Edited by: Waning_Crescents
As soon as they arrived
at the hospital, Cal was taken away by the doctors for immediate treatment. Even
though he appeared to be stable enough, his blood pressure had dipped below and
pulse rate increased. The excessive blood loss made its consequences known; his
body had gone in a state of shock. Throughout the whole ride to the hospital,
he had never reacted to anything, yet he appeared to be trapped between being
conscious and unconscious.
Sigal sat in the waiting room with his elbows propped on his thighs. He clasped his hands together, letting his chin rest on them while he had his eyes fixed at the room where Cal was being treated in. The image of Cal not reacting when he found him, as well as during the ride to the hospital, stirred a feeling of anxiety in him. He was afraid of what would become of Cal. Would he be able to wake, or would he be in a coma for the rest of his life with a small chance of recovery?
Everything that happened this night and everything that led to it, played over and over in his mind, like a video set on repeat, leaving him with unbearable guilt. If I had just been more composed and listened. If I hadn’t left, leaving him to his own devices…I knew he was in danger all along. This little mistake…put him through so much pain…too much and now—
“Here.” A familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and he looked up.
Kristian, who hurried to the hospital as soon as he got word that Cal had been found and brought here, held a little paper coffee cup in front of Sigal’s face. “It was a long night, but ya brought him back. Allow yarself to take a break.”
Sigal grabbed the cup from Kristian’s hand and asked, “Did they find anything?”
“Not yet.” Kristian sat down beside him. “Claire rushed to the scene as soon as she got notified. I am sure she will let us know if there are any new findings.”
Sigal nodded and took a sip from his coffee in silence.
Through the corner of his eyes, Kristian noticed the slight shaking hands of Sigal. He hadn’t seen Cal himself, nor did he know the severity of his injuries and condition. But seeing Sigal —who turned himself into a stern, emotionless and uncaring man— in this state could only mean it was very serious. “Any update from the doctor yet?”
Sigal shook his head.
Even though Kristian lacked the details of the matter, he didn’t want to push for answers either. Especially because Sigal’s condition seemed to be worrisome as well. Beside his trembling hands, the visible bloodshot eyes and his unusually pale face let him appear quite haggard. It was clear that everything that happened dealt a great amount of damage to him as well. “How ya holding up?”
“I’m fine.”
This obvious lie made Kristian frown even though he knew the answer the other would utter before he did. Just sometimes he wished Sigal would be more honest about how he felt, be more wary about his own body and mind. Sigal had always been someone who hid his own worries and pain for the sake of others, but things became even more dire after Noah died. He closed himself completely off, making it an arduous task for others to reach him. This, however, slightly changed after Cal entered his life. It was probably not clear to any outsiders, but to the people who knew him it became clear that Cal managed to produce a crack in his shell, slowly pulling him out of the darkness that engulfed his heart.
“I am sure he will be fine.” Kristian dug for words to encourage Sigal to not give up hope. “He is not weak; he is a fighter, and you know that.”
Sigal nodded. He witnessed with his own eyes that Cal was anything else but weak. Throughout the entire time they worked together, Cal never was one to give up and stood his ground no matter what. He was always stubborn, even cunning at certain times, but all for the sake of other people. How could someone who chose kindness over hatred even though he had enough reason to wreak havoc, be called weak?
After this night, Sigal understood. The one who was weak wasn’t Cal but him. While his partner chose a path to move forward and kept believing in the good in people, he chose the opposite: solitude and hatred.
If I had just realized earlier what Vince meant with his words: ’It’s your behavior that may get him killed one day.’ Sigal gritted his teeth. I get it now. I do. I just hope it’s not too late.
Once again, the image from the last time he saw Cal conscious popped into his mind, when he walked away in shackles. That time when he stared into his partner’s eyes, he clearly saw that the usual strong, powerful spark he carried in his eyes faded away; as if in that second all his hopes and dreams had been taken away and scattered in the wind, never to return. This worried Sigal to no end. Cal had no knowledge he had been returned, not in this state anyway. What if he just gave up, stopped fighting, refusing to ever wake up again?
At that moment a nurse stepped out of the room, causing Sigal and Kristian to jump to their feet. “How is he?”
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