Shape of You (+18)

Chapter Twelve

▬▬▬▬Joel's POV▬▬▬▬

Running through the parking lot of the hospital they'd taken Jared to, I didn't care about the cars that honked at me like I was some madman. I was one. Fueled with anger and a burning need to protect my little brother. There was nothing I could do for him while he was behind bars, but I sure as hell was going to protect him now.

I nearly busted through the automatic doors that led to the emergency room—they were taking too long to slide open. Even as I rushed into the waiting room full of stressed out relatives to other patients, I scanned the room, looking for someone that could tell me where to go.

Spotting a desk further back, where a woman in pale blue scrubs sat, I ran over to her, paying no mind to the many eyes watching me sprint across the large room.

"Sir," the woman began, her eyes slightly widening at me, no doubt on guard because of my wild state. "What can I do for-"

"Jared Kramer," I huffed out, stopping her. Trying to steady my breathing, I continued, "He's my brother. I need to see him."

"Um, okay," she nodded, typing into her computer. Pausing, she grabbed a paper Starbucks cup and started sipping whatever overpriced drink she paid for.

"If you could move with some sense of urgency," I suggested through gritted teeth, impatiently tapping my fingers on the cold desk.

Catching my tone, she quickly put her drink down and got back to finding me the information I needed.

"Jared Kramer is in room E12, right through those double doors..."

"Thank you," I said, turning and walking toward them.

"B-But, sir! He can't have any visitors at the moment! He's under state custody and they don't want-"

"Does it look like I give a fuck?" I questioned, eying her like she was an imbecile. "I'm going to see him."

Clamping her mouth closed, the woman watched me push through the double doors and out of sight.

***

"I want an explanation, and I want it now," I seethed, looking at the officers assigned to guard Jared.

Walking into his room, I had to take heavy breaths to keep from heaving up the food I'd just eaten. His face was badly bruised, his bottom lip busted open, along with stitches along his temple and jaw, but that wasn't what made my stomach churn. It was the extremities of the injuries to his abdomen.

As the nurse changed his dressings, I was able to see the three places they had to stitch him together, each gash longer than my hand. Jared's skin looked paler than usual, no doubt because of how close to death he came. What I wanted to know was how he got to that point in the first place.

"Mr. Kramer, your brother was stabbed-"

"By who?" My knuckles were turning white from how tightly I gripped the railing of the hospital bed.

"Another inmate."

"How the fuck did another inmate even have the opportunity to stab him?!" I shouted, slamming my hands down on the railing, causing the nurse to look at me with a scolding eye. "Sorry," I said to her before returning my glower to the officers. "Talk."

"Mr. Kramer, we understand that you're upset, but-"

"Talk," I reiterated with an expression showing I was not to be denied twice.

Clearing his throat, the shorter and less intimidating man provided, "Apparently, while the prisoners were being served their lunch, one man in particular, an inmate whose name we aren't at liberty to disclose to you yet-"