When the emergency crew had arrived at Valley Pier, I yelled up one side of them and down the other as they had tried to pull me away from my husband. I thoroughly reamed the youngest and newest member of ambulance personnel as he had been the one to try holding me back the most. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't like to cuss or swear as much as Lela doesn't, however I let out so many streams of cusses and swears that I'm pretty sure I would've made a sailor blush.
Apparently, I had gotten so bad that I needed Miles, Lugnut and Skids to hold me back. I still can't believe I fought them so badly. I had kicked and screamed and cried until I watched the ambulance crew put Butchy in the back of the ambulance and drive away. After screaming so much that my lungs burned, I just collapsed. I couldn't fight anymore. The adrenaline rush had worn off just as quickly as it had arrived and, in it's place, fear charged my actions and drained all the energy from my body. My whole body felt numb and weak when my knees hit the pavement that the two bikers had been racing on.
Miles had held me in his arms for a long time, attempting to calm me down and help me forget what I had witnessed. But that's exactly what couldn't happen... I couldn't forget...
Not when I suddenly remembered everything that I had forgotten.
When my vision had turned blurry and black, my memories had come flooding back to me as if a water had broken inside my brain. I could remember everything that I had forgotten when I hit my head in that rock. Butchy getting hurt had triggered everything. Even the smallest injury on his body had triggered something.
I had seen blood coming from a scratch on the back of his head and that had easily led to my memory of him trying to take care of my bloody arm when I had scratched it on a piece of stray metal while we were building the mechanism for the machine the first time around. When his eyes didn't open after I called his name, it reminded me of how peaceful he always looked when he was sleeping. Every detail of him during and after the crash had done something to my brain.
I had held Butchy as tightly as possible when I had reached him. At the time, I was so terrified and heartbroken that I couldn't hear any steady heartbeat that came from his chest. My ears had been ringing to the point that I couldn't hear anything else. All I could see was red. It wasn't just the blood that slowly slid it's way onto my fingers when I held Butchy's head in my hands; nor was it the color of his shirt that I had seen so many times, yet never truly appreciated.
Xander had tried talking to me, but I wasn't having any of it. He wasn't trying to ask me if Butchy was okay, he was seeing if I was ready to go to The Sparx Headquarters with him! After hearing that, my left hook was way sharper than it had ever been before. I had punched, kicked and screamed at Xander so much that nobody dared to come near me let alone try to hold me back from trying to kill the self absorbed jerk. I wasn't satisfied until I was able to knock him unconscious with a swift kick to the face that Butchy had taught me to do.
Now that I could remember everything, even the events that took place during the month that I had spent without any memory of my life in Wet Side Story, I felt horrible. If my stupid temper had just stayed on the back burner, I wouldn't have made Butchy race. He wouldn't have crashed and wouldn't be in this exceedingly white hospital.
Lugnut went up to the desk to ask where Butchy was while Miles stayed with me and tried to keep himself as strong as he could for my sake. "How you feelin', Baby Sis?"
I shook my head as I leaned my head on his shoulder and wrapped my arms around him. I took a shaky breath, "Like I'm gonna throw up... I'm so scared... Miles, I caused this!"
"No, you's didn't." Miles quickly countered, pulling me tightly to his chest.
"I dared him to race. If I hadn't done that, Butchy would be right next to me, uninjured and completely safe!" I cried into Miles' jacket.
"Butchy is fine, Mick." Lugnut claimed as he came back from the desk and put a hand on my back. "Th' lady at th' desk says that he jus' got out o' surgery and recovery. He's back in 'is room. He isn' awake yet, but we's can go visit 'I'm if ya want?"
I nodded a little before lifting my head up and off of Miles' shoulder and wiping my eyes. "What floor is he on?"
"Third floor, room number 413." Lugnut recited from the piece of paper he had been given. I sighed before taking Miles' hand again as he and Lugnut walked me over to the elevator.
I stared at the reflective surface of the metal of the elevator walls as it slowly lifted us up to the third floor. I barely paid any attention to anything outside of the numbers on the walls next to the room doors as we walked down a seemingly endless hallway. The numbers seemed to be counting down as it slowly went from 499 to 450. I stared at the number on the last door in confusion before turning to Lugnut.
"Are you sure this is the right floor?" I asked as I looked for any doctor or nurse that could possibly point us in the right direction.
"That's what the lady said." Lugnut shrugged.
I noticed a man in a bright white lab coat standing next to the nurse's station and started running over to him. "Excuse me, sir, do you work here?"
The man turned to me with a smile. "I do, Miss. Why? What's the matter?"
I smiled softly. "My fiancé is on this floor in room four thirteen, but the numbers on the walls only go to four fifty."
