Solangelo 3

Part 49

WILL

Waiting is agony. I keep willing Nico to appear beside me. But he doesn't.
And then Percy's car comes into view, breaking all kinds of speed limits. I'm out of my seat in an instant, opening my bag and dishing out everything I might need.
And I know it's Nico. I know he's hurt. Otherwise he would have come to tell me someone's hurt. Or he would have bought me to them.
The car grinds to a halt, and instantly Annabeth carries Nico out the back. His hair is soaked in his own blood. His arm is bent out of shape.
Annabeth places him on the ground in front of me, her own shirt drenched in his blood.
'What...what happened?' I ask, trying to focus, but finding it near impossible. I finally understand why I'm usually not allowed to operate on Nico, 'What went wrong? What happened?'
'One of them took over Nico once they realised what we were trying to do. They made him throw himself down the stairs.' Percy explains, 'is he going to be okay?'
'I don't...I don't know. Hold on.' I say, and start working away. I have to cut a load of his hair off to see his wound and properly attend to it. I can't help but think in the back of my head how much he's going to hate me for cutting his hair. But right now I don't care.
Annabeth helps me work on him, acting as my assistant, giving me everything I need before I even ask for it. I don't know how long we work for.
'Okay.' I say, my voice weak, 'I've done what I can. He just needs to wake up.'
'I'm so sorry, Will.' Annabeth says, a hand on my shoulder briefly. She stand up and moves over to Percy.
'Your sisters are okay.' Piper says, 'they're asleep in the car. Both completely fine. Both themselves.'
'They're okay?' I clarify, unable to believe that something's gone right.
'They're okay.' She insists.
'Thank you. So much.' I say, getting up and hugging her, 'thank you.'
'Of course.' She says.
'Okay. Okay, we need to get him back to camp.' I say, 'need to get him into a bed, on a drip. And I need to reset his arm. Gods...okay.'
Percy carefully picks him up and helps settle him in the backseats. He lies across two seats, his head in my lap. One of my sisters is beside me, the other in the front seat, both fast asleep.
Annabeth and Piper both sit at the bus stop. There's not enough space for all of us, so they're made to wait for Percy to come and pick them up.
I carefully hold Nico in my arms, hating the idea that he's in pain. I give him some nectar.
The whole journey back I fiddle with his remaining hair, wanting him to feel me close to him. For him to know he's safe. That he just needs to wake up.