PART II

COLLISION

XXIX

WILL

Eight months later. . .

"Doc, the blood pressure is dropping"

"Transfuse more blood," Will ordered.

"He just went into an arrest this is the second one."

"Inject epinephrine. Give me the defibrillator." Will started to glow. "Set to 20J." He started to shock the heart.

The heart monitor was still a flat line.

"Again," Will said. In the corner of the operating room, a black figure appeared. Will's glow got brighter.

There was still no response from the heart monitor.

"It's hypovolemic shock doc, it's impossible-"

Will's blue eyes blazed as he looked up at the doctor standing on the other side of the operating table. "So? You'll just be going to give up? What if this person still wanted to live but now you are not giving him a chance to do that."

Will started to massage the heart with his gloved hand. He gazed at the corner of the operating room where a death angel was waiting.

I'm sorry. You cannot have him.

The lines on the heart monitor started to rise again. The death angel vanished and Will's glow faded. Will sighed in relief.

"Now, you suture the ruptured blood vessel," Will ordered to the doctor.

"B-but I can't... "

"Do you want the patient to die?"

"N-no."

"Then do it."

Will walked out of the operating room scratching his head lazily. He yawned. His exhausted brain started to picture a bed and he was on it sleeping like there was no tomorrow.

"Dr. Solace!"

Will glanced back, turning his head slightly. A woman in a green scrubs was running towards him. She was the doctor who had assisted Will in the surgery earlier. She was a resident doctor and her name was Agatha.

Agatha was slightly catching her breath when she had reached the blond doctor. She spoke. "T-thank you for letting me assist on a major surgery even though I'm just a first-year resident."

"I also assisted in my first year of residency so it's not a big deal. However, I don't like how you acted inside the OR earlier." Will stated.

Agatha bowed her head.

"Once you hold a scalpel and cut through the patient's skin, keep in mind that you are also battling against the impossible and self-doubt has no place inside the OR. The patient's life is depending on your capability as a surgeon." Will said shoving his hands inside the pocket of his scrub shirt.

"Is that your secret, doc?" Agatha asked.

Will blinked. "What?"

"Well. . ." Agatha cleared her throat blushing. "All the residents here, sort of idolize you because you are the youngest surgeon who has the lowest mortality rate. You even featured in a magazine recently... So you are popular especially among the girl residents and you are handsome too. . ." Agatha was beet red.

Will blinked again. This girl... You can't possibly. Will didn't know whether to laugh at the situation. He shook his head amusedly. "It's not a secret. It's a fact that every surgeon should know. Besides, I'm just fulfilling someone else's wish. . ."

"Wish?" Agatha asked.

Will waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind. Go ahead. And oh, check on Mrs. Jones' CT scan. See if she's clear of clotting in the aorta."

"Yes, doc." Agatha turned and walked away.

"Tsk, tsk. I told you to toughen up on the new residents!"

Will looked at the direction of the voice and saw Kayla, Lou, and Cecil walking towards him. Will just smiled a little bit.

"They should also experience the hell we had experienced when we were on our first-year residency!" Kayla added.

"I don't do revenge, Doc Knowles," Will said, "but, I have a question, don't the residents know that I am gay. .?"

The three looked at each other.

"Is there a girl resident who confessed to you already?" Cecil asked eagerly.

"HUH?"

"Just answer us, Will!" Lou insisted.

"There's no one! Agatha just said that I am kind of popular among the girls so maybe they didn't-"

The latter three threw their heads back in laughter.

"Oh my gods, they have really fallen for it, have they?" Kayla clutched her stomach in laughter.

Will narrowed his eyes on them, hands on his hips. "You did something again, didn't you?"

Lou was still laughing. "It was Cecil's idea really but it was brilliant. Since we only started to accept residents again this year and those newbies started to notice you because you're a kick-ass in the OR, we decided to keep silent about you being gay and just let them fall heads over heels for you and maybe encourage them a little bit. . ."

Will hit them in the head one by one. "You little!-"

Cecil ducked. "What! It's fun, seeing them all gooey eyes on you, doc. You should have seen it. Besides, most of the docs from the surgery department go along with it."

Another laughter from the three.

"You cannot just play with their feelings like that! You know what, I am going to tell them-"

"No!" Kayla held his arm. "You can't. We still have the bet-"

"A bet," Will repeated.

Kayla dropped his arm like it suddenly scorched. The three started to back away

"What bet?" Will stepped forward.

