Chapter Nine: The Treatment Could Kill Her

Eden's POV

“Eden?” Claire's soft voice called out.

My head shot up as her eyes slowly opened.

“Claire.” Relief washed over me as I squeezed her hand gently.

She blinked several times before looking around the room.

“You look terrible.” She moaned slightly, shifting on the bed.

A laugh escaped me despite everything that was going on.

“Good morning to you too.” I wore my best smile.

“I'm serious. What happened?” Her voice was weak.

“Nothing.” I said.

Even half-asleep, Claire could always tell when I was lying. Her gaze dropped to my wrist where the red marks from the ropes were impossible to hide.

“What happened to your hands?” Her eyes narrowed.

“It's nothing.” I quickly pulled my sleeves down.

“You know you're terrible at lying, right?” She pressed.

“And you're terrible at minding your business.” I countered.

A weak smile appeared on her face and for the first time since I'd been kidnapped, I felt like I could breathe.

“How are you feeling? Any pain?” I asked.

“Tired, with a little pain” She replied with a weak shrug.

“Where?” My eyebrows immediately furrowed.

“Everywhere.”

My smile disappeared in an instant.

“Claire.” My voice tensed.

“I'm kidding.” She squeezed my hand. “Mostly.” She added offhandedly.

“Did they give you anything?” A frown formed on my face.

“Dr. Wayne started the new treatment.”

“What new treatment?” My body stiffened.

“The one he told me about.” Claire looked confused.

I stared at her for a moment.

“What exactly did he tell you?”

“That it wasn't the normal treatment.” Her voice lowered.

“He told you it was experimental?” My heartbeat quickened as I observed her expression.

“He said it was still being studied.” She said after a slight hesitation.

“And you agreed?” I pressed.

“What else was I supposed to do?” She shrugged slightly.

“You could've told me.” My chest tightened.

“You already had enough to worry about.” She turned back to look at me.

“Claire, I'm your sister. I need to know everything.” My voice did nothing to hide my fear.

“And I'm the one who's sick.” Her voice rose for an instant.

Her words stunned me as my expression dropped.

“I didn't mean it like that, Eden. I'm sorry.” She immediately softened.

I couldn't find a reasonable retort for her words but it didn't make the fear any less real.

“Did he tell you it could be dangerous? That you could die?” My voice was stern.

Claire didn't answer immediately. Her silence made my stomach twist even more.

“He said there were risks. I don't remember everything but I know that much.” Claire looked away as she spoke.

Before I could ask another question, the door opened.

Sylar walked in with Dr. Isaac.

Our eyes met and my expression hardened immediately.

“You told her that the treatment was experimental but you didn't tell me. Why?” I asked, keeping my gaze locked on Sylar.

“Claire is the patient.” His face remained unreadable

“She is seventeen and I'm her legal guardian.” Anger instantly surged through me.

“And she was informed about what was being done.” His tone was controlled.

“That still doesn't answer why you kept it from me.” I pressed.

“I didn't keep it from you.” He shook his head.

“You didn't tell me!” My voice rose.

“Those aren't the same thing.” He took a step forward.

I stood up from the chair.

“From where I'm standing, they sure as hell look exactly the same.”

“Perhaps we should discuss this outside.” Dr. Isaac glanced between us.

“No.” I looked at him. “I want Claire to hear it too.”

“Fine.” Sylar's jaw tightened.

“Those patients your mother showed me. Were they real? The records, the deaths, was your mother telling the truth?” I asked as I crossed my arms.

“Yes, everything was real.” The answer came without hesitation.

My stomach sank.

“But my mother was only showing you enough truth to make the lie believable.” Sylar said as he stepped forward.

“What does that mean?” I frowned.

Dr. Isaac stepped forward.

“The patients in those records weren't in the same clinical situation as Claire.” He adjusted his glasses.

“They had HEMA-7.” I turned toward him.

“Yes, but their disease had progressed much further. Standard treatment had already failed in the cases you were shown.” He replied.

“But Sylar treated them, and they died, didn’t they?” I asked.

“Yes,” Dr. Isaac said after a slight pause.

My gaze shifted back to Sylar and he held it.

“Did your treatment kill them?” I didn't sugarcoat my words.

“No,” Sylar answered.

“How can you be sure? Just because their disease had progressed significantly doesn't mean your treatment didn't make it worse.” I pressed.

“No. It doesn't.” His voice was cold.

I was caught off guard by his honesty. I expected him to defend himself.

Instead, he continued.

“The protocol carries risks. Serious ones.” His expression hardened.

“Can it kill Claire?” My throat tightened at the thought.

His grey eyes met mine.

“Yes, it could. It's one of the risks involved with the treatment.” He said calmly.

My heart dropped as I stared at Sylar in disbelief. Claire's fingers tightened around mine.

“You made me agree to carry your child in exchange for saving my sister, and you didn't think I deserved to know that the treatment you chose could kill her?” Anger exploded through me.

