Notorious

4

 Hospitals freaked me out. Never liked them. It reminded me of when my mom died and the Doctor came out saying there was nothing they could do. It makes me think of all my Blood brothers I've lost to the game, saying the final goodbyes and watching the life leave their limp and bloodied bodies as their girlfriends scream on the side lines.

Except in this scenario, I was the one who felt like screaming.

Nikki's body was on a stretcher as nurses and paramedics worked over her, muttering medical talk I didn't understand.

There was no life to her at all. She looked like a fragile porcelain doll with her paled skin and blood-stained clothing.

The nurses stuck needles into her, and started sewing up some of her cuts. Nikki didn't flinch or even open her eyes. When they put a needle into her arm for an IV, I turn away as nausea crept up my throat.

I'm a killer, I've taken lives on command, left them bloodied for nothing without so much as a second thought. But being next to Nikki when she was barely hanging on left me wanting to take her place and take her pain away.

I watched the steady pulse of her heart on the monitor, willing it to keep beating.

"We need to take her for an ultrasound and x-rays to make sure she isn't bleeding internally." One of the doctors looked at me as if I'd understand any of it. "If you want to head back to the waiting room, one of the nurses will keep you updated."

I nodded as the nurse lead me outside of the room as they got Nikki ready to be transferred.

I turned the corner into the waiting room to see a sea of red as the Bloods waited. Tyler came up to me first.

"How is she?" His eyes were widened in a state of panic.

I've never seen Tyler this worried before, not since I got shot on the block.

"They're taking her for tests now to make sure she's not bleeding internally." I repeated what I was told by the doctor. "She had some nasty cuts. It looks like they took a lighter to her skin too. She had burnt skin."

Tyler swore.

"Shane! How is she?" Kristen came up beside him, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

I shrugged. For once in my life I didn't have an answer. I don't think I've ever seen a girl get jumped that bad in my life.

"We'll find out soon enough, Kris." Tyler said to her, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Why don't you go sit with Michelle? There's not a whole lot we can do but wait."

I just remained quiet because Tyler was better at calming her down, I think. I hadn't seen my sister in four years so I doubt I would've been any source of comfort. Hell, I probably would've scared her more than anything.

There was a time when she was little that she would always come running to me to make her feel better, whenever she'd fall off her bike or lose her favourite doll. She'd wrap herself around me and cry heart wrenching sobs into my shoulder, soaking my t-shirt as the world had done her so wrong in her five year old mind.

When mom died her and I sat on the floor of my room- the house eerily quiet and haunted with loss. We held each other and didn't let go until the morning.

Before I got locked up, I was always the favourite in her eyes. Tyler was the authority figure, the parent who always nagged to clean up your room or eat your supper. I was the one who's room she ran into when she had nightmares, I was the one to comfort her when she dropped her popsicle and it melted.