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Aresius' POV

"They're keeping him locked up in solitary for now Boss, so we can interrogate him some more later. The Police Department gave us jurisdiction over whatever happens to him next so just say the word when you're ready."

I nodded at Casey, one of my employees and she left the room, mouthing a bye to everyone else in the room.

The room was left in a tense silence after the door of my office clicked shut. I looked out of the window, turning my back on the men in the room.

"It's a good thing that man was caught boss, he had ties to a lot of the major cases we're working on. We can get something out of him," Jerryl said, his tone cautious.

"I'm going to kill him," I said lowly.

Jakob, someone who was both my oldest friend and business partners of sorts, cleared his throat, "Adler we need him to get to the men higher up, you can't kill him."

I turned to look at the two of them, watching them shift slightly, "Get all that you need out of him in the next two days."

The two shared a look and finally nodded at me. I stood up from my seat, and walked towards the door.

"Are you uh...going to see her boss?" Jerryl asked carefully.

I paused, my back to them and hand on the doorknob.

I nodded my head once, my jaw clenched. Not giving them a chance to say anything else, I walked out of the room and down the stairs.

The energy at the shop and amongst the team was on edge, and I knew for a fact that it had to do with me. I paid no one any mind, the only thing I was thinking about was her.

Alette.

I hadn't slept since the night I had found her; staying in her hospital room watching her all night, waiting for her to wake up. When I had dozed off, I dreamt of the sounds of screams, instantly waking me up again.

I walked to my car, my fists hurting from being clenched hard.

'Grams tells me to not clench my hands too hard because it makes my fingernails dig into my palm and that could bleed.'

Her voice echoed in my head, and my fists immediately unclenched. I sat in the car, leaning my head back on the headrest and closing my eyes.

I thought I had gone my whole life feeling empty. I thought I was incapable of feeling things; this, I knew wasn't entirely possibly because I was human after all. But my whole life, I had felt numb, I had felt unaffected.

Aside from bouts of anger and disgust, which were given with my line of work, I thought I couldn't feel.

But I was wrong.

I didn't feel empty before; I didn't feel numb before; I didn't feel anger before.

It's what I felt now.

Watching her fighting for her life. I felt it.

Listening to her helpless screams. I felt it.

Seeing her slip away from me. I felt it.

Watching her lay lifeless in the hospital bed. I felt it.

A dark cloud lingered over my head since the day she left my house with tears in her eyes. Tears that I had caused. The pain on her face was evident when she looked at me, and I wanted to fall at her feet, beg for her forgiveness. But I didn't.

I had watched her from across the street whenever she had a shift at the bakery; I had seen her walk around on campus with her friend.

I did it all for the purpose of getting myself together and going over to her to beg for her forgiveness.

I never approached her though. Because I was a coward.

I had lost my temper on her because I was so overwhelmed. I hadn't ever been the type to lash out when I was angry. I felt anger often, but I stifled it, I dealt with it one way or another.

I didn't yell at the ones around me, I didn't punch walls or scream profanities.

But the crippling loss of control that I had felt that day had led me to, very unfairly, lash out on her.

And now, she was hurt.

She was in a faraway place where she couldn't hear me. Where I couldn't ask her to forgive me. To give me another chance. To take me out on that date she wanted to go on.

I had made sure that she got home safely each night from work, watching from afar. And that night, the one night that I wasn't on time, she had gotten attacked.

I couldn't do anything right.

My index finger went down on its own accord and touched the bracelet she had made me.

Alette.

I inhaled sharply through my nose, turning on my car and reversing out of the parking spot.

I drove to the hospital, breaking every speed limit and parked as quickly as I could. Walking into the sterile building, I took the elevator up to where her room was. I had paid for her to have a private room, away from all of the commotion of everything

She deserved the world, and the moment that she was awake, I would wrap it up and give it to her.

She had to wake up, I set my jaw, determinedly, she had to.

I walked towards her hospital room, the dim lights in the hallway making my heart thud. I had told all the hospital personnel to notify me the moment she had woken up.

The doctors said that she sustained a minor head injury, as well as bruising from fighting back, and the knife wounds. However, her body had shut down, most likely from the trauma of the event, combined with the head injury, and she had lain in a comatose state for the past week.

I reached her room, and before I could enter, I looked through the glass window beside the door. Tai sat inside the room, with her Grams and Sylvester.

He was staring at her, his eyes rimmed red.

He blamed himself for what had happened.

I decided to let them be, and wait outside of the room in the plastic chair attached to the wall. I sat back, my shoulders tense. Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes, feeling a sensory overload from being in the hospital.

