Not Dead Yet (A La Squadra Story)

Snake Bites

Melone's POV

I didn't think I'd ever wake up after that snake bite. But I did. And where I found myself wasn't where I thought I'd be. I wasn't on the ground of the train platform where I was bitten. I was instead in a sterile room, lying in a hospital bed. Someone must've seen me collapse and took me here. I slowly sat up, the bedsheets slightly moving beneath me as I sighed. I was glad to be alive, but what would that be without the rest of my team?

I ran my hands through my lavender hair as I draped my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. I'm surprised I was even able to stand. I slowly walked to the door and peeked out into the hall. I could hear the sounds of people talking, walking around, and beeping from monitors and computers. I walked to a small reception area, where a nurse looked at me with a small but equally kind smile.

"Hello, sir," she spoke, her tone kind and considerate. "Is there something you need?"

I tried to open my mouth to speak, but something stopped me. A nagging thought in the back of my head, constantly anxious to open my mouth at risk of another bite. I made a small writing gesture to the nurse instead, and she handed me a notepad and a pen. I wrote down what I wanted to say. "Can you tell me if my friend Ghiaccio is here? He has curly light blue hair and red glasses." I then handed the items back to her.

She read what I wrote and quickly answered, "Why, yes, he is. He's in that room right over there." She pointed to a doorway a few rooms away from my room. I didn't think he was also in the hospital. I thought, if anything, he'd be here to pick me up when I woke up. I nodded in thanks and walked to the door she pointed to.

As I walked inside and saw him, I rushed to his side. His eyes were closed, his thick red glasses still over them, and his curly blue hair was slightly messy. He had a large, jagged scar on his neck, which worried me. I looked at his health chart and was shocked at what I read. Part of a broken metal lamp post was shoved through the back of his throat, barely missing his spine but injuring his vocal cords. I put the chart back and sat in a chair beside his bed, putting my hand on his.

I'd sat beside him for an hour when he started to stir. His dark blue eyes sleepily fluttered open as he looked over to me. He was quickly taken aback, rubbing his eyes before adjusting his glasses and hugging me. I hugged him back.

"I..." he started to say. His voice, once always loud and aggressive, was now raspy and soft. "Melone... I thought you were..." He hugged me tighter. "I thought you were dead, you idiot. I heard you get attacked over the phone... I... I thought I lost you, man."

I looked around cautiously before I spoke, not trying to move my mouth. "Ghiaccio," I muttered, tears forming in my eyes. "I thought I wasn't going to see you again..."

He wiped the tears from my eyes with a shaky hand. "What the hell happened to you, man?" he asked, cupping my cheek.

Still not moving my mouth, I answered, "I was in the train station outside of Venezia. I was calling you, and a snake bit me on the tongue." I paused, thinking a bit for a moment. My expression became more somber. "When I collapsed, I remember... hearing your voice on the line. I remember you calling my name before passing out."

Tears started to trail down his face. "I... I'm glad you're okay, Mel," he replied tearfully. "I was so worried about you."

I hugged him, now close to sobbing from hearing those words from him.

"I missed you too, Ghia..."