"Wha—Kairo—" Eli sputtered, nearly tripping as he stumbled in the taller man's grip, flailing like a cat being dragged by the scruff.
His voice pitched high with disbelief. "Wait, where are you taking me?"
Kairo didn't answer. He didn't even spare him a glance. His silence pressed heavier than words, the sound of his boots against the linoleum steady, thunderous.
His grip on Eli's head was iron, steering him with merciless ease as though Eli weighed nothing at all.
"Hello?!" Lucas's voice cracked from behind them, panic slicing through the sterile hallway. "Where are you going?! Where are you taking him?!"
Eli twisted desperately in Kairo's hold, his hand stretching back toward his brother even as his body was yanked forward. "I'll come back, I promise—!" His voice broke mid-vow, swallowed by the squeak of nurses' shoes and Lucas's echoing calls.