The only time I felt sane was when I was right beside her.

A frail hand on my shoulder caused my whole body to jerk and my eyes shot open.

"It's just me precious boy," her Grandmother whispered softly, "Do you mind if I sit?"

I swallowed and nodded my head.

She took a seat right beside me, radiating warmth.

She put her hand on mine patting it lightly, "How are you feeling?"

I looked at the ground, not understanding how she could be asking me a question like that whilst her granddaughter lay in a hospital bed.

"I don't know," I answered honestly, my voice feeling scratchy.

She smiled softly, looking into the room where she was. "You've stayed with her each night she's been here, I thank you for that. Sylvester and I left the room to go speak with the doctors and get some things and when we returned you had already sat right beside her. Maybe you should go sleep at home tonight?" she suggested.

I instantly shook my head, "I'm staying with her. I apologize for not letting you stay, you're welcome to sleep on the sofa in the room, but I'm staying. I can't..." I swallowed harshly, "I can't leave her."

She patted my shoulder, "You're blaming yourself for something, I can tell. Now I don't quite know if it's what happened that night, or if its for something else, but I need to let you know that what happened that night is not your fault, it's not Tai's fault, it's not Faye's fault. The only person to blame is the despicable excuse for a human being that did it," she voiced strongly.

I looked away, away from her inquisitive eyes.

"I upset her."

"Ah," she hummed in acknowledgement, "She'll forgive you. In a heartbeat, no questions asked."

"I don't deserve her forgiveness. I don't deserve it after the way I-" I cleared my throat, clenching my jaw.

"My son and daughter-in-law, Faye's parents, were the two kindest people I knew. Everyone always joked about the fact that they were too nice. Then they had Faye, and well," she trailed off, laughing lightly and I understood.

Alette was sunshine personified. She was an angel.

"She's been through a lot, losing her parents and then the events that occurred afterwards, but she's been so strong. My granddaughter is a fighter, but she's never lost that kindness, and I'm so proud of her for that. We focus too much on not getting hurt and building up walls and shutting people out, that we forget how important it is to be kind. All that aside," she murmured, "I know that when she wakes up, she's going to forgive you, as long as you open your heart to her fully, if that is what you want. Be honest with her, I know you care about her, don't waste time thinking about the what ifs and all that could go wrong, life's too fleeting for that. Tell the person you care about, that you care about them. It's just that simple."

She patted my hand again, and I sat with my heart thudding at all she had told me.

The door to Alette's room opened up and Tai and Sylvester walked out.

Her Grams stood up and put her hand on Tai's shoulder, "Has everyone had dinner yet?"

Tai and Sylvester shook their heads. She sighed and then she looked at me, I also shook my head, knowing she would somehow know if I was lying.

"If you care about her, then you should care about yourself too," she chastised, "Do you know how upset Faye would be if she knew that you boys weren't eating?"

She grabbed Tai's arm, "We're going to get dinner, and I'll bring some back for you two."

The two turned around and I spoke before without thinking, "Tai."

He turned around and nodded in question.

I had always admired Tai for being such a diligent worker, for excelling at everything he did. There was also a time where I was envious of how well he got along with Alette, but I understood now that he saw her as a little sister. And I could tell this was tearing him apart. Survivor's guilt.

I swallowed setting my jaw, "It's not your fault."

He looked at me, until finally he nodded, taking a breath. Her grandmother smiled at me softly, and the two walked off.

Sylvester sat beside me, a silence passing over us. After a few moments, he turned to me, his eyes serious.

"It's not your fault either."

I looked away, and he instantly knew that I didn't believe his words.

"Adler, it's not your fault. Why would it be? You know as well as I that this world is filled with the cruellest of people. What happened is not your fault, and to be guilty over it would be a waste of time. Put that energy into figuring out how you're going to make it up to her when she wakes up."

My head shot up to look at him, and he gave me a sly half-smile.

"I found out when I was younger that I couldn't have kids, so when my brother and sister-in-law had Faye, I was overjoyed. I watched her grow up, and after her parents I took the responsibility of raising her. I can usually tell when something is wrong, so of course the day she comes home, tears in her eyes, after I had dropped her off to your house," he looked into her room, "Well it doesn't take a genius to figure out that something happened. As much as I want to knock you out for hurting my niece, I know that she would be upset at me for it."

"She deserves better."

He laughed humourlessly, "You say that, and yet you don't believe it. I know for a fact that the kind of man you are, you would turn the world upside down to be that man you think she deserves."

I looked at the ground, my hands clenching.

