Demons The Series

Chapter 3: Dark Days Ahead

Alberto watched nurses come and go all day that day. It had been a complete day since Alberto and Luca were admitted to the hospital, and the situation kept worsening. Alberto had his breathing test study where they put a scope down his throat to check if his airway was obstructed or damaged. The results came back that he had severe tracheamalacia, a partial collapse of the windpipe that came from being beaten as a child.

Luca continued to sleep, although nurses would come in and turn him every two hours as he was too weak to move.
Alberto would cry as he watched his best friend deteriorate in front of his eyes at a rapid pace and there was nothing that could be done to fix it.
He was so used to helping fix Luca's problems for him when he could. But this time, this time was different. He couldn't do anything to fix this problem and this made him feel hopeless and defeated, two feelings he hated feeling.
Nothing would change the fact Luca had less than 6 months to live and he wouldn't be there to grow up with him and spend time with him.

Physical therapy came in and helped Alberto get up and walk around so he could get out of bed. They had him assisted when he walked in case he has a seizure and collapsed.
Alberto put his hands in the pocket of his new black jacket Barley got him as he walked. Looking down at the ground, all he could think about was Luca and how he was doing. Luca was so important to him and he didn't want to loose him but he feared it would end up that way. He just had a feeling and he was so scared he was right. Alberto couldn't snap out of the feeling he had gush over him. The intense feeling of pain and loneliness sank in as if Luca was already dead. Laurel noticed this and tried to cheer Alberto up as she went walking with him down the halls but it didn't work. She didn't know exactly how much Luca meant to him. Nobody did, yet she still tried everything in her power to cheer the young teen up.
It felt like Alberto was slowly losing grip on reality like when he was younger and was becoming depressed.
Laurel wasn't going to let depression win with Alberto. Not if she could help it.

Once they made it back to the room, Laurel helped Alberto back in bed and tried to talk to him to cheer him up.
Alberto dried his eyes and tried to hold back tears so Luca wouldn't hear him. However, they just kept flowing and he couldn't stop them. He was usually very good at masking his feelings, but this time was totally different. He couldn't control his emotions this time.
He looked up at Laurel as he wiped his eyes with the sleeve on his jacket and said, "I think y'all are cool and so far people don't judge me or poke fingers at me when they see me as a sea monster. I blend in and I like that. I wanna try to make it work here but right now I'm so depressed and feel so alone I don't know what I truly want anymore. I do know I just want Luca to be better. I don't wanna lose him. He is my life and my best friend in the whole world. He makes it where I have incentive to wake up in the morning and if I lose him I won't be anything and all my sanity will be gone. I will be at square one again; miserable, praying for death because I feel like I have nothing to live for. I feel emotionally drained in so much that food doesn't even give me energy and nothing but Luca makes me happy. I have to eat because I am diabetic, but I don't know, Laurel. I am thankful for the stuff Barley bought me. I really like it yet somehow I feel I really don't deserve nice things like that. I don't know how to explain it, I am just so worried I will wake up tomorrow and Luca be gone and...and I would not have been awake to say good bye. He was always there for me when I was sad ever since I met him. He would always do his best to cheer me up. We would take turns cheering each other up. But this time, this time I feel like I am letting him down because I am helpless to make things better for him this time around. It is tearing me up inside and I couldn't ever live with myself if he was gone, knowing I couldn't help him."
Alberto cried silently into his hands and tried to hide his tears but Laurel knew what he was doing.

Later on that day, Laurel called Ian and barley and told them about Alberto and Luca. She told them about how Luca was put on hospice and that chemo would soon start for him. He would be fitted for a chemo port later on that week and Alberto would be fitted for a port as well due to the need for IV medication when he couldn't take his medicine by mouth due to nausea.
Barley said that both he and Ian would drop by later today to say hello. Laurel said that it would be nice to see them and she would keep them updated on everything.
Barley said ok and continued to talk for about 30 more minutes before letting his mom go.
After she got off the phone, Laurel told Alberto that barley and Ian would be coming to visit later and he said ok, his back turned to Laurel as he tried to keep back tears.