Hello my dear readers! Hope you're still up for a new chapter.

I had a lot of problems to translate this chapter on my own. That's why I don't know if I did some mistakes (I think there were a lot).

Don't hit me for crashing Shakespeare's language!

Have a nice chapter and see you soon :-)


Chapter 22: Expain

Matt fell asleep when Shay had left the room, letting Antonio handle both Gabby and his bother-in-law alone. He didn't know what to say, what to do, he was just sitting in one of those plastic chairs, between the two beds, in case one of them would wake up. Simply. It was still scaring him and hurting him to see Matt like this. Even if he was blaming him a little, deep down he knew Matt did this by instinct, he pushed her to protect her. But he couldn't get this image out of his head, because after all, Gabby was his dear little sister. During the next twenty minutes, Antonio watched over the two lovebirds without a noise. There were just these hissing coming from the breathing machines and the bippings from the cardiac monitors to break this excruciating and reigning silence. He looked to the right, then to the left, resting his eyes sometimes on Gabby, sometimes on Matt. Until Matt woke up again. Staring into the vacuum, he didn't know what to do. He could feel something in his throat, but he then remembered almost immediately why this thing was there: to breathe for him. To tell the truth, Matt didn't know if he was able to breathe on his own, even consciously.

"Matt?" Antonio tried softly.

He stayed still. Even if less than half an hour had passed, the fog surrending his mind lost in thick, he could see better. Everything was still vague, but at least he was more aware of his surroundings.

"Matt?"

Thsi voice, he heard it somewhere before. Curious, he passed his gaze to the left to sse who it was. He couldn't remember his name, but he remembered seeing him at some point in this room. And this time, his sight when further, behind this man he recognized. There was a second bed in which was laying a brown hair woman, her skin was slightly tanned. He'd immediately recognized her. In his head, he had never seen her, but he knew it was her, it was Gabby. He closed his eyes, letting out a few salty tears from his eyes. He felt overwhelmed by all conceivable positive emotions: happiness, relief, joy. They were all present inside of him just by looking at her.

"Matt? Everything okay?"

Antonio began to worry. He was seeing him crying without valid reasons and it was beginning to scare him.

"It's hurting somewhere? Y-you want me call call for a nurse or a doctor?"

His eyes still closed, still crying, Matt shook slightly his head from left to right. He wasn't in pain, quite the contrary. He never felt this good. He then remember that despite the ventilator, he could speak. Well theorically because his mouth was too dry. He closed his eyes again ad began to approach his hand over his face, hopping to explain to Antonio that he wanted to drink, even a few sips of cool water. He clenched his fist, just his thumb and his little finger out of it and he shook his fist at the level of his mouth, thumb turned to him.

"What? Matt, I... I don't understand".

Although Matt was trying to simplify this language to communicate, it was still hard to talk in sign language with a non-initiated. He opened his eyes again, searching with them something containing some water, a glass, a jug. His gaze stopped then on the plate brought by Emily the day before for Shay. And fortunately, there was still a bottle of water. He had then the idea to point this plate so that Antonio could understand better. The latter frowned, turning his head several seconds to the place indicated by Matt's fingerthen came back to its original place.

"The tray?"

Softly and very slightly, Matt nodded. Antonio got up, catching the plate and bringing him to Matt. He wanted to understand what Matt wanted. Once seated again with the tray on his laps, Matt tried to move his head again to the left, but was torn by an intense pain radiating throughout his chest. He winced, raisind his head to keep it straight while the monitor began to be crazy.

"Matt? Matt?!"

Matt rose his hand, palm turned to Antonio. This gesture, he got it: it meant it was alright. But nothing was right. Matt was still feeling his chest burning like hell, even after two long minutes. Worry, Antonio called for a nurse, and almost immediately, Emily entered the room.

"Everyth..."

She didn't have time to end his phrase, she understood what was happenning. Matt had still his eyes shut, wincing in pain, his left hand laying on his chest. She rushed to the bed, placed on of her hands on his own hand, looking at all the screens behind the bed. She then noticed that the

dose of painkiller was now too low for him to endure the pain.

"I'll increase his painkiller".

She pushed some buttons and once done, she turned her head and lowered her gaze.

"Matt? I know it hurts, but just be patient for a few more seconds. Just a couple of seconds..."

She continued to whisper to calm him down, hopping the extra dose of morphine would take effect soon. As for Antonio, he stayed there, watching the nurse doing her job, still appeasing Matt as she could. After two endless scaring minutes, Mat's heart finally calmed down although his chest was still hurting like hell. But soon after, the high dose of morphine sent him to this black and painless world.

"What happened?" the nurse asked, turning to Antonio.

