Reyna didn't fully wake at first. She became aware of a smell that she hated: something like cleaning supplies but more sterile. Her head felt like it was filled with concrete, pressing her skull back into the rather soft pillow. Trying to breathe through her nose caused her to wince in pain and breathe through her mouth instead. A sharp pain shot through her side.
Reyna groaned and closed her eyes even tighter. Then, she forced them open. Reyna blinked a few times at the harsh light above her head. It felt like it was stabbing her in the eyes. She tried to turn her head to the side and groaned again. Her neck felt stiff and sore.
"Miss Ramirez-Arellano?" a voice asked. Reyna groaned at the sound of her last name.
"Who...where?" Reyna slowly asked. Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton, but she tasted iron. "Where... am I?"
"A hospital. Can you look at me?" the voice asked. It was soft and feminine. Reyna closed her eyes and heard a soft beeping in the background. She tried to move her arm, but it felt heavy. Her other arm felt like something was pressing in on it. "Miss Ramirez-Arellano, can you hear me?"
"Just Reyna. Please," Reyna groaned. She blinked a few times and slowly moved her gaze above her. A woman a few years older than her stood over her. It seemed like she had some kind of clipboard in her hand. Reyna turned her head slightly and winced. She finally used her eyes to look at the woman.
"I'm going to ask you some questions, Reyna. Please answer the best you can," the nurse said. Reyna tried to nod, but pain shot through her skull. She groaned again and closed her eyes. "Take your time, dear. Do you need water?"
"Please," Reyna whispered. She felt something warm in her hand. Her eyes moved to the side, and she focused on Hylla. Her older sister stared at her. "Hylla?"
"Just relax," Hylla whispered. She rubbed Reyna's hand. Hylla's hair looked messy, and she seemed uncomfortable. Her clothes were wrinkled. "You scared me so much."
"I'm sorry," Reyna began. She saw the nurse appear back in her vision, holding onto a water cup.
"Can you hold it?" the nurse asked. Reyna nodded slightly and started to lift her right arm. It felt heavy, and her eyes glossed over it. Reyna froze at the cast that covered her hand and forearm. Her eyes widened. What the hell had happened?
Reyna slowly lifted her left hand and saw the IV tube leading out of it. She swallowed painfully and grabbed the water cup. Reyna took a sip of water and cringed at the taste. Nevertheless, she drank the rest of the cup and slowly laid her head back.
"My name is Whitney," the nurse said. She took a seat next to Reyna's bed. Reyna slowly looked at her, but she felt Hylla's comforting grip. "Do you know why you're in the hospital?"
"Did I have a fight?" Reyna slowly asked. Her brain felt like it was still rebooting, and she couldn't clear the cobwebs.
"No. Let's start with some simple questions," Whitney said. She gave Reyna a gentle smile. "What is your full name?"
"Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano."
"Age?"
"Twenty-three."
"Where were you born?"
"San Juan. Puerto Rico."
"And what do you do for a living?"
"I'm a professional fighter."
"What is the last thing you remember?"
Reyna stared at the ceiling for a few moments. Before waking up here, what had she been doing? Reyna slowly spoke, "It was our first day back at the gym after the holiday. I was training. Annabeth kept asking a lot of questions about her next fight. It was a typical day. Then, I went home."
"I decided to visit my sister's girlfriend at work," Reyna continued slowly. Whitney didn't interrupt her, and Reyna felt some of the cobwebs starting to lift. "I wanted to get dinner for her, so I could get to know her better. When I got there, I... ruined my sister's proposal."
"Hylla," Reyna began. She slowly looked at her older sister. "I'm so sorry."
"There is nothing to be sorry for," Hylla whispered. She tightened her grip on Reyna's hand.
"I ruined your proposal," Reyna muttered. She felt Hylla's fingers gently run over hers, and she felt something cold. Reyna's eyes shot downwards. "You proposed?"
"Yeah. Kinzie wanted to know what took me so long," Hylla whispered. She smiled painfully. "She's grateful you said something and forced me to propose."
"Do you remember anything else after that?" Whitney asked gently. Reyna slowly looked back at the nurse.
"I went home," Reyna said after a few moments. Her mouth went dry again. She had walked in on Nico and Will. Oh no. Nico was going to hate her. "I interrupted my roommate when he was in the middle of something, and I left."
"And then, I... I crashed," Reyna realized. "Oh fuck. Was anyone hurt?"
"It was a single car accident. You only hurt yourself," Hylla said. Her hand started to shake. "I'm sorry, Reyna. I shouldn't have kept calling you."
