35

Amy

Dread filled my bones as my fathers and I entered the waiting room on the trauma floor of the hospital. We quickly spotted our neighbors among the other families loitering around the room. They were near the large window beside the back corner of the room. Ms. Aleena and Sonia were sitting down in one of the cushioned chairs. My best friend had her tear stained cheek laid on her mother's shoulder with their hands intertwined in a tight embrace. Manic stood near them, pacing idly back and forth.

An unfamiliar fire raged through his eyes, and his hands were clenched into tight fists. Manic rarely ever got truly mad - even at Sonic. Sure, they had their fights, but Manic always kept a cool head. Seeing his eyes flooded over with flames that usually flew through his brother's was frightening. He looked like he wanted to beat whoever hurt Sonic with his bare hands.

At the sight of me, Sonia rose from her seat and hurried towards me. She nearly knocked the breath out of me as she grabbed me into a hug, squeezing me with all of her strength.

Wordlessly, I wrapped my arms around my friend, returning her tight embrace. Our hug only lasted a moment before she pulled away and tugged me back towards the cushioned chairs.

Papa held his hand out to Ms. Aleena. "Come on. Let's go take a walk - grab some coffee," he whispered softly.

Ms. Aleena didn't protest. Silently, she grabbed my father's hand and followed him out of the room.

Daddy moved to the window, standing as close as he could to Manic's pacing figure. "What happened?" He asked.

"The kid Sonic has been mentoring found him, but he's not saying much to the police. All we know is that he's got a few broken ribs and three bullet holes," Manic explained. "The kid lives smack dab in the middle of Crip territory, though, so it's not hard to connect the dots." He ran a hand through his short cut curls. "This is all my dad's fault. He should've never gotten Sonic into this situation. He was doing so well…"

"I know," Daddy murmured. "Are you alright? I don't like that look in your eye."

"I'm fine," Manic insisted. "Jules might not be once I get the fuck out of this hospital, though."

"Don't do anything stupid," Daddy said firmly. He grabbed Manic's arm, momentarily stopping his movement. "Trust me, Jules is not worth your energy."

Manic's eyes grew hard. "If Sonic dies, then his blood is on our father's hands. I'm not going to let that slide."

"Sonic isn't going to die. He's strong and stubborn - he's going to get through this."

"I hope so," Manic muttered.

No one spoke for the next few hours as we waited for an update. The doctors and nurses whizzed around the waiting room, delivering a mix of good and bad news. My heart shattered as I watched a doctor tell another waiting family that the patient had passed away during surgery. I shed tears for the person's mother as she let out an agonizing wail. Members of her family gathered around her in a tight hug, struggling to juggle their own desire to mourn with the need to comfort her.

After about an hour, Aleena and Marc returned with cups of coffee for the adults and hot chocolate for Sonia and I. Ms. Aleena sat next to her daughter, wrapping her slender arm around her and pulling her head back down onto her shoulder. She tried to convince Manic to sit down, but he waved her off. He insisted that he needed to keep himself somewhat busy.

Papa took a seat next to me, grabbing my hand and offering a soft squeeze.

Around two o' clock in the morning, a tall man with dark hair, steady gray eyes, and clean shaven face approached us. Ms. Aleena immediately rose from her seat, meeting the doctor halfway. "Dr. Hale, how is my son? Is he alright?" She asked.

"Surgery was difficult, but we removed all of the bullets from Sonic's body," Dr. Hale spoke calmly. "He's got three broken ribs on his right side, but luckily, they didn't puncture his lungs. He lost a lot of blood, so he's going to be very weak for a few days. But, I expect he'll make a full recovery."

Ms. Aleena held a hand to her heart. "Gracias a Dios," she murmured. "When will we be able to see him?"

"You're able to see him now. We just moved him to an empty room. He's going to be unconscious for quite a while, and when he wakes up, it'll be in short spurts until his body regains its energy."

Ms. Aleena nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Hale." She looked over her shoulder and waved her hand, motioning for her children to come over.

"Tell your mother we'll be back in the morning," Papa told Manic as he passed him. He looked down to me and helped me up out of my seat. "Come on, princesa, let's get you home."

"But," I started.

"You heard the doctor - Sonic is going to be okay. We'll bring you back tomorrow to see him, alright?"

I sighed into his chest as he pulled me into a hug. Reluctantly, I followed him and Daddy out of the waiting room. On the ride home, I stared out the window at the brightly lit city streets, struggling to hold up my heavy eyelids.

Yet, when I finally climbed into bed, I couldn't fall into the peaceful sleep I was hoping for. Although my eyes happily closed, I tossed and turned in my bed. I tried laying on my back, both my sides, and even my stomach. None of the positions felt comfortable. I thought I was hot, so I turned on the fan, but that just made me cold. It took me an hour of wrestling with my covers to realize what was missing - Sonic's warm body on the right side of my bed.

