Maddox's POV:
Wes and I finished at the cemetery and before we went to get the girls, I treated him to lunch. He wasn't really hungry, but I knew he needed to eat something. I told him I'd meet him at the hospital after I went to get lunch and a few things for Emmi and I for the evening. I had planned on spending the night there again, so she wouldn't feel lonely.
He had asked if he should take the girls home without me, but I said he didn't have to. I did have his lunch after all. We went our separate ways and I headed to the store to get a bouquet of flowers, a cute stuffed lion, some of her favorite tea and a bag of soft chocolate chip cookies. After that, I went to get lunch for Wes and I and then to the hospital. I'd bring the items I bought Emmi in once the girls left, which meant I had to put them in the trunk for the time being.
I got to the hospital and parked in the structure, finding a spot that was on the third floor. I grabbed the food and drinks and left, locking the car as I walked to the third floor entrance of the hospital. I walked the normal route and when I got to Emmi's room, everyone was gone. I looked at her confused, "Where'd everyone go?"
Emmi looked up from her book, "Oh...um...Wes took everyone home. He said that you were gonna be late and that he could fit all five of them in his truck." She chewed the inside of her cheek, "He looked miserable."
"He...is. We went by his mom this morning. I told him I'd get him lunch, but he said no. But I did anyway, so now I have an extra meal." I frowned. I really didn't want Wes to be alone, so I texted Gigi to keep an eye on him.
Gigi: already on it. I could tell something was wrong
Me: thanks, Gi. Appreciate it. Let me know if he gets worse. I'll leave if I need to
Gigi: nah, i can handle him. Keep Em company
I smiled, knowing Wes was in good hands. I put my phone back in my pocket and leaned in to give Emmi a kiss on the cheek. "Well, in that case...I have a few things I need to get from the car. If you're hungry, you are welcome to Wes's meal."
"Thank you," Emmi smiled. Her face was looking so much better than the night of the beating. It made me happy that she was getting better fairly quickly. "You didn't have to get anything, by the way. Just seeing you is all I really need."
My heart swelled, "And that right there is why I got you something. You deserve everything." I told her and left back to the car.
I came back with my hands full and Emmi's nurse opened her room door for me. "Emmi, someone has some things for you." The brunette smiled.
Emmi set her book down again and her eyes widened. "Maddox...what in the world?"
I set everything down on the table next to her and smiled sheepishly after the nurse left. "They're all "get better" things." I defended. "Plus...I wanted to get you something that reminded you of...um...me" I scratched the back of my head nervously.
I took my lion out of the reusable bag and bit my lip as I handed it to her. "He reminded me of you..." He was blush orange with cream white underfur and a deep red mane and tail tip. He was too cute not to get Emmi.
I watched her eyes light up as soon as she saw it. "He's so cute!" She squealed. I handed it to her and she squeezed it tightly, nuzzling it happily. She looked at me confused, "Why?"
I raised my brows, "Why what?"
"Why are you spoiling me?"
It broke my heart a little that she'd ask me that. I hated Zach even more because of it. I sat at her side and brushed her hair out of her face, "Because you deserve it." I smiled.
She looked down at the lion and shook her head, "I don't."
"You deserve to be spoiled, Em. You deserve all the flowers, cookies, and rainbows in the world. I'm sorry you weren't shown that sooner." I took the cookies out of the bag and opened them, handing her one.
"Thank you," she smiled, nibbling on her cookie. "So, what did you have planned tonight?"
I shrugged, taking a bite of cookie, "Not much. Just wanted to relax with you. Maybe find a movie on tv to watch?"
Her eyes lit up again, "My favorite movie is on at seven!"
I chuckled at how child-like she was being. Definitely a different side to her I never expected to see. "What movie is that, if you don't mind me asking?"
She blushed and played with the lions ear, "Well...it's a romance and we did it for marching band this year..."
"'Lucky with the Shadows' is your favorite movie?" She nodded frantically. "Well, I guess I was gonna watch it with you eventually. So why not tonight, in a hospital room, as a secret official couple?" I shrugged with a chuckle.
Emmi almost lost her cookie, she was so excited. "I'd say we could cuddle while we watched it, but I don't want to hurt you with how sore you are." She took a fry from the fast food bag as she talked. "Plus, I don't think I'd be a good idea anyway. This bed isn't all that comfy. My couch is better than this." She laughed.
"Well, I can always just hold your hand while we watch it." I offered as I munched on my meal. "Besides, I wasn't gonna try to cuddle, since I know you're still hurting too."
Emmi set down her soda and tapped me on my arm, "That reminds me! Doc is releasing me tomorrow! I'd have my parents come get me, but they're both out of town on business. And Brooks can't stay home with me when I'm like this, so he's staying with our grandparents."
"Where you going with this, Fischer." I asked between bites of my chicken tenders.
"I'm gonna need you to take me home...and um...maybe stay with me until my mom gets back. I'd say or my dad too, but he's not living at the house." She looked off to the side, nervously.
