Page 160 of Resurrection
I lift my gaze to the sound and see Sonia rushing over, her face ashen. She’s wearing a loose T-shirt, oversized pajama pants, and a pair of flip-flops. A male nurse is accompanying her.
I manage a small smile, and she offers a tight hug when she reaches us.
"No one would tell me anything when I heard the news," she speaks in a panicked voice, then shifts her attention to Ty. "Are you two okay?"
"We’re fine," I supply.
The male nurse stands back, watching us with curiosity.
"And your brother?" Sonia asks me.
"We're waiting to hear."
She turns to the nurse. "Thank you so much for your help."
"I’m glad you found your friends," he says politely. "Let me know if you need anything else."
Sonia nods. "Sure thing."
When the man is gone, I can’t help but comment, "He’s kinda cute."
"He definitely is," she agrees, then adds in a serious tone, "Let’s just worry about Adri first, all right?"
We wait some more, chatting about nothing just to pass time. Sonia’s gone to the cafeteria to get some snacks when the nurse finally tells us Adri is okay and can have visitors.
I ask Ty to wait outside and storm into my brother’s room, both happy and angry.
Adri’s sitting up in a hospital bed, alive. His shoulder is bandaged, his hair loose and wild, his face pale but alert.
"You idiot," I say, stopping short. "What were you thinking?" I don't know whether to hug him or punch him. Well, punching wouldn't be very nice of me now.
"I'm fine, Shrimp," he replies casually, like I don't have tears in my eyes. Like I didn't just watch my life crumble in front of me. Like nothing happened. "Don’t get all emotional on me."
"You scared me," I accuse, and I can see the truth on his face, the way he's trying to be strong for me, the way he won't admit how close it was.
"I've done it before," he says, wincing as he shifts to sit up straighter. "He wasn't going to kill me."
"How did you know?" I counter, softer now, letting some of my anger melt into relief. "You said it yourself—he brought a weapon to his high school reunion. There was something very wrong with him. How could you be sure he was willing to listen to reason? Besides, he did shoot at you." I motioned at his shoulder.
"You know what your problem is, baby sister? You need to learn how to let go of the things in the past." He gives me a tight smile. "You're stuck with me a little longer."
"You're not making any sense, Adri. What does it have to do with a fact you got hurt," I huff. "And I'm not sure if I'm lucky or cursed to have a brother like you," I say, but I move to sit on a chair and gingerly reach for his hand. Truth is, I'm afraid to touch him, afraid to hurt him. "I'm mad at you."
"Guess I'll have to get used to that," he replies, rolling his eyes. "Oh wait, I already have."
Now I know he’s messing with me for sure. "How long do you have to stay?"
"Few more hours. Just to be safe. The slug barely touched me."
"Just a scratch, right?" I shake my head, not knowing whether to believe him.
He nods. "Told you it wasn't bad."
"Don’t do this again." I squeeze his hand, feeling the tremor in mine. "And what if—what if it had been? What if?—"
"But it wasn't, Shrimp." He looks at me, his eyes too raw, too open. He's scared too. He simply won't say it.
"You shouldn't have done it."
