safe in my arms | solangelo au | under editing

Chapter TwentySeven

WPOV:
I tell the girls everything, and by the end there are tears in Hazel's eyes.

"I always hated Percy." Reyna snarls.
"We told Nico he was dangerous." Hazel sighs. "At first he didn't believe us. Then, later, he was too scared to leave."

"He could have had a good life." Reyna sighs. "He could have escaped all the bad stuff that happens in that neighbourhood..."
"What do you mean?" I frown.
"People are being murdered all the time." Hazel says quietly. "My mother was murdered."
"I killed my dad." Reyna adds.
"What?!!" I look at her in surprise.
"It was an accident." She shrugs. I inch away from her.

A doctor walks out of the room and I get to my feet quickly.
"He's conscious." The doctor tells us. "But only one person can come in." Hazel and Reyna turn to me.
"We have to get back anyway." Hazel tells me.
"Tell him to come and see us when end able, okay?" Reyna asks gently. I nod.
"Of course."

They smile and walk away, and I take a deep breath before following the doctor into the room.

~~~

"Nico!" I rush to his side. He's sitting up in bed, looking around nervously. He flinches when I take his hand, but let's me hold it. He's shaking slightly.

"Are you okay?" I ask. Nico stares at me, his eyes filled with pain. Of course he's not okay! I chide myself. "I'm so sorry." I say. "I shouldn't have left you... We shouldn't have even fought. I'm so, so sorry." The words catch in my throat, and my eyes fill with tears. "I'll understand if you hate me." I look at my feet.

Nico stays silent, and I sigh, letting go of his hand. "Hazel and Reyna helped me bring you here." I tell him. He still doesn't reply. "I-I'll just go." I stand up and turn around, but Nico grabs my hand. I turn back to him and he look at me pleadingly.

I sigh. "What?" Nico still doesn't reply. "What?" My voice catches again. He looks to me sadly, and beckons me closer. I walk over slowly and he grasps both of my hands, looking at me with tears in his eyes.

A doctor walks over and stands beside me.
"Excuse me, who are you?"
"I-I'm Will. William Solace. I brought him here."
"Are you family?"
"No... I saved him."
"I see." She nods. "We need to speak to his family."
"He doesn't have any." I say quietly.

"Oh. Well, who's going to take care of him?" He frowns.
"I-I will." I volunteer. "If Nico's okay with that." We both turn to him expectantly. He gives a small nod.
"Okay..." She smiles slightly.

Another doctor walks over and says something, too quiet for me I hear. The doctor's expression turns grim.
"Will..." She beckons me to the corner of the room. I glance at Nico, squeeze his hand, then follow her.

"We have some bad news." She says.
"What is it?" I ask nervously.
"Nico is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder." She says solemnly. I look over at Nico, who is still shaking. He looks over at me, and I give him a reassuring smile, but inside I'm screaming. "There's more." The doctor says. I turn back to her.

"We have some some scans, and his vocal horse seem I damaged, yet he won't talk."
"W-what?"
"We fear that Nico has gone into shock, and can't speak." She says. I stare at her, unable to process what she's telling me.
"W-will he ever be able to speak again?" I ask.
"Maybe." She says. "We're not sure. He's physically and emotionally scarred."

"I'm going to kill Percy."
"Who's Percy?"
"His boyfriend." I spit. "He was the one that did this."
"Do you know where he is?" She asks.
"Yeah." I tell her where he is and she leaves to call the police.

I walk back over to Nico and take his hand again. He holds it like a lifeline as I tell him what the doctor told me. He looks at me with pity. He already knew.

"I'm so sorry." I whisper. Nico's nods. "I promise I'll take better care of you. I'll never argue with you again. I my want you to be happy..." Nico brushes a strand of hair out of my face, like it's me who needs help. "I..." I close my mouth and sigh. He doesn't need more harassment. He's had enough.

So my words stay unsaid.

I love you...

I was considering giving Nico amnesia but I decided it might be too cliche... To be honest, this is kind of sadder. If he had amnesia, he could start a new life without all the bad memories. Instead, he has to live with the nightmares and the fear and sadness for the rest of his life.