A tingle went up my spine, "R--really? Are your parents even okay with me staying with you?"
She nodded, "Surprisingly, yeah. My parents are totally cool with it. I'm just as shocked as you are. Unless you don't want to..."
"I'd love to! I just need to make sure my mom is okay with it...and honestly, make sure she's okay by herself with Kyrie." I lowered my gaze. When my mom got like this, she would always forget to take care of herself. I didn't want to put that on my baby sister.
Emmi reached for my hand, "What's up with your mom?" Her tone was soft and sincere.
I batted away the tears that had formed and looked up to catch her gaze, "My mom has a rough job...she's a nurse at the children's hospital in their cancer center..." I trailed off, trying really hard not to let myself cry. I felt Emmi squeeze my hand, letting me know it was okay. "One of her favorite patients passed away on Thanksgiving...she got the call when she came to pick me up. Usually, she's good by the next day, but she is taking this little girl's death so hard." I paused, finally letting my emotions get the best of me. "That's why I barely slept the other night. I was trying to help her and let her grieve the way she needed to." Tears fell into my lap and Emmi stayed quiet until my story was finished.
She pulled me into a hug and rubbed my back soothingly, "Maddox, it's sweet how you make sure your mother is okay during these times. Being a nurse in that department is soul crushing. Your mom is stronger than either of you believe, because of what she does and where she does it." She pushed me back a little, taking in me and my emotions as a whole before resting her forehead on my chest. "Mad, go call your mom. Make sure she's been taking care of herself today. If you need to leave, I'll be okay." She smiled, looking up at me.
I shook my head, tears still rolling down my cheeks, "I'm not leaving you here alone."
"Fine, but please just go call your mom. You'll feel better once you know." She kissed my cheek and handed me my phone.
I took it and called the house. Kyrie picked up and I asked if she could put mom on the phone. She did and I could tell that my mom had been crying again. "Mom, you sure you're okay to go back to work tomorrow?"
"Yes, sweetheart. I'll be okay. And if I'm not, then I'll come home and call Sam." She answered.
I knew she wouldn't lie about calling her therapist if she needed him. Her job killed her emotionally and mentally at times, so needing a therapist was normal. "Alright. Keep me updated, kay mom?"
"I will, honey. Now go and keep Emmi company." I heard her smile.
I chuckled softly, "Yes, ma'am. I love you."
"I love you too, sweetie." We hung up and I sighed, wiping my tears away with my fingers and scrubbing my face with my palms.
Emmi took one of my hands back into hers. She knew I needed a distraction, so she took one of her headphones from her case and put it in my ear. She grabbed her phone, letting it pair with our ears and she played a song that I had never heard before. The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on it as to where I heard it from.
I looked at Emmi and watched as she sang softly. The voices matched perfectly! Then it hit me like a train, "It's you!" I said a little louder than I wanted to.
She jumped, lowered her head and nodded shyly. "Y--yeah. You said you um...wanted to hear me, so here I am." She looked so nervous, but continued to talk. "I wrote this...the week after state for me. I wasn't sure how else to get my feelings out...drawing them wasn't helping and neither was listening to music that corresponded to them. So, this song was born." She laughed nervously.
I listened closer to the lyrics. Her words came at me like smoke. It sounded like she was figuring out her feelings for me. A few weeks ago, we both were still confused, so this song made perfect sense. Then the song changed abruptly. I looked at her, "Why'd you change it?" I frowned.
"I wanted to show you this one..." she trailed off as the music started. "I wrote this one...Thanksgiving...and my girls helped me record it...last night." She blushed.
I raised my brows, after hearing a certain lyric, "Wait...do they know?" She shook her head. "How do they not from this song?" I questioned.
She covered her eyes with her free hand, peaking between her fingers, "I never showed them the lyrics...they just helped me with the rhythm and such. I had actually recorded myself singing it in the gap from my parents leaving and you all showing up."
I moved her hand from her face, "Clever girl." I smirked.
We listened to it for a little longer and then she paused it. "So um..." she picked at the sheet quietly.
I chuckled softly, "Em, you have such a beautiful voice and amazing music skills. These were beautiful. They captured your emotions in the best way possible." I rested my hand on her cheek, letting her gaze slowly meet mine. "I loved them." As much as I think I love you. I thought. Was I falling in love with her? Or was it the fact that I almost lost her?
Her eyes glistened as tears built up at the base of them, "Really?" I nodded, smiling softly. "That means so much to me coming from you. I um...can send them to you if you want..."
"I would absolutely love that. Are you okay if I use one as my ringtone for you?" I watched her spine go stiff. "I don't have to. I just wanted to ask." I defended.
She relaxed a little, settling back into the hospital bed. "No, that's okay. No one knows it's me, so they'll never know."
"Your friends know. Won't they figure it out?"
"I doubt you'll be around them much when I'm not with you. So, it shouldn't matter."
