Hospital Haven

Chapter 12

Turns out they had rigged up explosions weeks ago. They were impatient. And greedy. Only about half of everyone was out of the building when the pressed it.

We all go flying. Nicoli's hand flies out mind and I go sprawling onto the gravel. All I can hear is a ringing in my ears. My head is pounding and everything hurts. I don't try to get up first thing. Debris scatters around me. Some of it's still on fire.

After a moment or two, I stand up and look around. Through the dust and smoke I see bodies are everywhere. I can feel my stomach drop to the ground. I'm shivering, yet I'm sweating, and the building is slightly on fire. I think I'm going to be sick.

I slowly walk around. I need to find Marco and Nicoli. I begin to panic.

"Marco! Nicoli!" I see the faces of bodies. Some charred, some bloody from falling debris. Blood dyes the grass and dirt. The stench of dead bodies fills the hot air. I feel like I could pass out and join them.

"Marco! Nicoli! Where are you!?" Fear fills me up like a water balloon.

"Aleksander!" Calls a voice.

I move as fast as I can. My leg has a gash as long as my hand and it's gushing. I start to see someone through the clouds. They're sprawled under a bloody bush. I kneel down next to them and clear the blood and dirt off their face.

It's Marco. He starts to sit up. Blood drips off his face from his mouth and forehead. His arms are covered in little nicks, and his right ankle is twisted in a way that it must be broken.

"Can you stand?" I can hear myself holding back tears. We grab onto each other and he pulls himself up. "Where's your cane?"

"Lost it in the blast." He can barely speak. "We have to find Nicoli."

Leaning on one another, we start searching. We try and call out for him, but we can barely breathe through the stench of burnt bodies. It chokes our noses and makes our eyes water. We look under every big rock, behind every burnt tree. We choke back cries at every dead friend we see. I mumble the list as we search.

"Dalton, Jethro, Rocco, Konrad. . ." It's all that keeps me from screaming.

After what feels like days of searching, we find our bag with clothes; Nicoli was carrying it. We let go of each other and get on our knees.

"Nicoli! Where are you little buddy! We're right here!" We scream, breathing in all the smoke and soot.

Finally we find him. His arm is sticking out from under a huge piece of debris. It takes everything we have to pull him out.

When we finally see him, I break down. One of his legs is completely ripped off from the thigh down. He's bleeding out. It pools out of him at every corner. Gashes cover him. There's nothing we can do.

"Hey. . . hey guys." He has the best smile he could possible have. "I'm sorry." Tears drip down his face.

We sit down next to him. Marco puts Nicoli's head in his lap and plays with his hair. I take his hand and hold it.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Rivers run down my face.

"Are you in pain?" Marco voice is cracking.

He shakes his head. "I just feel nothing, like I'm lying on the beach." His eyes lock with mine. "Guess we're not gonna get that beach house."

I can't speak. All I can manage is a smile.

He looks back at Marco."Promise you won't forget me?"

"I could never forget my little brother." He leans down and kisses him on his forehead. I do the same. "Now why don't you go to sleep. And when you wake up, everything will be perfect."

"Goodnight Marco. Goodnight Aleksander. I love you."

"Goodnight Nicoli. We love you."

He closes his eyes and falls asleep. And then it ends. It doesn't take long for his little chest to rise and fall, and then just stay. Marco checks for a pulse.

"He was born in the winter. His parents said his smile was as pure as fresh snow. He died in the spring, like the snow."

Marco picks him up and we head down the driveway. In the bag of clothes, I pull out his favorite shirt and his favorite drawing from Marco. We head down to a little patch of trees right at the opening of the driveway. I start digging a hole as Marco changes his shirt and cleans off the blood. We lay him in the grave and have him hugging the drawing. Before we cover him up we say our goodbyes.

"Nicoli was born February 15, he died on April 22, the day of the Earth. And on this day, we let him join the Earth, even if it is far too soon." I look down at his face. "I remember how we met. A thunderstorm. You always hated them. You crawled into my box, wet and bloody. You cried and begged me for food.

"All those years. All those nights sick or hurt or crying or smiling or laughing. I carried you up that hill from this spot. We spend four years side by side. The best and the worst four years. Thank you, little brother. Goodbye." I step back and let Marco talk.

"I met you in an ICU. We were dying, but we living. We had just started living. From that moment it was us. A trio. I was an angry kid with nothing and no one. And you reminded me how to smile. How to laugh. How to take the worst and make it great. You took a kid who would have lived his life a criminal until he was shot on the side of the road, and made him a cane. A cane that meant you cared. We spent three years in that building. And we would have spent more. And now I really don't know how we're gonna do this without you. And I would walk to the ends of the earth to switches places with you. Goodbye little buddy."

He can't hold it any longer. He breaks down and falls to his knees, screaming and sobbing. In all my three years of living next to him, I've never heard him cry like this. I cover Nicoli up with the rest of the leaves and dirt. After I sit down next to him and hold him. He doesn't resist. We stay there for the rest of the night. We just sit there, encased in dried blood, tears, and our agony. Our tears and sobs become one. I'm sure Nicoli can hear us all the way from heaven.