"Nothing!" Kayla squeaked. "You know, I just remembered that I need to remove stitches from one of my patients, so. . ."

"I also remembered that I need to give vitamin shots on the patients on the 12th floor," Lou added.

"I also need to go back to the lab to analyze some blood samples. . ." Cecil chimed in.

"Now, you suddenly remembered all of your duties, huh? I SAID WHAT BET?"

"NOTHING!" The three ran away.

"Willie!" Kayla jumped on Will's back as she put her arm around his shoulder. Their shifts had ended and they were at the lobby heading out of the hospital. "Let's eat breakfast. My treat."

"I'll pass," Will said.

"You are still mad at us, aren't you?" Kayla said letting go of Will and facing him. Will halted.

"We were just betting a few bucks on it. I swear!" Kayla raised her hand as if she's pledging. "Besides, we just wanted to know who has the guts to confess to you and the bet will expire at the end of the month. Just so you know I am so going to lose because I bet that there would be at least two residents. . ."

Will stared at Kayla.

"We are not going to repeat it. Promise!" Kayla said immediately.

Will sighed. "I am not mad about that. I'll just need to go somewhere that's why I can't go with you. . ."

"Again?" Kayla asked. "Seriously where do you always go this early? Perhaps. ."

"Don't," Will warned.

"What?"

"You are going to say his name," Will said.

"So what? It's not like Nico's name is a curse. Are you perhaps going to see him? You know you don't have to keep it a secret."

Wil hissed quietly. There was a sharp intake of breath and there was also a heart-shattering all over in tiny pieces at the mention of his name.

"I am not. Besides, he's gone. I kept on repeating that to you." Will tried to be nonchalant about how his chest always constricted when they inevitably talked about him. He tried to avoid talking about him for the past months to spare himself of the feeling of being cut open with a scalpel and without anesthesia. Though, not talking about him hadn't made it any easier either. Will was stuck in the time when he had seen Nico disappeared in front of his eyes.

"Did you really break up? As in gone for good? Are you sure there's no chance for reconciliation and all that?" Kayla frowned.

"Yes. Now I'll have to go. Bye." Will walked passed her.

Kayla turned and stared at Will's retreating figure.

Will went in a deserted alley. He kept on turning on several corners. He had memorized the direction by heart. The first time he had come here which was last year, he was spooked out. He didn't like the vibes that this alley radiated. But after coming back almost every day, the goosebumps that had always crawled on his skin had faded. He had gotten used to it. For most people who lived in Manhattan, they called this place as Hell's kitchen. But for some people that Will knew, this was an entrance to the Underworld.

He stopped in front of an abandoned recording studio. Nico had told him once before that there was an entrance in the Underworld that was located in Manhattan. Not just an entrance but a place where the death angels assigned in New York brought the souls who went in the afterlife.

He took a deep breath and he reached up for the big lock of the double doors of the studio. Will started to glow then he tugged the lock. The lock opened. But before Will could do anything, a strong gust of wind appeared and threw Will on a cemented post.

Will groaned, sliding down on the wall. He ended up sitting limply on the ground. Will cursed. It was just purely by accident when he had discovered that he could open the lock with his glow. He had been desperate at that time, he was still until now, to have some answers to what happened to him.

To Nico.

Will shut his eyes tightly. Every part of him hurt. The hurt was worse than being thrown on a wall from time to time. Maybe it was his punishment too. It had been eight months since Nico had faded in the shadows but the feeling was still fresh like it had only happened yesterday. When Will wanted to punish himself more, all he had needed to do was hold onto that stupid lock and glow. He had almost broken his neck doing that stunt. He wanted to feel it too, the pain that Nico was currently experiencing because of the punishment. They should be suffering together.

"Do you really want to die?"

Will's head whipped up. In front of him, Bianca di Angelo was standing. She was wearing a black crop top over a black lapel jacket paired with (obviously) black jeans and boots. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail.

"Bianca!" Will gasped. After eight months of torture, this was the first time that a death angel talked to him. Sure, he was seeing them in the hospital but before he could make a move to approach them, they had vanished immediately. Will tried to stand up but pain shot on his back shoulder. He grimaced holding his shoulder. It will surely bruise.

"Why can't you just go away?" Bianca said exasperatedly. "Live your life and all that crap. Just stay away from the Dead. This isn't your territory."

"C-Cant. I need to know what happened to Nico. . ."

"He was punished. End of the story." Bianca's voice was strained.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know that Nico would suffer like that." Will started to sob. He covered his face with his hands.

