Line in the Sand Chapter 17, an el tigre fanfic

Chapter 17, Life

Two Weeks Later

A doctor and nurse hovered over the bed of one of their patients, checking his chart and replacing his IV. He's been down for a while now, and has only occasionally showed any signs of consciousness. The nurse took notice of a tiny motion as she finished attaching the fresh batch of serum, and it was only her standing and waiting that allowed her to witness Manny Rivera waking up. At first he only shifted his weight, turning his head away from the light above that plagued him.

"F… five more minutes…"

"Doctor, he's waking up."

Manny tugged at the IV as he tried to roll over, opening his eyes slowly to see what the obstruction was. A tube in his arm… that's certainly atypical. And why wasn't he in his own bed? He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the fluorescent bulbs overhead. It didn't take long for him to come to a conclusion, recalling how badly he had lost the fight.

"This is a hospital…"

"Very good, Mr. Rivera. Now, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Mmm," Manny groaned as he tried to focus. His brain didn't seem to want to function today. "Uhm… four."

"Very good. And now?"

"Two."

"Now?"

"Five."

The doctor smiled and nodded. "Excellent. Nurse, please note that the patient appears to have retained his vision and mental faculties."

"Yes doctor."

The nurse left the room with Manny's chart, leaving the smiling doctor and his exhausted but curious patient. With his free hand, Manny reached up and pressed his forehead, muttering something as he did. His head was killing him… but that was nothing compared to how he hurt when he stretched. He leaned forward, and stopped when his chest pained him yet again. Now he had to ask.

"… What happened to me?"

"Ah, yes. I'll tell you. But first, why don't you lie back down. You are still not fully healed."

Complying, Manny sank back into the bed, feeling no relief from his headache or whatever was making his chest hurt. The doctor pulled a chair beside him and sat down, taking a deep breath before beginning.

"You were brought in with severe injuries. Several blood vessels in your chest cavity were ruptured, causing internal bleeding. We rushed you to the Emergency Room and managed to surgically seal every vessel. Our surgeons managed to save you before you bled out, but your lungs were badly flooded. You're very lucky. Most patients don't survive such a nasty procedure. You've been recovering for the past two weeks. It is… 9:15 in the morning and it's Monday."

"Uhh… two weeks? I've been sleeping for two weeks?"

"Yes, yes you have. And you've been getting visitors every day. Isn't that nice?"

"Who brought me here?" He leaned forward again, sighing when his stitches pulled at his tender skin. "I was in the desert… how did I get to the hospital?"

"Oh, you don't remember… well, a friend of yours brought you in."

"Who?"

"I'm sorry, she asked to remain anonymous, but said that when you were well enough she would meet you on the roof in the afternoon. I think she's visited everyday."

Eventually Manny was overcome with tiredness, and his head found the pillow again. He groaned a little louder this time. "My head's killing me…"

"We'll get you some pain killers right away. I'll inform your family that you've woken up."

It didn't take long for a nurse to find his bed and supply Manny with painkillers, and after that his pain disappeared, allowing him to relax despite the deplorable condition he was in. He rested with his eyes closed, consciously listening to the workings of the hospital, willing there to be something other than noise to entertain his thoughts. Seriously, how's anyone supposed to get better when all they can hear is drama? Would a little music really make things harder? Hours passed… which was something Manny was unaware of. He must have found sleep at some point in the day. When he opened his eyes again, it was because a nurse was standing over him, saying his name gently.

"Mr. Rivera?"

"… Manny…"

"Manny… you have some visitors. Would you like to see them?"

He didn't say anything, but his eyes must've given him away. The nurse smiled and withdrew, leaving him to wake up. When Manny surveyed the room, he saw the golden light associated with afternoons pouring through his windows. This is how he learned he had slept… or at least spaced out like he's never spaced before. He wasn't alone with his thoughts for long. One by one his loved ones entered the room. At first they just huddled around him, not saying anything, just looking at him. He had to break the ice. The silence was just too painful.

"I know what you're thinking," he whispered, "and yes, I AM the bravest chicken player ever."

A smile cracked on each of their faces, though each person was clearly feeling something different. Grandpapi… he felt mirth. Rodolfo showed deep, deep relief. Frida he couldn't quite place. Her smile said happy, but her eyes, welling with tears, said sad. She slowly approached him and leaned over, drawing his head into her embrace. He patted hers in return before she released him and backed away.

"So… what happened? Did we win?"

"No, mijo," Rodolfo replied, looking to the floor in shame. "We were forced to retreat after Black Cuervo took you from the base. The military did not show up until after eight."

"What?"

"They were ambushed shortly after we departed."

"It was a devious trap." Grandpapi turned and looked out the window, watching the windows of the buildings across the street flicker in the sun. "Whoever we were attacking knew our plan from the start."

That was unsettling. It meant that either there was a mole, or M was dug in deeper than anyone had realized. Or perhaps a bit of both. Manny sighed and leaned forward, shutting his eyes tight as he fought through the pain. Frida whimpered as he went, wiping her eyes and holding back the urge to cry. He looked at her and smiled.

"Just a flesh wound… I'll be better in no time."

But Frida didn't stop whimpering. Rodolfo took the cue and nudged his father.

