The sounds of beeping surrounded me as I regained consciousness, muffled voices around me as I tried to reopen my eyes.

I shut them instantly when a bright light invaded my vison, and I heard someone say to shut them off.

When I felt everything around me go black, I opened them, multiple pairs of eyes looking back at me.

"Kye?" I heard my mother whisper, her face so close to mine I almost jumped.

I didn't respond, my body felt so weak I couldn't speak.

When I glanced around the room, I found my father and the rest of my brothers staring at me, concern on all of their faces.

"Can you hear us?" my mother tried speaking again, and I finally tried to talk.

"Yes," I breathed out, wincing at how dry my throat was.

"Here," my mother said, giving me a glass of water, "drink this."

I gulped down the cup, the fresh water reliving my dried throat.

My father came up to me and put a hand to my shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze.

"We're glad to have you back son," he said to me quietly, and I just nodded.

I didn't forget the last time I had been awake, those haunting memories flooding my mind as I laid there.

"How long have I been here?" I asked them, and they glanced at each other.

"About a month," my mother answered, moving her hand to my hair, "we found you a month ago."

"What happened to James?" I asked.

"He got away," my father cut in, "we've been hunting him down ever since."

"And Aliyah-" my mother started.

"Don't," I whispered, "I already know."

She only looked down, removing her hand from my hair and onto my own.

"They say she has a chance to wake up," she glanced at my father, "but it's slim."

I widened my eyes at what she said, my brain trying to process her words.

"She's alive?" I breathed out, and she nodded.

"But barely," she said.

My father walked up closer to us.

"The reason you're still alive is because of her Kye," he started, "she was able to shoot James in the leg."

"I don't understand," I said, "she looked dead, her body was on the ground."

"When we found you guys, her body was laying next to yours, a gun in her hand as well."

"And when we tested the blood, James's was mixed in with yours." Dominic cut in.

I couldn't process what they were saying, I couldn't comprehend that she was still alive.

"I need to see her," I said to them, and my mother opened her mouth to protest, but my father held up a hand.

"Of course," he said to me, grabbing a wheelchair from across the room and helping me onto it.

They wheeled me down the hallway and into another room, where we were met with Aliyah's family, and my father gave a nod to them.

"Kye, I'm glad you're awake," Will said to me as I was pushed into the room.

His eyes looked sunken, along with Cora's. And it seems as though their eldest daughter was non existent in the room.

But when my eyes scanned the room, looking for Aliyah, I felt like I wanted to die.

There she laid, machines connected her body, a tube down her throat.

I wheeled myself next to her, grabbing her hand in mine as I looked at her closed eyes.

"We'll give you some time," Will said to me, and I heard the door shut behind all of them.

It took a moment before I could speak, before I could even move.

"You saved me," I whispered. "Even though you were dying- you saved me."

I let myself drench into the sadness, the aching feeling taking over my body as I stared at her.

"It should have been me, not you." I told her.

"Why did you come?" I said quietly. "You're so stubborn."

I looked towards the beeping machines, sighing as I looked back at her pale face.

And this time, I allowed the tears the fall, and they did, drenching my cut cheeks.

"You can't leave me," I whispered out, "not when I just got you."

I shook my head as I moved my head down, placing my forehead next to our held hands.

"Don't leave me, please-" I said over and over again.

"I love you, so much," I sobbed into the sheets, gripping onto her hand tightly.

"I love you, my perfect Aliyah..."