Ivan felt his heart shatter as he went back to the waiting room, taking a seat next to Francis. He took a deep breath and leaned his head backward, rubbing his tired face and stretching his stressed muscles. Francis gently patted his shoulder and did his best to comfort his boss, but it was hard. Amelia's blood was not only on Francis' shirt but on his sisters' shirts and all over Gilbert's coat. 

Ivan looked to the side and noticed that Natalia was twisting around her baton, daring anybody to come near her. Her face held its usual scowl, but her eyes were so dark and overcast. It was like she was traumatized by the incident, which would be another monumental accomplishment for Amelia to add to her repertoire. It took a lot to scare his little sister, she was so intimidating that she even scared him to an extent. Seeing her eyes become so empty made him worried about how bad the scene was to witness.

It broke his heart further when he realized how shook up his elder sister was, he wasn't used to seeing her so flustered. Yes, she was a bit skittish at times, but not like this. Ivan took notice of how her foot kept tapping on the polished floors of the hospital and her fists were clenched together at her chin. Her eyes seemed so lifeless, it was as if she was reliving the ordeal: her finding Amelia on the bathroom floor of the bistro, her trying to revive her chilling form, her crying in the ambulance as it zipped through the traffic. 

When Ivan looked to his driver, he noticed how quiet he was. He didn't need to look far, as Gilbert was sitting on the other side of Francis, but had he'd been his normal obnoxious self it would've made it known he was present. He was holding Francis' hand and gently brushing his knuckles, doing his best to calm his soulmate down. It was almost unreal how silent the albino was, it scared Ivan to know Gilbert was actually capable of being so hushed.

The group sat alone in the waiting room. The overly clean lobby was rather quiet aside from ringing phones and typing of the computers. The minimal noise made the silence nearly suffocating, the group not having the guts to disturb this pleasureless peacefulness. After sitting for thirty minutes, Ivan got up and took a deep breath.

"I am going to go for a small walk," he told the group. He walked out of the hospital and down the quiet street. He walked aimlessly, but still kept track of where he was. He didn't want to get lost while his Amelia was in the hospital. That's when he came upon a tiny flower shop, so small that it seemed to be more of one of those fairytale cottages. He looked at the sign and quirked his brow.

Royal Regalia Flower Shop

Ivan walked in, a small bell ringing above him. A small man in a blue and white pinstripe dress shirt came out. He was wearing white jeans, a navy tie, black gloves, and apron.

"Welcome to Royal Regalia Flower Shop. My name is Lux, and my elder brother Tim is in the back. What can I help you with?" Ivan sighed and looked at the flowers.

"I close friend of mine is in the hospital. I wished to bring her flowers," Ivan looked around the shop and sighed again. Lux put a finger to his chin and smiled.

"Well, how would you describe your friend?"

"She's the only thing in this world that keeps me going. I just met her recently, but I feel so connected to her. She knows how to make me smile and laugh and always tries to find the good in everything. She's like a ray of sunshine in the darkest, dampest, most lonely part of the universe," Ivan absent-mindedly described. Once he realized just how he described Amelia, he blushed a dark crimson. Lux chuckled and nodded.

"Well, if she's like a ray of sun, why not settle on a sunflower?" Lux asked, "they are meant to represent adoration, loyalty, and longevity. They would pair wonderfully with forget-me-nots,"

"Forget-me-nots?"

"These blue flowers right here," Lux gestured to the bright blue flowers, "they are meant to represent remembrance. Many legends say that God named the flower the forget-me-not because he would never forget its beauty. People also link them as a sign of hope and true love,"

"True love..." Ivan repeated. His brows creased at the thought. Lux patted his shoulder and smiled softly.

"Let me know once you decide," the smaller man walked off. Ivan took notice of how gorgeous the blue flowers were and how perfectly they paired with the sunflowers. He then linked the meaning of each flower and what the bouquet would represent. A bouquet that stood for adoration, loyalty, longevity, remembrance, hope, and love. That was exactly how Amelia made him feel, the warmth and compassion she gave him was surreal. He smiled and walked to the counter, finding a tall man at the counter.

