Four long years have passed since Julia Soler Gavira and Pedri González parted ways in a messy breakup. Julia has since been travelling the world and pursuing her graduate studies in the United States. But now, she's returning to Barcelona for a spe...
Julia's body forced coughs out of her throat in the middle of the night. The coughs were coming out violently and clouding her thoughts, keeping her from realizing where she was and the footsteps coming from behind the room next door. Startled by the sound, her father had awoken from his sleep, confused about why he heard coughing. He instinctively ran to his door and pulled it open so fast that Julia covered her mouth with her hands, scared of throwing up everywhere but she instead felt warmth in them. Shakily pulling her hands away, she discovered that they were covered in a red substance; blood.
The sight of his daughter coughing up blood would never leave him, though. He instantly ran to her and comforted her, trying to ignore the blood.
"Aurora, she is throwing up blood. Quick, we need to get her back to the hospital." He said, overwhelmed with fear. Her mother came with a small towel. Within minutes, the towel was soaked with blood. Her mother panicked, seeing the blood.
"You are going to be okay, kid. I promise." He hugged her tight to him, wanting to protect his little girl from the world as she started to feel lightheaded.
"W-what if we can't fix this?" she said breathlessly. Her dad didn't want to think about that possibility.
"You won't die. I'll make sure of it." He picked her up in his arms, holding his daughter close because he feared she would shatter like glass if she fell while walking.
"Everything hurts, dad."
"I know, mija. But we'll get you to the hospital, and they'll make you better. Just hold on for a little while longer," he said, trying to sound confident despite the fear and worry consuming him. He carried her to the car and drove as fast as he could to the hospital, with his wife in the back, holding their daughter's hand.
As soon as they arrived, doctors and nurses rushed to care for her. They hooked her up to machines and ran tests to determine where the bleeding was coming from. Hours passed, and finally, a nurse came out to tell them they could see Julia. Her parents rushed into the room, relieved to see their daughter awake and conscious. Julia looked up at them weakly, her face pale, her eyes sunken, and her arms punctured with IVs. They squeezed her hand. Every part of her body ached. Every bone, every joint.
"Mija, what's that on your arm?" Her mother asked, confused as she looked down to see what she was talking about. Five circular bruises on her upper arm. She lifted her other arm to reach over and touch them and heard another gasp from her mother.
"It's the same on your other arm too. Oh god, was that from when I held you." she asked, her voice shaking.
"Mom, they don't hurt it's okay. It's normal." Julia said to her, wanting to reassure her that it was okay. That she was okay. She shot her a sad smile before leaning over and kissing her forehead as her doctor walked in.
"How are you feeling, Julia?" Dr Alvarez asked before giving her mother a nod while he sat down in the seat on the opposite side of her parents.
"I'm good."
"That's good. Everything seems fine. There is nothing to worry about. If I could just talk to your parents for a bit about what will happen the next couple of weeks..."
Her parents followed the doctor, leaving Julia alone with her phone. She pulled out her notebook and turned to the last page before setting it up and singing some notes.
"Is that about me?" a voice said. Julia jumped, impulsively throwing the notebook in the direction of the voice. When the girl turned, she saw Pedri smirking, now holding her book.
"No! What are you doing here?" she struggled to ask, snatching the book from his hands.
Pedri kissed her forehead when he approached her and asked, "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Are you alright? How do you feel?"
She half-smiled and said, "I'm better. Don't worry I will be fine. I can take care of myself, Pedri."
The room became silent. A faint smile adorned his face when he was gazing at the girl, whereas his mind was profoundly thinking about how someone's smile could be that beautiful. How could someone embrace herself in such a gorgeous way?
"Well what friend would I be if I didn't take care of you. I made you some sopa de ajo and got you some water." he said, placing the soup on the side table. Friend. That stung. Was she that easy to let go? They were not friends, they could be anything but friends. Even Pedri knew that.
"You? I didn't know you cook." she asked surprised, ignoring the fact that he just called her a friend.
"Yeah I know it's unbelievable right? But I do now. I didn't see Sira anywhere. Did she visit you?" Pedri scanned the room, searching for their friend.
"Oh yeah! She just left," Julia quickly fabricated an excuse.
"Weird, I didn't see her on the way," Pedri pondered.
"She took the stairs. You know, the bride-to-be is probably trying to stay fit for the wedding," Julia lied again, trying to cover up the fact that Sira hadn't visited her.
Pedri chuckled, catching on to Julia's playful tone. "Ah, yes, the fit bride! Can't have her tripping down the aisle, right?" he teased, playfully nudging her shoulder.
He couldn't help but tease further, "By the way, if you're going to throw your notebook at me every time I surprise you, I might start wearing a helmet."
"You deserved it for sneaking up on me like that. But no worries, I'll try to find a gentler way to express my surprise next time." she retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Pedri couldn't help but burst into laughter at their antics, the weight of the world momentarily forgotten. As his laughter subsided, a nurse entered the room, interrupting their playful exchange. "Excuse me, sorry to interrupt, but visiting hours are over," she gently reminded them.
Pedri reluctantly stood up, glancing at Julia with a mixture of concern and affection. "I'll see you at the wedding preparationtomorrow, okay? Take care of yourself, mi valiente." (ᴍʏ ʙʀᴀᴠᴇ)
Julia smiled. "I will. Thank you for everything, Pedri."