"Manny, your grandfather and I need to talk to the doctors. We need to find out how long you need to stay here."

"Yes. I try to get a good deal on the room."

This left Manny and Frida alone to clear the air, which was in desperate need of clearing. It was silence that made him uncomfortable, but the way she choked back sobs that wanted desperately to escape. Her face began to contort from the pressure of her emotion, and it wasn't long before tears ran down Frida's face, slicing across the smooth surface and leaving faint stains from her mascara. Manny raised a hand to her, and she took a step forward and wrapped her own around it.

"Frida…"

"You almost died… you almost didn't-," her crying started to force its way through the barrier she had set up. "You almost didn't make it. Your dad called my dad after you got out of surgery… they said you- you had a minimal chance of-."

Tugging her closer, Manny brought his other hand over and touched those that clasped his own. She was shaking and cold; in a bid to calm Frida down, he began stroking her knuckles gently. As her sobbing faded, Manny took note of how smooth Frida's skin was… he could do this forever. But then there was an emptiness… her hands were withdrawn, and before he could ask what she doing, Frida wrapped her arms around his body, holding him close and resting her ear on his shoulder. Though he was uncomfortable, he smiled and returned her embrace, breathing peacefully and reminiscing. He recalled the old days, before people like M, when being a hero was fun, when the hospital was just a place for those who were weak, and when he and Frida were inseparable. Perhaps that's why this felt right.

"Frida… don't worry. I'm okay now. A little tender, but I'll be better in no time."

"… I'm still afraid."

"… But you've never been afraid of anything."

When Manny said that, Frida pulled away from him. She looked him in the eye, and he had to wonder why hers were sparkling so tragically, as if there was some emotion that should make her happy that instead brought her pain. Why were her eyes sparkling so? She continued to hold his arm with one hand, gently running her fingers along the other with her spare. He felt right… and then he felt alarm. It all made sense.

"Frida… are you-?"

"Don't say it…"

"But, how long have you been-?"

"Long enough."

"I-," he choked on the words he sought so desperately, trying to make sense of this in vain. "Frida… I'm… I don't know what to do."

She leaned in close and kissed him gently, touching his lips with her own. The gap between them formed again, and her eyes glinted brighter than before, the stars within them amplified by her smile. "You just have to get better, okay? I'll visit you tomorrow."

Frida left him with those words and the emotions that stirred into life following her decisive action. Conflict bubbled within him. On the one hand, he had his relationship with Zoe. For some reason the red lilies on the stand beside him suggested she was visiting him as well. On the other, Frida had revealed something wonderful that everyone suspected, except him for some reason. He sank back into his bed, clutching his mouth as if it had been burned.

"I… what am I gonna' do?"

Manny turned and stared at the flowers beside him. He couldn't just abandon Zoe because Frida was slow to the gun… but could he just let Frida continue suffering? Of course not. But he was stuck in a situation where no matter what he did he'd cause someone pain. It was times like this that Manny wished he had paid more attention to those talks about the "right thing" his father had always gone into.

Miracle City Hospital, Monday, 7:30 PM

The hours passed slowly after Frida and his family left, assuring him they'd return tomorrow at the same time. During those hours, Manny continued exercising his chest, finding that each time the burning was less so. He was happy to hear that he was healing admirably… and he might even be free to go in another week, but that the following therapy would probably be difficult for him. Something about bone mending making life hard. But as he watched the clock on the wall, his ears perked up, sensing something outside the hospital. Normally he could hear the occasional helicopter, either flying overhead to some unknown location or coming to the hospital to drop off another unfortunate individual, but what he heard was different. It sounded like jets. He leaned up and looked out the window. He saw nothing… but the sound was certainly clear. Manny knew it was her, and that she was close. And he knew that he had to see Black Cuervo and put this to rest. He peeled off the blanket that had kept him warm for so long, and when the air conditioned breeze hit his bare legs he immediately began to shiver. The cold got worse when his feet touched the frigid floor, causing him to retract his legs the first time he touched it. Maybe he should plan this out more… he pulled the IV needle from his arm, wincing a little from the sting associated with it. He bled little, ignoring the stinging sensation as he sought out his clothes in the room. It took some time, as he wasn't particularly creative with the searching, but he did find his articles in a drawer. He donned his shirt, jacket and pants, slowly pulling his belt through the loops as he looked out the window. On the roof of the building across the street… her visor was unmistakable. After he pulled his boots on, she jumped from her perch and took flight once more, and Manny could tell she landed on the hospital. He snuck from his room, narrowly avoiding the nurses as he made his way to the stairs. Once there, he decided maybe the elevator was better. He rode along with a nurse for the first floor, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. She glanced at him.

"Are you here visiting someone?"

"Uhm, yes. 'Fraid so."

"Well you better hurry, hours are almost over."

"Thanks… oh, heh, here's my floor."

Elevator, not as easy as advertised. Stairs it is. After the first flight, he was already winded. Two weeks in a hospital following serious injuries was a lot harder than he thought it was. Just the same, Manny forced his way to the top of the building, slowly pushing the door open and stepping out into the evening air. He advanced across the gravel without noticing her. Black Cuervo saw him though, and slowly stood atop the roof access for the stair well, watching him with tearing eyes and a loving smile.