Peace in a Storm

35 - Audrey

Dread filled my bones as my fathers and I entered the waiting room on the trauma floor of the hospital. We quickly spotted our neighbors among the other families loitering around the room. They were near the large window beside the back corner of the room. Ms. Elena and Cat were sitting down in one of the cushioned chairs. My best friend had her tear stained cheek laid on her mother's shoulder with their hands intertwined in a tight embrace. Cristian stood near them, pacing idly back and forth.

An unfamiliar fire raged through his eyes, and his hands were clenched into tight fists. Cristian rarely ever got truly mad - even at Max. Sure, they had their fights, but Cristian always kept a cool head. Seeing his eyes flooded over with flames that usually flew through his brother's was frightening. He looked like he wanted to beat whoever hurt Max with his bare hands.

At the sight of me, Cat rose from her seat and hurried towards me. She nearly knocked the breath out of me as she grabbed me into a hug, squeezing me with all of her strength.

Wordlessly, I wrapped my arms around my friend, returning her tight embrace. Our hug only lasted a moment before she pulled away and tugged me back towards the cushioned chairs.

Papa held his hand out to Ms. Elena. "Come on. Let's go take a walk - grab some coffee," he whispered softly.

Ms. Elena didn't protest. Silently, she grabbed my father's hand and followed him out of the room.

Daddy moved to the window, standing as close as he could to Cristian's pacing figure. "What happened?" He asked.

"The kid Max has been mentoring found him, but he's not saying much to the police. All we know is that he's got a few broken ribs and three bullet holes," Cristian explained. "The kid lives smack dab in the middle of Crip territory, though, so it's not hard to connect the dots." He ran a hand through his short cut curls. "This is all my dad's fault. He should've never gotten Max into this situation. He was doing so well..."

"I know," Daddy murmured. "Are you alright? I don't like that look in your eye."

"I'm fine," Cristian insisted. "Mateo might not be once I get the fuck out of this hospital, though."

"Don't do anything stupid," Daddy said firmly. He grabbed Cristian's arm, momentarily stopping his movement. "Trust me, Mateo is not worth your energy."

Cristian's eyes grew hard. "If Max dies, then his blood is on our father's hands. I'm not going to let that slide."

"Max isn't going to die. He's strong and stubborn - he's going to get through this."

"I hope so," Cristian muttered.

No one spoke for the next few hours as we waited for an update. The doctors and nurses whizzed around the waiting room, delivering a mix of good and bad news. My heart shattered as I watched a doctor tell another waiting family that the patient had passed away during surgery. I shed tears for the person's mother as she let out an agonizing wail. Members of her family gathered around her in a tight hug, struggling to juggle their own desire to mourn with the need to comfort her.

After about an hour, Elena and Marc returned with cups of coffee for the adults and hot chocolate for Cat and I. Ms. Elena sat next to her daughter, wrapping her slender arm around her and pulling her head back down onto her shoulder. She tried to convince Cristian to sit down, but he waved her off. He insisted that he needed to keep himself somewhat busy.

Papa took a seat next to me, grabbing my hand and offering a soft squeeze.

Around two o' clock in the morning, a tall man with dark hair, steady gray eyes, and clean shaven face approached us. Ms. Elena immediately rose from her seat, meeting the doctor halfway. "Dr. Hale, how is my son? Is he alright?" She asked.