The Storms

Chapter eighteen

Brielle rushed over to the fight without heeding the calls of everyone trying to stop her. Pushing her way through the crowd, she reached the center where Theo was atop another guy, delivering blows.

"Theo!" Brielle yelled, approaching him. "Get off him right now," she ordered, her tone firm. Theo glanced up at her as she repeated his name.

"What, Elle?" he asked.

Brielle insisted, "Get off him right now." Theo looked at the guy beneath him and then back at Brielle. He complied, rising to his feet as Brielle approached. She reached up and grabbed his ear, dragging him along as they made their way through the parted crowd, Theo emitting "Ow" repeatedly.

Eventually, they reached their group. "Everyone, table, now," Brielle commanded, and without a word, they obeyed, moving to their table. Brielle continued to pull Theo by the ear until she made him sit down.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Brielle demanded.

"I don't know," Theo admitted quietly. In response, Brielle smacked him on the back of the head. "Hey!" Theo exclaimed, holding his head in pain. "That's what you get for being a dumbass," Brielle retorted, pulling out her first aid kit from her bag and handing it to Lola before returning to her book.

"Blake, will you go get me a salad?" she asked. Blake nodded and headed off, with Aylee following behind.

"I forgot how hard you hit," Theo remarked as Lola tended to his injuries.

"You shouldn't have been a dumbass," Brielle replied, still engrossed in her book.

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"Brielle, I heard you broke up a fight today," Vincent remarked.

"Yeah, I did," Brielle responded casually, taking a bite of her pasta.

"Um, okay," Vincent replied. The Storms were all seated at the dinner table, discussing their day and plans for the weekend.

"Excuse me," Peter interrupted, entering the dining room.

"Yes, Peter?" Damien acknowledged.

"There is a gift for Ms. Storm. I have placed it in the family room to open after you are done eating," Peter informed them.

"Thank you," everyone said in unison. Peter nodded and left, and dinner continued as usual.

After they finished, they made their way to the living room. On the coffee table sat a box, catching Brielle's attention. She approached and opened it, gasping at what she found inside.

The Storms gathered around her, curious. Inside the box was a heart. "Is that a human heart?" Jackson asked, trying not to gag. Brielle examined it closely.

"No, it's a pig's heart," she clarified. Jackson promptly left the room, feeling queasy.

"Who sent this to you?" Damien inquired.

"That master. He always gave me a pig's heart every time I completed a mission," Brielle explained before closing the box and starting to walk away.

"Brielle, where are you going?" Blake asked. Before she could respond, Brielle fell to the ground, clutching her side.

"What's wrong, hon?" Vincent asked with concern.

"My side really hurts," Brielle groaned.

Victor lifted her up, and they rushed to the garage, the rest of the brothers following. Damien grabbed Brielle's shoes and coat. "Oliver, you're in charge," he instructed.

"I want to come," Blake insisted, quickly putting on his shoes and coat.

"Are you sure?" Oliver questioned him. Blake nodded and joined them in the back seat. They all rushed off to the hospital.

Brielle lay on the hospital bed, receiving the best care as Vincent owned the hospital.

"How much longer?" Blake asked, growing impatient. His sister was in pain.

"They'll be here soon, son. They just did an MRI," Damien reassured him. Blake relaxed at this. He looked over at his sister, who had been put on morphine to alleviate her pain.

"Can you get me scissors?" Brielle requested.

The four guys looked at each other confused.

"Why, Bri?" Vincent asked.

"So I can cut my hair. It is getting on my neck," Brielle explained, clearly under the influence of medication.

"I will braid it for you," Blake offered. He retrieved her mini brush and hair tie from her purse. "Dad, can you sit her up?" Damien complied, being careful so Blake could access her hair. He gently brushed it before starting to French braid.

"Where did you learn to braid?" Victor asked. Before Blake could answer, Brielle interjected, somewhat slurred, "He used to braid my hair when I got beaten by the belt so bad I couldn't use my arms." The air in the room grew heavy.

Brielle laughed awkwardly. "Blakey, did I make the room awkward?"

"Yes, Bri, you did," Blake replied. Brielle leaned back against him, still holding her side.

Just then, the doctor entered the room. "Hello," he greeted.

"Hello," Brielle waved.

"What's wrong with my daughter?" Damien asked.

"You might want to sit down for this," the doctor suggested.

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"Everything seemed fine with Brielle, but, um..." the doctor began. He went over to Brielle and looked her in the eye. "There was something wrong with your kidney."

"What was wrong?" Victor inquired.

"We don't know. For now, we want to keep Brielle here until we find out why. We have to run a few more tests to be sure," the doctor explained.

"Doctor, what do you think it is?" Blake asked.

"We think, although it's early to say, that her kidneys are failing," the doctor revealed.