Blank Slate

Chapter 194 - Payton Taylor

I really didn't like that we were back in a hospital, but I think I might be physically unable to deny Oliver anything, especially when he looks at me with those large puppy dog eyes. I could tell that Christopher wasn't happy with us starting another job when we had so much other stuff on our plate still, but I didn't see the harm. We were a team of six highly trained people. I was fairly sure that we could keep one kid safe. Plus, Oliver was right. Helping this kid was the right thing to do.

I could see in Oliver's body language that he was already invested in this kid, meaning that he was quick to barge into the private hospital room and hurry to the kid's side. Christopher paused at the door and surveyed the brutal physical damage to the kid's face before huffing out a breath and also entering the room.

I didn't.

This kid had been beaten up and who knows what else. Dropped and abandoned outside of a hospital where I am guessing doctors and nurses treated him without asking for his permission to do so. Then he had been bombarded with endless questions about his identity and what happened by both medical personnel and law enforcement. He was currently holding onto the only form of control he had left in this situation by refusing to talk.

No way was I going to enter his room before he gave me the express permission to do so.

Plus, Ethan had told us that only one or two of us should try to reach out and make a connection of trust with the boy. Oliver was perfect for that role. He radiated out kindness and wholesome honesty while Christopher prided himself on being an expert on the human psyche. They could be the front people. I would hang back and not only make sure no one dangerous entered the room but also watch Oliver's and Christopher's backs.

I leaned against the wall next to the open door to the kid's hospital room and listened as Oliver made heartfelt pleas for understanding and trust that were repeated by Christopher in French. He explained who we were in half a dozen different ways and explained that we were here for his protection over and over again. They both reassured the boy that we did not want anything from him in return for our help and Oliver told him about his own struggles with acceptance as a gay man.

It was all very moving and heartfelt. The boy ignored every word of it and steadfastly stared up at the ceiling with iron determination.

Hours passed and I used the time to improve my novice French skills by listening to not only Christopher and Oliver but also to the conversations happening all around me. A few of the nurses gossiped about the boy while guessing what happened to him and why but mostly, people were too wrapped up in their own lives to notice we were here.

Ethan checked in and told me that he had started a system to track our progress as we dived deeper into the Carrion files. Evie texted me constantly, wanting updates on the boy while also wanting to schedule more time for us to hang out. Liam let me know that he took care of the furniture situation, remembering where we had gone shopping the last time he was here.

My feet were starting to protest the constant standing and I was just about to go bribe a janitor for a chair when a middle-aged man in scrubs walked purposefully towards the room I was guarding. He spared me a single glance before smirking with condescending surety that he had the authority to come and go within the patient rooms as he pleased. My instincts were all screaming at me that there was something off about this guy and I didn't hesitate to step between him and the open doorway.

The suspicious guy wasn't expecting my move and was unable to stop his forward motion in time and ended up chest-checking me. I allowed one of my feet to drop back to give me more leverage, but other than that I didn't budge an inch. The guy immediately shuffled back and locked eyes with me. He apologized in a warm and friendly tone that did not match the cold calculating glint in his eyes.