STALEMATE [MAFIA] [MXM] ✓

35: BACK

"Come on, honey."

Salem jumps the next morning, immediately lifting up his head and glancing around the room in confusion. It only takes a few seconds for the memories to come back to him, and then he's just sad.

His eyes land on Natalia, standing by the curtain.

Salem is still holding Atlas' hand, previously in the exact same position where he originally fell asleep. Unfortunately, Atlas himself still appears to be unconscious. At least his vitals look stable.

"Huh?" Salem says eloquently, not letting go of Atlas but rubbing his eyes with his other hand. He's still waking up, trying to figure out what's going on. He takes note of several other nurses in the room. He's surprised they aren't kicking him out. Maybe Natalia talked to them about allowing him visitation?

"He's stable," one of them informs him. He looks over to find the same nurse that was manning the desk last night. It must be the early hours of the morning. "We're relocating him. We don't know when he'll wake up."

Salem feels instant happiness at the news that Atlas is alright, hope swelling in his chest. However, his mood is immediately brought down a bit when he processes the last sentence. He hasn't woken up. They have no idea when he will.

Salem hesitantly lets go of Atlas and stands, before following the woman out of the room. He glances behind him and sees the nurses all starting to mess with Atlas and move his bed around. Salem frowns, not wanting to leave him like this.

"Don't worry," Natalia says, tone reassuring. "He's in good hands. How about we go get some food?"

Wow, she's got a fucking point there. Salem hasn't eaten in a long goddamn time, and his body could absolutely use the nourishment. He gives her a simple nod, but can't help his continued concern and curiosity. "What if he wakes up?"

"You'll be the first to know."

This helps Salem feel a bit better, and he's much more at ease as he follows Natalia out to her mom van. Before he knows it they're on their way to a nearby breakfast place, and he finds himself feeling excited. He's not sure why, but he's always loved breakfast places.

After getting sat and greeted, the server walks away to grab them their drinks. Salem got a water and Natalia a coffee. She's not even looking at the menu, so Salem assumes she knows what she wants. Salem looks for a few minutes before deciding as well.

As soon as they place their order, Natalia is focusing on him. He has her full, undivided attention, and he finds himself feeling a bit nervous.

"I was told," she says, "that it's resolved."

Salem isn't sure if she's talking about anything specific, so he just settles on the whole situation. They've had a lot going on for awhile now, and once Salem is okay again, he will finally be able to relax.

"Well, I guess." Salem says, shrugging. He averts his eyes to the table as he thinks about it all. "They're all dead, so..."

She hums, nodding and taking a sip of her coffee. Her eyes are unmoving from him, and he can't help but wonder if she had another motive for taking him to breakfast. Oh no, is she mad at him?! Honestly, he probably deserves it. He's mad at himself, too.

"That's good." She says simply, and Salem shrugs. Yeah, it's good, but he doesn't feel all that accomplished. He just wants Atlas to be okay again.

"How did it feel?" The woman asks, looking at him in an innocent curiosity. Despite the easy attitude, he gets the sense that what she's asking isn't of such a pure place.

"What do you mean?"

She kind of looks at him for a moment , and it's strange to see her so serious. She's usually so easygoing and sweet. Usually so motherly. It's weird for her to be talking to him like this. Seriously, is he in trouble or something?