Marcus/Rocco
The drive back felt longer than the drive there. Maybe
because every bump in the road pulled another pained breath from Riley.
I sat beside her. One hand pressed firmly against the
bandages wrapped around what remained of her right arm.
Noah sat in front. His head hung low. He hadn't spoken
since we left the battlefield. Not once. Callie stared out the window. The
reflection in the glass hit her expression.
Seraphina sat behind the wheels. Her hand tightened
around the wheels. The only sound inside the vehicle, was Riley's breathing.
My chest tightened. This was my fault. If I'd seen it
sooner. If I'd moved faster. If-
"Rocky." I didn't answer. "You will bury yourself
alive thinking like that." I clenched my jaw.
"she'd still have both arms if I was faster."
"No," his voice calm as always, "Malachar chose that
moment long before you understood it."
I looked away. That didn't make it hurt less
Hospitals always smelled the same. Clean, cold and
lifeless. Funny… considering how desperately people came here to keep living.
I sat outside the operating room with my elbows
resting on my knees. Blood stained my sleeves. I couldn't bring myself to wipe
it away.
The red emergency light above the operating room doors
remained lit. no one had spoken in nearly fifteen minutes.
Noah paced the corridor. Every few steps he'd stop,
glance at the doors and start pacing again. Callie sat beside Seraphina.
Her eyes fixed on the floor. Darren leaned against the
wall, laptop forgotten beside him. Even Livia didn't know what to say.
The operating room doors swung open. A nurse stepped
out. "Which one of you is Riley Quinn's emergency contact?"
Silence. Then Darren stood. "Her parents." The nurse
nodded.
"We need to notify them immediately."
"I'll do it." Darren pulled out Riley's phone as the
nurse disappeared back inside. His fingers hovered over the screen for a
moment.
Nobody rushed him. Making the call… would change two
people's lives forever.
Almost an hour later, the elevator doors opened. A man
and woman stepped out in a hurry. Their faces carried the same expression.
The nurse pointed them toward the operating room.
Before they took another step. Riley's fad looked at me.
"Marcus? Noah?"
I stood immediately. "Mr. Quinn." Riley's mom looked
toward the operating room.
"How is she?" my throat tightened.
"She's alive." Both of them closed their eyes in
relief. I looked away.
"There was…" the words caught in my throat, "There was
an accident."
Silence. "We… I..." I couldn't say it. "She… lost her
arm." Both of them froze. "I'm sorry, I should've protected her."
"I should've-"Riley's dad raised a hand gently.
"You don't have to explain." I frowned.
"Sir?" he let out a slow breath.
"We… knew this would be dangerous." My eyebrows knit
together.
"What?" both parents looked at each other.
"About these demons and fights you've all been
having."
Everyone froze and everything inside me stopped.
"Riley told you?"
Her mom nodded. "Not because she wanted to, it was
after graduation." Her dad looked toward the operating room.
"She locked herself in her room. We heard her
crying." Her mom wiped her cheek. "So,
we went in."
Her dad continued. "She kept apologizing, saying she
should have gone." Her mom sighed. "She was drowning in guilt and we didn't
know why. So, we stayed with her for hours, when she finally spoke…"
He looked me in the eyes. "She told us everything."
Her mom gave a weak smile. "We wanted to believe she'd imagined it. It would've
been easier."
Mr. Quinn glanced around the hospital corridor. "But
then, here we are." Reality had answered for them.
"I'm sorry…" a single tear escaped my eyes before I
realised.
Her dad stepped closer. "You still brought our
daughter home." I shook my head.
"I should've never let her come with me."
"Like she'd listen." His voice never wavered. "We both
know how stubborn she is, Marcus."
He rested a hand on my shoulder. "Our Riley is a
fighter, she'll learn how to live without it."
Mrs. Quinn smiled through tears. "But at least she
gets a tomorrow, so thank you." The weight I'd been carrying cracked.
Hours crawled by. Every ticking second felt heavier
than the last. Finally, the surgeon emerged. Everyone stood.
"How is she?" the doctor removed his gloves.
"The surgery was successful." Every shoulder dropped.
"But…" my stomach sank. "We couldn't save the arm."
"We've stopped the bleeding. She's stable. You can see
her."
We all moved at once. The room was quiet. Machines
beeped steadily. Riley lay against the pillows/ her face looked pale and tired.
She turned as we entered. I pulled a chair closer to
her. "Riley, I'm so sorry."
She frowned. "For what?"
"I failed. If I was faster-"
"We were exhausted, Marcus and he knew that." I looked
at her.
"It wasn't an accident he chose me."
I lowered my head. "I'm still sorry." Riley sighed.
She flicked my forehead with her remaining hand. Ow.
"What was that for?"
"Because you're being an idiot." She smiled.
Noah rushed past me as I stood and hugged her so
tightly, she complained she couldn't breathe. Callie teared up the moment she
saw her.
Livia hugged her without saying a word. Even Darren
managed a smile.
For the first time since Malachar, the room felt alive
again. Bruised and maybe broken but alive. Then Darren's laptop chimed.
Everyone looked over. His smile disappeared. He slowly
opened the map. Two red markers remained.
The room fell silent once more. The war hadn't
stopped. It had simply… waited.
I looked around. Every one of us carried fresh scars.
Some visible, some not. I wrapped my fingers around the bracelet on my wrist.
"We need to finish this." Noah nodded.
"For everyone."
Callie tightened her fists. "For everyone we've lost."
Seraphina looked at each of us. Her expression never
changed. "But first…" she looked toward Riley. "We let our teammate heal."
No one argued. Because even in war…
Some battles could wait.