The next few days are a blur. Ricardo and Alicia are nearly inseparable, her hand playing with his hair as he falls asleep each night, her smile rivaling the sun in the morning. Then one day he wakes up with no energy, pale and sweaty, feeling sicker than he had in a long, long time. Her smile fades immediately and he closes his eyes against a throbbing in his temple, struggling not to give into a sudden bought of nausea.
She tries talking to him, soothing him, but it doesn't help. He still feels awful. She tries to pull him up, get him walking, but he's barely on his feet before his knees start to buckle and she has no choice but to push him back onto the bed, fretting. She's strong, can handle almost anything, but this... this is beyond her. She gnaws at her lip, cups his face and stares into his dazed eyes. He's feverish and barely lucid. She has no choice. "Forgive me," she whispers to him, kissing him gently before pushing him back onto the mattress so he won't fall, and scrambles for the phone.
She then dials a number she thought she never, ever would, closing her eyes as it rings in. "Hullo?" Paige. Her throat closes up and Alicia struggles to find the words, a thought, anything that makes sense. "Hello?"
"Paige," she finally chokes out. "Is... Is Alberto there?"
Paige falls quiet for a few moments. "Yes, of course. Why?"
She can't believe she's doing this. "Ricardo needs him. Please- please... please-"
It happens fast. One minute, she's babbling to Alberto, and the next there's a furious sounding knock at the door and she rushes for it before Alberto pounds the door down. She's relieved to see him- even more relieved not to see Paige, and leads him to the bedroom where he takes in Ricardo's appearance.
"Mi hermano," he mumbles, resting his hand on the side of Ricardo's face and feeling his rough breathing. "Alright, let's get you help." Alicia blinks and Ricardo's off the bed, one arm held securely around Alberto's shoulders as he walks him into the living room, towards the door. "Are you coming, Alicia?" he calls and she scrambles, not even caring that she's going out without makeup, her hair still sleep-mussed and a tight, frantic twist to her lips.
They're settled in the backseat immediately, Alicia's fingers running through Ricardo's hair, down his forehead as Alberto drives. Before she's prepared for it, they're at the hospital and Alberto is helping his barely with it former best friend from the car, Alicia following on weak legs. Alberto's presence pushes them all into action, nurses immediately rushing to Ricardo's aid. He's getting checked in, blood pressure and temperature taken before they can even blink, quickly brought to a private room to be properly examined.
Even the wait times for the doctor seem reduced and Alicia shakes her head, in awe and more than a little conflicted about how fast everything is moving. She's glad Ricardo's getting attention quickly, but she had been hoping for a minute to breathe, and now... now. She digs her knuckles into her eyes and exhales roughly. Alberto's hand is warm on her shoulder, his voice as liquidly smooth. "Are you alright, Alicia?"
"No, no I am most definitely not," she exhales, peering up at him tiredly. "He was fine last night. What happened?"
Alberto has no answer, rubbing her shoulder lightly before turning to look at his best friend as he sleeps on, twitching here and there and mumbling in discomfort. "He'll be fine. I promise."
A few minutes pass and the doctor returns with a nurse, an IV held in hand. "Severe dehydration," he explains, watching as she puts a port in Ricardo's arm and tapes it into place, the IV dripping fluid into his veins to help stabilize him. "We'll probably keep him overnight, just to make sure that the fluids work. Ensure that he's eating and drinking properly before he goes. He should be more lucid in a couple of hours. I'll check back in in a little while."
"Thank you," Alicia mumbles, dazed as she peers down at Ricardo. Dehydration, she muses. How...
"What have you two been doing?" Alberto snaps at her once the doctor leaves, keeping his voice down so as not to disrupt his friend's sleep. "Have you not noticed that he's not been drinking or eating properly?"
She flushes angrily, ashamed that he's right. "I don't know, he was working on something and I didn't want to disturb him. I'm sorry, ok? I didn't know." Tears start filling her eyes and she turns away from him angrily, resting a hand on Ricardo's. He stirs a little and peers up at her, pale and weary and so vulnerable looking. "I'm so sorry."
His gaze seems vacant as he breathes shakily. "Alicia..."
"Yes, Ricardo?" she murmurs back to him, pressing his hand to her cheek.
"I want... I want to go home," he mumbles, eyes slipping shut.
"I know, I know. Tomorrow, alright?" She sniffs. "They want to keep an eye on you tonight, make sure everything's going alright, and then- then..."
"California," he whispers. "California. I miss... I miss madre. I want... to go home..."
Alicia's eyes are wide as she looks back up at Alberto, neither of them sure what to make of this. "California?"
He shrugs helplessly and sits back down, keeping a watchful eye out while Alicia soothes Ricardo's uncomfortable rest, doctors and nurses in and out until late. "Sorry, guys, you have to go. Visiting hours are over," the night nurse tells them quietly after checking Ricardo's vitals once more.
Alberto stands immediately and Alicia rests a hand on Ricardo's arm, rubbing gentle circles against his skin. "I'll go," he says. "She stays. Bring a cot in, he needs her." Alicia's head shoots up and she gapes at him in amazement, even more surprised when the nurse nods briskly and walks off to do his bidding.
Alberto smiles at her. "They know me here," he says simply, grabbing his jacket and walking out into the hallway.
She follows him. "I'll call you tomorrow when there's news."
"Gracias," he says, before walking out of the doors and continuing on until he's out of sight.
Ricardo wakes up at some point before the sun rises. Alicia is dozing by his side but when he moves, mumbling to himself, she jerks awake immediately and rests a hand on his arm, smiling sadly down at him. He looks more aware, blinking blearily up at her, and she exhales. "Ricardo?"
"Alicia?" He sounds better too and she exhales, pressing her face against his shoulder. "What happened?"
"You were sick, honey," she tells him quietly, continuing to rub his arm. "Dehydration but they're helping you, you're doing alright now. It's going to be ok."
He stares up at her for a moment. "Did I..." His words fail him. "Did I say something?"
She coughs. Nods. "You want to move back to California."
"Si." He drifts for a moment and she thinks he's falling back asleep, but then he speaks. "I want to start a wrestling school. I want to be closer to my mother and sister. I'm not sure what this means for us, if it means anything, but... I feel like I need to do it because I haven't been happy in Florida for a long time."
She nods. Stares into his eyes and smiles weakly. "I understand. Listen, there's time, right? We don't need to make any decisions right now. I... I want you healthy, and home, before we really think seriously about things. I don't want you to get sick again because you're stressing out about things." She pokes him in the nose. "So you're going to rest and I'm going to take care of you, make sure you eat and drink and stay hydrated... and you're not going to argue with me about things."
He pouts at her but nods slowly. "Alright. I can live with that. But we do need to talk."
"I know. Soon." She leans in and kisses him. "Go back to sleep. It'll be morning soon and we'll get you out of here. Then we'll figure everything else out."
"Alright," he murmurs. "I can do that."
She sits with him, continuing to stroke her fingers through his hair, her lip trembling ever so slightly as she watches him sleep.