Her Saviours

FIFTEEN

"I want to stay with Diego." She said which caused Leo and Miguel to exchange a look.

"Gatita, you need rest too. When he wakes up, he won't want to see you doing this to yourself." Miguel made a good point, she thought. "You can see him again after you rest."

"It's my fault. I can't leave." She persevered even though she knew he might be slightly correct.

"Taiga..." Miguel began before being interrupted.

"I'll stay here with her." Rafael spoke up, his fatigue clear on his face.

Leo and Miguel exchanged another one of their looks before eventually agreeing.

"Alright. We'll go back home for tonight and we'll bring you guys and Diego some clothes and food." Miguel told them before he, Leo and Pablo left.

"Call us if he wakes up tonight." Pablo told them just before he was out the door, worry and concern evident in his eyes.

"Of course we will." Taiga assured him, making him flash a tired but grateful smile.

Her and Rafael were left with Diego's heartbeat filling the space. Both of them felt the guilt in different ways but they were both guilty about the same thing: not being able to help Diego.

There was a tense atmosphere between the two of them as they sat adjacent to each other opposite the hospital bed. Many unspoken questions floated in the air but he answers were not something Taiga felt like she could give.

"Taiga, what happened? What really happened?" Rafael asked her quietly.

A long pause settled in the room - how was she going to answer that? She wanted nothing more than to give her brothers the answers they deserved, but Pablo has already proven that they wouldn't believer her.

It hurt that he had thought her to be a liar however, she understood that if someone told her that a childhood acquaintance was a traitor, she would not be hasty to believe them. In her mind, Rafael would be the same and besides, their safety was at risk - the unconscious Diego in front of them was a heavy reminder of what could happen.

"It was just some random guy. He attacked me and then Diego fought him off but..." she didn't have to finish her sentence.

"How did Diego know what would happen?" She creased her brows at his question.

"What?"

"I saw him leaving the house late and I asked him where he was going but he didn't say. I thought he was just being creepy as usual but he went after you." Rafael explained, surprising her as she had believed she managed to get away unnoticed. "Why did you leave, anyway?"

"I-I just felt like going for a walk." It sounded more uncertain than she wanted to, but she never was the most notorious deceiver.

Rafael stared her hard in the eyes, his emotions unreadable. It was uncomfortable meeting his intense gaze, so she pitifully tried to look anywhere but his eyes.

His stare-down suddenly stopped and he dropped his head down, his hair covering any visibility of his face.

"Why do you keep lying?" His voice was vulnerable. "My brother is in hospital and you still look me in the eye and lie to me." The calmness combined with his anger was terrifying, but she couldn't help but notice how he said 'my brother'.

"He's my brother too." She whispered out.

"If you really felt that way, then why won't you just tell me the damn truth?" His voice rose slightly at the end and he banged his fist against a nearby table, making her jump in fright.