If It Weren't For You – Chapter 16

By MyNameIsCAL

-Max's POV, 1 Year Later-

There was a lot to celebrate. Ava was starting preschool, Fang was going to be three years sober, Gazzy had just landed a starting role and was engaged to Nudge, and Angel was going to college. Iggy had a huge dinner planned for us tonight. Not to mention that he was planning to ask Fang to marry him tonight.

Iggy was at home cooking with Angel and Gazzy, so I went to pick up Ava with Fang. We were running late because of traffic, so I parked across the street instead of the parking lot behind the building. Ava was always so happy to see Fang. He scooped her up into his arms and smiled at her. It was so good to see him smile. I couldn't wait to see his face when Iggy proposed to him tonight.

Fang put Ava down and she took my hand. We headed out the door and stopped at the curb.

"Remember, you have to look both ways when you're crossing the street," Fang said to her.

I was about to open my mouth to agree, but there was a sudden loud honking noise. Fang was suddenly dashing in front of us towards a mother and her stroller. There was a pickup truck barreling down the street.

Fang pushed the stroller and the mother out of the way just before the pickup truck could hit them. It hit Fang though, and I watched in horror as he went through the windshield of the car and they kept speeding away.

"Daddy!" Ava wailed.

The truck swerved and finally crashed into the traffic light. I picked Ava up and started running towards the crash. Sirens wailed from behind us.

I could only watch in horror when they finally pulled Fang out unconscious and bloodied on a stretcher. How was I going to tell Iggy?

Instead of dinner, we were all sitting in the waiting room at the ER. Ava was asleep on the couch between Iggy and me. Gazzy and Angel sat across from us. It had been nearly two hours since Fang went into surgery, and we hadn't heard anything.

"Maybe it's a sign, Max," Iggy said. "Maybe I shouldn't ask him."

I shook my head. "Don't think like that. He would have said yes. He's still going to say yes."

Iggy buried his face into his hands. "I keep hoping I'm going to wake up from terrible nightmare."

After another hour of waiting, a doctor finally emerged through the doors.

"He made it," the doctor said. "But he's in a coma. His brain swelled, but we have him on some medication to reduce it. In a few days, I think he'll be ok. There doesn't appear to be any brain damage. We also had to put pins into his leg and knee. I know he's already had some surgery in those areas, so only time will tell how recovery will go for that…"

I barely heard anything else the doctor said. This all meant medication. Medication meant pain killers. Fang was going to be starting back to square one again.

"Ok, thanks, Doc," Iggy managed to say.

The doctor nodded and he showed us to Fang's room. Gazzy and Angel said they would wait outside, so I went in with Iggy and Ava. After I put Ava on the couch, I led Iggy to the chair beside Fang's bed. Fang was on a respirator and he was bandaged in a bunch of different places. His face was swollen and cut. Part of me was glad Iggy couldn't see him. Although my eyes fell onto the IV drip for Fang's morphine. Three years and now this for a good deed. It just seemed cruel.

"It only matters that he's alive," Iggy said. "We can worry about the rest later. He just…he needs to okay first. I mean, he's going to be okay somehow. He saved two people's lives."

He took Fang's hand and let out a sigh. Iggy was more optimistic than I was.

The pickup truck's brakes had failed. It was the reason that the driver could not stop the car. Fang had been lucky that car hadn't been going that fast. Usually people died from getting hit by cars that were out of control. The local paper had titled Fang a hero for saving the mother and his child. I told the press that we had no comment.

On the third day after the accident, Fang woke up. I watched through the window as Iggy talked to him. Fang cracked a few smiles. That was a good sign.

I went in when Iggy got up to go to the bathroom. Fang gave me a half smile as I sat down next to the bed.

"I don't want to think about it, ok?" Fang motioned to the IV. "It doesn't matter. It shouldn't be a big deal."

I nodded. "Did you want me to bring Ava by after school?"

"That'd be nice," he replied.

"Angel went back to school, but Gazzy's still around. He might stop by later too."

He nodded. "And will you tell Iggy to go home and get some sleep? I think he looks as tired as I probably do."

Fang's upbeat mood had diminished by the end of the week. He was becoming withdrawn again, and he started to go through withdrawal when they started to down the dose on his morphine. I mean, he looked awful. Part of me was glad Iggy couldn't see how bad Fang was.

We ended up talking Fang into going to a rehabilitation program. They would help him manage his pain and get him back on his feet. There was no way we could bring him home and do it ourselves. He spent a month at home first. Every day he would ask me for more pain medication, and every time it got harder to say no.

The rehab facility was about half an hour away. Fang was still reluctant, but he knew he needed it. We could visit him four times a week and he would get to come home for the holidays at the end of the month. After that, he could become an outpatient depending on his progress.

"I'll come visit you every day," Iggy promised Fang before we left. "And you call me whenever you want, okay?"

Fang squeezed Iggy's wrist. "I'm sorry, Ig."

Iggy shook his head. "There's nothing to be sorry for."

Then he dropped his hand from Fang's face and leaned down to kiss him. "I'll see you soon, Fang."

We were about to walk away when Fang grabbed Iggy's hand. "Iggy, I love you."

"I love you too, Fang." Iggy gave him a smile.

Fang managed a half smile and then the nurse wheeled him away.