“Eden–”

“No.” My voice caught him off.

I stepped toward him.

“You don't get to stand there and tell me I don't have the full story when you deliberately kept part of it from me!” My eyes burned with rage.

“I didn't hide it because I wanted control over you.” He forced the words out.

“Then why?” I asked.

Sylar went silent as he stared at me. The room suddenly went a few degrees colder.

“I knew you would say no, Eden. I knew fear might make you reject Claire's best chance at living.” He said.

‘Perhaps he chose you because your sister made you easy to control.’ Evelyn's voice echoed in my head as I held his gaze.

“You knew I wouldn't agree, so you made the decision for me?” A bitter laugh escaped me.

“I made a medical decision for my patient.” He countered.

“My sister! She's not just a patient, Sylar. She's the only family I have.” I screamed.

“Your sister is dying, Eden.” His voice rose.

The words hit me like a slap and Claire went still beside me.

Sylar's expression softened slightly, but he didn't take the words back.

“Standard treatment isn't going to cut it anymore. Doing nothing carries its own risk.” He paused. “Maybe an even greater one.” He added.

Tears formed behind my eyes but I held them back.

“If Claire was your sister, would you still put her on this treatment?” I swallowed hard.

For the first time, Sylar hesitated but then his expression hardened.

“Yes.” He answered.

I studied his face, searching for a clue that he was lying. I wanted to hate him for not telling me but I could see something in his eyes that I hadn't expected.

The certainty in his eyes showed that he genuinely believed this was Claire's best chance.

That didn't mean I trusted him blindly again. Not anymore.

“I want Claire's medical records. The protocol. The clinical trial data. The risks. The failures. Everything I'm legally allowed to see.” I demanded.

A frown formed on Sylar's face as he seemed to consider it.

“Fine,” he said.

“I want another doctor to review it and there will be no more secrets relating to Claire kept from me.” I added.

“Fine.” Sylar held my gaze.

I hadn't expected him to agree so easily.

“You'd truly give me all of it? Why?” I pressed.

“Because unlike my mother, I don't need to hide the complete record from you.” He said calmly.

His gaze shifted to Dr. Isaac. “Dr. Isaac will prepare everything.”

“I'll have the records ready, Sir.” Dr. Isaac nodded.

“Get some rest.” Sylar said as he turned toward the door.

I watched him leave but for some reason, part of me wanted him to stay.

It was late when I finally left Claire's room as she had drifted back into sleep.

I sat alone in a small waiting room, staring at my bruised wrists. The rope burns looked worse under the bright lights.

I found a small first-aid kit in one of the cabinets and tried to clean them.

A sharp hiss escaped my lips as the antiseptic stung.

“Give it to me.”

I looked up to see Sylar standing at the doorway.

“I can do it myself.” I refused.

“I know.” His tone was gentle unlike how he usually spoke.

“Then why are you here?” I asked.

He walked over and held out his hand with an unreadable expression.

My hand hovered slightly before giving him the antiseptic.

He sat beside me and began to clean the marks around my wrist. I watched him silently as his fingers repeatedly grazed my hand.

He pressed harder on a spot, causing a moan to escape my lips. His eyes rose to meet mine before proceeding after a moment.

For a man who seemed capable of ordering an entire room around without raising his voice, his touch was surprisingly gentle.

“You're angry with me,” he said.

“Very.” My voice was calm.

“I noticed.” He said as he wrapped a small piece of gauze around my wrist.

I almost broke into a smile but his eyes caught my shift in expressions.

“I meant what I said.” He paused. “About bringing you back.”

He moved to my other wrist.

“You would've come for me even if the insemination failed?” I stared at him.

“Yes.” His answer was quick.

“Why?” I asked.

His hands stopped for a fraction of a second before he continued.

“Because I promised to protect you.” He responded without looking up.

“That's the only reason?” My tone carried a hint of surprise.

His eyes slowly lifted to mine as the tension in the air grew.

“Yes, it is,” he said, though the words seemed meant for his own ears rather than mine.

“You risked your life because of a promise?” I pressed.

“I keep my promises. You can count on that, Eden.” His eyes still locked with mine.

“Except when those promises involve telling me the truth.” I pulled my hand away.

His expression hardened and the warmth between us disappeared instantly.

“Let's go back to the estate.” He said, dropping the antiseptic.

“That's not an answer.” I pressed.

“It's the only one you're getting tonight.” He replied as he stood to leave.

I rolled my eyes and pushed myself up from the chair but a sudden cramp tore through my lower abdomen.

My hand flew to my stomach as my body froze up.

“Eden?” Sylar moved toward me.

Another sharper cramp came as I sucked in a breath.

“What is it?” Sylar pressed.

I tried to straighten my body but then I felt something warm.

I slowly looked down as my eyes tracked a small streak of blood that had stained my clothes.

“Sylar…” My breath caught.

His gaze followed mine and his expression changed instantly.

“Isaac!”