The man chuckled. "Well, if you are here for Biagio, he is right over there."
"Um...Biagio? No. I'm here for Butchy, my fiancé." I claimed as I stared up at the man.
The doctor laughed once again. "I know that's who you are talking about. Biagio is my Butchy's real name. I'm his Uncle, Antonio. We called him Butchy every since he decided that it would be his nickname. Here, come see for yourself, little lady."
Antonio led me across the small hallway in front of the nurse's station and over to room 413. I looked into the room and saw the brown mop of hair on the pillow. I stepped inside the room and looked inside the closet next to the window. Hanging from a couple hangers was Butchy's red shirt and leather jacket and, on the shelf inside the closet, was his jeans, shoes and a small chain bracelet with my first initial carved into the surface.
"I take it he hasn't told you about his real name?" Uncle Antonio asked from behind me as I glanced between the bracelet and Butchy's form on the hospital bed.
I shook my head as I walked over to Butchy, sliding the bracelet onto my wrist next to the one I wore with his initial printed on it. "No, he hasn't. Would you please tell me?"
"Look for yourself. His name and all his information is on the clipboard at the end of his bed."
I bent down and unhooked the clipboard, reading the information out loud. "Biagio Maccio Bandoni... That sounds nothing like 'Butchy' at all. Why did he pick that as his nickname?"
Antonio shrugged, "Not so sure, but it was his idea when he was almost twelve. Thought he could be independent so, he ditched his real name and kept it short at Butchy."
"I like the name Biagio. It sounds very... Italian if you don't mind me saying." I claimed.
Antonio put a hand on my shoulder. "No, of course I don't mind! You're exactly right, Butchy and Lela are purebred Italians, just like most of the family. Anyway, you're the bride to be, eh? Your name is Makana, correct?"
I nodded as I sat in the chair next to Butchy's bed. "Yeah, I am, but, please, call me Mick. You're his Uncle and his doctor, huh?"
"I sure am." Antonio smiled. "I heard you gave my emergency dispatch a run for their money at Valley Pier?"
My face burned as I switched my gaze from Antonio to the heart monitor. "I guess so. I fought like crazy. I just wanted to be with him and make sure he was alright."
Antonio bent down next to me and took my hand. "You were the one that tried to keep his body elevated to stop the bleeding that came from his left shoulder, correct?"
"Mhmm. I remembered that from my health class in school. Elevate and apply pressure."
"You saved his life." Antonio explained. "He did have a helmet on and for that I am grateful, however, if you had not taken the time to think things through, he would've lost a lot of blood. That gash in his shoulder could've killed him if you had not been there to take care of him like that. It was extremely close to many major arteries."
My eyes watered as I turned to Butchy. "That could have killed him? Oh my gosh...His last- His last memory of me would've either been the fight we had or the kiss I gave him before the race."
Antonio looked between Butchy and I before turning to me. "He woke up for a brief moment before the surgery on his shoulder. He said something along the lines of, 'my queen remembers'. Do you know anything about what that could mean?"
My head whipped to Antonio. "He heard me?" I asked, to which Antonio nodded. "I had hit my head on a rock a month ago and lost my memory of everybody outside of my friends and family back home. When I saw him get thrown off his bike, my memories came back and I told him that when he wasn't responding to me."
/Back at the race - 3rd PoV\
Mick leaned Butchy's head on to her chest as she pushed on the gash that seemed to dent her future husband's arm. "Babe, I know you can hear me. I could hear you when I was unconscious, so I know that you can hear me. You aren't dead, not yet, anyway. I swear, if you die on me, I will find a way to bring you back just so I can kill you myself for doing this to me!"
When Butchy didn't respond, Mick choked on her tears again. "I remember everything. I remember our first kiss. I remember our first date. I remember the day you proposed to me. I remember you. I love you so much. Please, don't leave me, Butchy. I need you."
/In the hospital room - Mick's PoV\
I took Butchy's hand in mine, "To be completely honest, I was terrified. I thought that he would just wake up because nothing seems to be that bad around here. Nothing this bad has ever happened."
"Yes, but, with Biagio, he never changes. Always loving the thrill of riding and and the exhilaration of the adventure." Butchy's Uncle shook his head.
"Butchy is like Peter Pan in his own way, right?" Miles asked as he came to stand behind me.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Butchy always has had to feel the rush, the race of his heartbeat, or the speed." Doctor Antonio started.
"'E 'as a passion for things 'e knows could hurt 'im, but 'e never stays long enough t' get hurt." Lugnut explained.