"I take it you are Tim?"

"Yes, I am. I apologize for not being on the floor, I was busy outback," Ivan's nose twitched. He picked up the smell of marijuana immediately. Tim had such a straight face as if he was a robot. He didn't emote at all, which made Ivan a tiny bit irritated.

"Yes, busy. You realize I can smell you, da?" Tim sighed. He already knew the jig was up and his sole customer in three days had discovered his secret.

"Once again, I apologize. I have a nasty habit of stress smoking, have done it most of my adulthood. You're our first customer in days, the flower business isn't fairing all that well recently," Tim looked down, ashamed. Ivan smiled softly at him and nodded.

"It is fine, I wish to buy a bouquet of sunflowers and forget-me-nots," Tim nodded and rung up the order. Ivan noticed how Tim did twitch his mouth slightly, it was almost a smile. But, not quite.

"Ten dollars exact," Ivan paid and watched as Tim wrapped a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. Tim seemed to really love his business, he just didn't have the social skills. He seemed hostile and apprehensive, which are two traits a business owner should not have.

"Say, do you do centerpieces?" Lux had just come from the back and went beside his brother. Tim handed Ivan the bouquet and nodded.

"Yes, sir. We do assemble centerpieces. How many would you like and what flowers would you prefer?" Lux had a notepad out already, smiling brighter than a thousand suns. 

"I need 100 centerpieces to be ready in around a month's time. I am hosting a client ball and every table must have an extravagant centerpiece. Take creative liberty with it, this way my clients will know how much you can do," Ivan smiled softly and pulled out a black card, making the two men look at him in shock, "charge 10,000. One-hundred dollars a centerpiece should be enough, da?"

"More than enough sir!" Lux happily cheered. Tim was in shock at the kindness, so much so he actually cracked a microscopic smile! Once Ivan paid, he gently grabbed his bouquet.

"You will receive invitations to the ball by hand, I will have one of my workers drop it off here. I look forward to your spectacular arrangements," Tim and Lux waved happily as Ivan left the flower shop.

Ivan made his way back to the hospital, smiling at the flowers in his arms. He sniffed them deeply, happily taking in the scents of the flawless flowers. When he arrived back to the lobby, he noticed Natalia arguing with a woman in scrubs. Ivan ran up quickly, knowing that his little sister was one word away from tearing off the nurse's head.

"Are you Mr. Braginsky?" the brunette asked.

"Da, I am. Who are you?" Ivan asked as he gently placed his sister on a seat.

"My name is Michelle, I am currently the nurse taking care of Ms. Amelia. She is only allowed to see one person at a time and only those of close relation may visit," the tan nurse had her hair in two ponytails as if she was a schoolgirl. Ivan was about to speak when another woman walked into the waiting area.

"Mr. Braginsky, I am Dr. Louise," she spoke with a French accent. Her blonde hair was in a braid and her glasses were currently tucked into her lab coat pocket, "Amelia is resting now, once she is evaluated upon waking up, we may allow you in. Her husband is the closest relation, above anyone else giving he is the beneficiary of her will. If you wish to stay, I can offer you a private waiting area,"

"Da, that would be nice," the group all stood up and was about to follow Louise.

That's when rushed footsteps made their way towards them as if the person they belonged to was running a marathon and was determined to place first. Ivan looked up and saw a blonde man with a man bun and glasses approach the desk. He was wearing a white and red jersey with the number '67' and the name 'Williams' on the back. His dark jeans were clad to his person as his white running shoes skidded to a stop. His shoes slid on the polished floor, forcing his body to bang against the reception desk. He let out a huff but straightened himself out immediately after. His eyes seemed to be a rare amethyst color, much like Ivan's own. But there was something familiar about this man that Ivan couldn't place.

That's when he realized who he was. That man was Matthew Williams of the Montreal Maples, one of the best hockey players in the entire sport. He seemed smaller without all his gear, but by no means was he a tiny man. The group took notice of Ivan's attention shift and looked to Matthew as well. Natalia and Katyusha knew him as the famous hockey player as well, the trio of siblings watching hockey every weekend together.

