UPSIDE DOWN

~ 21 ~

Luca

Being out there tonight, in the blast, brought back a lot of unwanted memories. I tried to push away the unsettling anxiety in my stomach, but I can't. 

And the fear of losing my sister is starting to settle in, I can't lose her. 

I've been clinging to Andrea the entire time, the fear of being kidnapped again has resurfaced through the night, and I'm not able to shake it of. 

It feels like, the moment I let go of my grip on Andrea, they're going to take me back to that hall hole and torture me again, and again I'll be that 9 year old who cries to go home every single day. 

Life for me hasn't been the same since then, I've never been able to be the person I was before whatever happened. Staying for two months with Viktor in one of his cells wasn't the happiest moments of my life. 

I hear footsteps shuffling as I open my eyes. It's Sylvie doctor, Dr. Romero. 

"We've successfully removed the object from Sylvie's brain, thankfully it didn't do much damage to the brain," I breathe a sigh of relief, loosening my body at the doctor's words. 

"Although there were a few complications," All of our eyes widen up at that sentence, "she did have a subarachnoid hemorrhage about 50 minutes into the surgery, we were able to control it in time" Surprisingly I understood what the doctor was talking about.

I used to read Francesco's books once in a while, so I could understand what the doctor was telling about Sylvie. And it scared me, she's just 16 and she's done nothing to deserve what she's going through right now. 

"We also found an aneurism cause due to heavy impact, Dr. Bianchi is currently working on that and it might take about an hour to clear that and stich her back up" He explains. 

"We'll be shifting her to the ICU after the procedure, but I suggest not disturbing her for another 24 hours, after that you can safely meet her" Francesco thanks him as he makes his way into the OT again. 

"I think we should take shifts and take turns staying here, all of us are exhausted and need some rest" Francesco suggested, looking at how we won't be allowed to meet her until tomorrow morning. 

"I'm not moving from here" I announce, too scared to leave her side, even if I just get to look at her through glass doors, I can't leave. 

"Luca, you need to take rest-" Aurelio tried to object, "I can rest right here, I'll be fine" they'd have to drag my dead body out of here if they want me to leave Sylvie right now. 

They all knew it'd be pointless to argue with me, I can be very stubborn when I want to be. 

"Ok, I'll stay with him for the first two hours, then one of you can come switch with me" Matteo states, taking a seat next to me propping his elbows on his knees.

"Ok, we'll all stay until Sylvie is shifted to the ICU, then we can leave" Aurelio says as everyone nods in agreement. We spend the next 57 minutes in complete silence, everyone lost in their own thoughts. 

Oscar and Matteo dozed off in very uncomfortable positions, Andrea and Aurelio kept discussing something, mostly about the attack, Francesco was trying to not slip into guilt, constantly pacing around and trying to come up with ways he could possibly help save Sylvie. 

I just sat and thought, I thought of all the moments and memories I have with Sylvie. All the times we've spent together, the pasta and fruits in the balcony, the bike rides. I've never once had a bad memory attached to her name. 

Just when I was about to start thinking about today, I heard the sound of the gurney wheels squeaking against the floor pulling me out of my thoughts.