I'm stuck with you, and I like it (OLD AND DISCONTINUED)

9 - Basement

I look around, not seeing Meri anywhere.

A nurse walks in. I try to sit up, but she stops me.

I start panicking more "Where's America?!"

"The kid who came in with you?"

"Where is he?! Is he safe?!"

"He's fine."

"Where is he?!"

She doesn't answer.

Someone on the other side of the curtain shifts in their bed.

The nurse continues to stay quiet. I start crying.

What if he got hurt worse?

What if they let him go, and he gets hurt again?

What if he gets kidnapped again?!

What if...

I sob more.

What if....

What if he's dead?

I cry even louder than before.

I hear Meri. "Russia, don't cry!"

He hugs me with one arm. The other is in bandages.

I hug him gently, sobbing into his shoulder.

He rubs my back gently, letting me cry. I sob "I-I was sc-scared that y-you got hurt even m-more!"

"I'm fine, Russia! We'll both be going home tomorrow!"

He smiles at me. I calm down more. His smile is so adorable-

Wait, what am I thinking?! I'm just taking care of him! Nothing more!

America says "I don't really want to go back... A lot of bad stuff happened..."

I put my hand on his cheek, wiping some small tears away. "We can get our own apartment. Graduation isn't too far away either. We won't be stuck in the dorms."

He smiles a little. "I hope it's sooner rather than later."

The nurse says that Meri should rest, so he goes back to his bed, which is next to mine. The nurse checks some stuff before leaving.

*+*The next day*+*

The nurse does a final check, and lets us leave.

I walk with Meri back to the dorms. While walking, I hear footsteps behind us. I quickly turn my head and see China running up to me with a bat.

I grab Meri and run away, even though the nurse told me not to run. It hurts a lot, but we're being chased, so I don't have much of a choice.

China throws a knife, but I dodge it. I see the coffee shop ahead.

I run for it, despite the horrible pain in my legs.

We get closer. North jumps out of an alleyway, but I run around him. He starts chasing us too.

We're almost to the shop. I quickly run inside just as my legs give out. I fall on my knees, then fall forwards.

I make sure I don't crush Meri. Ethiopia runs over. "What's going on?"

North and China burst through the doors. I try getting up, but I fall down again. My legs hurt way too much.

I hug Meri protectively. China says "Russia, we need to get back to our baseball game."

He taps his bat on the floor impatiently.

I look down at my legs. There's some blood on my pants from the wounds opening up.

I yell at China and North "You two nearly killed me! I just got out of the hospital, and wasn't supposed to run like that for a while, and now my legs are pure pain because you chased us!!"

China glares at me.

North says "We didn't do anything to you."

"You tied me up in some basement and beat me close to death!"

Meri nods. "He was passed out for almost the whole time we were in the hospital. He finally woke up yesterday."

I start crawling to the counter, but China grabs my leg. People are either recording or calling police.

I scream in pain when China pulls on my leg. Immediately some people get up to help, but North takes the bat and swings it at them.

I push America towards Ethiopia. He gets up and run over to her. I get dragged towards the door. I'm crying from the pain in my leg.

With both hands able to grab stuff, I start trying to crawl away from China, ignoring the immense pain in my legs.

North swings the bat at anyone who tries getting close.

There's a loud crack, and the pain in my leg spikes to a whole new level.

I scream, then look to see that North had hit my leg with the bat.

My leg is broken.

China continues pulling on it.

The police careen down the street, skidding to a halt at the doors.

China and North get arrested immediately, Ethiopia runs over to me. I look up at her. "Take care of America for me please."

I pass out from all the pain.