Death & Tequila [mxm]

32. Ice Cubes and IVs

Jaiden didn't know what woke him up first: the strong antiseptic smell or the hushed Spanish prayers next to him.

Jaiden opened his eyes and found himself in a dark room. But looking at the dreary ceiling and hearing the commotion outside of the room, he knew he was in the hospital.

He hated hospitals. It only reminded him of the bad memories; when he was in the accident that killed his mom, his dad fighting cancer, when his friends got injured in high school, and the times he had to be rushed in after losing Carlos because his health plummeted.

He swore to never end up in a hospital again, but here he was... again.

From the heaviness in his head, he knew that he was on some medication. He hated this feeling, but he also knew that he would be wracked with pain without it. He was going to hate it more when the medicine wore off.

He tried to feel what was wrong with his body, testing his toes and legs first. He was relieved to know that he could still feel them. A fear was lingering inside of him when he couldn't move anything right after the accident.

Now that he knew that his legs were somewhat functional, he tried to do the same for his fingers but hissed when he felt a sharp pain on his left side. He looked down and saw his arm in a cast. Well, at least he knew that he could feel his arms.

He groaned a little and felt his throat dry and sore. "...Toni..." he forced out a small whisper, and his eyes tried to focus so he could find who he was hoping to see.

"Mijo..." a soft voice sounded.

He slowly turned his head, and a small smile crept on his face. "Tia."

Valeria grinned with tears streaming down her face. The wrinkles around her eyes folded deeply, showing off the years she had spent smiling with Carlos. Her hands held an old rosary, her fingers tightly clamped around a bead.

"Dios mío. We were so scared." She said in a soft voice. She pointed towards the other side of Jaiden.

Jaiden looked down to the side and found Toni asleep in a chair next to his hospital bed. He was curled up and was obviously uncomfortable, and his hand was clutching a rosary of his own.

"Let him rest a little. He just fell asleep, mijo; it's been a few days." She said.

"I'm sorry, Tia." Jaiden said, but his voice was hoarse. He wanted to say more but felt the painful scratching in his throat when he tried.

Valeria grabbed a cup of water with a straw that sitting at the table and held it to his lips. He drank clumsily and slowly, trying not to choke on it.

"Don't feel bad. I want to be here. We all want to be here." She said with a calm smile.

"All?"

"Juan, Carolina, Isabella, Ricardo, Joshua, and Manuel." She said, naming all of her children. "We all decided to come up and check on you."

Jaiden felt his heart warm. He couldn't believe they would all come and check in on him, but they were his family.

"You're all too good for me." He whispered.

She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "You're my youngest son, Jaiden. You're our last blessing, so of course, we will be here. Though Carlos would have lectured you for hours about the dangers of motorcycles."

Jaiden gave a silent laugh, his voice too raw to let out the sound. But there was such joy hearing Valeria call him her son.

Valeria brushed her hand through his hair. "The doctors said that the crash was..." she couldn't finish that sentence. "...It doesn't matter. You should know that not only Carlos was watching over you, but your mother and father were as well."