Coco's Best Friend

Scared

You finished your rounds and headed to the nurses' station.

"Hey, Coco, come here."

He walked over to you. "What's up, Shorty?"

"This is Lana. Lana, this is Johnny. Coco, hang here a few minutes and get to know her." He looked at you, curious, and you winked. He nodded and turned back to her. They started talking, so you went into Angel's room to check on him.

You went through the normal routine, checking his monitors and everything. Only after you'd been his nurse, did you allow yourself a minute to be his girlfriend. You leaned down and pressed your lips to his forehead.

"Ángel, you can't leave me. Eres mi mundo. Te quiero mucho." (You're my world. I love you so much.)

You brushed your hand down his face, rubbing your thumb across his cheek, before swiping away a couple stray tears that had fallen. You took a deep breath, and turned to face EZ and Felipe.

"Vitals are good. He should be waking up soon. The doctor will be in to talk to you in a few minutes."

EZ nodded and stood up.

"Come here, Shorty," and held out his arms. You stepped into them and let him hug you. You took in a shaky breath, before pulling away.

"Thank you, EZ. I needed that." He smiled at you before you moved toward the door.

Felipe called out to you before you could leave. "Thank you for taking care of him."

You turned and smiled softly. "I'll always take care of him. I love him more than anything."

You couldn't just stay in Angel's room, since you were still working. You had another 4 1/2 hours left on your shift, so you went back to the nurses' station and got to work. Coco and Lana were still chatting. You smiled at them. Coco was a good guy. You wanted him to be happy.

You were working on Angel's chart when Bish came up to the desk.

"Shorty, we gotta head out. We need to handle something. I'll leave the Prospect, but I need Coco with me."

You smiled up at him and nodded.

"I'll have EZ call if anything changes."

You stood and walked around the desk so you could hug the guys. As each one hugged you, they whispered about how he'd be ok. When only Coco was left to hug, you practically collapsed in his arms. He hugged you tight.

"Shorty, he'll be ok. He has a hot nurse to take care of him. And you." He winked at Lana, as you chuckled against his chest.

"Love you, Johnny."

"Love you too, Shorty. Now go take care of your precious Ángel."

You just laughed and squeezed him one more time before letting go. He kissed the top of your head and turned to leave. You went back around the desk and sat down to finish Angel's chart.

"So, why do they all call you Shorty?"

You laughed. "Coco and I grew up together. When we were teens, he hit a growth spurt and shot up damn near a foot. I was still super short, so he started calling me Shorty. It just kinda stuck."

"He seems like a nice guy. He gave me his number and said we should go out sometime."

"You should. Coco is great. He's been my best friend since we were real little. He'd treat you right."

She smiled and you both got back to work. It seemed like the two of you could be friends. You were glad her first reaction to the guys hadn't lasted long. It always bummed you out when people judged them.

The rest of your shift was uneventful. As soon as you clocked out, you grabbed your purse and went into Angel's room. There was no way you were leaving. You'd call Coco later and have him bring you some clothes and food. Angel was still unconscious, which was stressing you out. The doctor wasn't worried, but you needed him to wake up. You needed to talk to him. To tell him you love him.

You were tucked up in a chair against his bed, holding his hand and dozing, when he woke up. He looked over and saw his beautiful girl, tear stains on your cheeks and your face pressed against his hand. He reached with his other hand and brushed the hair off your face. You stirred at the contact.

"Ángel. Baby, I've been so worried. How do you feel? Are you ok? Do you need anything?"

He chuckled at the frantic way you were speaking. "Bebita, slow down. I feel ok. Sore, but I'll be fine. I need a kiss from my girl."

You leaned up and pressed your lips to his. It felt like the whole room melted away when he licked your bottom lip. You sat on the edge of his bed, leaning into him as you kissed. Your tongue brushed against his, deepening the kiss. He tangled his fingers in your hair, holding you closer. You pulled back when you heard someone clear their throat. You looked over and saw the on-shift doctor.

"Hello, Mr. Reyes. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got shot." You chuckled, but gave Angel a look telling him to behave.

The doctor went through his chart, giving Angel the facts from his surgery. You held onto his hand, feeling overwhelmed as the doctor spoke, even though you worked on him.

After the doctor left, you leaned in and pressed your lips to his again. When you pulled back, you looked in his eyes.

"Angel, when they brought you in, it felt like my heart stopped. I've never been so scared in my whole life. You can't leave me. I love you so much."

"I'm right here, baby. I'm not going anywhere."

Tears ran down your cheeks. You weren't normally super emotional, but you had been so scared. Angel reached up and brushed his thumb across your cheek, wiping away your tears.

"Shhh, bebita. It's alright. I'm alright. I love you so much, baby."

You just leaned in to kiss him again, before he scooted over on the bed.

"Lay with me. Let me hold my girl."