© Jojo B 2016

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*N.E.V* The Seven Deadly Simpson Brothers

38

(Picture is Paulo)

Hayley's voice sounded through my sleep and I felt so relieved to hear that she seemed okay. I wanted to see her but was unable to open my eyes.

"Coral, can you hear me?"

My eyelids wouldn't open and I felt myself shift in the bed. Yes, I was lying down in a bed.

"I think she's waking up," Hayley said to someone.

There was a short silence and then I could hear Walter.

"Coral," he said softly, kissing my forehead.

I finally managed to pry open my eyes and blinked a couple times before my vision cleared enough to see Walter and Hayley sitting by my bed. Hayley looked a lot better and all the colour had been returned to her face.

"I'm in the hospital?" I croaked at them.

"Yes sweetheart," Walter said, taking my hand in his.

Fragments of what happened before found their way back to me. I remembered Severn being shot in the back by Pedro, Gomez and Giovanni running to his side as the police shouted for them to stay back, Landon's voice raw and pain filled as he cried for his brother when they took Severn into the ambulance. Pedro, my father, was dead. Memories of Carlos sobbing and shaking Pedro's blood soaked body as he lay on the ground. Diego's ashen face as he watched wordlessly, Ario so weak that he had already collapsed to the ground.

"How long have I been sleeping?" I frowned, not liking the idea that important things had been happening while I was out and unaware. "Severn, is he okay?"

"Almost a day," Walter told me, avoiding my second question. "How are you feeling?"

I raised a hand to my warm cheek, feeling a layer of dressing on it. It was hurting, but it was a muted kind of pain, as if I had a lot of drugs in my system that were relieving it.

"You got hit by some ricochet," Walter said. "Bullet bounced off the wall and grazed your cheek."

I raised my brows, "I don't remember that."

Walter rubbed my hair. "You needed a couple stitches."

I half smiled, touching the scar on his own cheek, "I guess that makes us even."

Hayley smiled too, "I'm glad you're okay Coral, you had us scared for a second."

"I was worried about you Hayley," I said to her. "I hope the Santiagos weren't too rough."

She shook her head, "They weren't. Carlos and Ario would always stop the twins or Diego from harassing me. But to be honest, I wasn't really their main interest, they wanted to make arrangements for the Simpsons to give them part of their territory. At least, that's what I gathered. They were speaking Spanish mostly."

Walter scowled, "As if that would ever happen."

"Yeah," Hayley murmured. "And then when you showed up and Pedro saw you...he changed his mind. You were all he wanted."

I shivered involuntarily just thinking about that man.

"I can't believe he was your father Coral," Hayley sent me such a sympathetic look. "I heard about what happened to him."

"Yeah," I replied. "Well he shot Severn. I hope...I hope Severn isn't dead, is he?"

Hayley glanced at Walter who looked at the sheets. I realised how exhausted he was, I knew he hadn't slept at all.

"Walter," my lips started to tremble. "Severn?"

"He's had surgery, but he's still in critical condition," Walter finally said. "The bullet got one of his kidneys and they had to remove it but the other kidney isn't able to function sufficiently on its own, I don't know why. They put him on the waiting list for kidney transplant, but we all know that won't be very useful. We asked for an honest opinion and the doctor said his body is losing the fight..."

"Can't they take mine, or yours or anyone's?" I asked desperately.

Walter sighed, running a hand down his face, "We've tried but none of us are compatible. His body will reject it because of our blood types. Typical isn't it? Just so damn typical. You'd think with there being so many of us in the family, you'd get at least one person who matched him."

Walter had his jaw clenched in anger and I put my hand over his, trying to calm him even though I wasn't exactly calm myself.

"What about mine?" I gripped onto his hand. "Maybe my blood type will be okay for him."

"You're too weak and dehydrated Coral," Walter shook his head. "They would never go ahead with it, hell I would never go ahead with it. It would put too much strain on your body."

I shook my head, "There has to be some way."

"I tried too," Hayley said. "I'm still seventeen so they won't even consider me for a donation."

An utter of pain had me looking around to see where it had come from. Hayley turned also and went over to another bed which was placed next to mine, which I hadn't even noticed.