"You didn't distract me," Reyna began. No. It hadn't been the fact that she ruined the proposal or walked in on Nico and Will. The crash happened because she allowed herself to be so distracted on what happened and allowed her emotions to get the best of her. It was all her fault. She could have killed someone. Hell, she could have killed herself.
"It's my fault," Reyna said after a few moments. "I looked at my phone to see if I had missed a text from Nico, and I just stared at it. Then, I threw my phone away from me and hit a patch of ice. I hit the pole before I could steady my wheel."
"How bad am I?" Reyna quickly asked as she looked at the nurse. "Can I still fight?"
"We still have to do a few tests, but it's a good sign that you are conscious and remember what happened. As long as your tests come back negative and you give time for your brain to fully heal, you should be allowed to fight again," Whitney answered. "You will have to take your time."
Reyna let out a relieved breath. If she wasn't able to continue her career, well, she didn't know what she would do. Reyna spoke, "My forearm. Is it broken?"
"Your wrist is," Whitney corrected. "It is not severe enough to require surgery, but you will have to wear a cast to immobilize your arm."
"Should I ask what else?" Reyna muttered bitterly. After a moment, she looked at the nurse. "How bad is the rest of it?"
"Your ribs are bruised, as is the rest of your chest and neck. Your face is bruised as well, but these are all typical injuries from an airbag being deployed and the seatbelt stopping you," Whitney explained.
"It was a new car too," Reyna groaned. She heard Hylla chuckle. "It took two days to pick it out."
"Only because you wanted something to warm your ass," Nico muttered. Reyna jumped, and her head shot up. Her world instantly spun as pain shot through her skull. Reyna groaned and laid her head back.
"Nico, how long have you been here?" Reyna slowly asked.
"Since you woke up," Nico answered. He moved to stand over Reyna. There was concern in his eyes. He spoke so softly Reyna barely heard. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."
"It's not, Nico. I promise. It's my fault," Reyna whispered. She gently pulled her hand away from Hylla and reached up to gently touch Nico's face. "Please don't blame yourself."
"If you hadn't walked in on that, you wouldn't have gone back out," Nico muttered.
"I went back out because I can't control my emotions," Reyna said. "I should have just gone into my room or sat in my car. Please don't blame yourself, Nico. It's going to tear me apart if you or Hylla do."
Nico finally nodded and gently hugged her. Reyna's body ached in protest, but she used her unhindered hand to hug Nico back. Reyna whispered in his ear, "I want to know everything about him."
Nico pulled away and was blushing. Reyna smirked, and Nico sat back down. Hylla spoke, "Thalia and Nico almost got into a fight over who would stay with you."
"I'm glad it was Nico," Reyna admitted. She looked at her sister. "I guess the team is all worried."
"Everyone was," Hylla said softly. She rubbed Reyna's hand.
"We'll do all of your testing tomorrow and give you the rest of the night to rest," Whitney said. "If you need anything, use your call button."
"Thank you," Reyna said. Whitney smiled at her and left the room. Reyna slowly looked at her sister. "You're going to save me from hospital food, right?"
"It's your punishment for driving while distracted," Hylla said, but she couldn't keep the relief out of her face. Her expression slowly turned serious. "Can I tell you something? Without you getting mad?"
"I won't get mad," Reyna promised. Hylla studied her for a few moments. "I'm serious, Hylla."
"I'm always worried about getting into arguments with you," Hylla said as she looked down at Reyna's hand. "I think you're going to get mad and shut me out again, and that would break me."
"Hylla, I would never," Reyna began, but the rest of her sentence died in her throat. She had shut Hylla out already. One argument had made her so mad that she just left and didn't come back. Reyna was so worried about people leaving her that she didn't consider her sister was worried about the same thing.
"I will never do that again, Hylla. I swear to you," Reyna whispered. She looked at Hylla and tried to force her walls to come down. "Because I am so scared of that happening to me. And, I know I did that to you. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Hylla whispered. She kissed Reyna's forehead. "Have you thought about getting therapy, Reyna?"
"I don't need therapy," Reyna muttered as she looked away. Hylla sighed and didn't press further. Reyna laid her head back on the pillow. She didn't need anger management, and she didn't need therapy. Why didn't anyone understand that?
"You should think about it," Nico joined in. "We're not trying to gang up on you, but I've seen how you act when you're mad. Just think about it. Please."
"I'll think about it," Reyna said, just so they would get off her back. She looked at Nico. "Can you tell the team I'm okay?"
"Yeah. I'll sneak some food in for you too," Nico promised. He stood and looked at Reyna. "I'm glad you're mostly okay. Just get some rest."
"I will," Reyna said. She laid her head back and let a tired sigh leave her. Hylla moved closer to her and rubbed her hand. Reyna closed her eyes and slowly fell back asleep.