A rounder man followed close behind, his long, dark brown dreadlocks tied behind him in a ponytail. His skin contrasted Matthew's well, with the blonde being very pale and this man being very dark. He had dark brown eyes that seemed transfixed on Matthew, the larger man holding the blonde's shoulders. He was wearing dark jeans as well and heavy boots, which really clashed with his bright red tropical shirt. The finishing touch to his outfit was a green headband on with a cigar tucked into it.

"Matthew Williams and Carlos Machado to see Amelia Jones!" upon hearing the names and who they were planning to visit, Louise and Michelle took notice. The woman was typing on her computer.

"May I know your relation?" the woman asked as she continued to type.

"Brother and brother-in-law," Carlos replied, trying to relax the upset Canadian. The desk clerk nodded and gestured to the group.

"Those kind people are also waiting to see Ms. Jones. You may wait until the doctor instructs us further," Matthew was about to reply, but he was quickly snagged by Carlos.

"Gracias señorita," Carlos proceeded to drag Matthew to the chairs. Louise walked over to the duo and did the same introduction. But, upon hearing that Arthur was more of a priority than anybody else, Matthew went ape shit.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I'M HER BROTHER!!! I'M BLOOD RELATED!!! I SHOULD BE IN THERE WITH HER!!!" Matthew was about to rant, but Carlos covered his mouth.

"Lo Siento, doctor. My soulmate is very protective of his younger sister, he normally acts far more composed," Carlos lightly bumped Matthew, making him stop struggling.

"Well, merci for calming him down. If you would all follow me, the private waiting area is right this way," Louise led the group to a cozy little spot in a quiet part of the hospital. Once the group was inside, Louise walked off.

"We will inform you of all changes to Ms. Amelia," Michelle finished before she left the group alone. Carlos set Matthew on a chair next to him while the other sat down across from the couple.

"Cariño, I know you are worried about our conejito pequeña. But, if you make a scene, we won't get to see her. Jou know how to act, this isn't the first time we have been put in this situation,"

"Carlos, you and I both know why she's here. That bastard did this to her and we both know this won't be the last he repeats the same crime. I hate him so much," Matthew was incredibly soft-spoken. But his voice, while a near whisper, spat venom as he spoke.

"You are referring to Arthur, da?" Ivan asked. The two newcomers looked at Ivan in shock but nodded. Ivan gently moved the bouquet around, as to not damage the precious petals.

"Oui, nous le sommes. Je fourrais ce dans un meatgrinder si je pouvais," Matthew grumbled in French. Francis and Gilbert both chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"I 'ave to agree with you, mon ami," Matthew blushed and fixed his hair.

"Merde,  je suis désolé, monsieur. Je ne savais pas que vous parliez Français," Matthew replied with a noticable blush. Francis quirked a smile and shrugged.

"C'est bien, je ne le fais pas normalement savoir," Francis the gestured to Gilbert, "I'm Francis, this is my soulmate, Gilbert. The big man next to me is my boss, Ivan Braginsky,"

"As in Braginsky Infinity?!" Carlos asked excitedly. Ivan nodded and gestured to his sisters.

"Da, that is right. These young women are my sisters. The one to my left is Natalia and to my right is Katyusha,"

"You're Matthew Williams of the Montreal Maples," Katyusha nearly screamed in excitement. Matthew chuckled and nodded.

"I see you're a fan!" all three of the Slavic siblings nodded.

"We all watch hockey every weekend. It's our favorite past time," Natalia had explained with a small smile.

"Happy to entertain you three, it means a lot to know such a powerful family enjoys my sport," Matthew then shifted to the doors, sighing.

"Pardon my asking, but how do all of you know Amelia?" Carlos questioned the group. Ivan turned to him with a slightly more serious expression.

"Amelia is my newly hired personal assistant. You see, I went to a client lunch at the bistro of her prior employment. My client caused a scene that caused her to lose her job on the spot. I took notice of how diligently she worked and how she had her own system. I broke off ties with the client and hired her the next day. So far, she has solidified a future with Yao Wang of Stonegate Enterprises and proved to be wonderful to my staff," Carlos laughed and crossed his arms.

