Gabriel wasn't exactly surprised by his step-brother's reaction; that guy had always been quick to use violence and coercion whenever things didn't go the way he wanted—just like his mother.
Still, Gabriel didn't expect him to be so low as to vent his anger on a child. One look at his face, and Gabriel could tell he was itching to wring the boy's neck.
That scum had no moral ground.
Jake clumsily bent forward, trying to grab the child's shoulder. Just as he was about to touch Misha, Gabriel forced his aching body to move and pulled the boy in his arms, tightly holding his head against his chest. His broken fingers pulsated in pain, but he ignored them.
"What are you doing?!" Gabriel cried out. "He's just a child!"
The teenager's panicked voice was like a lightning bolt, and Jake stopped dead in his tracks, almost losing balance and falling headfirst. Not knowing what to do, he reflexively glanced at his mother, a wronged expression on his face.
Despite his skinny arms, the kid's punches were strangely heavy, and now his groin hurt like hell. It was so painful that he was staggering, looking like a newborn fawn.
However, Angela couldn't care less about her son's grievances and gave him a warning look, making it clear that she wouldn't tolerate him ruining her plans. Such a perfect opportunity wouldn't happen twice, and they shouldn't instill doubt in Gabriel's mind about their real intentions just yet.
Whether he liked it or not, Jake had no choice but to restrain his temper. Still, he glared at Misha one last time before snorting something unintelligible and sitting back on the chair.
'That ass must be thinking about taking revenge after they're done with me,' Gabriel silently snorted. 'Knowing him, he'll never forget what has happened today. Honestly, that guy's pettiness knows no bounds. Ah, man, one more thing to worry about now!'
"Excuse him," Angela said through gritted teeth. "The anger got the best of him, but you must admit that what the child has just said is outrageous!"
"Outrageous?"
"Yes! What did your parents teach you?! You should reflect on your words and apologize!" Angela requested in a shrill voice, appearing quite offended.
Logically speaking, there wasn't anything unusual about the way she reacted; it was inappropriate for people to say such things about a patient's family. Her being furious was entirely justified, but the problem was that Angela didn't care about Gabriel one bit, even wishing for his demise.
Although Misha didn't know anything about Gabriel's family circumstances, he could tell that the woman and the teenager had no good intentions. Or maybe he simply didn't like them and, as such, perceived them as evils, no matter what they said or did. Who knows?
In any case, Misha had never been the kind to hold back, and the words freely flew out of his mouth.
"You're the outrageous ones! If Gabriel didn't wake up, you were planning to stop the life-sustaining treatment in less than two weeks. And yet, you still dare to show up in front of him, acting as if you never had such intentions! Even worms are less disgusting than you!"
Misha spat out these last words, his blood boiling. Hitting Jake in the nuts hadn't been near enough to vent his anger; he wanted to castrate the guy and destroy the woman's hypocritical face, whether with his words or his fists.
However, Gabriel's arms seemed to be made of iron, and no matter how much he struggled, Misha couldn't escape. Exhausted, he could only glance at the teenager in annoyance.
'Aren't you supposed to be super weak right now?' Misha silently pouted. 'How come I still can't fight back? It's unfair! And what about my pride? You're shattering it to pieces….'
While Gabriel held down the little fury, Angela had to take a minute to process the child's words. Her heart skipped a beat, but she rapidly regained control of her emotions. She couldn't stop her act now, or it would appear suspicious.
"How shameless! We would never do such a thing!"
"Stop pretending, old hag!" Misha roared as he moved about in the teenager's arms, looking like a small, wild beast. "You don't give a shit about his life, so shut your freaking mouth and get lost!"
"You! You!"
Angela was so frustrated that she was at a loss for words. It was the first time she had met such a little brat; she had no idea how to handle him. Everything she said seemed to go in one ear and out the other.
"Enough!" Jake shouted, jumping to his feet to grip the kid's upper arm and drag him out of his step-brother's arms. "You're the one that's going to–"
Jake stopped mid-sentence, frozen by the icy glare Gabriel threw at him. It felt that if he were to utter anything more, his life would be in danger.
