Mangled (A NateWantsToBattle/NateMare story)

Six

Several ambulances and paramedics had to take all three of us to the hospital. Even though the doctors and nurses inside of my ambulance removed the bullet from my arm, I still had to wait until I got to the hospital and get stitches.

Although I didn't even care about my arm. The stitches didn't hurt. What hurt more were my thoughts when I was thinking of Mat being shot right in front of me and possibly dying as I had to leave him.

Eventually, my mind stopped thinking about it and I looked down at my arm, noticing a bandage wrapped around it already.

I then looked up, noticing Raven at the doorway.

She came over and hugged me tightly.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked. I didn't respond. "I guess that was a stupid question to ask someone who's been kidnapped and tortured."
"I wasn't tortured." I mumbled.
"What?" She asked confused. "But he had you hanging from the ceiling, cut your cheek and held a gun and knife to your body."
"I know..." I responded. "But watching Nate shoot Mat was much worse than that. That was torture to me."
"Did you and Mat become friends down there or something?" Raven asked.
"I don't even know." I shrugged. "But in a way, he helped both me and Nate."
I then looked at her. "Did they say anything about his condition?"
Raven shook her head, "Not that I know of."

Suddenly, our conversation was cut short when my dad walked into the room.

"Raven, would you mind if I spoke to my daughter alone?" My Dad asked.

Raven nodded and she left the room.

My Dad then once again hugged me tightly.

"I swear, I can't stop thanking God that you're alive." My Dad whispered. "God only knows what would've happened if you weren't alive."
"Dad, don't think that way." I told him.
"I know..." he responded. "It'll take some time, but I'll manage."

Dad finally let go of me and I looked up at him.

"How's Mat?" I asked.
"He's currently getting emergency surgery done." Dad responded. "But the doctors told me his chances of survival are minimal."
I looked down, not grasping the idea that Mat might not make it.
"W-What about Nate?" I asked.
"He'll pull through." My Dad responded. "But he's obviously going to be taken to a high security mental institution after he recovers."
"It'll probably only make things worse for him." I said.
"Who knows what this could do to him." Dad stated. "But after what he's done and all the events that lead up to this, he needs it." 
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"His entire life he grew up in a family who has suffered the same thing he's suffering today." My Dad explained. "Only it's worse for him because as a child, his family took it all out on him. Despite foster care and legal battles, they always got him back somehow. Finally, when he was sixteen years old, he escaped his family's house and checked himself into a mental health facility, where he's gone in and out of dozens of them over the past decade until him and Mat both escaped. That's when all the killings started in the town."

I was silent as I listened to the story. Growing somewhat emotional and not helping but feeling the same exact pain Nate must have gone through all of his life. Knowing that he had no proper way out must be truly a nightmare.

I looked up at my dad.

"Why did this have to happen?" I asked.
"It seems as though he had no other choice." Dad responded. "And neither did we."

I was silent for a moment or two when I suddenly thought of something. It was crazy, but I had to do it.

"Dad, I want to see Nate." I stated.
"What?" Dad asked confused. "Why?"
"I just want to try and talk to him." I responded.

Dad sighed, almost a bit upset that I wanted to do this. But then he looked at me and nodded.

"I'll just make sure security is doubled when you go and see him." Dad responded.
"Doubled?" I asked.
"There's already security at his room, making sure he doesn't do anything to try to escape." Dad explained. "We do that to every suspect who needs hospital care."
"Oh, okay..." I simply responded.

My dad finally left the room to ask a nurse to wheel me over to Nate's room. As I waited for dad to come with a nurse, flash images of Nate's face inside the cellar flashed in my mind.

Was he still going to be the same person as he was there? Or will he be completely different when I see him this time?