Author's note: I have not read the manga and only saw a few episodes of KHR so... yeah, just heads up. Story is slight AU. The Simon Family will play antagonist role, so there is no alliance between the Vongola and Simon, and I read on Wiki about the Simon Family being weak and small, but in this story, they're small but powerful.
OOC warning.
Disclaimer: I do not own KHR
Chapter One: Unexpected Injury
"Thank you! Have a good evening!" I said to the bus driver as I hopped off the bus.
"You, too," the driver returned before closing the door and driving away.
It was a cool Friday night, and I was returning home from the hospital where I worked as a registered nurse. The streetlights flickered on, dimly illuminating the barren road and sidewalk. My apartment was a two minute walk from the bus stop, but at night when walking alone, the trek seemed more like ten minutes. I quickened my pace, hurrying past an alleyway when a noise from the area stopped me.
Was that… a groan? I wondered, tilting my head as I glanced back at the dark alley. The sound came again from the alley, undoubtedly a groan, and the person sounded in pain. I walked to the alley and peered through it, the alley black since the streetlights could not reach the area. "H… hello?" I called out tentatively, not sure if I wanted anyone to reply.
Silence met my ears, and I was about to turn away when harsh coughing filled the air, startling me. The coughing fit went on for a few more seconds before silence once again reigned. First the groaning and now that coughing fit—the person sounded in bad shape. Steeling myself, I clicked on the flashlight on my phone before venturing into the alley, sweeping the light along the trash covered ground. I froze when I spotted a dark red trail of what I suspected was blood. I followed the trail with the light, gasping sharply when I discovered the trail leading to a body of a young man dressed sharply in a suit, lying slumped against the brick wall, his eyes closed.
Immediately, my nursing instincts kicked in, and I dashed forward, kneeling by the man. He looked around my age, if not a year or two older. I shone the flashlight over the man's face, wincing at the scratches, blood and bruises covering the man's pale face before sweeping the white light over the man's body. I flinched at the rapidly growing puddle of blood pooling at the man's side and placed a finger under the man's nose, sighing in relief when I felt warm air blow against my finger. I checked his pulse at his carotid artery; it was faint. I dialed the emergency number, placing the call on speaker.
"119, what's your emergency?" A male voice asked.
"Hello, I—" the man reached out and hit end call. "What—?!"
"No… paramedics…." the man wheezed.
"Are you serious?! You're bleeding to death! I have to—"
"Please, don't!" The man spoke, his voice stronger.
He coughed harshly, flecks of blood flying out and winced as he clutched his left side, his face twisting in pain.
Is that where he's bleeding from? I wondered. I gently removed the man's hand while lifting the shirt and blanched at the gaping, weeping wound resembling a gunshot wound. Oh, my goodness, this man's been shot! And it looks to be a through and through. For this man to suffer from a gunshot wound and not want the ambulance called….
I allowed that thought to trail unfinished, refusing to dwell on it. My main concern was for this man to not die on me. Thunder rumbled overhead, and I blinked when something dripped on my forehead and cheek. Craaaap, it was about to rain! I shed my jacket and hurriedly wrapped it around the man's wound.
"Come on, it's about to rain. It'll be very bad if you remain out here. Can you stand?"
"A-Ah," the man sighed painfully, wincing as he braced against the wall while shakily climbing to his feet.
I placed his left arm over my shoulder as I helped him towards the alley's exit. By the time we reached the inside of the apartment building, it had started to steadily pour. Thankfully, the lobby was empty, and I prayed we wouldn't run into anyone as we entered the elevator.
I led the man to my couch, and he slowly settled himself on the couch, his face twisted in pain as he exhaled. I rushed to the bathroom for my first-aid kit and returned to the man's side, opening the kit and going to work tending the man's wound.
"You really need to get to a hospital. This is a serious injury," I spoke gravely.
"No, it's… fine," the man spoke, struggling to get the sentence out.
"It's not fine! You already lost so much blood. You really will die at this rate if you don't receive treatment," I warned.
"You're… treating me… aren't you?" The man asked.
"Yes, but the people at the hospital can tend to your injury with better efficiency and equipment. I'm only making it so that you're not losing anymore blood, but—"
"It's fine…." The man persisted, sitting up.
"What are you doing?!" I demanded.
