The Genius Freak and The Bad Boy

Epilogue

"Hey, how is he?" Ryder greeted as he planted a kiss on my forehead and handed me my hot chocolate. I don't do coffees.

"No changes," I sighed in exhaustion, rubbing my eyes and stifling a yawn. I could barely keep my eyes open and Ryder messed with my hair, chuckling lowly. I let my fingers warm themselves up against the hot cup that held my drink.

The temperature of the hospital room was too cold for my frail body and my body couldn't keep up with it so I ended up cold and shivering most nights but I still refused to leave the room unless it was for school.

It's been 3 months now and I was growing worried, he should've woken up by now. What kind of hit did he get on his head to get him knocked out this bad?

I sipped on my chocolate, taking soothing comfort in the warm and sweet thick liquid that hit my taste buds as soon as it entered my mouth.

It trickled down my throat and I parted my lips a bit to cool down my blistering hot tongue from the liquid.

It was hot chocolate, alright.

I set the cup down on the table beside me and slouched on the couch, letting my facade down and showing how worn out I've been feeling for the past days.

Ryder seemed to notice and a cute frown appeared on his face and I knew a lecture was coming but it seemed like he was trying to bite his tongue, as if he knew I didn't need to hear his long ass lecture at that moment. Thank God.

"Get some rest, Luce, it's late and you're tired." He urged me, sitting beside me on the sofa, letting me rest my head on his shoulder.

I yawned once.

"But, I don't want to.. Sleep." I stifled another yawn before my eyes shut close and refused to open itself.

"Sleep, Luce. Don't worry, I'll keep watch." He assured me, putting a hand behind the back of my side of the couch.

A thought passed my mind briefly and I couldn't help but voice it out loud.

"Hey, Ryder?"

"Yeah?" He murmured, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I blew air through my parted lips in annoyance as I cracked one eye open just to glare at him. He knew I hated how cheesy those kind of actions were.

I stopped glaring for a second and asked the question, "Do you think Drake's gonna remember me? The doctor said he had a pretty bad injury and there's a possibility that he might experience memory loss. Do you think he'll recognize me when he wakes up?"

I could hear the frown in Ryder's voice as I voiced out the question. "Of course, Luce. You're everything to Drake, everyone with eyes can see that. You're his world." I smiled when I heard it but frowned again.

"Do you think he's ever gonna wake up? It's been 3 months. You know that's longer than general cases." I was worried out of my mind and Drake wasn't helping by lying unconscious on a bed covered with white sheets. It was really hard to keep being optimistic when you're sitting there talking to your brother who's in a coma.

He wasn't responding whatsoever and it was taking longer than what the doctor predicted. I knew I sounded like a whiny brat but this was Drake we were talking about.

He was my rock. He was my everything as much as I was his everything. I looked up to him as a role model and I looked to him for advices. He had always been there for me and I couldn't see a day in the near future where I wouldn't be able to enjoy his daily jokes and his antics.

"Well, Drake's not general. He's unique so maybe he's taking his time to collect the energy to deal with you when he wakes up." Ryder suggested in a joking manner and I smiled at how he's trying to cheer me up and lighten things up even at this time of the day.

It was 2 in the morning on a Friday. He usually kept me company on Fridays since Tia wasn't allowed out of her house at this hour but I guess Ryder's household was much.. Curfew-less?

After asking a few questions and telling a few jokes, I finally felt like my eyelids were about to get glued shut and soon, I welcomed the dark pit of serene peace once more.

The last thing I felt was a soft feathery kiss pressed lightly on my forehead and a voice whispering, "Sleep well, Luce," into my ear.

•~•~•

I woke up to a groan and a deep, familiar voice threatening someone to break their arm off.

"Ryder, I don't care who you are, if you don't take your hands off my sister, it's coming off in 5 seconds flat. Just because I'm on a hospital bed, doesn't mean I can't break that piece of crap like a toothpick."

I snapped my eyes open the second I realized whose voice it was, "Drake!" I squealed in joy as I shot off the couch and jumped into his arms.

"You're awake!" I didn't even acknowledge his embarrassing comment about Ryder and me. I guess we fell asleep, oh well..

After a few tears of relief were shed, mostly by yours truly, and the doctors and nurses came in to check on Drake, they scheduled him to do a few tests to make sure everything was okay with him.

I dragged a seat to my brother's bedside once everyone else had left the room, Ryder choosing to stand behind my seat while I took Drake's hand in mine and held it. A part of me was still scared that everything was a dream and I was going to wake up any second now and my brother would still be in a coma.

"So, what did I miss?" Drake asked us, glancing at the both of us when we started grinning like crazy and started laughing like it was a sick inside joke.

"I'll fill you in later," I giggled to him, honestly, I'm more scared of his reaction than anything but I couldn't help but laugh at how fictitious it would sound.

And as I looked around, staring at Drake's confused expression and Ryder's laughing state, I thought about Tia and thought about how lucky I was to have them in my life, regardless of what baggage they carried with them.

This was my family.

Blood doesn't automatically make you family. Only time would be able to tell who's your family and I'm happy with my little family right now, it's all I could ever ask for.

The End.