"Yep, sounds like our conejito pequeña," Carlos then took notice of the bright flowers in Ivan's lap. Katyusha took notice as well, pointing to it.

"Say, little brother, what are these? A bouquet for Amelia?" she asked. Matthew looked at the flowers with wide eyes, almost crying.

"Da, I wanted to get her something special. I didn't want to get an average bouquet,"

"That bouquet means a lot more than you think, Mr. Braginsky," Matthew informed.

"Please, call me Ivan," Ivan corrected with a nod. Matthew nodded back and smiled at him.

"Vhat do jou mean by zat?" Gilbert asked, "zey look like just flowers to mein awesome eyes,"

"Well, they may be just flowers. But they are also two types of flowers that we deeply connect to,"

"Really, 'ow so?" Francis was curious. In fact, the entire group was. Even Carlos was at the edge of his seat.

"Well, let me begin with sunflowers. You see, our parents used to take us on weekend picnics in the countryside. The valley was always so lush and green and the sky was always so blue. Our normal picnic spot was right alongside a sunflower field, which Amelia and I would often run around in. Our mom called Amelia the little sunflower because of how much she looked like one. Her golden hair was untamable back in the day and would spur out very randomly, making them look like petals,"

"Honhonhon, untamable 'air? I find zat 'ard to believe,"

"Well, it's true. Sunflowers were also very closely tied to our mom. She adored sunflowers because her and our dad met at that very field they would take us to. Our dad always bought our mother a bouquet of sunflowers if he wanted to be romantic. When our parents died, we buried them in that same sunflower field. It was their last wish that we kept a small container of their ashes and the rest was to be buried in the spot where they met,"

"What about the blue ones?" Natalia asked as she handed her handkerchief to her elder sister, who was beginning to cry.

"Those are forget-me-nots. Amelia was very fond of them growing up and even grew an entire garden of them. She had a habit of making flower crowns with them. Her best friend growing up liked them too. His name was Davie and he constantly picked Amelia's flowers. She was furious at first but eventually forgave him," Matthew looked down as he felt tears sting his eyes.

"Cariño?" Carlos rubbed his back.

"Davie didn't have a soul gem," the group all looked saddened at that. It was rare that someone was born with no soul gem, it was a one in a billion chance! But the studies done about people with no soul gem all ended the same: premature death. If you were born without a soul gem, you never lived past ten.

"How did he die?" Ivan asked softly, afraid if he talked louder he would break Matthew.

"He had cancer and died at the age of seven. Amelia didn't fully understand death still, so she kept telling him that the game wasn't fun anymore. I didn't have much of a grasp on death either, but I could tell that Davie wasn't coming back. So, I had to hold Amelia while they buried him. From that day on, she always put a small bouquet of forget-me-nots on Davie's grave," he clenched his fists.

"Matthieu?" Francis asked. The sudden tension in the pale blonde's features made the room turn cold.

"Until she married Arthur," he spat through gritted teeth, "as soon as she met that bastard, everything Amelia loved was suddenly not of interest to her. She no longer gardened, or sewed, or sang. No, apparently Arthur knew her better than she knew herself. Everything my baby sister was, everything she adored, everything she loved was gone the moment she said 'I do' to that tea-loving son of a bitch!" Matthew punched down on the chair, shattering the armrest to splinters. It was silent for only a minute before Matthew began to sob into his palm, "my precious, smiley little sister disappeared. She was gone the moment she met Arthur Kirkland,"

_________________________________________________________

Translations:

Gracias señorita- thank you, miss

Cariño- dear

conejito pequeña- little bunny

Oui, nous le sommes. Je fourrais ce dans un meatgrinder si je pouvais- yes, I hate that man. I would stuff him in a meatgrinder if I could.

Merde, je suis désolé, monsieur. Je ne savais pas que vous parliez Français- shit, I am sorry, sir. I was not aware you spoke French.

C'est bien, je ne le fais pas normalement savoir- it is alright, I normally do not make it known.