"I've already intruded on you enough. I'll take my leave now."
"Are you crazy?! You shouldn't move in your condition! Fine, forget the hospital. Since you're so adamant about not receiving proper care, I'll just have to take care of you to the best of my ability. Stay here, I'll be back with medicine and water," I said, leaving for the kitchen to fetch the items. "Here," I handed the man three pills of painkillers and a tall glass of water. "Since you lost so much blood, you need to drink a lot of fluid, but drink it slowly in small sips to avoid vomiting," I instructed, setting a large jug of water on the glass table.
"Thank you…." The man spoke softly after finishing taking the medicine and drinking the water in slow sips as instructed.
"I'll get you some blankets. You need to preserve heat since you lost so much blood," I said, hurrying to the hallway closet and retrieving several blankets before returning to the man. "Here… oh, he's already asleep." I noted seeing the man's eyes closed and hearing him faintly snoring.
I went ahead and covered the man in the blankets, fetching a pillow from my room and returning to the man, placing the pillow beneath his head as carefully as I could so that I didn't wake him. I stepped away, studying the man thoughtfully. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully, not looking like he just suffered from a bullet wound. I sighed softly, quietly clearing the table and heading for the kitchen where I dumped the trash and washed my hands. It was funny. After working a 12-hr shift, I was really looking forward to some much needed rest and relaxation, but life had other plans for me it seemed. I shut the faucet off, glancing over at the sleeping fellow on my couch and in spite of myself and the situation, I smiled.
One of the main reasons I wished to be a nurse was so I could help others. When I was eleven years-old, my parents had taken me to an amusement park and while we were waiting in line for a ride, a man had collapsed, and I remembered panicking because I thought he had died. People crowded around him but no one was doing anything. That's when a woman started giving orders in such a commanding tone that she caught everyone's attention. She performed CPR, and he regained consciousness, but the woman remained by the man's side, continually assessing him until the paramedics arrived. That event left a deep, lasting impact on me as I also wanted to be able to provide care and support to others wherever and whenever I went, whether it was in a hospital setting or on some back empty road.
A warm feeling spread throughout my chest as I basked in the fact that I was able to help a random stranger. Though the fact he didn't want to go to the hospital was off-putting, I didn't believe he was a dangerous person. I retired to my room, softly shutting the door behind me before changing into my pajamas and climbing into bed.
Argh, I can't sleep! I groaned, flipping on my back and gazing blankly at the ceiling.
It was now 12 am, and I had been tossing and turning for the past hour, trying but utterly failing to fall asleep. Even though I worked a grueling 12-hr shift and was undoubtedly wiped especially with tonight's incident, I still could not fall asleep. Not when I had a random stranger suffering from a bullet wound sleeping in my living room. I sighed heavily, kicking off the bedsheets and getting out of bed and shuffling towards the door.
It's really pouring out there, I observed of the heavy rain pattering against the windows while thunder growled overhead.
I shuffled quietly to the couch to find the man sleeping soundly, the outside elements not disturbing him. I entered the kitchen, opening the cupboards and retrieving a large mug. I was going to prepare hot chocolate as that has helped me sleep when I was a child. Hopefully, it still worked. As I cut the stove on to warm the pan of milk, a sharp series of knocks sounded at the door, sending a violent shock through my system.
Who could be visiting me so late at night?! I wondered, terrified.
Could it be the person responsible for shooting the man?! Maybe the shooter saw me help the man to my apartment and has come to finish the job! The very idea sent a wave of fear so strong over me, the emotion threatening to consume me as the person persisted in knocking.
"Stella, you awake?" A female voice called.
Oh, that voice… it's Amelia, I thought, exhaling in immense relief, not realizing I held my breath the whole time.
Amelia Dobetter had been my neighbor for five years and, during those years, she would constantly request to borrow something, whether it was my computer, sugar, toiletries, etc. I didn't mind especially since I would occasionally borrow things of hers. I cut off the stove before hurrying to the door, sneaking a quick glance at the man who remained asleep.
Wow, he must be a heavy sleeper, I thought.
