"Why-I mean obviously he needed surgery to get the bullet out of him, but why-" I stammered.

The doctor looked at me sympathetically. "He reopened the wounds. He strained himself. It's nothing too serious, Cecilia. He'll just be in more pain than he needed to be."

I nodded sadly. I felt like this was my fault.

My mother patted me gently on the back. I smiled at her weakly. She hugged me. "It'll be okay." She whispered in my ear. I felt a tear trace its way down my cheek. I felt like my heart was breaking.

Yeah, it wasn't that bad. I get it. But the whole thing Isaac and I had gone through created a bond between us. When something so traumatic happens to two people...well...those two people are going to try to stick together.

My parents stayed with me for another two hours. We didn't say much, but their presence was just comforting to me. I still had them, and I would still have Isaac.

Soon.

I fell asleep while watching TV after my parents left (which was not something I had ever done at home).

My dreams that night were confusing and jumbled. I heard gunshots and Isaac's voice calling my name. I saw a piece of porcelain fly through the air in slow motion and felt pain explode in my shoulder.

I woke up sweating, gripping the edge of my bed and breathing heavily. Two minutes later, I heard a very loud knock on my door. I jumped about a foot in the air. It sounded like a quieter version of the gunshots I had heard in my dreams.

"CECILIA CAN I CO-DAMMIT GET OFF OF ME!" A voice yelled from outside my door. I blinked. I would know that voice anywhere.

"NALA!" I yelled, the fear leaving my heart. I could really use a visit from a friend right now. "GET IN HERE!"

"OKAY ONE SEC-WOULD YOU STEP BACK, PLEASE. SHE KNOWS ME, OKAY?" Nala's voice shouted. I laughed a little. Thank goodness for my best friend's wonderfully stubborn attitude.

The door opened and Nala burst in. She tripped over herself and gained her balance a few feet away from the door. She looked up, scanning the room, and finally met my eyes.

A wide grin spread across her face. She ran up to my bed, her green eyes sparkling and her red hair flying.

And then we hugged.

Because that's what best friends do.