How to Punch Soren McKinin | ✓

46. HeartBeats

J A Y

The sense of rocking was my only comfort in a place where people are known for dying. Red was pacing, his teeth gently piercing his knuckle as his tongue clicked unconsciously on the roof of his mouth.

Colin's head was bent between his knees, his shoulder shook ever so slightly as his hands rumbled together slowly. Albert was staring, frozen at the wall ahead of him, arms crossed not comforting his silently crying wife.

My father had come and gone, nurses had walked, trotted and ran past me over the past four hours. A girl who was shielding her face, hiding her tears had briskly strode past me.
The smell of smoke clung my clothes like a needy toddler, sticking to me like glue to paper.

Looking down at my hands I found them clutched together, clinging to the hope that his hand would soon be in mine and he'd hold me back.

Robin who had been sitting to my left slid his hand into my mind, I refused to look at him as tears of fear burned my cheeks.

"Jay," When I didn't respond he grabbed my chin and gently forced me to look at him, "Be strong, he isn't gone yet."

My lip wobbled as I forced myself not to cry, my mind raced with the thoughts of him leaving this world, never laughing again, never feeling his touch, never seeing him.

"Stop crying..." He whispered and I nodded weakly, "You're okay. He'll be okay, he's always pushed through when the odds were against him."

We hugged for a long time, long enough for me to get pins and needles in both feet.

"Albert McKinin?" A women in a white coat addressed Albert who snapped his head in the women's direction, the whole family standing up.

"Yes? How—how is he?" Albert looked broken, he looked as if had lost all the money he owned.

"Soren fell into a coma half and hour ago," Her voice was calm, her body posture relaxed as she tried to relax our moods, "He is stable."

Fiona broke down as she collapsed on the ground, Albert bending down to her comfort her. I couldn't tell if she was happy or sad, all I heard was he is stable.

"Can we see him?" Colin begged, staking long strides until he was inches from the flustered women, who'd never seen a person walk as fast he had.

"Yes," She looked at him with kind eyes, "but I'm warning you now, you might be a bit shocked."

She led us to his room, everyone was silent as we looked at the figure laying lifelessly in the bed. Red was the first to take his hand, his limp, sooty hand.

"You did good, buddy." Red whispered, pulling a chair so he could sit and continue to hold his little brothers hand, "You did good."

My feet were plastered to the ground, I couldn't look away from face, eyes closed, muscles relaxed. His mouth was silently open as a tub pumped air into his tired, worn out lungs.

Fiona was stroking his black sooty hair repeatedly and whispering, "My beautiful, beautiful boy."

Albert hand in hand with his son realised how lifeless and alone the boy looked, how much you wanted him to just swear and walk out. He just wanted everything back to normal.

I walked slowly to black haired boy afraid that if my steps were too rough somehow it'd hurt him. My hand found its way over his chest, resting on his heart.

Tears slid down my cheeks as I looked at his closed eyes, the thumping of his heart connecting me in a way I couldn't explain.

"You saved them." I whispered my hand cupping his cheek, "All of them."

Week 2

I paced the mango smoothie on his bedside table, "Morning, my love."

Taking the old, untouched drink from yesterday, placing it in the bin full to the brim of mango smoothies.

"Garbage day today." I chimed, sitting on the edge of his bed, "I put the mango smoothie on your bedside desk for you if wake up today."

Week 3

"Sorry I'm late," I placed the smoothie on the table without looking, brushing his black hair out of his eyes.

Still looking at his restful face my hand found the untouched mango smoothie from the day before, pushing it off the edge of the table. It fell into the bin that had been strategically placed there.

"Looking hot today," I laughed, kissing his forehead before I paced the room as I talked, pacing made me feel less alone in a room of two people, "You know, I picked up the newspaper and you're still being talked about. The city bad boy becomes latest hero, that was their title. So cringe."

I hung on the couch upside down, "Everyone is saying how you and them were always best buds, after you've been named a hero. And I'm here like, 'yeah, no. You knew him when he had two eyebrows. I knew him when he one."

It was eerie only hearing my own laugh.

Week 4

"I've done the maths and you owe me $106.4 for all the smoothies I've bought you," I held onto his hand, "but that's okay, we'll forget about if you wake up."

I let go of his hand feeling the stab in my chest, I was breaking, "Deal?"

Week 5

I opened Soren's hospital room door, looking up from my depressed state.

The smoothie slipped from my hand, cascading on my white shoes as my hands covered my mouth as tears came to my eyes.

"This smoothie is sour, Ray."