"Eli, honey, are you okay?" Hayley bent down and rubbed Eli's hair before cupping his bashed up face in her hands.

Eli's wounds had been treated and dressed and I saw that both his hands were rolled in bandage.

"No," he swallowed. "I need to get out. I don't want to be here."

"He doesn't like hospitals," Walter said warily, "at all."

I started to sit up and Walter helped me move so that my legs hung over the edge of the bed.

"Not dizzy or anything?" Walter made sure.

I shook my head, "I'm okay."

Walking over to Eli's bedside, Hayley drew me a seat and I tried to calm Eli down.

"Eli, everything is under control here," I told him even if it wasn't exactly true.

Eli shook his head and squeezed his green eyes shut, "Please. I need to leave."

He tried to get up out of the bed but Walter gently pushed him down, making Eli more determined to get out.

"You need rest," Walter said but Eli kept struggling.

"Walter, stop," Eli cried as Walter pinned him down by his wrists. "You don't understand – "

"I do understand," Walter interrupted him. "A lot of bad things have happened to us in hospitals like this one. I know you're scared...so am I. We all are, but you need to calm down now or I'll call a nurse or someone."

Eli's eyes widened and he slowly stopped fighting, allowing Walter to release his grip on him and stand back.

"You're doing really well," Hayley said to Eli, kissing his battered cheek softly.

Eli nodded, sadness in his eyes as he undoubtedly thought about his sister.

"What happened to your hands," I lightly touched one of his bandaged ones.

Eli frowned looking at his injuries, "Diego did it. He pierced both my hands with his knife, almost all the way through for whatever you guys were doing to Ario."

Walter scowled in anger, "I told that piece of shit to stop."

"Well he didn't," Eli said blankly and then his face creased. "How's Severn?"

Walter mirrored his expression and explained to Eli that Severn needed the right donor and fast. Doctors said they doubted he would survive the night, which was almost upon us and Eli's face fell and he let out a long sigh.

"I don't know what I'd do if we lost him a day after we lost Eunice all those years ago," Eli mumbled.

"Don't say that," Walter hardened his face and Hayley rubbed Eli's hair out of his face.

"You're not going to lose anyone," Hayley told him.

Eli said nothing, he just looked down.

"Can I go and see Severn?" I asked Walter.

Walter swallowed hard and I realised that he had chosen to stay here with me and Eli not just because he was concerned for us, but because he was afraid of seeing Severn get any worse. I held his hand firmly.

"It's okay Walter," I said quietly. "You are such a strong person."

He looked down at me with passion in his eyes, "So are you Coral. I've said it once before and I'm saying it again. You're stronger than you think, I love you."

"Me too," I stroked his bruised face.

"I'll see you later," Hayley said as I got up to leave. "I'm gonna stay here with Eli for a bit. Hopefully Severn is managing well."

"Hopefully," Walter said.

Walter and I walked down the hospital to the critical care unit where Severn was being kept. For the first time since waking up, I thought about how Ario was doing. He had been badly hurt, mostly courtesy of Walter, but I didn't know what kind of condition he was in at the moment.

"What are they doing here?" Walter tensed when he saw Carlos, Diego and Paulo sitting on a row of seats in the corridor just outside the area Severn was.

Walter and I walked right past them and I hadn't even been able to look any of my relatives in the eye. All I hoped was that Ario wasn't in critical condition also.

"Is Ario in here?" I asked Walter quietly as we entered the special wing, walking past occupied rooms.

"I don't think so," Walter muttered. "But I don't really care."

"I was just wondering why the Santiagos were outside," I said, a hint of fear noticeable in my voice.

Walter paused, looking down at me.

"Pedro is dead Coral," he said to me. "That one I know for sure. I saw them take his body away in a bag."

I nodded, remembering all of a sudden how it had been Carlos who had pushed my father off of me in the heat of the fight. I wanted to thank him, but didn't know how.

Walter took me to a room where Severn was lying peacefully asleep with all sorts of monitors beeping around him. Phoenix, Landon, Gomez and Giovanni were all in there with Severn.

