SEEKING 7 | boys of tommen

u n r e c o g n i s a b l e

Not long after I'd been dropped home, I was picked up again by Johnny and his dad, John. The mood was tense from the moment I climbed into the back seat. My mam had taken my phone, and Johnny's sister Edel had done the same to him. We'd been told, in no uncertain terms, that we weren't allowed to leave our houses.

But here I was, and I knew Johnny couldn't sit still either. Aurora was still out there, and I needed to know she was okay. The fear gnawed at me, tightening my stomach with every second that passed. I didn't have any answers—only silence and this sense of dread hanging over us. I had to wait for some kind of green light before I could even think of seeing her. Truthfully, I was terrified.

As I settled in, I broke the heavy silence with a question, though my voice was shaking. "So... where we going?" I asked, nervously glancing at Johnny in the front seat.

Johnny was pacing in his mind, I could see it in his twitching hands and restless energy. He was running a hand through his hair over and over again, the stress rolling off him in waves. "We were right, Gibs. They're in the hospital—fuck! I knew I shouldn't have let her go!" His voice cracked, full of frustration, panic.

John glanced at his son, his hands gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly. "Johnny, calm down," John said in a low, firm tone. "This isn't helping anyone. We'll get there soon."

But Johnny wasn't calming down. "Joey wouldn't go into details," he said through gritted teeth, his eyes wild, darting between me and the road ahead. "He just said something happened—some fucking thing went wrong, but he wouldn't tell me what. I—I don't know, man." His voice broke, and he let out a heavy sigh, leaning back in his seat. His head lolled against the headrest, his body language screaming helplessness.

I swallowed hard, my heart hammering in my chest. I wanted to ask a million questions, but I could feel the tension was too thick for any more words. All I could do was sit there, staring out the window, the road ahead blurry as my thoughts spiraled.

__________________

John kept his grip firm on Johnny's arm as they made their way through the hospital. The corridors were lined with the usual white walls, sterile and cold, buzzing with the mundane chaos of a busy hospital. Nurses hurried by, patients shuffled along, and visitors sat anxiously in the waiting areas. None of it registered with me, though; my mind was a blur of rage and helplessness, my heart pounded like a drum in my ears.

"I need you to keep your head," John instructed, his voice low but firm. The air was thick with tension as they neared Ward 1A. "No outbursts. And for the love of God, no accusations."

Johnny, hobbling on his crutches, glared at his father. "What's there to accuse?" he snarled, barely keeping his voice down. "We both know what happened to her. Jesus, he put her in the fucking hospital, Da!"

John stopped abruptly, yanking Johnny to a halt in the middle of the corridor. "Johnny," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose as if trying to stave off a headache. He looked at his son, his expression softening for a brief moment. "You're upset. I get it. I'm sorry for doubting you, alright? You were right, and I was wrong. But this," he gestured around them, his hand sweeping toward the ward, "this is serious. A domestic violence situation. The Gardaí and social services are already involved, and there will be a criminal investigation. You can't storm in there like a bull in a china shop."

Johnny clenched his fists around the handles of his crutches, his knuckles white. "I'm not leaving until I see her, Da. There's no if about it."

John stared at him, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You'll see her," he said slowly, "but you need to understand, you can't bulldoze your way through this. Not this time." He released Johnny's arm and walked ahead, leaving Johnny fuming as he struggled to keep up.

"I don't bulldoze," Johnny muttered under his breath, adjusting his crutches to catch up with his father.

"Yeah, you do, cap," I said, just loud enough for him to hear.

He shot me a scowl over his shoulder. "Shut it, rugby head."

That wanker.

As we neared the nurses' station, John was already speaking to one of the staff, his voice low and controlled. We passed several rooms, each one revealing glimpses of patients lying in beds, some hooked up to machines, others staring blankly at the ceiling. When we reached Shannon's room, Johnny froze at the window, his expression hardening as he looked in at her.

She was lying on her side, her hands tucked under her cheek, looking small and fragile in the oversized hospital bed. Her face was bruised, Her breathing was steady, but she looked...broken.

"I'll leave you to it, cap," I said quietly, not wanting to intrude on the moment. "No bulldozing, alright? I'm gonna go find Aurora."

Johnny gave a brief nod, his gaze fixed on Shannon as I stepped away.

A few doors down, I found Aurora's room. The second I saw her through the small window, I stopped dead in my tracks. My stomach twisted into a knot. She didn't look like herself, not even close. Her once black hair was patchy, some of it missing entirely. Her face was swollen and mottled with deep bruises. Tubes and wires snaked across her body, connecting her to machines that beeped steadily in the otherwise silent room.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry, and slowly opened the door. The sterile smell of the room hit me as I stepped inside, my footsteps unnaturally loud in the quiet. I lowered myself into the chair beside her bed, unsure of what to say or do.

How hadn't I seen this coming? How hadn't any of us?

My hands trembled as I ran them over my face, a tear slipping down my cheek as the weight of it all crashed over me. "Jesus," I whispered under my breath, pressing my palms into my eyes.

"Gibsie?" a voice said softly from behind me.

I looked up, startled, and saw Aiden standing at the door, a bag in his hand. His face was drawn, pale, like he hadn't slept in days.

"Sorry," I muttered, sitting up straighter. "I didn't hear you come in."

Aiden sighed heavily as he placed the bag on the floor and sat down at the end of the bed. He looked at Aurora, his eyes filled with a mixture of sorrow and anger. "She's in an induced coma," he said quietly, his voice cracking. "Has been since Saturday night."

"A coma?" I whispered, my mind reeling. "Is she...is she going to be okay?"

"They don't know," Aiden admitted, his voice tight with emotion. "They said she could wake up any time, but it could also take days-months Jesus years even. They just don't know."

I felt like the floor had dropped out from under me. "What happened to her?"

Aiden looked down, his jaw clenching. "Her dad. He nearly beat her to death. She's had surgeries. I only found out on Sunday Night."

It was Tuesday. She'd been out for three days. I didn't know what to say, my mind grasping for something, anything to make sense of it all.

"The nurses said she can probably hear us," Aiden said after a moment, his voice barely audible. "So, if you want to talk to her..."

Just then, the door creaked open, and Johnny stepped in. He looked at me, then at Aiden, his face unreadable. "We've got to go," Johnny mumbled, his voice hoarse. "I'll give you a minute."

Aiden stood up, giving me a brief nod before he followed Johnny out, leaving me alone with Aurora once again.

I stared at her, my mind blank. What the hell do you say to someone in this situation?

"Hey, Princess," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. "I...I don't know what to say. I'm sorry. I should've known something was wrong. I should've seen the signs. Jesus, I'm so sorry."

I reached out and gently took her hand, careful not to disturb the wires. "You're going to be okay, alright? You've got to be. We've still got stuff to do, you know? More adventures. Matching Halloween costumes, karaoke nights singing Beyoncé. You and me, being the eejits we always are." I chuckled softly, though it felt hollow.

I leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. "I'll be back tomorrow, okay? Just...just hang in there."