I opened the door to reveal a young woman who appeared in her early twenties dressed smartly in an expensive-looking black and gray striped pant suit with sophisticated black heels. Her golden blonde hair was wrapped in a tight, astute bun with not a single hair out of place. Amelia's thinly trimmed eyebrows were narrowed slightly, complementing the small frown that accentuated the woman's facial features. I stepped outside, softly closing the door behind me before turning to Amelia with a forced smile.
"Amelia, good evening."
"Evening. Sorry for disturbing you so late at night," Amelia apologized.
"No, it's okay. I was making hot chocolate anyway because I couldn't sleep," I said.
"Is that so? I'm glad I didn't wake you then!"
"Yes, so what is it you want to borrow this time?"
Amelia grinned sheepishly, clapping her hands together as she plead. "I need to borrow your TV for an hour. The season finale of Lina & Pete is coming on in a few minutes, but my TV and laptop is broke."
"Okay, I understand. Um, I have a guest over right now so you won't be able to use the TV, but you can borrow my laptop."
"Thank you! That'll work," Amelia said happily.
"Let me get it." I disappeared in the apartment, quickly grabbing my laptop resting on the kitchen counter and returning to Amelia, closing the door behind me as I handed her the laptop.
"Thanks so much!" Amelia cried happily.
"No problem. By the way, the suit you're wearing, what's the occasion?" I inquired, curious.
"I'm just returning from work. I'm a saleswoman for this bigwig company—Pearson Corp. It's the one I told you about the other day."
"Oh, that's right! You got the job? Congrats!"
"Yeah, sorry, I meant to tell you, but I've been pretty busy. Anyways, I'll return this to you tomorrow. Thanks again!" Amelia waved before heading for her place across the hall.
"Good night!" I called back and headed back inside, closing the door quietly before heaving a sigh. Alright, now back to making my hot chocolate, I thought, turning around only to nearly scream when I saw the man staring at me. "Oh, no, I woke you, didn't I?" I asked, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry."
"No, no, don't apologize. If anyone should apologize, it should be me. I'm so sorry for intruding on you like this."
"It's fine, it's fine. You're still in pain, right? Let me get you some more painkillers," I offered, heading for the kitchen to fetch the medicine. When I saw the milk on the stove, I called out to the man. "Would you like some hot chocolate? I'm making some for myself."
"That'd be nice, thanks," the man replied.
After preparing the drinks, I stuck the medicine bottle under my armpit while carrying two large mugs containing piping hot chocolate as I strode into the living room and set both mugs on the glass table.
"Here's the medicine," I offered the man two pills, and he accepted them, downing the pills with the hot drink. "How are you feeling?"
"Horrible, but I'm managing," the man replied, smiling wryly.
I smiled in return, tentatively sipping my hot beverage. "Oh, yeah, my name is Harada Stella. What's yours?"
"Sawada Tsunayoshi, but my friends call me Tsuna," Tsuna said.
"Tsuna, huh? Nice to meet you! Though I wish it was under better circumstances," I murmured.
"I agree…. Thanks again for your kindness, Stella-san."
"It's not a problem. Though can I ask a question?" I inquired warily.
"Would it have to do with how I got a shot?"
"Y-Yeah. I'm not trying to judge or anything, but you can't really blame me for being suspicious. I found you in a dark alley practically bleeding to death and you refuse to go to a hospital to receive proper treatment, and the only reason I can think of is the fact that hospitals report gunshot wounds to the police, whom I can only assume you're probably avoiding…." Voicing my doubtful thoughts aloud only heightened my wariness of Tsuna as I watched him set the mug on the table.
"I understand your wariness, but I think it's best if the less you know, the better. For your good," Tsuna added when I frowned in disappointment.
"Just answer me this: Do I have to worry about anyone breaking down my door and waving around guns?"
"No, you don't have to worry about that," Tsuna assured, chuckling quietly.
"Thank God," I exhaled, relieved. "Then, that's all I care about for now." I yawned, the hot chocolate finally taking effect and causing a sudden sleepiness to wash over me. "I'm going to head in for the night. Good night, Tsuna-kun," I said, shuffling to the kitchen and setting the mug in the sink.
"Good night, Stella-san," Tsuna called as I retired to my room.
Thank God the hot chocolate trick worked. I feel like once I hit my bed, I'll be out like a light. And, indeed, that's exactly what happened when my face hit the pillow, I immediately entered the world of dreams.