𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝑩𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆🥀

🥀.14

Ramiyahs Pov

I don't know how long I been sittin' here, starin' at the same damn wall. The clock keeps tickin' slow, like it's draggin' on just to mess with me. It's past four in the morning now, and I still ain't heard nothin' about Nariah.

Every minute that goes by, it's like somethin' heavy presses down harder on my chest, makin' it hard to breathe, hard to think straight. I keep lookin' at my phone, hopin' maybe she'd call or text, tell me she's okay, that it was all just a scare. But... nothin'.

The waiting room's quiet, too quiet. All I hear is that damn clock and my own heartbeat, each beat echoing louder than the last. I close my eyes, tryin' to calm myself down, tryin' to hold onto whatever hope I got left, but then... I hear a voice. And not just any voice—a voice I thought I'd never have to hear again.

I look up, and there she is. My mama. She's standin' at the front, talkin' to a nurse like she got every right to be here, like she's some kind of concerned mother. My heart stops cold, and memories start rushin' back, memories I wish I could bury for good.

I can see her, sittin' back on that worn-out couch, watchin' with that sick little smile on her face while them men... while they hurt me. She'd sit there like it was a show, high outta her mind, smokin' on whatever she could get her hands on, like I was just somethin' to trade for her next hit. I feel that fear crawl back, sinkin' into me, that same cold chill I felt every time she'd laugh and turn her back.

I shake my head, tryin' to snap out of it. This ain't the time to let her mess with me. I gotta be strong for Nariah.

Then I hear the nurse's voice, gentle but heavy, like she don't wanna say what she's sayin' next.

"She just went into a coma," the nurse says, lookin' at me with this look of pity that makes it worse. "The surgery didn't go as planned, but... we're doing everything we can."

I feel my knees go weak, my heart droppin' to the floor. A coma? My baby sister's fightin' for her life, and I'm just sittin' here, helpless. I can't even find my voice to ask the nurse more, can't think of anything to say. All I know is, I can't lose her. Not Nariah. She can't go our the same way Mason did, he wouldn't want that.

I look back toward the front, and I see my mama lookin' right at me, her eyes meetin' mine with that same coldness. It's like she knows what she did, and she's proud of it. It makes me sick, but it also makes me want to hold on tighter, fight harder for Nariah. She ain't ever had anyone to protect her the way she deserves. I gotta be the one to do that now.

So I close my eyes, tryin' to push all the anger, all the memories, outta my head. All that matters is Nariah.

I make my way back to Dalayne's hospital room, my legs feelin' heavy, like I'm draggin' bricks. My head's a mess, thoughts scrambled and tangled, but I know one thing for sure—Nariah needs all the strength I got right now.

As soon as I push open the door, Dalayne's eyes snap up to me. She don't even say a word, just looks at me, and somehow she knows somethin' bad went down.

Cam's by her side, slumped in the chair lookin' worn out, and Aria's sittin' on the edge of the bed, her hands clenched in her lap. They both look at me, waitin' for somethin' I don't even know how to say. I take a deep breath, tryin' to find the right words, but all I manage is, "It's... Nariah."

The room goes dead quiet. Dalayne's stare gets hard, that silent kind of fear takin' over her face, and I can tell she's bracin' herself, like she don't even wanna know. But Aria, she's already on her feet, leanin' forward with this desperate look. "What happened? What you mean, it's Nariah?"

I swallow hard, feelin' my throat tighten. "She... she was in a crash. Car flipped... it's bad." The words come out thick and heavy, feelin' like stones leavin' my mouth. "They....they said she went into a coma."

Cam's whole body tenses, and he shoots up, tryin' to push past me. "Nah, I gotta see her. Ain't no way I'm stayin' here." He makes it to the door, but the nurses are already steppin' in, blockin' him, tellin' him he gotta stay back, that only family can go see her right now.

"Let me through! Y'all don't get it; that's my sister, too!" he shouts, his voice breakin', desperation leakin' through every word. But the nurses hold firm, tryin' to calm him down, though it only makes him angrier, more frustrated. I can see it tearin' him up inside, the way he paces back and forth, lookin' ready to fight anyone that stops him.

Aria sits back down, her hands coverin' her face as she tries to steady her breath, her shoulders shakin' a little. "She was just... she was supposed to be here with us, safe." Her voice is so low, so broken, like she's barely holdin' it together. "How'd we let this happen?"

And then there's Dalayne. She's just starin' straight ahead, her face like stone, eyes locked on some empty spot on the wall. She don't say nothin', don't move an inch. It's like she's gone somewhere else, somewhere deep inside her own head where none of us can reach. But her silence speaks loud, the weight of her guilt sittin' thick in the air.

I reach out to touch her shoulder, but she don't even flinch, just keeps starin' like she's trapped in her own mind, like everythin' she did with Nariah is comin' back to haunt her all at once. And honestly, I don't got it in me to pull her outta that right now.