I'm With You

Chapter 11

Miguel dropped the duffel bag and the takeout bag on the floor, running to the two sisters."Eira?" He breathed, shaking her by her shoulder. "Eira?!" He raised his voice, relief flooding through him when she startled awake but she instantly was over her sister when she realized she'd fallen asleep without meaning to.

"Mac?!"

"She's okay! She's okay, she's stable." Miguel tried to assure her, his eyes locking on hers and Eira couldn't help but let out a sob.

"I didn't mean to sleep."

"You're exhausted, it's understandable... but I have supplies to help Mackenzie now, you can get yourself dressed and warm. I'll find you clothes in the bag. I also got you something to eat, it might be a bit cold now, though, but you need to eat something." Miguel said, kneeling down at the bag Wendy left behind and he pulled out clothes that looked like they could fit her small frame.

"Thanks, but I'm not hungry." Eira breathed, moving hair out of Mackenzie's face, tears falling down her face at how helpless Mackenzie was. She was still unconscious, she still felt cold even though she had been surrounded by a blanket, a duvet, and her big sister's body heat.

"Eira..." Miguel warned, his eyes meeting hers as she looked at him. "How many meals did you skip when you were looking after her?" Eira asked and the small sob that escaped her lips told him all he needed to know. "You don't have to skip meals anymore, Eira, I bought this for you, I'm the one looking after both of you now until I'm satisfied you're both okay." Miguel assured her, before laying out the clothes on the bed. "Get yourself dressed, alright? Then we can focus on Mackenzie and you can get some much-needed rest." Miguel then turned around, facing the bed that would be Eira's and he let a small smile come to his lips when he heard her get out of the bed. The clothes were too big for Eira, but they were dry and that was all she needed until she would have to face the streets again with Mackenzie, once she recovered.

"I'm ready." Eira breathed and Miguel turned his head to see her in some thick socks, sweatpants that hung off of her hips and an oversized band shirt that's graphic design had mostly faded, only the bright colors slightly visible still.

"Good, now I'm gonna set Mackenzie up on an IV and I want to run a blood test on her," Miguel said, dragging the bag he made up at the hospital towards Mackenzie's bed and he got Mackenzie's arm out from under the blanket and duvet, laying it on top.

"She's going to recover, right? She... she isn't going to die?" Eira asked although it was clear that she was terrified of the answer.

"She's still fighting, which is a good sign. I'll stay to make sure she starts improving, it'll take time for the blood results to come back anyway." Miguel said and Eira just watched as Miguel pulled wipes out from the duffel bag along with a clear bag full of a transparent liquid, along with a cannula. Miguel pulled out one of the wipes, delicately running it across the back of Mackenzie's hand as if he may break the young girl and he took the plastic cover off of the cannula, tapping Mackenzie's hand to try and bring up a vein that he could use.

"What?" Eira asked, getting closer and she carefully sat on the edge of the bed to support her sister.

"It'll be hard to get a vein from her or you... you're both underweight." Miguel explained softly, but he pushed the needle into Mackenzie's skin once he found a vein and he used medical tape to keep it in place and he looked around on the wall, finding an old nail sticking out just above Mackenzie's bed by the window. He could imagine it once hung a framed piece of art, before it was deemed unsafe since as it could be used as a weapon by someone who was high or drunk. Miguel took the IV bag, hooking it over the nail.

"W-What's in there?" Eira asked.

"It's a sodium and saline solution... the sodium will warm her blood gradually and the saline will keep her hydrated until she's conscious and well enough to drink and eat normally." Miguel explained, attaching the IV to the cannula and he adjusted the rate the solution would drip down, watching it for a moment.

"Should I grab the other duvet? O-Or will that make her body go into shock?" Eira asked and Miguel shook his head.

"Go for it." He assured her and Eira rushed across the room to pull off the thin duvet from the other bed and she dragged it across the room to Mackenzie, throwing it over her as Miguel took the blanket off of her and laid it on top, carefully covering her exposed arm with just the blanket so it would be less of a risk to tug on the cannula.

"I-I'm sorry for asking so many questions," Eira said and Miguel couldn't help but chuckle, looking over at her.

"I'd be worried if you weren't asking anything... I'm sure she'd be just the same if it were the other way around." He said softly and Eira cracked a small smile.

Miguel could see how close she was to breaking down, though. He could see it in her eyes.

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:)