She wasn't wrong, but she also wasn't completely right either. Wes and I spent the whole morning and early afternoon yesterday shopping with them. Granted, none of them have a car or license, so they needed us, but still. Emmi wasn't with us. "Well, I can still hold off on putting the newest one as your ringtone. I'm just happy you got the courage to show me them."
I saved the songs she sent me and made sure to keep them in a spot where no one else could find them. I got up to throw our garbage away and Emmi turned the tv on, finding the channel the movie was on. "Is this movie gonna make me not be a man?"
Emmi looked at me with a questionable look, "You mean cry? Cuz, that is manly."
I nodded, laughing. "Yes. Is this movie going to make me cry?"
"Maybe. I know it makes me cry, but I'm just emotional, sooooo..." She snagged another cookie and bit into it. "You have no idea what you got yourself into by dating me." She laughed with a mouthful of cookie.
I shook my head with a sigh, "Em, trust me, I've delt with so much stupid drama. You being, as you call it, over emotional, will be a nice change."
"What drama were you dealing with?" She asked.
"Freshman, Sophomore and beginning of Junior year, there was so much stupid drama with the girls I had flings with. They were so jealous, wanted all my attention, and would be fuming when I wasn't intimate with them. It was annoying. That was the main reason why I didn't see those girls for more than two weeks. One even got super jealous during a class, because I was actually talking to you. It was Economics. That's when I first started teasing you."
"I remember that. I would get dirty looks during that class from Jenna when you would lightly pull my hair to annoy me. I'd always get uncomfortable whenever she glared at me. Thankfully, she graduated last year."
I nodded, "Yeah. She could be a real witch. Glad I ended that when I did." I chuckled. "I'm sorry you had to deal with Jenna Selman's wrath last year, even though her and I barely dated for a week." I took her hand and sat next to her in the recliner, so we could get comfortable before the movie started.
The movie started and I could tell Emmi really wanted to snuggle into me. I wanted to snuggle her just as badly, but the switching of nurses came in before I could do anything. "Emmilia Fischer?" The blonde asked with a smile.
I raised my brows, remembering how she reacted when I said her full name. But remembering how she had no reaction to when her parents said it. "Yes, that's me." She answered softly, turning to face the nurse.
"I just need to check your vitals and make sure your swelling is doing okay. I am your nurse for the night, so if you need anything, please call." She told Emmi.
She nodded and I moved so her nurse could do what she needed to do. She did the usual things nurses do, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, all that fun stuff. Then she examined Emmi's bruises and swelling. I watched as Emmi flinched at certain areas that were worse than others and when the nurse lifted her gown to check a the spot that Emmi flinched the most, I looked away. It was lower on her chest, but I wasn't like that.
When I thought they were done, I turned back and my eyes widened, closing them immediately. "Sorry..."
"It's okay." I heard Emmi say.
I got a glimpse of what was hurting her so badly, and there was a huge bruise from the middle of her ribcage down to her hip crossing her body at the stomach. My gut churned and I got up to go to the bathroom. I felt like I was going to be sick. It wasn't because of how bad it looked. Honestly, I've had worse. It was the fact that it looked like it never actually healed, even if it wasn't actually visible to begin with. I wouldn't be shocked if there was internal damage that wasn't seen during her x-ray.
I gripped the rim of the counter where the sink was. My anger grew and I began to see red. What the hell was wrong with Zach? I heard a rhythmic tap on the door and knew it was Emmi. "Everything okay in there, Mad?" She asked softly.
I grunted, trying to get my anger down. I felt like a wolf ready to shred something. And that something wasn't about to be my innocent girlfriend on the other side of the door. "Maddox?"
"What?" I snapped.
The door swung open and I felt arms wrap around my torso from behind. They tightened around me the best they could and I realized it was Emmi trying to calm me down. My grip relaxed and so did my body when I realized what was happening. My anger subsided and I wasn't seeing red anymore. I turned around, still in her hold, and wrapped my arms around her. "What made you do that?" I asked, breathing in her scent from her hair, even if she was a foot shorter than me.
"My mom does it to my dad when he's upset...it helps him, so I figured it would help you. Unfortunately, it never worked on Zach..." She mumbled into my chest. She looked up at me, resting her chin on my chest, "I'm sorry..."
Confused, I furrowed my brows. "For what? You didn't do anything."
"Whenever Zach got angry like th--" She started but I stopped her.
"Emmilia, I am not Zach. I never will be that scum of a man." I paused, seeing how she would react to me using her full name again. Her cheeks turned pink and I could see a memory flash from her eyes. I sat down on the toilet, separating us and sighed, "I'm sorry...it just came out."
"No...it's fine." She lowered her gaze and fiddled with the fabric on her hospital gown.
I stared at her, wondering what she was going to do. It looked like she wanted to tell me something, but her internal voice was telling her not to. I reached for her hand and kissed it gently, "Hey, you don't have to tell me anything."
"I think I need to." She said.