Reconstructing Amelia (unedited)

Chapter 37

November 29th, 2019

*Alan*

Hours later were all asleep in the lobby chairs. The triplets were sprawled out on the couches and Javi and Eli were curled up together in a single chair. Xander and Cato refused to sleep, sitting across the room and discussing what might happen and how to approach the situation.

I was half asleep in my own chair but I was fighting to stay awake to listen to the conversation my older brothers were having without me.

A nurse approached my brothers out of the corner of my eye and I shot awake. I watched them discuss and I knew things were bad from the way Cato had his lips pressed in a tight line as he nodded along. The nurse eventually left and Cato and Xander got up to follow her. I got up too but Cato pushed me back down.

"I'm not done with you, sit down," I fought against him.

"That's not fair," I argued through gritted teeth. "She's my friend. My twin,"

"Fine," he muttered. 

We followed the nurse through the winding hallways, stopping at a small room. She pushed open the heavy door, revealing Mia lying in a bed. She was wearing a simple hospital gown, cuddled up with a lot of blankets. She had an IV and monitors hooked up, with an oxygen tube in her nose.

Her eyes darted nervously between us as we walked in. I rushed to her side, hugging her gently.

"Where's Javi?" she demanded, but her voice was weak as she coughed feebly.

"He's safe, he's down sleeping with Eli in the lobby," Cato told her. She nodded uneasily.

"What am I doing here?"

"Javi came to us," I explained. "He showed up at our front door soaking wet and crying for help,"

"And you brought me here?" We nodded.

"You have to get me out," she whispered. "I can't be here, I need to go home,"

"Amelia, you need to stay and get treatment," Xander said. She shook her head.

"Please, I can't be here," Her eyes were full of fear. Her hands were squeezing my arm and her fingernails were digging into my skin; she was afraid.

"Mia, it's okay," I told her. She frowned.

"I told you to leave me be," she said heatedly. Cato eyed me.

"What's going on?" he demanded, looking between the two of us. Mia shifted her glance elsewhere.

"Nothing," I muttered. I watched Mia shiver, her teeth chattering softly. She rubbed her skinny arms to try to get warm but I noticed the pale shade of blue her fingernails were - her lips too.

"Holy shit, you're blue!" I exclaimed, shrugging out of my jacket and draping it over her shoulders. "Mia, why are you here?" I asked gently. She stared at me.

"I don't know what you mean," she replied quietly. I sat down beside her, suddenly noticing her injuries. I gently tilted her head up to get a better look at the obvious evidence of a fight. I delicately swiped my thumb over a little bit of blood by her mouth, anger building up inside of me. After a pause, I watched her flinch away, her body trembling. I looked her straight in the eyes, my voice quiet and tense, my anger just barely restrained.

"Who did this to you?" I demanded. She looked away.

"No one," she mumbled. "I fell,"

"Bullshit," Xander said darkly. "Now tell us who did this," A few stray tears slipped down her cheeks.