Sky is awake and she asked to see you. Can you come by tomorrow?

Hawk stared at the message on the screen of his phone, the sleep quickly leaving his system. The text had been sent late last night, but he had been so exhausted after hours and hours of brutal training under Sensei Kreese's command, that he had fallen asleep as soon as his head had hit the pillow - and now it was almost noon. He ran his fingers through his hair and sat up, reading the message for what felt like the tenth time.

Sky is awake—?

She wants to see me?

That thought knocked the air out of his lungs, his heart slammed against his sternum. She wants to see me. Hawk drew in a sharp breath and burst into action, the sleepiness now replaced by a fierce rush of adrenaline. He jumped off his bed and typed the reply as fast as his thumbs would move, while simultaneously searching for something to wear.

sorry just woke up

On my way!

It took him less than 30 minutes to reach the hospital - he skipped breakfast, didn't even take the time to put up his hair but instead just hid it under a backwards baseball cap - remembering that Sky had said she liked that style - before hopping into his car. On his way, he only stopped at the florist's to buy a fresh bouquet of blood red roses - roses with long stems and large blooms, the most beautiful ones in the whole store. Only roses for her, always. Let others bring her sunflowers or carnations or daisies, he would always be bringing her roses.

Even if she probably still hated his guts. The last thing she had told him was, after all, to leave her alone.

But she asked to see me. Maybe it means–

He didn't even dare to finish that thought. Hope was such a fragile thing, so easily crushed.

Hell, she probably just wanted to tell him to get lost again, or even worse - she could be blaming him for what had happened. It was his fault, after all. He was the one who had left her side.

By the time he got to the hospital and walked down the long hallway towards her room, Hawk was a bundle of nerves. He gripped the roses in his hands, the thorns biting into the flesh of his palm. The image of Sky on the floor, blood pouring from the wound on her temple, from her nose and mouth, had been haunting him through these past days and nights. It was always there lurking at the back of his mind, ready to bring him down to his knees when he least expected it. It was how he had last seen her, and now - five days later - he had no idea what to expect. But whatever it was, he would take it - the only thing that mattered was that She was alive. She was awake. And she wanted to see him—

The door to her room was open, and Hawk stopped in the doorway, his heart in his throat.

Sky was on the bed, sitting up but leaning on the pillows. There was a large, thick bandage around her head, her left arm had a cast on it - it reached from her shoulder to her fingers - and her nose was covered by heavy bandages. What he could see of her face was still bruised even if the small cuts had closed and healed by now.

But she wasn't alone.

Hawk's jaw clenched as he recognized the brunette girl sitting on a chair next to Sky's bed, smiling and laughing as they talked.

Fucking Samantha LaRusso.

Anger twisted Hawk's chest. He swallowed, hard.

The nerve that Damn LaRusso bitch had! It was her fault Sky had gotten hurt. Sure, it had been Tory who had kicked Sky, but the whole fucking fight was Sam's fault to begin with. Hawk had never understood why Sky wanted to be friends with her - and now less than ever.

"Hi," he said, his voice a bit rough, his glance darting from Sky to Sam and back.

The girls fell silent as they turned to look. Sky's eyes lit up at the sight of him, her chest rose with a sharp inhale, and Hawk melted under that gaze. His heart felt heavy, it filled his ribcage.

"Hi," Sky replied softly with a small smile. Her voice sounded weird, it was husky and raw and nasal since her nose was covered, but still, it was enough to almost break Hawk in pieces.

"I... I was just leaving," Sam said, and stood up - thank fuck. Hawk wasn't prepared to do small talk with that Miyagi-Do bitch - not even for Sky's sake. In silence, he watched as Sam gathered her things and gave Sky a smile and a careful hug before walking to the door.

As Sam was passing him in the doorway, the anger got the better of Hawk. He grabbed her sleeve to make her slow down, stepping into the hallway with her, so that Sky couldn't see them.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing here? It's your fault she got hurt," he snarled at her face. "Even if she doesn't remember that, I do."

Sam let out a snort. "Is that a threat?"

"Maybe. You fucking Miyagi-Do's will get what's coming for you. You'll pay for what you did to Miguel and Sky."