Ever since we started officially dating, we'd been sleeping over each others' houses. I hadn't realized how accustomed I'd become to sleeping next to him every night. My bed was hard and cold without his warm abdomen to wrap myself around. My room was too quiet without the sound of his heartbeat and the rhythm of his breathing echoing through my ears. I even missed the hum of the television that he'd leave on throughout the night, adamant that he couldn't sleep without the soft noise in the background. The night was so lonely without him.

I only caught a few hours of sleep, convincing my brain that these feelings were only temporary. Sonic would be back in his own bed eventually. Maybe not this week or even the next depending on the severity of his injuries, but soon enough. The relief from the thought gave my brain the freedom of finding sweet peace for a little while.

Papa held true to his promise after I woke up late the next morning. As soon as he heard my door open, with me intending to head to the bathroom, he yelled down the hallway for me to brush my teeth and get dressed. We drove down to a local cafe to grab breakfast for ourselves and our neighbors. He had me text Sonia to let her know we were on our way.

The three of them met us in the waiting room when we finally arrived back at the hospital. All of their eyes were rimmed with red and their eyelids hung low from the sleepless night. Ms. Aleena and Manic eagerly accepted the cups of coffee Papa bought for them.

Sonia embraced me in a tight hug, her head falling wearily on my shoulder.

"How is he?" Papa asked.

"He's alright," Manic answered simply.

"He woke up once over the night, and he was higher than a kite," Sonia added. She picked her head up from my shoulder, a soft smile pulling at her lips. "He thought Manic was a demon and told him to tell Satan that he was going to need stronger reinforcements next time."

We all shared a chuckle at the comment. At least the traumatic injuries couldn't take Sonic's dark sense of humor away. Hopefully, he'd be back to his old self in no time.

Manic nodded in my direction. "I can walk you down to see him if you want."

"Yes, please," I replied.

He squeezed his mother's hand. "You should let Mr. Marc take you and Sonia home, mama," he told her. "Both of you need to get some rest."

"What about you?" Aleena asked, her eyebrows creasing together. "You need to sleep too!"

"I'll be fine." He brought his mother close and kissed her forehead. "Go home and get some rest. I'll call you if he makes any major improvements."

Ms. Aleena was too tired to argue. Sighing, she nodded her head in agreement. She intertwined her fingers with Papa's and allowed him to guide her out towards the door of the waiting room.

Sonia gave me one last hug before following after our parents.

I walked beside Manic as he led me down the brightly lit hallways to Sonic's room. "How is he looking?" I asked.

"Not great," Manic admitted. "But, the doctors said he'll start looking better over the next few days." He stopped in front of room 407, twisting the knob and opening the door.

My heart sank into my stomach as I lay my eyes on Sonic.

A large bandage was wrapped around his head, a large red spot distinct near the left side of his forehead. His right eye was swollen and bruised, a deep purple surrounding it. His lip was split, and both of his cheeks were littered with red and blue bruises. Tubes of a clear nasal cannula lay around his face, the tiny mask delivering additional oxygen to his slow breaths. His torso was covered by the white and blue hospital gown and the pure white bed sheet. Tiny bruises and IV needles scattered around his arms. His usually rich, coffee brown skin now reflected a sandy tan, most of his color lost due to the lack of blood in his system.

My eyes burned with salty tears at the sight of him. I'd always feared that he'd end up here - with his awful temper and his unorthodox love for fighting. But, I'd always hoped it'd be from the cause of one of his MMA fights. Maybe a broken arm or a sprained leg muscle or even a few broken ribs - something with a simple treatment and quick recovery. Still, in the back of my head, I had some suspicions that the aftermath of one of his street fights would lead him here. I was just thankful he was going to make it out of here alive.

"I'll leave you two alone," Manic said. "I'll just be out in the waiting room if you need anything."

"Thanks." I pointed to the paper bag in his hands. "Make sure you eat."

"I hear you," he told me as he waltzed out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Hesitantly, I approached his bed side. Every inch of my brain yelled for him to wake up. To look at me and smirk. To tell me he was fine - even if it was through words induced by his pain-medication high. I needed him to complain about the stiff, uncomfortable bed or the disgusting hospital food the nurses were going to feed him once he was completely lucid or or the hideous borders lining the walls or the blinding white lights. I just needed the love of my life back.

I sat down in the small chair at his bedside. Careful not to disturb the IV needles in his hand, I cradled his large hand in both of mine. "Hey Sonic," I whispered.

His eyes fluttered at the sound of my voice. Slowly, his eyelids lifted the slightest bit, revealing a glimpse of the brown eyes I loved so much. His irises wearily drifted in my direction, and an aloof smile appeared on his lips. "Mi angel," he murmured. His brows creased at the sight of the slow tears falling down my cheeks. "No llores."

"You scared me half to death," I said, tightening my grip on his hand. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"¿Perderme? Nunca." He returned my tight squeeze. "Para siempre, ¿recuerdas?"

I smiled between my tears. Gently, I brought his hand to my lips, pecking a kiss at his skin. "I love you, Sonic."

"Te amo también, ángel."