Then Gabriel slowly opened his mouth, saying in a low, threatening voice, "Don't touch him."
His seething anger was palpable, leaving everyone in the room speechless. They all thought they had an auditory hallucination or were seeing things. But even after blinking a few times, the teenager didn't seem to be any less angry.
Gabriel knew his reaction was out of character, but he couldn't help it—not when the little boy in his arms was trembling like a leaf. His frail, round shoulders shook in fear, whereas his breathing had drastically accelerated. It made his protective instinct surge, and Gabriel didn't resist it, throwing caution to the wind without hesitation.
The moment Jake had grasped his arm, Misha's trauma flared up. It was still alright when the teenage boy only grabbed his collar, and Misha could pretend that everything was fine; he just had to bark louder to distract his mind. But it wasn't the case when Jake's fingers were wrapped around his upper arm, clutching it like claws.
It made him feel trapped, bringing back many unpleasant memories that plunged him into a waking nightmare. However, Gabriel's next course of action brought him back to reality, and his heartbeat calmed down.
A bitter-sweet feeling stormed in the pit of his stomach.
Gabriel had protected him in the same way in their past life, without ever caring about his own image. The only times he got angry was when someone hurt him or his sister. His usual gentleness was gone at such moments, and only merciless words were left.
Misha's eyes reddened slightly at the thought, and he snuggled against the teenager's chest a bit more, wondering why he hadn't noticed such things sooner. Perhaps Gabriel had always worn a mask in their presence, hiding his true self for a reason he couldn't fathom, but it didn't mean Gabriel didn't hold them dear.
Until that fateful day, Gabriel had always protected him and his sister, no matter the price to pay.
Before long, the warmth of the teenager's body soothed his mind and his heart. Misha felt re-energized, and he glared back at Jake. A 'I dare you to hurt me now' look slipped on his face, a smug smile stretching his lips. It felt so good to have someone watch his back!
Everyone had fallen silent; even Jake had no words left despite the boy mocking him so openly. All he could do was loosen his grip and step back, unable to stand the look on Gabriel's face.
After a while, Yuki's calm voice finally resounded within the room, "You're disturbing the patient's rest. So, I will have to ask you to leave."
Only then did Angela snap out of her stupor, clearing her throat to hide her embarrassment. She would usually put such an insolent nurse back in her place, but today, she gave her an excuse to leave, making it so that she didn't appear to be running away. Thus, Angela decided to leave her off the hook, standing up and agreeing to her proposition instead.
"Yes, it's getting late. We will come back tomorrow, ok?"
The teenager responded with a nod, discreetly pinching the boy's waist to keep him from saying something he shouldn't. The child was then too busy rubbing his painful waist to bother with whatever that woman said.
"That kid may as well leave with us," Jake proposed with a tone of voice that could barely hide his malicious thoughts. "We will escort him to the reception."
"It's not necessary," Gabriel said with a polite smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Since his parents should arrive soon, he can wait for them here."
"Right," was Angela's answer. Then, she dragged her eldest son to the door. Tristan obediently followed behind her like a duckling, glancing back and forth between the people in the room with curious eyes. He couldn't quite comprehend what had happened.
"Then, see you tomorrow," Angela awkwardly smiled, to which Gabriel answered with a perfunctory "see you".
"I will also take my leave," Yuki announced, already walking up to the door after Angela and her sons had left.
"Thank you for your intervention," Gabriel thanked. "It was well-timed."
"You're welcome," the nurse replied, closing the door behind her.
In the silent room, only the teenager and the boy were left. Only then did Gabriel consent to release Misha, who reflexively took a step back as soon as he was free.
Before the teenager could say anything, the child lifted his bright blue eyes and said in a deadpan tone, "You have amnesia, huh?"
"…"
This… should he answer with a yes or a no?
_________________
Chapter revised on 2022-05-13
Edited by Clozed! ♥
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/rs_vaesen
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZsEYr5eh6h