"Uh... He pointed at the tray, I brought it to him and he tried to turn his head, and..."

"And then the pain startled, right?" she interrupted.

Antonio couldn't help but nod, unable to talk.

"And do you know why he pointed this tray?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, he uh... He signed something I didn't understand".

"Can you sign it again?"

Antonio nodded again and tried to do this sign again. He clenched his fist, frowning because he didn't really know how to do this".

"He uh... He shook his fist then".

"Over his mouth?"

"Uh... Yeah?"

"With his thumb and his little finger out?"

"Yes".

Emily rose her head, blowing a breath of fresh air into her lungs.

"You know what he meant?"

"This sign means 'drink'. I think he asked you some water".

Antonio looked the tray: there was a half-full bottle of water. He felt bad because he hadn't understood what Matt meant.

"You know, it's very difficult for someone who doesn't sign to understand sign language. Even if the person simplifies a maximum, whe don't get it all".

"But it was a basic sign, wans't it? I should have understood".

"Ok, ok... Lets have a deal, alright?"

Antonio wass surprised but let himself unconsciously nodding.

"I know the basic signs, I could come by and teach you. To Kelly, Shay and you?"

He didn't know what to say, invaded by the surprising proposition.

"Are you sure it... It doesn't bother you?"

She shook her head from left to right.

"Not at all", she assured smiling. "I'll come by later to see if everything is okay. If Dr. Kinsley comes, ask him too. We're here to undersand our patients and their relatives, but we're also here to help the relatives understand our patients".

It was reassuring: at least the medical staff was there for their patients. That changed from Lakeshore: each time he asked for help, they kind of shouted at him. Except this blonde nurse who looked after Gabby every two days. Irina. He remembered her name, but without knowing why. When he was bad, when he needed to make a decision, she was there to help her choose the best option.

"Now I took care of Matt, let's see your sister, if you please".

Surprised, Antonio jumped and turned to face this so young and sweet woman.

"Uh... Y-yes. Sorry".

"Don't be. You are at her bedside since her admission to Lakeshore right?"

"Basically yes. I took some days off. My boss is understanding. Family comes first".

She smiled, approaching the bed where Gabby was.

"Your boss seems to be a good person".

Antonio didn't reply. Voight had his moments of kindness, but he was often very cold, mainly contrasting with Antonio.

"Let's say I didn't give him a choice. Either he allowed I take some days off, or I resigned. Gabby... She'd always been there for me, always there with me when I was bad or when a case skidded. I didn't have the right to leave her alone".

"But now, she's here in this room with Matt, you can take some rest. Kelly and Shay come when they are not on shift, and when they are, his sister watches over him. You can relay on their besides?"

Although Antonio wouldn't let his sister, he was physically and mentally exhausted.

"You are right. I just hope nothing will happen if I leave her".

"We will do our best for that. We can't promise that everything will be alright when someone is in ICU. You are well placed to know that, aren't you?"

He thought then to what had experienced Kelly. Twice. The first time, Matt's brain shut down, the second time his heart had ceased.

"How's my sister?" He asked as she finished to look at all the machines.

"Well, according to her file from Lakeshore and what I can tell, she is stable. Most of her injuries have healed except for her broken wrist. As I read her file there is still a swelling in the right temporal lobe area? We'll have to run the tests again to see if the swelling went down or not".

"You might know... Why she sin't waking up?"

The nurse sighed. She wanted so much to explain in simple words.

"I'll try to explain as simply as possible okay?"

Antonio nodded, a little worried with this remark she had just let go.

"The force of the impact damaged her brain, especially her inner ear. You know that?"

"Yes, the doctors told me at Lakeshore?"

"Do they have explained that this affected area controls your sister's location in space?"

"Uh... I... Don't remember that..."

"When the location in space is affected, it sometimes happens that the person remains in a coma for a moment before waking up. The time for the brain to work again in space".

"For a moment? How long?"

"It depends on the injuries, it also depends on the blow. Even the will of your sister".

"And uh... You said that... That the brain needs time to work again normally?"

"Brain works like a phone: if you have no more battery on your phone and you don't have your charger with you, you have to wait to get home to recharge it".

"I assume the battery is the brain?"

"Indeed".

"Then... It should... Work again properly soon?"

"Unfortunately I can't tell you. Everything is in her hands now. If within one month she doesn't wake up, we might consider something more... More invasive, but... For now we are not there, and we hope she will wake up before. You must keep that hope. And Matt is here now! Perhaps this will change everything?"

Antonio was somewhat reassured. For the first time in twenty days he had answers to his questions. They told him all the time that Gabby would wake up, he had to be confident, to keep hope, but without explaining the slightest thing. At least he now knew why his sister wasn't waking up.