Don't Give Up On Me ✔

Chapter 66 ~ Is she...

Sofia's POV

A beige wall. I've been staring at a beige wall for the past hour. Nick went all crazy; he was given a shot and passed out. He's still out. Isla's heart stopped. That's the last information that any of us have received. A beige wall. I've been staring at a beige wall for the past fucking hour, losing my mind.

It's hard to process everything that has gone on today. I still don't think I've fully wrapped my mind around it yet. It's scary. I want to help Nick, but I can't even help myself. The silence around me is suffocating. "H-how long until N-Nick wakes up?" I timidly ask.

Tyler shrugs. "I don't know." Tyler looks at Nick. "Is anyone else afraid of him now?"

"A little." Luke admits.

Hayden rubs the back of his neck while biting the inside of his cheek. "I've never seen him that mad before. He couldn't control himself."

Killian grabs my hand and gives a small smile. "Sis, he would never hurt you. He loves you too much. You have no reason to be scared of him."

Looking Killian in the eyes, I feel a few tears slip. "I'm not afraid of Nick. I love him and he loves me. I believe wholeheartedly that he would never hurt me." I bite my lip, trying to figure out how to explain the way I feel. "The problem isn't him, it's me. If Isla doesn't make it, how am I supposed to help him when I'm not even going to be able to help myself?"

"First, Isla is going to be okay. Secondly, you two will be there for each other if anything ever happens, but again, Isla is going to be fine." My brother says as he squeezes my hand.

If on cue Nick starts to stir. The guys all look a little hesitant except for my brother. If my brother isn't fazed about Nick's outburst, then I'm definitely not either. I know my brother would never allow harm to come to me or our younger sister. So, if he doesn't think Nick is a danger to me, then I know he isn't.

Killian's POV

Nick is sluggishly starting to wake up. I'm surprised that Hayden and Luke seem somewhat scared of him. I thought they had all been best friends. I'll admit his outburst was shocking, but I get it. I would feel the same way he does if something happens to Sofia and Emma. I'm devastated with what has happened with Isla, but if it was my sisters it would be even worse. I know everyone else thinks Nick is crazy for claiming Isla as his sister, but he really does think of her as his little sister. He looks at Isla the same way I look at Sofia and Emma. The way he talks about Isla, you would think they were siblings since birth. So, I fully understand his outburst. I would want to kill and hurt everyone too, if it had been Sofia or Emma.

That's also how I know he's perfect for my sister. We're growing up, and while I hate to admit it, Sofia and I will start to drift apart a little. We will end up with our own lives and our own families. I'll always be there for my sister. I'll always be a call away, but I won't always be physically there. Nick on the other hand, he'll be by her side. The way he is reacting to Isla, is the same way he will react to Sofia. Nick protects his family. Nick would give his life to protect his family. One day Nick and Sofia will have a family.

"What happened?" Nick groggily asks. "I feel dizzy."

Sofia is too busy trying to fight back tears to speak. "Um, you had to be sedated because you kind of lost it when we were told..." I trail off not knowing what to say.

A mixture of fear and panic is written on Nick's face. "When we were told what?" He asks as his voice trembles.

I take a deep breath. "When we were told that Isla flatlined."

Tears build up in his eyes. "How is she? Is she okay?"

"We still don't know. Tyler's parents went back there, but it's been over an hour now."

Nick nods in understanding before he starts to clench his fists. "So, I went crazy and now everyone is afraid of me?" He looks over to Sofia, who is silently crying. "Baby, I'm so sorry," he says while cautiously grabbing her hand. "I would never hurt you. You have to-"

Before he can finish speaking, Sofia sits on his lap and gives him a kiss. She pulls away from Nick leaving him with a confusion written all over him. "I love you Nick. I know you wouldn't hurt me."

As he pulls my sister tightly into his chest, he starts to cry. "She has to make it, Sofia. I need Isla in my life. She's my sister. I've always wanted a sibling and now that I have one, I can't lose her."

I'm normally the one to keep my emotions under control but watching Nick cry while holding my sister causes me to be at my breaking point again.

Hayden's POV

It's been two hours since Luke was escorted out of Isla's room and we still haven't heard any update. I can't even begin to describe how I feel. I'm not even fully sure what I feel. The girl who was with Isla when she was shot texted Sofia not too long ago. Her friend, Thomas, I think that's his name. His injury isn't life threatening, and he should be released tomorrow to go home. That's great for him, but I want the same for Isla.

Sofia was able to get a little more information on what happened also. After Chelsea was taunting and calling Isla names, she tried grabbing Isla and pull her out of the diner. That's when Thomas stepped in and everything went downhill. I'm really grateful for Thomas. If it wasn't for him, then Isla would have died in the diner.

Everyone keeps trying to tell me and Luke that it isn't our faults that this happened, but I still feel like I am to blame. The worst part is even if we aren't at fault, I hate that the last time that Isla saw any of us we were all arguing and fighting. I called Mrs. Ford earlier to let her know what was going on. She agreed with me that we should wait before telling Isaac and Isabelle. If they knew Isla was hurt, they would want to be up here, but they are too young to need to be up here, worrying about their sister.

Besides crying, we've all remained silent. I am glad that Nick seems calmer, but we all know he's hurting. We're all hurting but each in our own way. Who knew that one person could affect so many people? The silence is deafening. "She's going to be fine." I finally blurt out, causing all of my friends to look at me. "She's the strongest person that any of us know."

"You're just saying that." Luke says with his head in his lap.

"No, I'm not. Think about it. She lost two sets of parents, she's been tormented for years by her peers and she's had the weight of the world come crashing down on her and yet not once has she ever given up on life. Sure, there are times that she has probably wanted to, but she doesn't. Isla wouldn't leave Isaac and Isabelle, and she's not going to leave us."

Killian smiles. "Exactly. Isla is a fighter. She's not going to leave us. This is just a setback, but she'll come through. She always does."

All of us start to lighten up a bit as our faith grows. "We're all going to think positive. She's going to wake up and make a full recovery." Tyler agrees. We continue to talk about the many reasons why Isla will make it as we wait to hear news about her condition.

The three-hour mark has just passed when the ICU double doors open up and Tyler's mom walks out in scrubs that are covered in blood. Isla's blood. The faith we all had suddenly vanishes into thin air as if we never had it. I want to ask if she's okay, but my voice betrays me as it seems to be lost somewhere in the silence. "Mom," Tyler's voice seems to echo in the deadly-silent waiting room. "Is she... is she okay?"