Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1148

When James walked out, everyone, even those wincing from pain, snapped their feet together in an instant.

“James!”

Their voices rang out, so loud the hallway lights flickered in response. James glanced over the group, giving a small nod.

“Let’s move.”

No one said a word as they headed down the hall toward the ICU. Emmy trailed behind them, her gaze moving over each person. One, two, three... With James included, that made seven. Add Will, who was still inside the ICU, and that made eight. Emmy let out a long breath, the relief almost dizzying.

Dragonscale had eight people. They were bruised and battered, but at least they were all still here.

They soon stopped in front of the big glass window outside the ICU. Through the clear pane, everything inside was visible. Machines beeped with cold, steady rhythms. Will lay motionless on the bed, tubes everywhere, his face almost ghostly pale.

Abriella sat at his bedside in blue scrubs, her hand wrapped tightly around Will’s. Her head was bowed, as if she was whispering something only he could hear. When she noticed the movement outside, her eyes, swollen and red from crying, filled with tears all over again.

James stood at the front, staring at Will. His jaw clenched, but he stayed silent. The others behind him stood still.

James was the first to snap his right hand up in salute.

The rest of the team followed, every hand raised in perfect unison, saluting Will through the glass. Their movements were sharp and strong.

It was a silent tribute.

A promise, made without words.

Right then, Will’s doctor came over, holding a chart, his face set in a serious expression.

“You’re all his teammates, right?”

James lowered his hand and turned. His voice was rough. “I’m the captain. How is he?”

The doctor let out a slow breath. “It’s not good. We’ve done everything we can, but it’s still extremely serious. His internal organs took a lot of damage, and his chest was pierced. We’ve already done a second surgery on his chest.”

“We managed to stop the bleeding, but the pressure in his chest won’t go down.”

He pointed at the monitors in the room, looking grim.

“He has three broken ribs. One of them almost punctured his heart, and his lungs are badly bruised. The next three days are critical. If he wakes up in that time, he’ll make it. If he doesn’t...”

Another teammate moved up, eyes rimmed with red, but his words were even harsher.

“That’s right! Will, you coward! Don’t think you can just lie there and get out of everything! Do you even know what you pulled off? Top honors, man! You earned that with your life! When the medal comes, you better stand up to get it! If you try to take it lying down, I swear, I’ll never forgive you!”

Another teammate squeezed in, his voice breaking as he cursed,

“Will, are you really a man or not? Other than James, you were the first one of us to get married! Your wife’s waiting for you right there! What, you gonna be some coward and leave her behind? Didn’t you always brag about taking care of her forever? Is this what you meant by forever? Wake up, man! Wake up!”

Their shouting carried through the intercom and into the ICU.

Each word landed like a punch.

They didn’t know how to give some touching speech.

This was just how they were—loud, rough, and real.

It was the kind of bond that only brothers in arms could understand.