Are You Afraid of Musicals?

Chapter 7.3: Meeting Demons

Gina's pov:

It's been... a tough week.

And I think that that's the understatement of the century, but I don't really know how else to describe what's been happening since the shooting without crying, so "tough" it is.

Gabby's mom has been a literal angel since then, not that I'm surprised because that woman is the one who raised Gabby, but I'll be forever grateful for what she did and how she treated us.

Because after she found us at the hospital, after the hug that was so beautiful and painful to watch between her and Gabby, she let me stay.

And I'm not talking just about the hug, about how my heart melted when I was retreating to give them privacy and she took my hand and thanked me... I'm talking about everything.

She could've push me away, she could've make me stay in the waiting room while she took care of Gabby's hand, she could've called my parents and send me home... but when she looked at me when Gabby finally calmed down I just saw deep gratitude and understanding.

She then nodded to me, letting go of my hand to focus on Gabby and talk to her. She took her injured hand between hers as if it was the most precious and fragile thing in the world and told Gabby gently that she was going to take care of it, and at first Gabby didn't really react.

It broke my heart to watch her slowly raising her head to look at her mom, her brain not fully processing the words or anything around her just like it had happened at the police station, but if that affected her mom, she didn't let it show.

Because she just smiled at her and repeated what she had said again, slowly, with a tenderness that made my heart ache, and this time the words seemed to get to Gabby.

She stared at her hand like it didn't belong to her, like she was seeing it for the first time and wasn't sure what it was or what the pain she was feeling meant, and her mom didn't rush her. She didn't push, she just held Gabby's wrist in her hands, gently brushing her thumb over it careful not to touch any of the bruises.

And it took a few long, aching seconds before Gabby was able to fully register the words, but then she gave the smallest nod and between her mom and I, we helped her up.

She barely reacted to the contact, she didn't say anything, she just stood up and followed us, letting us guide her through the hallways as if she wasn't really there.

And she wasn't, I know she wasn't. I could see it in her lost eyes, in the way she just kept her head slightly down all the time, in the way she didn't say a word. Her mind was still processing, she was still trying to come back to reality, but she wasn't fully with us yet.

So I stayed close, not enough to touch her as I didn't really know if that would overwhelm her or do her more harm than good, but close enough for her to hopefully feel my presence, for her to know that she didn't have to do any of this alone.

The X-Ray moment was very difficult for me because of exactly that, Gabby's mom let me stay but in that moment only Gabby could be into the room, and leaving her even for a minute felt like an eternity.

Gabby's mom helped her daughter, she put her arm in position, protected Gabby with the anti-radiation vest and then she guided me out of the room and brought me to another room next to Gabby's with her, and in that moment, I couldn't stop myself anymore and I asked Gabby's mom about Dani, only to be met by the same answer I'd been getting the whole day.

Well, not exactly the same because if I heard one more time the "family" crap I would've combusted right there and then, but I still got nothing... or at least not directly.