Sam's face was pale, but her eyes were burning when she tilted up her chin and glared at Hawk. "You're one to talk. The last time Sky was in the hospital, it was your fault."

Her words hit home a bit too hard. The anger made his chest heave.

"Shut up, you know nothing about it."

"Oh, I know enough. You trashed our dojo, you stole Mr. Miyagi's medal of honor and lied about it to your girlfriend. Real classy, Eli."

He wanted to punch her just for that, just for calling him Eli. His jaw clenched, the anger had a taste of hot iron. But Sky—

Sky was waiting for him, she wanted to see him. He couldn't start a fight here, no matter how justified it would be.

"Fuck you," he spat out. "And stay the fuck away from her, bitch."

"Not really your call to make," Sam said, turned her back on him, and walked away, leaving Hawk steaming with anger. He was still gripping the roses in his hand, so hard that the thorns pierced the skin of his palm and fingers.

He had to take a couple of calming breaths before he managed to walk into Sky's room. Fuck Samantha LaRusso. Who fucking cared what she thought? He wasn't here for her, he was here for Sky.

"Hey, come in," Sky said huskily, pointing towards the chair Sam had left vacant, and as soon as he saw her sweet face, all thoughts of Sam slipped off Hawk's mind. His anger died, and a fierce rush of love and relief filled his system as he saw Sky awake, alive, smiling.

"I... I brought you roses," he said, his voice throaty and dry.

"Oh, they're lovely," she breathed, accepting them. "Thank you."

As he laid the bouquet in her arms, his fingers briefly brushed the skin of her forearm. God, just that slightest touch almost undid him. His mouth went dry as he suddenly remembered the way her body felt against him when they kissed, when he pushed her against the wall and those fingers scraped the skin of his neck—

His throat bobbed. For a few heartbeats, his hand just lingered there, his fingertips brushing her skin. He wanted to touch her more, wanted it so very badly, but he had no fucking idea where they stood now, after everything that had happened—

And then she shifted, the contact was broken and Hawk fell into his chair, his chest almost collapsing under the weight of his emotions.

"Are you alright?" Sky asked, her eyes searching his face.

"Am I alright?" Hawk cleared his throat to be able to speak. "Jeez, shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"You've got bruises."

"It's nothing, I'm fine–"

"I don't remember what happened," Sky said silently. "But Sam and Dad filled me in. I heard you got hurt too."

Hawk looked down. Did Nicholas know it had been Demetri who had kicked him into the trophy case? And did he even care? But Sam—

If that bitch had told Sky about his humiliation, he would fucking strangle her.

"Just... some small cuts. Nothing serious."

"Good. I'm glad."

He looked back up. Sky's face was pale, her cheeks hollowed. There were dark circles under her eyes, and the bandage over her nose and the other one around her head covered large parts of her face. Her hair was tangled and looked greasy, it was braided on a one, thick braid that fell over her shoulder as she rested her head on the pillows that were propped behind her. She looked small, vulnerable, broken.

"How about you?" he asked, his voice coming out raspy and silent. "What... what do the doctors say?"

Sky smiled. "That I hit my head really hard."

"I saw you on the floor. You— You were bleeding–"

"I know," Sky brought a hand up, her fingertips softly trailing the bandage on her head. "You know how head wounds are - they bleed so much. But yeah, I've gained some new scars. And, as a bonus, I got a nose job."

"Your nose was fucking beautiful," Hawk groaned. "No need for a nose job."

"Well, now it's gonna be fucking flawless. They had to reconstruct the whole thing." Sky let out a husky laugh.

Hawk's throat felt tight. Even if she was smiling, it pained him to see her injured. He would have given anything to bear that pain for her. It should have been him there on that bed, not her. Him with a broken arm and a fractured skull, not her, never her.

"Are you in a lot of pain?"

"Not much," Sky replied with another soft laugh. "I'm on some really sweet opioids. I'll fucking cry when they send me home and cut me off."

He nodded and glanced at the IV drip that was attached to the back of Sky's hand. Sure enough, she looked like she was a bit high. Her pupils were dilated, and she was constantly smiling as if she didn't have a worry in the world. Which was really weird, considering the circumstances.

