Thorns

35 - Rai

Rai

I can honestly and with full certain say that was the longest day of my life. Whitney had a hyperglycemic crisis. Accordin' to what she was able to tell her dads, her pouch wasn't in her locker when she finished cheer practice. So, whether she forgot it anywhere else - not very likely - or someone took it from her. I was more inclined to the latter option. For many reasons, number one bein' people were threatenin' her and her family over the past week. And my number one suspect was the same pendeja that had caused trouble before.

"She's ok, now." Greg said when he came to meet me, Jackie and Carlie in the waiting room "She's coming home tonight."

The three of us sighed in relief. Jackie cursed and sat again, her hands to her head like it was about to explode.

"What did the doctors say?" I asked immediately.

"She was lucky you got there," Greg said, huggin' me tight, and I actually felt embarrassed.

I mean the guy worshiped me, now? First I wasn't right for his daughter - granted, his husband was the one who made that clear -, and now I was, what, her guardian angel?!

"Can I see her?" I asked anxiously.

I wouldn't believe she was fine until I saw her stand by herself, grunt at me and laugh.

"Hey! I'm her sister, Ricky Ricardo" I heard Carlie grunt, and I would have laughed and high-fived the kid any other day; but not today, though.

"Carlie, I'll give you twenty bucks if you let me go in first," I told her, and her dad and aunt gasped in horror.

"You got yourself a deal, my man." She smiled, wide, and stretched her hand to me "Show me the money first. I may be thirteen, but I ain't stupid."

I rolled my eyes but pulled out a twenty and smashed it to her pale hand.

"Carlie!" Jackie gasped, and Greg rolled his eyes.

"You're the shit, kiddo," I told her, winkin' and followin' Greg down the white and blue hall.

Whitney was in a hospital bed, not lyin' down, she was actually almost in sittin' position. Her pale left arm was connected to some sort of tube, an IV entry of some sort. She was a little pale, but I guess that would be normal, considerin'...

Her other dad was talkin' to the black skinny nurse and gave me a nasty look. Still, he nodded, acknowledgin' me - which, in his case, was as big a step as the fall of the Berlin Wall -, and I took the white chair as my seat. Whitney smiled a little but looked guilty. Yeah... she knew I was mad.

"So what drug are you trippin' on?"

"Insulin, some potassium and... something else I can't remember," She told me, wincin' at the two tubes.

"You feelin' ok?"

"Peachy." She assured me, smilin' and squeezin' my hand with her right one "You?"

"Oh, I'll be fine." I assured her "After you get out of here, and I strangle Nina."

"Rai..."

"Don't even dare." I hissed and she sighed "First, they fuck with your family, then they almost kill you."

"Dramatic..." She accused, and smiled teasingly.

"Dramatic? You could have died, Whitney!" I grunted, and she pressed her lips together "If you had passed out and... No one would know what was happenin' with you!"

"But I did call you, didn't I?" She mussed, rollin' her eyes.

"This time." I hissed, and she made a sour face "Don't look at me like that, you know I'm right. If it happens again - God forbid -, but if it does, I need to know you'll be taken care of. I can't always be around."