Keep Fighting

Rey woke up, listening to the sound of the heart monitor beeping beside her, lifting her head slowly as she looked around the room, realising she was in the hospital, looking on at the wires attached to her.

"Look who finally woke up." Bob smiled as Rey turned, noticing him sitting on the chair by her bed, "How you feeling?" He asked her.

"I…" Rey cleared her throat, "W-What happened?" She questioned.

"You got stabbed. Always told you that boy was trouble." Bob said as Rey rested her head back on the pillow, remembering what had gone down at her uncle's party, feeling the large bandage on her side, "You lost a lot of blood."

"Where are my mom and dad?" Rey asked him.

"They went to get you some clothes and they were talking to the police I think." Bob nodded, "I got here as soon as I could."

"All my life I've managed to avoid these places." Rey shook her head, looking around the hospital room as Bob nodded.

"Yeah, well… none of us enjoy being here." Bob agreed, "But you're gonna be ok." He said as she looked across at him, "You're a tough one. Always have been." He smiled as Rey sighed to herself.

"I don't feel particularly tough right now." Rey admitted.

"Well you look it." Bob smiled to her, "It was a close one, you know. You lost a lot of blood, a lot." He nodded.

"Did my parents come with me?" Rey wondered.

"Yeah. Stood outside your door the entire time. They only left when the doctor told them you were doing good, responding well to the IV." Bob said as Rey nodded to herself, "I'm glad you realise how much they care about you." He smiled as Rey nodded.

"Yeah, I think… I think at first I didn't let them in because I didn't understand it. I didn't understand why they would care about me but… I know I mean something to them and that… that's nice." She nodded.

"You know I had the best time with them when they stayed with me." Bob smiled, "It was so nice to see two kids really care about each other. And they were so determined to make things work for you. They already loved you so much." He nodded as Rey looked across at him.

"How did you do it all this time?" Rey asked.

"Do what?" Bob questioned.

"Well you… you knew me. You knew I was their daughter and you had to keep it to yourself." Rey said.

"Because I knew somehow, in some way… you'd find them and they would find you, and things would just… fall into place. I can't tell you how happy it has made me to see you with them these past few months. Because I know how good your mom and dad are. And you all deserve happiness." Bob nodded.

"You know they love you so much. You're like their dad." Rey nodded, "My dad always talks about you. How helpful you were. When they didn't have their own parents, they had you, and you were amazing. For them and for me." Rey said.

"Well I never had kids of my own and… I saw them, how great they were yet their own parents didn't see that. Someone had to tell them how strong and great they were." Bob nodded, "If I did have kids… I would have wanted them to be as amazing as your mom and dad." He smiled.

"You really helped them." Rey nodded, "And me."

"I watched them go their separate ways and I thought I would keep my eye on you for them. Because despite of them giving you up, I knew how much they loved you. I knew they'd think about you every day and if I could just make sure you were safe… I was doing my part." Bob nodded, "And you became just as good a friend to me as they were." He smiled.

"You were my first friend." Rey smiled a little, "I wanted to hang around your store all day instead of going to school like the other kids." She said, "You were the first person to show me what it was to care." She nodded as Bob smiled.

"No, you figured that out on your own." Bob smiled, "I know you're strong and you're more than capable of taking care of yourself but… let them take care of you. Let them be your parents because… they're good ones." He nodded.

"They are." Rey agreed, "I never… I really never thought it was imaginable to be in their lives but to also enjoy it too. I just always thought so negatively of them but… knowing them as people, knowing how hard it was… I don't blame them for what they did." She shook her head, "I mean, you were there, you saw how hard it was for them."

"I did." Bob nodded.

"I've always wanted a family so… now I have it, why would I push it away?" Rey questioned, "I guess I was just being my usual self. Pretending I had everything under control. Pretending I had things figured out." She said, "But I… I think I still need them."

"You're always gonna need your family. Even when your old and you have kids of your own." Bob nodded, "You're always gonna need your family." He smiled.

"I'm glad I found them." Rey nodded.

"Me too." Bob nodded, standing up and leaning over, "Keep fighting, kid." He said, kissing her head softly as Rey looked on with confusion.

"How is she? Is she doing better? I brought her clothes." AJ nodded, standing outside Rey's room later that night with Punk.

"Much better." The doctor smiled, "She's responding well and we stopped the bleeding." The doctor nodded as AJ sighed with relief, leaning into Punk as he wrapped an arm around her.

"Is she awake?" Punk asked.

