what yet. The author hasn't told me and she won't let me see her outline so I have no idea what's going to happen. But I have a feeling that it's going to be messy.

Caelyn: The author also sends her apologizes for the lateness of this chapter. Her excuses include moving home for the summer, some personal issues, her mother, also known as Nagzilla, and having to rewrite the chapter because she didn't like the way it turned out.

Daire: She says that she expects to have Identity done by August at the very latest. She's going to push as hard as she can to get it done sooner. She's not sure if that'll work because she's going to be taking a class over the summer so she's not sure how much free time she'll have. And, of course, things never seem to work out as she plans. So just be warned of that now.