"Hey Coral," Landon sent me a shattered smile. "Good to see you up and about."

"Glad you're okay," Gio nodded at me.

"Thank you," I murmured, turning to look at Severn who looked so helpless lying there.

"I can't believe this," Phoenix muttered. "We're expected to just wait here for our brother to die?"

Gomez sighed shakily, "If he dies, I'll die too."

"Don't say that," Landon winced. "They're trying as hard as they can to help him."

Giovanni, who was sitting right next to Severn, touched his brother's blond hair.

"I can't imagine life without him," Gio mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"There has to be a way," I tried and Landon nodded, attempting to stay hopeful.

"Maybe he'll get a donor by tonight," Landon said.

"Yeah," Walter muttered lowly. "And who says that he would be compatible with that donor? It's unlikely."

"Have hope," I said to him and Walter only rubbed his face, trying not to break.

Phoenix sighed and stood up, "I'm going to get some food. What do you guys want?"

"I'm not hungry," Gio muttered, touching Severn's hand.

The rest of us raised our brows and shared looks.

"Come Giovanni," Landon held his hand out to him. "You need to eat something."

"I don't want to," Gio shook his head, looking down at his brother. "I'm staying with him."

Gomez hardened his jaw and looked down, "We'll be back later."

Giovanni nodded and we filed out of Severn's private room, leaving the cacophony of sounding machines behind us. Severn was hanging between life and death and I hoped with all my heart that he'd pull through somehow.

"Please God," I whispered a quiet prayer. "Please."

We were walking out of the critical care unit when Paulo suddenly sprung to his feet and walked up to us. Phoenix looked down at the youngest Santiago with a frown, waiting to hear whatever he had to say.

"I want to donate my kidney," Paulo said, his warm brown eyes solemn.

Phoenix blinked at him, we all did.

"Paulo, what?" Diego stood up, giving his cousin a crazed look. "That's not what you said you wanted to tell them. What happened to saying sorry for your loss?"

"Well I lied, he's not dead yet," Paulo looked at him and then turned to look at all of us. "What I wanted to tell you is that I want to give one of my kidneys to Severn. I heard you guys talking before. I know he's not gonna make it without a transplant."

"But, why?" Phoenix looked at him with a stone cold face, showing no emotion at all.

Paulo sighed, "I lost my uncle...and I don't want to lose anyone else, good or bad."

"Look kid," Phoenix said, giving him a very brief pat on the shoulder. "I appreciate the thought, but don't waste our time."

"I'm serious," Paulo frowned, again making Diego and Carlos give him astonished looks.

"Well," Landon said when Phoenix wouldn't speak. "We can call the doctor and see if he can test to see whether you'd be compatible with him."

So that's what he did, Landon went off and came back ten minutes later with Severn's doctor. The doctor took one look at Paulo and smiled sympathetically.

"How old are you son?" he asked, knowing that in the light of the moment, we'd all forgotten Paulo had to be over eighteen to donate.

"F-fifteen," Paulo replied, realising the truth also.

"I'm afraid you can't donate if you're under eighte – "

"I'll do it," Carlos cut him off, getting to his feet and putting an arm around Paulo's shoulders. "My blood type is universal, I already know that. It won't get rejected."

Diego stared at his older brother as if he'd lost his mind and then he sat down heavily, putting his head in his hands, too grief stricken to deal with his brothers choices.

"Are you serious?" Gomez muttered to him.

"I'm serious," Carlos said, standing up straighter.

He wasn't exactly up to scratch both physically and emotionally, but he was doing this. He was saving Severn's life. The life of the rival gang member his father had tried to kill and ultimately paid the price of death for. At that moment I felt so grateful.

"Alright," the doctor said, giving Carlos' arm a pat. "Let me take you to my office and we'll talk about the procedure and give you a little test to make sure your kidney isn't rejected."

"Will you be able to do it today?" Phoenix asked as they turned to leave.

"We'll try our hardest to get it done as soon as possible," the doctor replied. "We're aware of your brother's critical condition and he will be given priority."

"Thank you," Phoenix said, and although he was looking at the doctor, I knew he was also thanking Carlos Santiago, his so-called archenemy.

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J

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