But it’s never him.
After hours and hours, the door opens again. We all look up as Kal walks in with a few guys behind him. My eyes sweep over them, but none of them is Patch. Ellie grabs my hand and holds it tightly in hers as a few more guys filter in. They’re covered in blood, some with wounds. The doctor rushes toward them, ready to get to work, as I look at their faces. Where is he? Where are the other guys? I know there were more of them when they left here.
Everly sniffles next to me as she looks for Storm, who is also missing from the group. Maddie’s on her feet, running to Kal. He hugs her and whispers something in her ear. She nods her head before Kal turns to look at me. There’s a look in his eyes. One that I don’t recognize.
I shake my head as he gets closer, not wanting to hear it. He can’t tell me he didn’t make it. He can’t.
“Don’t say it,” I tell him when he’s closer to me.
“It’s not lookin’ good, Anika.”
“What does that even mean?”
“He was stabbed multiple times. He lost a lot of blood,” he says as my heart shatters in my chest.
“Where is he?”
“I’ll take you,” he says.
“Where? Where is he now?”
“He’s at the hospital. This isn’t somethin’ we couldn’t fix here,” he tells me. My chest tightens at his words. I look to Ellie and back to Kal.
“I need to see him.”
“I know you do. Come on,” he says. Ellie follows along behind us, knowing I’m going to need her support now more than ever.
We all climb into the truck, and Kal pulls out onto the road. My heart must beat a thousand times a minute as I watch out the window. I should expect the worst-case scenario. That’s what Kal has said, but I tune him out.
The ride doesn’t take long, and before I know it, we’re outside the hospital.
“I can’t do it.”
“What?”
“I can’t do it. I can’t see him dying,” I tell Kal. His hands come to rest on my shoulders, looking me in the eye.
“He saved you once, yeah?” I nod my head. “Now it’s your turn to save him.” His words wrap around my heart and squeeze.
I nod my head and let him lead me inside and up to his room. The nurses give us strange looks, but I ignore them as Kal motions for me to go inside. I’m not ready. I wasn’t prepared to see the man who is always so strong lying in bed like that. Tubesand wires come out of multiple places, and machines beep and chime.
I feel sick to my stomach as I step closer to him.
Grabbing his hand in mine, I see the bruises and busted knuckles. Tears stream down my cheeks as I look at him. He looks so peaceful in his sleep.
Kal walks into the room and stands on the other side of the bed, looking down at his friend.
“What happened?”
“He went crazy when he saw the guy who raped you. He lost it.”
“And then what?”
“The guy had a knife. They were fightin’, and somehow he managed to stab him multiple times,” he tells me as my heart breaks.
“Where?” I managed to ask.
“His sides, his chest. The one to his chest, they had to operate on. Repaired his-” before the words can leave his lips, the machines begin to go crazy. Things beep, alarms sound. But the one noise I will never forget for the rest of my life is the sound of him flat-lining.
