Wren

S. Part 4

Sophie stood defensively, her arms crossed over her chest and a nasty look on her face. 

Wren sighed. "I wanted to talk to you earlier, and I called your phone a bunch, but you didn't answer. Do you know how worried I was?" His voice escalated, until he was yelling. "You lied! You lied and you snuck down there, knowing you were going behind my back!"

"Why do you care so much what I do? It's not like you actually care, you just want to control me!" Sophie said back, glaring out the window. 

"That's not true." Wren felt his stomach turn sour. He felt nauseous, and leaned on the wall for support as his heartbeat picked up.

"It is."

"What happened to you? You used to love dresses and sparkles and pink dragons. . . now you're asking me to let you be in the mafia? Shoot guns, learn how to fight? Its not your place! Its dangerous!" Wren huffed for breath, growing dizzy. 

Sophie exploded. "Nothing happened to me! I'm not a little kid anymore, and I'm sick of you treating me like I am! And it's not my place? What the hell does that even mean?"

"Language!" Wren shouted, but she continued.

 "All you do is sit around all day, pretending to do something with your life when you're not! You waste all your time being useless!" She stalked closer, getting in his face. "What is wrong with you? I don't need your protection. You can't hardly even do housework without getting tired, or your eyes hurting, or whatever. I'm not like you! I don't want to be weak like you!"

"Sophie, I--" Tears were streaming down Wen's face, and he turned pale.

"No, Dad. It's true. I don't know why Papa treats you like a baby, but I'm sick of getting in trouble just because you're sensitive. It's not my fault you're being unreasonable!"

"Sophie--" Wren stumbled backwards to get away as she advanced, then he felt a sharp pain in his chest, and his vision began to blur. His legs gave way and he hit the floor with a sickening thud. His eyes rolled back in his head and his body started seizing.

Sophie's eyes widened in horror as she watched her Dad fall, his body convulsing uncontrollably. Panic seized her chest, squeezing the air from her lungs. She crashed to her knees beside him, digging her phone from her pocket. She could barely unlock her phone, but she managed to get to her contacts and tap 'Papa'. 

"Sophie?"

"Papa, come quick! There's something wrong with Dad--" she cried, her voice shaking.

The call hung up, and only a minute later Matteo burst into the room, sliding to his knees beside Wren. His face was pale with shock as he took in the scene.

"What happened? Sophie, what did you do?!" His voice was laced with concern and anger.

Tears filled her eyes as she stumbled to explain. "I didn't mean to, Papa-- we were arguing and he just-- he just collapsed. I didn't mean for this to happen!" She pleaded, her hands shaking as she tugged in the strings of her hoodie.

Matteo's expression darkened as he tried to check Wren's pulse, grabbing a flailing wrist and holding it tight. "You shouldn't have been yelling at him like that!" he scolded, his tone harsh. "He can't handle the stress-- you can't yell at him--" Matteo pointed to the phone she held. "Call Leo. Right now. Then you go to their room, and you stay there."

Sophie obeyed, sobbing as she tried to talk to Leo over the phone as she walked down the hall. 

Leo rushed past her, giving her a concerned look, but he didn't say anything. 

She made it to their empty room and crashed to the floor, sobbing in the dim light. This was all her fault. 

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Leo immediately began assessing Wren's condition, his brow furrowed. "I can't hold him down or anything, we just have to wait. But it looks like the seizures are slowing." He placed a hand on Matteo's shoulder. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. Sophie was screaming at him I guess, they were arguing, and he just collapsed is what she said. I should've been here for him--" His voice broke and his head dropped into is hands. "I put work over my family, and now look what happened. He was doing so good--"

"It's not your fault, Matteo. Maybe it's time you tell Sophie about everything. She doesn't even know how you guys met, much less why Wren is so fragile. She has no idea the gravity of the situation."

"I can't tell her. . . she'll be traumatized. . ." 

"You have to. It's time. If you don't, she'll feel horrible for several different reasons. You guys need to talk to her. Both of you."

Matteo nodded. 

Wren's seizing had stopped, and he was left a trembling, disoriented mess as he came to. They carried him to the bed, and explained what had happened when he was more lucid. He cried, saying it was all his fault, but Matteo comforted him, and Leo gave him some medicine to put him to sleep. He clearly needed rest.

        Part Five Coming Soon