An Unexpected Connection

Bonus 13 - in pain

Alejandro lay on his couch, clutching his stomach where the bullet had entered. He winced as he tried to shift into a more comfortable position, but nothing seemed to help. He reached for his phone on the coffee table and dialed Raihan's number, hoping he would pick up.
After a few rings, Raihan answered the phone, his voice groggy with sleep. "Alejandro? Is everything okay?" he asked.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Rai. I can't sleep, and I'm in a lot of pain," Alejandro said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Of course, I'll be there in a few minutes," Raihan replied without hesitation. "Just hang in there."

Alejandro managed to drag himself to the door and opened it as Raihan arrived. Raihan's eyes widened as he saw the state Alejandro was in, and he quickly made his way to the couch to assess the wound.

"You're lucky the bullet missed any major organs," Raihan said as he began to tend to the wound. "But it's going to hurt for a while."

Alejandro winced in pain as Raihan cleaned and bandaged the wound. "Thanks, Raihan. I don't know what I would do without you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You don't have to thank me, Ale. I'm here for you," Raihan replied, his voice soft and reassuring.

After Raihan finished tending to the wound, he sat next to Alejandro on the couch, trying to get him to relax. "Do you want to talk about what happened?" Raihan asked, knowing that talking about it could help Alejandro deal with the trauma.
Alejandro shook his head. "Not now, Raihan. I just need to try and get some sleep," he said, closing his eyes.

Raihan nodded and settled into a comfortable position on the couch, trying to avoid putting any pressure on Alejandro's wound. They sat in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being Alejandro's labored breathing.

"Raihan?" Alejandro whispered after a while.

"Yes?" Raihan replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm scared," Alejandro said, his voice trembling.

Raihan took Alejandro's hand in his own and squeezed it gently. "It's okay to be scared, Alejandro. You're not alone," he said softly.

Alejandro let out a deep breath and closed his eyes again. Raihan stayed by his side, holding his hand and watching over him until he fell asleep. As Raihan tried to get comfortable in the awkward position on the couch, he couldn't help but feel grateful for the connection he had formed with Alejandro.