Just what had that bastard done?

I kept muttering the words under my breath as I stood beside Alex's bed, my fingers wrapped around the metal railing so tightly my knuckles had gone white.

He looked so small lying there. That was the first thing I noticed. Alex, who always seemed so solid and dependable, looked fragile beneath the thin hospital blanket. His face was swollen, purple bruises blooming across his cheekbones and jaw.

White bandages covered his forehead, wrapping around his head ...