"She'll probably wake up soon." The doctor nodded, "You can both go in." She said.

"Thank you." Punk nodded sincerely, walking on into the hospital room which Rey was in, fast asleep. They'd had quite the scare with how much blood she had lost, and wasn't entirely sure that she was actually going to pull through.

"She's so strong." AJ shook her head, sitting the bag down at the bottom of the bed and walking over, sitting down on the chair beside the bed and taking her daughter's hand as Punk closed the door over.

"She is." Punk nodded in agreement, running his hand through his hair.

"We'll need to tell her." AJ turned to Punk.

"We can wait until she gets out." Punk shook his head and sighed.

"Phil." AJ sighed, "We have to tell her when she wakes up." AJ nodded to him as Punk sighed with teary eyes and nodded, "We'll be here for her."

"I just… I can't believe it." Punk shook his head, taking a deep breath as AJ bit her lip and nodded, wiping her tears as she noticed Rey beginning to move a little.

"Phil." AJ nodded, sitting up as Punk looked over at Rey opening up her eyes, "Hey." AJ smiled, drying her tears quickly, "Hey, you're ok." AJ assured her with comfort, holding her hand as Rey looked at them both.

"Hey." Punk smiled to her as Rey lay still.

"Hey." Rey said quietly, feeling a whole lot of pain from her side, moaning a little at any sudden movement.

"Just be careful, ok?" AJ nodded, "You're gonna be really sore." She said as Rey nodded.

"What's the time?" Rey asked, resting her head back on the pillow as Punk stood at the bottom of the bed.

"Uh… 3pm." Punk nodded as Rey raised her brows.

"So I've been out for a while." Rey nodded to herself.

"They had to do surgery." AJ nodded, "To stop the bleeding. You're… you're really lucky." She sighed as Rey looked at her, realising that she was perhaps hanging by a thread for quite some time, looking at how ghostly her parents looked.

"Am I… Am I going to be ok?" She asked them worriedly.

"You're gonna be ok." Punk assured her, "You pulled through." He nodded.

"I… I can't even remember it happening." Rey shook her head, "It's all blurry."

"You were a lot of shock." AJ nodded, "They got Zac and his friends. They've been arrested." She said as Rey nodded slowly.

"Am I supposed to be in this much pain?" She sighed, trying not to cry in front of them, but she was in a whole lot of pain.

"You're probably due more meds." Punk said, "The doctor said you're gonna be sore for a while but it'll… it'll get better." He nodded as Rey sighed.

"I hate hospitals." She grumbled as Punk smiled and nodded.

"I'm with you on that." Punk agreed as AJ looked at him.

"I brought you some clothes for when you can get changed." AJ said, "And everyone has been asking for you." She nodded.

"I uh… I spoke to Bob earlier. I must have fallen back asleep." She shook her head as AJ tilted her head, turning to Punk who felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"You… You spoke to Bob?" Punk asked.

"Uh yeah he was sitting there." Rey nodded, "I think I was still out of it, to be honest." Rey shook her head as AJ turned to Punk.

Rey noticed them giving each other strange looks, "What is it?" Rey shook her head, "What's wrong?" She sensed something was wrong.

"It's… it's about Bob, Rey." Punk nodded, walking around the bed and taking a seat beside AJ as Rey looked at them both.

"What about him?" Rey asked.

"He… He passed away last night, Rey." AJ nodded as Rey looked across at her with a puzzled look on her face.

"W-What?" Rey shook her head.

"I found him this morning." Punk nodded, "I noticed the store wasn't opened. I was going to let him know about you but when I found him…" Punk placed his hands over his face as Rey shook her head.

"No, I was talking to him." Rey shook her head with confusion, "We were talking here."

"No." AJ shook her head tearfully, "He's gone." She nodded.

"They suspect a heart attack." Punk said, running his hand through his hair as Rey shook her head.

"No." Rey said adamantly, "No, I was literally talking to him like… a few hours ago."

"A few hours ago you were in surgery." AJ looked across at her, "And you… you weren't doing very good." She reminded her, "He passed last night, Rey."

"What?" Rey cried with confusion, squeezing her hand tightly.

"I'm sorry." AJ shook her head, drying her tears as Rey cried some more, feeling pain in her side as she done so but not being able to help it, "I know." AJ nodded, standing up and sitting on the edge of the bed, carefully wrapping her arm around Rey who leaned into her for comfort, "I know." AJ swallowed the lump in her throat as Punk watched, clasping his hands over his mouth with teary eyes.