"Is that why you're so happy?" He asked.

"Does it show?"

"Does what show?"

"That I'm happy?"

It did show, and even knowing she was on medication, he didn't fully understand it. There was something weird about her, something he couldn't quite name. She looked tired, exhausted even, she was pale and bruised and in a hospital bed, and there were tears in her eyes, but her smile was so genuine it cut through Hawk's chest like a sword. He hadn't seen her smile like that in a long time. Maybe never.

"Yeah. You look... different."

Sky shrugged, turned her eyes to the flowers she was still holding in her hands. "I guess I am different. I mean, I still feel awful about Miguel, but... But I have a feeling he's going to be alright too. I have faith. Miracles do happen."

"I guess they do," he breathed.

Sky being awake sure was a miracle. And the fact that she was talking to him like this instead of yelling at him and crying, was a fucking wonder. The fragile hope that she would now forgive him for everything, was still alive in his chest, a faint, flickering will-o'-the-wisp hidden from the world inside the cage of his ribs.

"I heard you've been taking care of Napoleon," Sky said, changing the subject. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to."

"What did your dad say?"

"My dad can go fuck himself," Hawk stated, not able to hide his bitter feelings. "It's none of his fucking business. I wanted to help you. And I liked having Napoleon with me."

That was true. He was used to waking up with Napoleon purring next to his head, his tiny paws with needle-sharp claws buried in his hair. He wished he could keep the cat. Hell, he wished he could get a place of his own where he could live with Sky - and Napoleon wouldn't be just hers anymore, he would be theirs and everything would be fucking perfect.

But that was just a stupid dream. Even if Sky wasn't yelling at him or telling him to sod off, his hopes now suddenly felt stupid, childish. The fact that she was being civil with him hardly meant that she had forgiven him.

She had absolutely no reason to do so.

"You can keep him until I get home." Sky said, unaware of Hawk's inner torment. "Which should be a couple of more days... the doctors want to make sure everything's okay before they let me go home."

"It's okay, I'll take care of him as long as you want to."

"You're too kind," she said. "But thanks."

"It's not a big deal, really. I would do anything for you, Sky. I–"

"I know," she replied, cutting his sentence before he could say he loved her. That felt intentional. It felt like a punch to his gut. Him and his stupid hopes - he knew his every emotion was written on his face, his stupid hope, his stupid love, how he was unable to let go of her and move on. He shut his mouth and looked down, to his feet. His sneaker was tapping the floor in a nervous rhythm and he forced himself to stop it.

She must think I'm such a fool.

Pathetic.

They were silent for a short moment, awkwardly. Hawk wondered if Sky wanted him to leave. He probably should, his presence was no doubt exhausting her, and he was pretty sure he had already stayed longer than a visitor was meant to stay - but he couldn't make himself stand up and walk away. He was a pathetic beggar, living on the scraps of her kindness, while at the same time wanting the whole world.

"Eli, I owe you an apology," Sky said then, drawing Hawk's eyes back up. "You tried to help me—"

"There's nothing you need to apologize for, Sky," he replied, his heart in his throat. To hear her call him Eli - the effect was the exact opposite of when Sam had thrown that name to his face only moments ago. On Sky's lips, that name was sweet - it drew his mind to all the times she had whispered it into his ear when he was making love to her. When she had said: I love you, Eli Moskowitz. I fucking love you.

"No, listen— It's the last thing I remember about the fight. You tried to help me. You beat up that guy... and I told you to leave me alone. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so rude to you."

"And I'm sorry that I left. I never should've left you alone."

"No, sweetie - it's okay. This needed to happen. I blame no one."

"Come on! How can you not be angry?! You should blame Sam, you should blame Tory— shit! You should blame me–!" his voice broke in the middle of that sentence and he couldn't go on.

Sky was silent for a while, just watching him with tears in her green eyes, holding the roses in her lap, and he had no idea what was going through her mind.

"Have you seen Tory?" she asked then.

Tory. With a jolt, a memory of Tory standing on the stairs, looking down at Sky who was lying on the floor broken, bloody, flashed through Hawk's mind. He tasted the steel of rage, the burning hot iron of anger. Hell, he blamed Sam LaRusso for what had happened to Sky, but Tory wasn't innocent either. It was her kick that had sent Sky down the stairs, her fists that had bruised her beautiful face.

