Chapter 17: Sealed Bonds

She hated me...

So many negative emotions were running through my brain; outrage, sadness, agony and torture - all because a woman I had grown fond of had rejected me and accused me of murder when the decision to save me led to Amir sacrificing himself for the two of us! The damage I felt was unbearable, so much so that I couldn't help but wish that I was back home in Los Angeles with Abraham, Morgan and the girls. Maybe I could have stayed with them and lived our usual family life if my Boss hadn't forced me to take this mission...!

But you wouldn't have met Libby, Rahim and Brecken if you didn't take your mission, dipsh*t! You still have them!

"Crane?"

Dr. Zere's concerned voice snapped me out of my frenzied trance and I stared at him with shock; glitched breathing, agony spreading within and tears slipping out, everything! I must have looked like a f*cking p*ssy in that state...

"Z-Zere?!" I wheezed out, struggling to hold my cries back and doing a terrible job at it.

"What's wrong?" The elderly man asked gently, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Do you want a chat in the Medical Ward?"

Hearing this, I shakily nodded. Please tell me if Libby, Rahim or Brecken are there!

"Okay, let's go," Zere replied kindly, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and walking with me down the hallway. "Take deep breaths, okay? You're going to be alright, kid,"

I followed his instructions and it wasn't long before the two of us entered the Tower's new hospital. The area was a lot smaller than the one downstairs, but it bore a similarity to the green walls, white floor, matching gurneys and the usual medical equipment. Lena was the first to see Dr. Zere and I enter the room and she approached us worriedly. "Imran, what happened?"

"We're about to find out, Doctor," Dr. Zere replied with equal concern, sitting me down a white table and perching next to me.

"Is there anything we can get for you, Crane?" Lena asked me kindly. "Would you like a glass of water or..."

"No, no, thank you," I declined politely, violently trembling as silent sobs wracked my body. "D-Do you k-know w-where Libby is? I want to see her,"

"I'll contact her," The woman told me, reaching for her radio. "Libby, this is Lena. Do you copy?"

Please, Lib! I could really use your company right now! PLEASE!

"Loud and clear, Boss," Libby's voice came through on the other end, much to my sheer relief.

"Where are you right now?"

"I'm in the nursery," The young girl answered. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, we've got Crane here and he's in a bit of an emotional state," Lena informed her with concern. "If you're available, he's asked for your company,"

"Oh god..." Libby muttered worriedly. "Right. Okay, I'm coming down. Get Rahim and Brecken over there too,"

Oh thank christ...!

Whilst Lena reached out to my other two pals, I couldn't hold my emotions back any longer and I just broke down crying in a mess, prompting Imran to tug me in for a one-armed hug. Looking back nowadays, this was my lowest point during the time I spent in Harran. I felt like I didn't deserve to have friends like Rahim and Brecken, a daughter like Libby and especially a partner like Jade after she rejected me. My self-loathing was strong enough to make me believe that I would have ruined the four of them...

But, that wasn't the case at all...

"You can talk to us whenever you're ready," Dr. Zere reassured me. "Libby, Rahim and Harris will be here, any minute,"

Moments after I heard his words, two pairs of footsteps rapidly descended the staircase outside and before I knew it, Rahim and a cleaned up Libby sprinted into the hospital with Brecken right behind them. Oh, thank f*ck you guys are here!

"Kyle?!" Libby gasped worriedly.

"What the f*ck happened?!" Rahim demanded, equally concerned.

"Okay, easy, kids," Brecken calmed the two, also fearful for my well being. "Let him talk whenever he's ready,"

After struggling to pull myself together, I did. I confided about about my argument with Jade; her becoming protective of me when we barely knew each other, accusing me of murdering Amir, not answering my questions and finally, screaming at me to get the f*ck out when I told her that she needed to let her fear of losing us go.

A huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders after I finished...

"F*ck, I...!" Rahim growled angrily with shock, briefly pacing to and fro. "I'm so sorry she said those things to you!"

"Yeah, truly," Libby agreed, equally sympathetic. "T-Thank you for... you know, standing up for us, as well,"

"Why did you do that, though?" The boy asked worriedly. "You didn't have to defend us,"

Brecken appeared to sense my reasons why and beat me to it. "I think it's because we're family to him,"

Silence followed for several seconds. It was so thick that you could nearly hear a pin drop and my rapidly flaring anxiety didn't help. Rahim thankfully broke it with a stunned "Seriously?"

"Y-Yeah," I managed to choke out with a nod. "You guys have grown on me already, every single one of you,"

"W-Well, I..." Libby stammered, just as stunned as Rahim was. "This is definitely something,"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, Henry brought this to my attention when we were heading to Jaffar's," The young girl told me. "And that's, that's really sweet of you,"

What?!

"Yeah," Brecken agreed, smirking at my dumbstruck reaction. "We know you haven't been here for long but you've earned your place with us. Don't let Jade bring you down, alright?"

I couldn't help but crack a pleased grin, knowing that I had these awesome people as my family. "O-Okay, thanks,"

"Don't mention it, pal," The Tower's leader replied, returning my smirk.

"Hey Crane, do you want to play a video game with us?" Rahim asked hopefully. "Or watch a movie?"

"How about a movie?" I suggested, intrigued.

"Great, alright," The older kid responded eagerly. "Anything in particular?"

I took a moment to think over my favourite films, before coming back with "Have any of you got Jaws lying around?"

Imran's eyes lit up with recognition. "That's a classic,"

"Make that two," Brecken agreed. "And I think I've got a copy of it in my room somewhere,"

"What the f*ck is Jaws?" Rahim questioned with confusion, earning stunned looks from the three of us and a stifled chuckle from Libby.

"You haven't seen it?!" I glowered in shock.

"Nope,"

"I haven't seen it either," Libby chimed in before nervously asking: "It's not a horror movie, is it?"

The cheeky smirk on my face was all she needed, and she scowled: "Oh, for god's sake!"

"Hey, you'll be fine!" I laughed. "I mean think about it, you've got us bad*sses here - so, it's all good! You don't have to worry about sharks jumping on you!"

Hearing this, the young girl shook her head playfully. "Alright, let's do it,"

F*ck Yes!