Shattered Relations | Aru Shah AU |

XXIII

a/n: please note that i have no idea how hospitals are supposed to work, so... ignore the inconsistencies—

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ARU
Sirens wailed outside. They were drowned out by the quiet chatter of the people in the hospital, and the voices in her head. 

Mini's scream still echoed inside her head, as she shut her eyes on the fluorescent lights, waiting for the pounding in her head to subside. 

It didn't. She opened her eyes again, her eyes landing on Brynne, who was opposite her. Brynne's knuckles were bruised, and her entire face was puffy. 

She didn't ask, and she was sure Brynne wouldn't want to answer, so they settled in the silence that had formed, an uncomfortable thing, as she laced her fingers. 

"Er... Miss Kapoor-Mercado-Lopez is waiting for you guys," the nurse who'd exited Mini's room said. 

Rudy jumped up like he'd been electrocuted, but instantly winced, rubbing his arms.

Brynne, Rudy, and Aiden had to be subdued by force, unlike Aru and Mini, who'd been drugged. 

"Only one person will be allowed, though, don't crowd around her too much," the nurse instructed. With a clipped, "Take turns," she strode past them, to consult a doctor. 

They all looked at Aru. 

"I'll go first?" The statement was intended to be confident, but came out as a soft whisper, her words weighed down by guilt. 

They nodded. Aru shuffled towards the hospital room, the same memories tumbling through her thoughts. 

Red blood spilling on her clothes. Blank, staring eyes. A scream ripping through her thoughts, whether it belonged to Mini or Leslie, she didn't know. 

Mini's hurt because of me. Leslie's in the morgue because of us. 

She opened the door slowly, and saw Mini on the giant bed, and though her face was pale, she put on a weak smile for her friend. 

"You look terrible," was her greeting.

Aru felt a small smile tick at the edges of her lips, as she said, "Says you." Her smile faded, though, as her gaze roved to the bandage from waist down. Thankfully, Lenguine's bullet had hit her in the leg, and not any major organs or blood vessels.  

"Do your parents know about... this?" She asked, vaguely gesturing toward the bed. 

Mini shook her head. "About our being kidnapped and my almost dying?" She phrased it as a joke, but the words felt like a blow to the heart. 

Mini must have noticed the shift in her mood, and cleared her throat. "They don't, by the way." 

Mini took off her glasses, and turned them in her hands, her eyes fixated on the cracked lenses. She finally looked up at Aru with squinty eyes. 

"Since I'm a legal adult, they can't call my parents without my permission... thankfully. Anyway, neither Mom nor Dad can contact me, since my phone was 'stolen'." She put air quotes around the word 'stolen'.

Aru sighed. "Never thought you'd be this comfortable with lying," 

Mini dropped her hands, before sighing too. "I'm not. They'll worry too much, and eventually pull me out of this college, before demanding to know what I was doing. That's a whole rabbit hole I'm not ready to enter." 

A knock on the door followed, as Rudy's muffled voice floated in, as he said, "Could I come in?" 

Aru yawned. "Your boyfriend wants to see you." Although the words were meant to be teasing, they came out flat, like all the energy had been drained out of her. Maybe it had been drained out of her. 

Still, she felt kind of satisfied seeing spots of color return to Mini's cheeks, as she hissed out, "He's not—" Before she could finish whatever she was saying, the door opened, and Rudy came in, and waved at Mini shyly. 

"You doing okay?" he asked, sounding very anxious.

She nodded, squinting at him. "I'm fine." 

She winked exaggeratedly at Mini, who let out a tiny sigh, and glared as Aru strode out to give them privacy. 

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"Lenguine's an ass," Mini said, swallowing a sour candy, and making a face. 

Rudy cringed. "Don't say his name." 

Mini ignored him, and peered into the tiny bag. "I don't think I should be having this, it tastes bad." 

Rudy sniffed, and crossed his arms. "The pain meds must be making you loopy, sour candies are the best."

"...Sure." She swallowed another sour gummy bear anyway, before turning her attention to Aru.

"Where is he, anyway?" Mini asked, while at the same time Rudy inquired, "Is he dead?"

Mini raised her eyebrows. "You sound way too hopeful for him to be... y'know," she drew an imaginary line across her throat.

Rudy frowned. "What? I don't like it when people who shoot my best friend stay alive, sorry that that's a character flaw in me."

Aiden grumbled, while massaging his temples, "Rudy, for the billionth time, please shut up."

"You shut up," he countered, and, just before an argument could begin between the cousins, Brynne snapped, "Both of you, shut up."

Brynne then focused her attention on Aru. "D'you know where he is, Shah?"

Aru shrugged. "Opal said that the sniper bullet barely grazed him, and that he's in custody right now."

Brynne shifted slightly, and muttered, sounding uncomfortable, "...And... Kara?"

Aru felt different emotions swirl inside her, before she managed to say, "In custody."

Although internally, it was still hard to add the words: Where she belongs.

She felt something bubble inside of her: emotions warring. Anger, confusion, sadness. 

I hate this.

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