Mending Broken Hearts

32. Changing Fortunes

A/N: Did you read chapter 31? Make sure you do that first.

June 2020

Omar

The door opened and shut, footsteps shuffled closer. I heard Kylie talk to someone.

"We had to give him some pretty heavy painkillers so he may be a little groggy when he wakes up. But the good news is that nothing seems to be broken, and with pain control he has been able to take normal breaths."

I kept my eyes closed until the sound of someone sniffing reached my ears. Then, that beloved soft and sweet voice, which I cherished, spoke with a tremor as if she were attempting to restrain her tears, "Thank you, Kylie, for looking after him."

She was here? Of course, she was. I blinked my eyes open and attempted to rise. Both Kylie and she offered their hands to support me, but it was her gaze that held mine captive. Her eyes, moist and filled with sorrow, carefully scanned my face. Though a mask concealed most of her face, I imagined her lower lip would be slightly pouting, the edges turned down with a subtle quiver pulsating through them. She didn't have to speak for me to understand the thoughts racing through her mind.

"It's not your fault," I told her.

"How is it not? You were there because of me, I yelled back at the cop..." her voice cracked, breaking my heart.

"He deserved to be yelled at."

"I should have been more careful, I am so sorry," she wiped her eyes.

I reached my hand out and she walked closer, "That cop was out of mind, he would have shot at us even if you stayed quiet." The image of his deranged eyes just as he lifted his gun would be etched in my mind forever. Anger had completely taken over his senses and no amount of cajoling would have mattered. Its nearly impossible to reason with a man so far gone anyway.

Kylie had walked over to me by now as well. "Omar, while I am here let me take a quick listen to you and make sure your bandages don't need to be changed," she said and lifted my shirt from the back.

Madi gasped.

"Come here," I turned to grasp her hand, pulling her in front of me. "You don't need to see that. I am fine, seriously. The pain meds are working. It looks a lot worse than it is."

"Your entire back is black and blue with bruises and cuts, how are you fine?" she asked, the horror in her dark brown eyes morphing into rage.

Kylie changed one of the bandages and walked out of the room soon after, leaving me alone to confront Madi. Meanwhile, she was pacing up and down the room, like she always did when she was angry but couldn't decide what to do about it.

"I swear, I am going to sue the hell out of that cop," her finger waved in the air, before she abruptly stopped, "No, you know what, I am going to sue the entire police department. How dare they? How dare they do this you? We both had our badges and we told him we were waiting for a patient and..."

The moisture in her eyes had evaporated by the fire lit within her. To anyone else, she might have looked like a woman on a mission, full of grit and unwavering strength. To me she looked so adorable, like one of those anime warrior princesses.

Despite my mask she must have noticed me smile. "What are you smiling about?" her brows furrowed. "And why didn't you tell me you were in so much pain? I could have taken care of you, or brought you to the ER."

"Madi, I am ok. I didn't tell you because I needed to get you into my apartment safely. And if I had told you, you would not have listened to me. Besides, remember the paramedic said no extra people in the ambulance, COVID protocol."