Then & Now [OMB || Cesar Diaz]

now - 12

Layla sits in a chair in the emergency room as a doctor and nurse check her out with her anxious father pacing beside her and her best friend sitting beside her, trying to provide comfort by holding her hand.

"How is she?" Her dad asks after thirty minutes.

"Physically, she's alright," the doctor concludes. "A couple bruises and she's a bit dehydrated but other than that, she's okay-"

"She's not okay," Danna mutters. "She was kidnapped and her ex boyfriend was shot right in front of her," she speaks up for her.

The doctor sighs sympathetically before talking to her father once more. "Her friend's right. Although she's okay physically..."

"Mentally and emotionally is a different conversation?" He finishes.

The doctor nods. "We have mental health resources available for those affected by gang related violence..."

Layla tuned out the doctor as soon as she saw Spooky, who goes by Oscar now that he's out of the Santos, headed towards him with a pregnant woman in tow. Enraged at the sight of him, Layla launches herself out of her seat and storms right towards him.

"Layla! Where is he? What-"

His inquiries were cut off by the loud and powerful smack she landed in his cheek. "This is all your fault!" She yells at him, making a scene in the middle of the hospital.

"Layla!" Her father pulls her back. "I️ am so sorry-"

"Don't be...she's right," Oscar says in a low tone.

"Let's all calm down-" his girlfriend tries to reason but was interrupted by the upset teenage girl.

"No!" She snaps. "Cesar would've never been shot if you hadn't forced him into the Santos! He had dreams!" She cried. "He wanted to graduate! Go to college! Be an architect!" She sobbed. "And now, he might never be able to do that and that's all because of you!" She blamed. "So while you're off living your dream life, he was out here running the streets!"

"I️ did what I️ could, alright?!" Oscar finally stands up for himself. "Everything I️ did, I did for him! I️ love him just as much as you do!"

"Well it wasn't enough!" She yells back.

"Hey!" Danna speaks up, getting their attention. They turn around to see a doctor in scrubs waiting to tell them the news about Cesar's condition. "Go ahead doctor, we're listening," Danna notifies him.

"We had to do emergency surgery on Cesar. The bullet was dangerously close to his spinal cord and caused internal bleeding. Had it been a couple more inches to the left and best case scenario, he would've been paralyzed from the waist down," the doctor reports. "Instead, we successfully removed the bullet and it's fragments and repaired the damaged organs. He's in a coma for now but should be waking up soon," the doctor delivers the good news, making everyone sigh in relief.

"When can we see him?" Layla asked.

"Right now, only immediate family can visit. After we move him out of the ICU, he'll be recovering in one of other rooms and then he'll be open to visitors," he explained.

"I'm his brother," Oscar immediately stepped up. The doctor waved him over and led him through the ICU doors while Layla sat down on one of the cold, plastic chairs in despair. "Come on honey," her dad says next to her. "You can...visit Cesar another time," he says hesitantly. "Right now, I'm bringing you and Danna home."

Layla got up without protest, heading home to sleep for the first time in what felt like forever. She didn't sleep much when she was held captive for over twenty four hours because she didn't know what they would do to her once she let her guard down. But as soon as he head this the pillow, she was out like a light.

Layla was so tired that she had a dreamless sleep. It was like she closed her eyes and suddenly it was morning again. She slowly opened up her eyes and took in her surroundings and let out a breath of relief when she realized she was safe at home. She turned over and picked up her phone to see a text from Danna saying Ruby visited Cesar earlier and that he was asking for her. She texted back saying she was on her way and to pass the message on to Ruby to tell to Cesar.

Two hours later and she asked the receptionist where Cesar's new room was. "412," the receptionist answered. Layla quickly made her way down the hall and into his room when she stops short to see Oscar there again. "What are you doing here?" She spat.

"Can you please not?" Oscar glares at her.

"You got a lot of nerve coming in here considering this is all your fault-"

"Cesar took control of the gang himself, alright?!" Oscar raised his voice, cutting her off.

"What?" She whispered.

"I️ was gonna leave the gang to someone else. Maybe Sad Eyes but, when I️ got jumped out, Cesar took the reins himself. I️ had nothing to do with it. I️ told him we should go to Bakersfield with Ray but he wouldn't listen," he finally reveals.

Layla shook her head, not believing a word he said. "No..." she teared up. But why would he do that? He knew what doing that would do to their relationship. And yet....

"It's true..." Cesar finally spoke up, making them both look at him.

Layla rushes to his side. "You idiot," she cursed. "Why?" She sniffed.

"I️ was stupid. And angry. I️ had lost you to the Prophets. And then when I thought I had you, i lost you again when your dad sent you back to Atlanta. I️ lost Monse to her stupid boarding school. Ruby and Danna were sucked into their own little world. Jamal and I️ tried to make it but just the two of us..." he trailed off. "Eventually we both found family again. Him, with the football team, and me-"

"With the Santos," she finished.

Cesar simply nodded. He didn't look so big and bad and scary as everyone had now came to know him. He just looked like a scared kid. The fifteen year old boy she remembered meeting at the corner store that one hot afternoon on the way to Danna's house.

"I️ wanted to stay. You know I️ did," she tells him.

"It's not your fault," he rasped. "It was mine for being stupid-"

"No it was mine," Oscar now spoke up. "I️ should've...told you this earlier. But there was a reason why they almost killed me the day I️ got jumped out," he said, making them both look up to him now. "I️ didn't just jump out for me, I️ jumped out for you too," he revealed.

Booth teens looked at him in shock. "Why didn't you-"

"I️ tried but you stopped talking to me. I️ just had to wait till you were willing to listen," Oscar said.

"Well I️ guess that time is now," Cesar sighed. "Layla I️...I️ almost died," he says. "And I'm that moment all I️ could feel was relief," he said, confusing her.

"Cesar? Why would you say that?" She wondered.

"Because I️ knew that if I️ died, you would be free," he looks up at her now. "Free from me."

She frowned at hearing that. "Cesar...from the day we met, I knew I was yours," she presses her forehead against his. "We always found out way back to each other."
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Thanks for reading! Btw it's not over yet!