He continued, "But the thing is, she cares for you now. Not the man you could become, not the man you want to be for her, not the man you think deserves her. She cares for the man you are now."

He stood up, "I have to go make a call, I'll see you in a bit."

I watched him walk away, and I sat contemplating for a few moments, until I finally got up and opened the door to her room.

She lay on the bed, still. The bruising around her face had gone down significantly, but the sight of her on a hospital bed wasn't something that would ever go down well for me. Her cheeks looked less full than they usually did, and it was clear that past while in the hospital had taken a toll on her body. I pulled up a chair right beside her and sat down, staring at her.

"Hello darling" I whispered, my index finger stroking the back of her hand. I don't know how long I sat in silence, just watching her for any movement, till the sound of the door opening made me snap out of my reverie.

I looked up to see her grandmother walking through the door with a takeout bag in one hand, and a coffee and blanket in the other.

"Here you go precious, there's some food in there, and here's a warm drink to keep you going. I also brought you a blanket because these hospital ones are itchy," she placed the food down on the table beside me, and the blanket on the sofa behind me. She patted my shoulder and gave me a smile, "Have a goodnight, I'll see you first thing in the morning."

She walked towards Alette, and bent down to kiss her forehead, "Wake up soon my Faye, I miss you sweet girl." She stared at Alette some more, stroking her hair back, until she finally sniffed and walked out of the room.

I sat back in my chair, grabbing the cup of coffee and sipping slowly. The warm drink did nothing to heat my body.

A knock at the door, and the sight of her doctor entering the room made me put my coffee down.

"Hi there," Dr. Munroe smiled at me. I had seen her a few other times when he had come on her rounds to check up on Alette. She was around Sylvester's age with red hair and green eyes.

I nodded at her in greeting, and she walked up to the bed and began checking Alette's charts and vitals.

"Everything seems to be in order here as far as I can see," she said, looking up from her clipboard, "While usually it is hard to tell when someone will awake from a state like this, I do have a lot of hope it will be soon. We did give her pretty strong medicine to put her to sleep when she came to the hospital, and that wore off two days after she came, it should be any day now that she decides to join us."

Dr. Munroe had an encouraging look on her face as she spoke words of optimism.

"Do you have any questions?" she asked, as she placed her clipboard down.

I shook my head, not knowing what I could say.

I just wanted her awake.

"Well I'll be making my rounds, so I might see you, but if anything happens or if you have any more questions, I know you've spoken to nurse Adebayo, you can just flag her down and ask," she paused at the door, "Don't lose hope, it's too soon for that."

With that, she walked out of the door.

Hope.

It was such a funny word. Four letters and carrying the weight of an endless number of prayers.

I shook my head before my thoughts took a more cynical route, and grabbed my coffee and her hand again.

When at one point, it felt so warm in mine, now it was cold to the touch. I gave her hand a little squeeze, or a squish as she called it. She didn't realize it most of the time, but she spoke under her breath a lot.

Bringing her hand up to my mouth, I kissed it.

Please wake up soon.

I sat back and grabbed my coffee, and the takeout containers, deciding to eat so that I would have more energy.

Sitting back in my chair again, I began eating, not taking my eyes off of her. I finished my food, everything tasting as bland as paper, and threw away the containers.

Sanitizing my hand, I sat back down and resumed my staring. I didn't pay attention to time as I waited, just as I did every night.

I wrote some emails on my phone, sent documents and I dozed off a few times, waking up after five minutes each time. Then I paced around the room. Then I sat back down.

She didn't move.

5:48 A.M.

The time on my phone stared back at me, and I locked my phone, putting it face down on the table. I moved closer to the bed, and placed my head down lightly, right beside where her hand lay; my head was less than an inch away from her fingertips.

I closed my eyes, breathing deeply.

That's when I felt it. Something touched my face lightly. So lightly that I didn't even realize it at first.

My head shot up and I looked towards Alette. She moved her head slightly to one side and then slightly more. The fingers on both of her hands moved and I stood up out of my seat.

"Alette," my voice came out like a breathless prayer, "Baby, wake up."

I could see her eyes start to flicker slightly. I immediately moved over and pressed the call for help button. I pressed it again a few times for good measure and went to grab her hand.

She let out a soft noise, and then a louder noise, her head moving with more intent now.

A few painstakingly slow moments passed by, and she finally opened her eyes, blinking slowly.

The glow of the fresh sunrise illuminated her face and her eyes finally focused on me.

I stood there with my heart rumbling in my chest.

Her voice was quiet and croaky when she spoke.

"H-hi."

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unedited