Hawk didn't like hitting girls. It didn't sit right with him. But he would make Tory regret what she had done to Sky, one way or another.

He shook his head, his voice came out a bit throaty. "No, she hasn't been in Cobra Kai since the fight."

"So you're still Cobra Kai?"

"It's for life."

Sky didn't reply but just stayed silent for a moment, her eyes now downcast so that he couldn't read the look in them. Her fingers were softly running up and down the long stems of the roses he had brought, fingertips shortly stopping on the sharp thorns before continuing their absentminded journey.

"Tory will be back," she said after a while with a soft tone. "She has so much anger in her, just like you do. She won't be able to stay away from Cobra Kai for long."

"Maybe," Hawk rasped. "And when I see her I'll kick her ass for what she did."

"No, sweetie, no–" Sky was shaking her head. "Please don't punish her for this. I already told dad that I don't want to press charges or anything. I'm not mad at Tory. On the contrary - I'm grateful."

Hawk's brows furrowed. "What–?"

"I told you. I hit my head pretty hard," Sky smiled. "But it's the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You're gonna think I'm crazy," she breathed, bringing her gaze up so that their eyes met. "Everyone does. But I don't actually care. I've been crazy for so long–"

"You're not crazy, I never thought you were–"

"I saw Kat."

Her words made Hawk stop talking mid-sentence. His jaw dropped. For a couple of heartbeats, he could only stare at Sky, but it was obvious she wasn't joking.

"What... what do you mean?" he asked after a short eternity.

"You heard me. I saw her. She... she's going to be okay, I think?" Sky was smiling, smiling through the tears that were now falling from her eyes and making her voice wet and thick. "And I'm going to be okay too. I really am. I'm not scared anymore."

He couldn't say a thing. She had hit her head. It must have been a hallucination, caused by the impact that had fractured her skull. There was no other explanation. Hawk wasn't one to believe in ghosts or supernatural encounters, out-of-body experiences, or anything like that. He didn't even believe in God - even if he would never admit that to Mom. If there was an almighty creature looking over them, then why was this world such a fucked up place? If there was a God, why had he made Eli born with a cleft lip? There was no God, there was no Heaven, and there was no afterlife. Whatever Sky had seen, it couldn't have been her best friend who was long gone.

"You don't believe me," Sky said. It wasn't a question, she was just stating the fact.

"It's just that–"

"It's okay. Nobody does. The doctors said I just hit my head really hard and that people have weird dreams in a coma. But I know what I saw. And I don't care if no one believes me."

Without stopping to think if it was okay, Hawk reached to take her hand in his. She let him. Her fingers were cold, he covered them with his and squeezed gently.

"I know someone who's gonna believe you," he said after a short moment, a small smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Who's that?"

"Moon."

Sky let out a dry laugh. "True. Nothing's too crazy for her."

He was still holding her hand, and it made his heart thump in his chest. He felt every individual beat, it was a bass drum in his ribcage. He wanted to touch her, he wanted to pull her near, he wanted to kiss her so badly–

He had to clear his throat. It took all he had to keep his hand where it was, just gently holding Sky's ice-cold fingers.

"Do you still love me?" Sky asked then, out of the blue, and Hawk's glance shot up from their hands to her face.

"Yes, shit, Sky I never stopped!"

"I love you too," She breathed softly.

Her fingers were still in his. He tasted tears, and suddenly breathing was so hard, his exhales came in sharp, teary gasps.

"What does... that mean? Are you saying—?"

"I was here in this room with Kat. I— I saw dad, he was here, reading a book to me. He had... a coffee mug, I think? And I saw the roses - I knew they were from you. They were beautiful. And their smell—" she paused, clearing her throat. "It was so sweet, so heavy. I just... I knew you still loved me and I couldn't understand why I didn't believe you before."

"You— you do now?"

She nodded, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "Yeah, I do."

"I fucking love you, Sky. I love you more than anything."

Her smile grew a bit wider, her eyes softened. "I know."