Sell Your Soul For Love

Chapter 14

Nico's twentieth birthday came and went, and so did the ones after it. Never was there another sign of William Solace. He got a job, made money, and moved in with Hazel when she got married. His little nephew was the new center of his life. Everything seemed good, right. Everything was alright. He didn't fear death anymore. He repented, asked for forgiveness. Everyone around him forgave him.

Yet, on his 26th birthday, Will ruined all of this again.

Nico woke up that morning to Hazel hovering next to his bedside, a tray of pancakes in one hand and her son on her hip. She plopped the tray on his lap before sitting him up, smiling the entire time. "Happy birthday, Neeks."

"Thanks," he took the year old baby from her and held him close. "How did this little guy sleep?"

"No nightmares. He's getting better." she sat next to him. "Now eat your breakfast, birthday boy."

They spent the morning together in the living room, endlessly doing pointless things that pleased the baby and in turn pleased them. Her husband helped them cook lunch, and they both gave Nico presents that he loved. One was a silver cross necklace, that happened to not burn him when he put it on.

After they ate lunch, the doorbell rang and shattered their perfect mood. Hazel went to answer it, since she was the only one open to do so. She wiped her hands and took off for the door, leaving Nico to watch his nephew in admiration. That baby made him so happy, made him realize that life was always worth living. There was so much good that broke through the bad.

He could hear hushed talking for a couple minutes before Hazel reentered the room, her face showing every emotion she had. All negative. "Nico, we need to talk for a minute, okay?"

Nico didn't have a choice but to accept, his smile dropping from his pale face. "What's wrong? Is everyone okay?"

She gave him a small, sad smile before sitting next to his wheelchair on the brown leather couch. "I know this conversation won't be at all pleasant, but we need to have it. So I'm just going to come out and say it, if that's alright with you. It'll save you a lot of time that you may wish to have."

"Okay...?" he set the little boy on the ground and made sure he crawled to his toys alright before looking to Hazel again. "Just tell me because you're really making me nervous. What happened? Who was at the door?"

"Will's mother." Hazel got the easiest question over with first. "You know...Will Solace. The boy-"

"You don't have to remind me." Nico quickly cut in, scowling. "Just tell me what she wanted. If Will thinks I can forgive him so easily, he's surely mistaken."

Hazel took a deep breath before grabbing Nico's hands, her's warm to the touch. "There's a reason that she came and not Will. Drop the angry face and let me explain, okay?"

He nodded slightly, knowing he couldn't be mad at Hazel. None of this was her fault. "Okay, explain."

She gave him another sweet smile, but it was laced with sympathy. He hadn't seen that on her face in a while, but remembered it from his troublesome teenage years. "Will's in the hospital. He got in a bad car accident, on his way to college. They called everyone in to say their goodbyes because they don't think he'll last long. I'm...I'm sorry, Nico. I wish I had better news."

Nico had been waiting to rant, to tell Will exactly where he could stick his apology. But the words died in his throat as he processed what Hazel had said, his heart sinking into his stomach. No, not Will. Will wasn't supposed to go before him. Not like this.

"How quickly can you take me there?" Nico breathed out, his voice heavy with emotions.

She got up and wiped at her eyes, not sad about Will but what she knew his death would do to Nico. "Let's get going, big brother,"

~~~LIne Break~~~

Nico remembered the hospital all to well, it the same one he had been treated at many times before. The halls held painful memories that he'd rather forget, and would soon hold new, more raw memories in his brain and heart. If this was the place he said goodbye to the feeling in his legs, it seemed only fitting that this would be the place he said goodbye to Will.

Over the years, Nico had done his best to forget Will. Most of the time it had worked. But his heart still ached some nights, and every once in awhile Will would appear in one of his drawings. He loved him, more than anything, and nobody could take that away from him. Love didn't mean to be with someone, especially if that relationship was unhealthy, and knew that applied to him. That was one of the main reasons he had never tried to get back with Will before today. But now, he couldn't allow him to die. Not without having said goodbye and reminded him that he was loved.

Hazel pushed his wheelchair into the room slowly, her eyes downcast as well as her heart. Nico wasn't prepared for the sight, no matter how hard he had tried on the way.

"He's in pretty bad shape." Hazel had said as she drove, her eyes glossy. "He broke so many bones, completely crushed a couple. So be prepared for casts. And then..., well, I don't want to paint too gruesome of a picture. But the steering wheel had embedded itself into his chest. Not to mention the punctured lungs and his punctured heart..."

Hazel had been right about the gruesome picture. Will laid in that bed paler than ever, paler than Nico at his worst moments. Machines surrounded him and tubes hooked up to him, drawing blood and giving medicine and anything else they could do to numb his pain. His legs were both in casts and one of his arms weren't even there anymore, somehow having been cut off in the crash. It must have been bad to put him in the state he was in, leaving Nico to wonder exactly how the people in the other car were.

As Hazel wheeled him closer Nico noticed the wraps around his chest and the blood that stained them, the tube down his throat the only thing causing his chest to rise and fall. Nico had never seen someone so close to death before, someone actually expected to die with nothing left to be done. He hated it.

"Will?" Nico asked, slowly moving a hand to the unconscious boy's hand. "Will, I'm right here. I'm not leaving you."

He felt tears escape his eyes as he brought the cold hand to his lips, kissing it between words. "I love you. I love you so much, Will."

The doctor came in, then, and talked to Hazel quietly, but Nico didn't pay attention. How could he? He knew Will was going to die, and soon, so why would anything the doctor says be important to him? The doctor had failed him, failed to save the young man in that hospital bed. He failed his nearly impossible job.

"Nico," Hazel was suddenly at his side, her hand on his shoulder. "Dr. Mason said that he probably has until tomorrow. If he wakes up, it won't be for awhile. Why don't we go home until then?"

Immediately, Nico shook his head. "No. No, Hazel. I'm not leaving him." Being separated for so long seemed to have no dent in his love for Will, nor the fact of what Will had done for him. He loved him, and watching him die was hell, but knew that if he were to go home he'd be in even more hell as he thought about Will dying alone.

"Fine, I know I can't change your mind." she planted a quick kiss on his forehead before straightening up. "But I'm going to go home and get some sleep, okay? Call me if you need anything."

He nodded once to let her know he heard before turning his full attention back on Will, waiting for the moment he could see those blue eyes open again.