Hidden *Sequel to Stolen*

Chapter 37: A path to follow

Skyler couldn't of braised herself as she had entered Heath's hospital room. Guilt. That was what she felt as she saw him, her gut feeling like someone had punched her. With his head resting on a pillow, his hair seemed to spill out in a large circle.

But that wasn't what ripped her heart, it was his face. Bruises covered every inch of his skin both of his eyes supporting a black eye. When she moved forward it seemed as though he could since she was there as his eyes weakly opened.

"I'll let you two be." Aby said, giving a warm smile as she slowly back out of the room before leaving.

Skyler looked back towards Heath, seeing his pale lips slowly form in a small smile.

"Hey," He crooked slowly bring his arms below him to push himself up, a wave of pain growing across his face.

Skyler quickly moved to his side, her hands touching his as she helped him sit up, a groan escaping past his lips.

"What happened?" The words came out as a whisper as she watched him, her eyes looking over his broken body.

"Keene is what happened. Put every last punch I could do before everything went black." He answered, running his fingers across the tub the connected to the needle that rested inside his arm.

"Do you remember anything else?" She asked, her eyes moving to the windows that showed the outside, the sight of the first snow fall.

"A scream, than a gunshot-" Heath paused mid sentence, his eyes moving over to her like something had just clicked. Blinking, he looked away, his hair falling in front of his face as he brought a shaky hand to his face.

"The gunshot, who-who was it?" He asked, his voice low as he held his head.

Skyler lowered her head. The memory of that day just replaying. It was a nightmare that would always hunt her, and always break her heart each time that second gunshot went off.

"It was Ayden." Only three words were able to make it past her lips as tears lined her eyes. The pain that filled her hurt. She didn't know how much more she could keep herself together. When she looked back up, Heath was looking at her. Something different in his eyes.

"Sky, I-" He swallowed before turning his eyes away from her, shame dancing through them.

"Did he live?" He asked softly, almost as if he knew what Ayden had done.

Skyler didn't even have to answer as she turned her head way, her hands tightening onto the railing of the hospital bed. Make it stop, please. She begged to herself.

But Heath didn't, his eyes lowered down to his lap.

"He loved you. Even with that silence color around his neck, he loved you." He said, his voice quivering.

"Heath, what are you-"

"I went down to see him the night before. Master Hill was planning on burning Ayden alive, leaving him to burn in chains without any help. I couldn't-I couldn't let it happen. I stole the keys and unlocked Ayden, I told him what was going to happen. He-he loved you Sky, and-and I couldn't watch you be broken anymore. I gave Ayden the gun, the letter, I set Ayden to die." He cried. His voice breaking as tears fell.

"I'm sorry. I thought he would live, he-he just gave me that smile that I thought-I thought he was going to make it. That we all would be able to make it." Tears ran down his cheeks and landed onto his lap as he cried.

Slowly Skyler reached her hand out letting it settle a top of his. This is what Chase had meet, Heath had known how all of it had happened.