"I told you before to stay away from him but you never listened. Now, look at what happened to him." Bianca said.

Will could feel the accusation in her voice. So he spoke putting down his hand and looking at her. "Then punish me too. Kill me if you want. I can't just let Nico suffer all alone."

"Now you are turning me into a murderer." Bianca rolled her eyes. "Just let Nico go. Move on. Forget about him. There's nothing you could do about him."

Will stared at Bianca

"Stay away from the Dead and forget about Nico, Solace. Live your life without him." Bianca said then she snapped her fingers. Will started to get drowsy. His eyelids started to get heavy. Then there was blackness.

Lastly, I wanted to say I love you. . .

Will's eyes snapped open and he jolted upright. The pain on his shoulders hit him again making him flinched. His hand shooting on his shoulder. He blinked and looked around. Of all the places that Bianca would send him to, it has to be the rooftop of his apartment building. Will stared ahead.

The edge of the rooftop was now fenced. So no one could go jumping on the edge of the rooftop when they felt like it. Will was shocked the first time he saw it. He had immediately gone to the landlady to give his thanks that she finally granted Will's request. However, he had been shocked to learn that the fenced rooftop wasn't because of Will's request but someone had forcedly put it up there.

It was Nico. All black emo type guy, pale as a ghost and brooding type as the landlady had described him.

Nico's presence was everywhere. So how could Will forget about him when everything reminded him of Nico?

"WILLIAM SOLACE!"

Will cringed and he halted. The people around him paused briefly and looked at him. He shoved his hands on the pockets of the cardigan he was wearing. He was going to kill Kayla.

Kayla held his arm "AND WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING?"

"Did you perhaps swallowed a megaphone?" Will sighed. "And have you noticed that we are just less than a meter apart? You don't have to shout! I am going home, I'm tired."

"NO! YOU NEED TO STOP THIS BULLSHIT, SOLACE."

The people walking in the sidewalks were surely giving them attention.

"How come resting is bullshit?" Will shot back. "Am I not allowed to rest now?"

"No" Kayla glared at him crossing her arms "You are avoiding us. You are imprisoning yourself in your little miserable world. You're overworking yourself again. You seldom laugh or smile unlike before, your once bright blue eyes turned dull. Not to mention, that bruises seemed to appear mysteriously on your body-don't deny it! There's a large bruise on your back. I saw it when you are changing your scrub shirt. We are worried Will." Kayla said.

Will looked away. "I just slipped in the bathroom."

"Oh yeah? That's also your damn reason when you had to wear a neck brace before. You are not that clumsy Will." Kayla said then he exhaled. "I know it's all because of Nico but-"

"I said, don't mention his name!"

"Nico. . ."

"I said stop it."

"No, Nico. .. "

"KAYLA!" At this point, it didn't matter to Will if the whole of Manhattan was watching them now.

"No, Will..." Kayla pointed at something behind him.

Will turned around to look where she was pointing. He froze. He sucked in a breath.

On the other side of the street, Nico di Angelo was standing. He was holding a phone against his ear talking to someone.

The situation wasn't making any sense to Will. He unconsciously started to walk towards him but Kayla held his arm.

"Do you want to get hit by a car? The traffic light is still green!" Kayla hissed.

Twenty seconds before the traffic light turned red. The excruciatingly longest 20 seconds in Will's life. Ten seconds before the red light, Nico pocketed his phone and turned around. For a moment, Will panicked on the thought that he was going away and he was going to be out of Will's sight again. But then Nico went inside the nearby café.

The traffic light turned red. Will ran.

When he reached the café, his heart was pounding on his rib cage. There inside the café, Nico was sitting and talking to another blond guy.

Will touched the glass window, the only thing that separated them. Nico's complexion that used to be pale was now olive. His hair seemed to be longer so he had to tie it, still, strands of black hair fell on the side of his head, shorter strands covered his forehead. He was wearing gray long sleeves, black jeans, and a low cut black sneakers. Nico seemed to be livelier.

"Why are you just standing there!" Kayla hissed at him again, she was standing on his side. "He changed a little bit but that's definitely Nico! Go inside!" Kayla shoved him inside the café.

Will's lips were dry as a paper when he had reached Nico's seat. Nico was facing back at him so he didn't notice Will yet, but the blond guy opposite Nico looked up at Will.

"N-Nico... " Will whispered.

Nico turned around and looked up at Will. His eyes widen but then he frowned.

"Um, who are you?" Nico asked.