Nobody's Going To Love You Like I Do

Let me go

3 hours after Nora got shot
At the hospital

I'm standing at the 2nd floor observatory, staring down at Tia Nora's operation. I hear foot steps approaching. "I didn't think you'd come," I say staring at the surgeons below. Oscar stands next to me, looking down at the operation. "Is she ok?" He asks in a low voice. I shrug, "it's been a few hours, they finally stopped the bleeding".

He rests his back against the glass, stares at me intensely. "Why didn't you tell me about your dad?" he finally says. I smile, "Would it have mattered? Would you have never left me knowing I was the daughter of the Original Veterano?" I said staring at his brown eyes. I lick my lips and look away.

"To be honest, I only just found out about Lil' Ricky today. Jamal kept asking about Rollerworld. When he mentioned Galindo, I put 2 and 2 together. Figured Cuchillos knows and that's why she's so deadset on having me killed." "That has nothing to do with your dad that has to do with me." Oscar corrects.

I look at him confused. "Cuchillos and I had some, personal business before you came in the picture" "oh" I say shocked looking away. "But I ended it when shit got real between us" he says tilting his head back resting it against the glass. "So Nora could've died because of some dick" I say in disbelief. "Good dick" Oscar says offended, lightening up the mood. I try hard not to smile.

Oscar places his hand over mine. "Don't" I whisper unconvincingly. He gets closer, standing behind me pressing his body against mine. "Oscar" I say softly getting goosebumps all over my body. He places a hand on my shoulder, gliding his hand down my arm, interlacing his fingers with mine.

He kisses the back of my head. I close my eyes as his lips press against my shoulder, wrapping my arms around me, holding me tight. "Te amo mi amor" he whispers. I smile relieved as I relax my body against his. "Nobody's going to love you more than I do" he kisses my cheek, "but I don't deserve you V" he whispers in my ear. My heart sinks as he lets me go. I turn around, "why not you?" I say holding his face. We stare at eachother, then I kiss him.

He deepens the kiss, slipping his tongue in my mouth, resting me against the railing, gripping onto it. He pulls back. I wrap my arms around his waist, pulling him towards me, hugging him tight. I bury my face in his chest. He kisses the top of my head. Closing his eyes, leaving his lips against it enjoying the moment. The smell of my hair fills up his lungs.

"Stay" I mumble. "V" he exhales breaking from the trance. "If you love me you'd stay" I say looking up at him. He places a hand under my chin, kissing me softly, savoring the moment, "me voy porque te amo" he responds. I push him away, "Bullshit! Me dejas because you're scared. It's easier to be this cold blooded Santos than to make something of yourself!" I grab his face, "baby you can be better and be with me or-or stay a Santos and be with me, you don't have to let me go" I plead.

"Your father gave you up to give you a better chance, I'm not going to take that away" He pulls my hands away holding them. He kisses each one individually. "You're going to be a lawyer, have a husband and kids" "and I still will, with you" I argue. He lets go of my hands and backs up, "there's no future with us V let it go" "You can't decide that for us, I have a choice too" I say getting angry. "You can't choose because there's no option, we're done" he says sternly. I shove his shoulder, "pendejo" I say and walk away.

Oscar's POV

I lean against the wall watching her disappear into the hall. "She deserves better than this lifestyle" I think to myself. I close my eyes looking up, hoping it would stop the tears from falling. I swallow the lump in my throat, the pull out my phone. It's 8:03. I sigh and walk out the hospital. I sit in my Impala, dial Cesar and begin to drive.

"Where you at?" I ask calmly. "I'm at Jasmine's, like you said I found a low key place" Cesar says uneasily. "Good. She's good peoples. you need to surround yourself with people like her, so you can do better, be an architect like you wanted, maybe build that beach house for us in Santa Monica" "Oscar!" Cesar blurts out unsure why.

I chuckle, "it's gonna be ok Lil' Spooky" I say tearing up a bit. "Then why are you talking like I'm never going to see you again?" He says leaning against Jasmines door. "You know anything can happen, I can get got. You can get got" the thought of something happening to Cesar hurt me and you can hear it in my voice. "Nothing's going to happen to me" he reassures. "I know Lil' Spooky" I say confidently.

"It's time to start a new chapter mano. I want you to have adult problems one day, a wife and kids" Cesar sniffles on the other end. "Maybe they'll eat onions like their uncle and know how to tie a tie properly" I tease. He chuckles, "Oscar I-I know I don't say it often but-" "Yo se, I love you too mano" I interrupt. I don'twant to hear it, makes this all feel to real. Knowing is enough. "I gotta go now Lil' Spooky, cuidate eh" "Osc.." I hang up as I pulls up Cuchillos drive way.

Meanwhile Back at the hospital

I walk away from Oscar, holding back my tears. "Don't cry V" I whisper to myself. I take a right to go down the hall, I glance to my right, watching Oscar through the window walking away. My lip begins to tremble as my eyes fill with water and they flow down my face. I take a deep breath in and exhale slowly, I close my eyes and repeat. Deep breath in and exhale slowly.

"Fuck that puto" I think to myself. I open my eyes and drive a fist into the wall. I repeat again with a open palm and follow by a kick. I huff and continue walking down the hall. "Guess that must happen often here" I thought to myself as I realized nobody questioned where loud banging was coming from.

"Ms. Ortiz?" A doctor said walking towards me. "Y-yes, that's me" I say desperately. "I'm Dr. Pinellas can I speak to you privately in my office?" he says. I nod, "is my aunt ok?" I ask following him. "She's lost a lot of blood but she's stable for now".

Dr. Pinellas looks at his pager and sighs, "I got another patient, wait in my office I'll be right back" he says walking away. I open the door and see a man standing near the window, looking out the parking lot. "Oh, I'm sorry, Dr. Pinellas told me to wait here" I say closing the door. "Viviana" the man says. I gasp, walk in and close the door. "Papi?" I whisper. The man turns around. "Papi!" I yell running into his arms like I was 6 years old again.

"Mi'ja" Ricardo says smiling picking me up a few inches off the ground, squeezing me tight. He puts me down, "But how? You? And Dr. Pinellas?" I rambled pointing to the door and at him. He chuckles, "Dr. Pinellas has a brother at Bakersfield, I reached out when you had called."

Tears rolled down my face, "I'm sorry papi, I know I shouldn't have but I-" Ricardo shushed me wiping my tears. "No princesa, you did nothing wrong." I wrap my arms around his waist, "I miss you" I sniffle. "Ya mija no llores," Ricardo says rocking me back and forth caressing my head.

"How long are you staying?" I asked pouting looking at him. "I'm just passing through mi'ja," he says tucking my hair behind my ear, "I had to make sure you and Nora are ok." I scrunch up my face, "Can we talk for 5 minutes?"

Ricardo smiles, gesturing to sit on the chair, "Now you can tell me about this Santos you're dating" he teases. "Papi" I say annoyed rolling my eyes. "Ey You may be grown but I'm still your dad" he said tapping his chest then taking a seat. I laugh, "si señor" I sit on the desk as we catch up and reminisce.

***I struggled writing the father daughter moment since I never had one, so I hope it was a bit believable. Poor Oscar, that feeling of having to let go but wanting to hold on. 🥺 This was the calm before the storm, thanks for reading so far! Did you like the song??***