__________
-UNKEPT-
PROMISES
When Valentina Alma was little, the one thing she'd brag about is how she'd never broken any bones. Where other kids would go to school the next day in a cast on their leg, arm, and somehow on a rare occasion, their nose.
However in this particular moment, she would cross that off her list seeing as Vecna had quite literally broken her arm.
Taking a gasp of air, Valentina Alma had chills run up her back. From being in midair, she was now crowded by the group on the grass. All with worried looks on their faces, but one, Marco had a look of disgust when he saw the way his sister's arm was.
"I think we should call an ambulance."
His sister's eyes looked tired and distant. Until they finally closed, where she collapsed in Steve's arms.
"Oh shit!"
"As much as I like your sister, I can't handle looking at her arm," Steve added.
"Wouldn't it be quicker if we drove to the hospital? I call driver," Max stated, confident.
"No! Never again."
"Lame."
Rushing into the emergency room with Steve carrying Valentina, all the teens began yelling for assistance.
"Help!"
"We need a doctor!"
"Help! My sister is going to lose her arm!"
Max being the calm one, comforted Marco. "Hey, she isn't going to lose her arm, they just need to do a few surgeries to get her arm back into place."
Furrowing his eyebrows, Marco looked at Max like she was mad, but before he could respond, a nurse rushed out of the doors.
"What is all that noise?"
Slightly widening her eyes, she saw the situation in front of her. "Can we get a gurney over here!"
More nurses started scrambling through the doors, rushing, hearing the urgency.
A doctor was walking out with a patient, telling them that they needed to take their prescription, until she was called over. "Dr. Andrews!"
Taking off her stethoscope, Dr. Andrew's checked for a pulse. "She's breathing normally, but we're going to have to take her into surgery immediately. We'll keep you updated."
Dr. Andrews and the nurses rushed through the doors heading towards the surgery department.
Taking a deep breath, Steve turned around to look at the others. "I'm going to go call her parents and then go to the cafeteria, do any of you want anything?"
They all nodded their heads no.
"Hey, where's Marco?" Steve wondered.
Dustin pointed at the row of empty chairs by the window.
"Okay, the three of you get comfortable, I have a feeling we're going to be here for a few more hours," Steve ordered, then headed towards Valentina's bother, "Marco?"
Marco had his head resting on the palm of his left hand, looking out the window. He was silent, until a few seconds later he started sniffling. "The last time Valentina and I saw our grandma, we'd promised her that we'd look out after another. I feel like this wouldn't have happened if I saw Valentina sooner. What're my parents going to say?"
Pursing his lips, Steve reached to pat Marco on his back. "There's no way you could've known this was going to happen. It's not your fault. It's nobody's, but-"
"Steve?"
He was interrupted by a worried Nancy Wheeler. Softening his eyes, Steve looked at his ex. "Nance?"
"W-Where's Valentina?" a worried Robin asked.
The group looked at Robin in question.
Looking down at her pink shirt and blue skirt. "Don't ask."
Shaking his head, Steve answered, "She's being seen by the doctor."
"Oh thank god! So she's okay?" Robin asked.
Everyone besides Nancy, had solemn expressions. No one broke the silence.
"Oh."
Dr. Andrews was still in the Operating Room, attempting to revive the teen, nothing was working.
"Dammit! Get me the defibrillator!"
The surgical nurse handed over the paddles.
"Charge to 350!"
The surgical nurse, did just that. "Clear!"
Valentina still wasn't responding. "400! Clear!"
And there it was, Valentina Alma's BPM back up on the monitor like nothing ever happened.
"Great, good job honey, we'll get you out of here as soon as possible," Dr. Andrews whispered in relief.
"I don't understand how this happened," Steve was frustrated, combing through his hair with his fingers.
"You can't be upset over something you had no control over," Marco comforted him. Sure Marco was panicking in the inside, but he felt like he shouldn't say anything, much less to a group of people he barely knew.
"Valentina Alma?" Dr. Andrews called out. The group got up at the same time.
"Unfortunately during the surgery Valentina flatlined. We tried our best to get her back. And luckily enough we were able to do just that. She's in a room recovering. Are any of you family?" She thoroughly explained.
Marco raised his hand.
Pursing her lips, Dr. Andrews started walking with Marco.
The group was behind left speechless. Steve was mumbling to himself, his intrusive thought let him lose. "Wait!"
The two turned around.
"Yes?" Dr. Andrews questioned.
"I-I'm her husband."
The others simultaneously uttered different responses.
"What?"
"I knew it!"
Everyone turned to Robin, where she then shrugged her shoulders.
Blinking a few times and then returning her gaze back to Steve, Dr. Andrews didn't question further, "Come on then."
The doors through the emergency room closed and everyone was left baffled.
The next day.
The sound of the machine in her room was loud. And her vision was blurry, soon becoming adjusted to the light.
Finally looking around, in the empty hospital room was a small bouquet of flowers lying on the bedside table.
Furrowing her eyebrows, Valentina looked at the tag.
To: My darling wife
From: Steve
Her mind being confused, thinking someone was playing a game on her. Maybe she was in a coma for 40 years?
Silent footsteps were heard entering her room, then a gasp.
"You're awake!"
Looking up to see someone.
"Grant?" Valentina tested out, making she it was really him.
Rushing to her side, he was content as one could be, "Are you alright? Who's Grant?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Grant."
"Valentina, it's me Steve. Don't you remember me?"
There was a sad expression on his face. But the one Valentina's was another story.
She couldn't hold it in anymore. Her lips turned up, out escaped a laugh. "No way, you should've seen the look on your face."
Imitating Steve, "Valentina, it's me Steve." She started laughing again.
Steve then had a serious expression on his face. "It wasn't funny. At all. I thought you forgot about me.
And you left me all alone, I thought you were going to die, Valentina. Do you know how much worse it could've been?"
Her smile leaving her face, Valentina apologized, "You're right, I'm sorry."
"Only partially, cause the look on your face was priceless."
"Valentina," Steve scolded.
"Okay! Fine. Fine! I'm sorry a hundred percent."
Steve started smiling, "You better be."
A few seconds passed, she didn't think until now. "Wait. Why did you call me your wife?"
"What do you mean?"
"On the flowers?"
"Oh"
- uhhhm... hey
(look who's back... back again)
- i bailed cause college got hard
-but here's a BRAND NEW chapter, i'm sorry if it's crap, but it only gets better here on out
(yeah, that's right, valentina + steve sooner than you think)