Miles nodded, "'E says 'e never gets 'at feelin' wit' you's, 'at 'e knows you'd never hurt 'I'm. But 'e does say 'at 'e can always get that rush when 'e finds 'imself lost on the road. Butch just doesn't want you's t' get hurt in th' crossfire, though. 'At's why 'e tries t' keep you's from any racin' 'r any fights 'at 'e has."
"Oh..." I mumbled, staring at Butchy as he lay motionless on the uncomfortable looking hospital bed.
"It's gettin' late, sis. Ya wanna come get dinner at th' cafeteria?" Miles asked as Antonio and Lugnut moved toward the door.
I shook my head a little, "After today's excitement, I don't feel so well."
Miles leaned down and held my shoulders. "What's wrong?"
"I feel sick to my stomach, but it's probably just nerves." I sighed, "As much as I want to take my mind off of everything and talk with you guys, I don't wanna risk putting food in and having it come right back up. Besides, Lela and the others will be here soon, somebody should stay here to make sure everything is okay."
Miles nodded a bit before giving me a hug and pressing a light kiss to my hair. "Take it easy, Baby Sis. We don't want you to end up being in here too. I love you."
"I love you too, Miles. Have some pizza for me, okay?" I asked as Miles stood up again.
Miles nodded before turning and heading out of the room with Lugnut. Antonio stopped in the doorway of the room and turned to me. "If you have any questions or things you need, let me or one of the nurses know."
"I have one question." I started, "I was wondering if I could, by any chance, lay down next to him and listen to his heartbeat?" I felt my eyes start to burn as salty tears stung their way to the surface. "It's just, whenever Butchy is nervous or worried or wants to just make sure that I'm alive and well, he listens to my heart and he says it always calms him down and helps him to remember that I'm always there for him."
"If it helps you to find peace in knowing that my nephew is alive and well, by all means, go ahead. I don't need an explanation." Antonio shook his head lightly as he approached me. "By extension, you are my family as much as Butchy is. I will see if we can borrow an empty bed for you to stay on if that would make you feel any more at ease?"
"Really?" I asked in disbelief, "I can stay the night?"
"You could stay every night until he gets well enough to leave, if you like. So, about that bed?" Uncle Antonio asked with a smile as he ruffled my hair a little bit.
"Yes, please. Thank you so, so much." I smiled as I gave the bigger man a hug. "I have no idea how to thank you any more than that."
"All that I need is the reassurance that my nephew really did find his one true queen." Butchy's Uncle stated.
I lifted my left hand and showed him my ring. "I believe he has."
"Good. I'll be expecting an invitation?"
"Oh, absolutely!" I smiled as Uncle Antonio turned to take his leave.
"I'll talk with Butchy's nurse for the night, Gloria, about that bed, alright?" Uncle asked.
"Alright." I nodded. "Thank you so much."
"Of course mia nipote." Uncle Antonio replied in partial Italian before leaving for the cafeteria.
I stood up from my seat and walked over to the window. I sat down on the thick sil of the window as I looked out at the stars that shone brightly in the sky. Some of them were almost electrically bright like when an airplane passes by in the middle of the night while others were mostly invisible to me because of the light from the hallway that was directly across from the giant window pane. I turned to look at Butchy for a moment as I thought over my previous conversation with Lugnut, Miles and Uncle Antonio.
{Mick}
The smile, the charm, the words, the spark, everything, you have it. I knew I had a naive heart, but, boy, I let you have it. You say that I am your only, I never thought you'd do this to me...
You're just a lost boy, with your head up in the clouds. You're just a lost boy, never keep your feet on the ground...
You're always gonna fly away, just because you know you can. You're never gonna learn there's no such place as Neverland. You don't understand. You'll never grow up, you're never gonna be a man...
Peter Pan.
Deep down, I know that you are too good to be true, but every piece and part of me wants me to believe in you. It seemed like happily ever never. I guess now I know better.
You're just a lost boy, with your head up in the clouds. You're just a lost boy, never keep your feet on the ground...
You're always gonna fly away, just because you know you can. You're never gonna learn there's no such place as Neverland. You don't understand. You'll never grow up, you're never gonna be a man...
Peter Pan.
You were just a lost boy, yeah, I knew that you were. You forgot what you lost, boy, you were too busy chasing stars.
And you're always gonna fly away, just because you know you can. You're never gonna learn there's no such place as Neverland. You don't understand.
You'll never grow up...
You're never gonna be a man...
You're never gonna grow up. Yeah, you're never gonna be a man,
...Peter Pan.
{Song End}
I swung my legs over the edge of the thick ledge of the window as I watched Butchy. I got up from my perch on the windowsill and moved over to the right side of Butchy's bed, sitting in the small space around Butchy that the bed provided. I shifted around the rail thing and rested my head on Butchy's chest.
"I love you, Biagio." I whispered. "While you are unconscious like this, I'm gonna call you by your real name. I could really get used to saying Biagio instead of Butchy." I smiled, putting my arm over Butchy's waist as lightly as I could. "Or, maybe, I can call you Biagio when we're alone and Butchy when we're around everybody else. It would be kind of like how you use your accent. That would be sweet, don't you think?"
I waited for a response before remembering that he wouldn't answer me. I sighed, squeezing my eyes shut as tightly as possible. "Babe, if this is how you felt the entire time I had memory loss, I'm very sorry. I forgot for a second that you couldn't answer me and, just that alone, made me feel so mean and stupid. I'm sorry I put you through torture like this for a whole month."
I took a deep breath. "I may not sound it around the guys or the girls, but I'm scared, Babe. I don't want to cry in front of them. If I cry in front of the guys, I just know that they'll get super protective and try to get me away from you for a bit. If I cry in front of the girls, Lela will start crying and then it'll seem like we've both just given up hope. I have to be the strong one and the leader while you're down and out for the count. I can't let them see me cry because, well, they never really see you cry so they might think I'm a bad leader because I'm showing my weakness. My weakness is you, by the way. Did you ever let them see you cry before, even if it was just a brief second? I know that some people consider it to be a weakness, but I'm not sure if I believe it fully or not."
I laid there quietly for a while, listening to his heart and the steady pulse it gave. I was pretty sure that Butchy could hear me, but, with the way he was totally unresponsive, I couldn't be sure. I was putting full trust in the Lord at that moment. I knew that He would help Butchy, no matter the amount of time it took for him to wake up. I sat up a little to look at Butchy's face, reaching my right hand up to his left cheek, careful of the bandages and wraps that tied around his injured shoulder and the oxygen filled cannula that sat in his nose. I lightly pressed a kiss to Butchy's lips as I took his right hand in my left.
"I will always love you, my Handsome King. I'm going to see if the food tray carts are still in the hallway; I saw a can of unopened whip cream sitting on the one across the hall. Might as well steal it while I can. I'll be right back, alright?" I asked as I slowly got up from the bed.
I brought Butchy's hand to my face before gently putting it back down on the bed. I gave him one last squeeze before turning to leave. My hand was pulled back as I attempted to let Butchy's hand slip free from mine. I let my grip go as I lifted my hand up off of the bed for a moment. Butchy's hand latched onto mine as I wiggled it around a bit. I let out a gasp before breaking out into a huge smile.
"I'll only be gone for a second, Babe, I promise." I tried to pull my hand free, but Butchy was having none of it. "How about we make a deal, Biagio? You let go so I can get that whipped cream and, when I get back, I'll sneak you some whip cream even though you're probably not supposed to have it. It will be like that time we snuck into Big Momma's and ate all the ice cream! Does that sound like a plan?"
Butchy's hand slowly slid off of mine as his grip slackened and his hand dropped back down onto the white sheets. I smiled before running out of the room and over to one of the dinner carts, grabbing a can of the white, fluffy cream and running back in to the room before the nurses could question me. I giggled as I popped open the lid and sprayed a little of the whip cream onto my finger. I ate the whip cream off my finger before sitting next to Butchy.
"Ba~be!" I sang, "I have some of the white, fluffy goodness that we both adore. If you want some, you need to wake up. Deal?"
/With Lela - 3rd PoV\
To Lela, everything was a blur. It was that simple. Nobody wanted to talk with her in fear that she might break down because of her brother. She had been initially mad at Mick for telling her brother to race, but Lela quickly erased the thought. To be honest, Lela had been wanting to watch the race as well and, even though she had been the one to command her brother to race, Lela didn't blame her best friend for wanting to escape the reality of her memory loss.
Though the race had ended the way it did, everybody, especially Lela, had been surprised when Juliet's Father and Butchy's boss, Mr. Harmon, had been there to offer his apologies and sincere support of Lela and the entire group that had been there. He had also been one of the few people that had talked to Mick before she had left with Lugnut and Miles for the hospital. Mr. Harmon had seen the race and had been cheering for his employee along with the Biker croud. He had told Lela that Butchy had been working with him on an acceleration addition for his bike and had been prepared to use it during the race.
If Xander hadn't hit Butchy's bike, Butchy would have won... No questions asked.
Lela sighed to herself as she entered the hospital with the rest of the Rodent gang. To Lela, being Brother and Sister means being there for each other no matter what and, in all the rights she had as Butchy's younger Sister, she was ready to do anything for him to get better.
Anything.