Chapter 75 Holding on
"I love you."
Miguel's whispered words bounce around in my head. Was it the last time I heard him say it?
The tattoo dedicated to me. Will I ever get to run my fingers over it again?
Miguel was shot.
It feels like the ground underneath my feet has fallen, and I don't know what to do.
My mother finds me in my bedroom when she gets home from work, and she pauses in the doorway.
"Are you okay?"
Tears roll down my face. What the hell am I supposed to tell her? How do I explain that I'm sad over a man I'm not supposed to want?
"Hey!" She comes inside, and sits on the edge of the bed. She pushes the hair out of my face, concern etched into her gaze. "What's going on?"
I can't help it, it's like a dam bursting open and I start sobbing, throwing myself into her arms.
Maybe my family is right, maybe I am weak.
"Did something happen?" Mom rubs my back, her voice shaking trying to keep calm for me. "Baby girl, I can't take it when you cry."
I wish I can tell someone. I wish I could get more information about what is happening. All Uncle said was that he was shot while on a mission, but that's the only information he could get.
Raul.
Fuck, Raul probably knows something. And he's playing for my father now.
I pull away from Mom who looks like she's ready to burst into tears with me. "I'm sorry, I had a crappy day, and maybe I'm just a bit tired."
She nods, but still doesn't look like she understands.
"I have to see Dad." I hastily get up from bed, leaving Mom speechless, before running to the bathroom and washing my face.
"Why do you need to see him? Can't it wait until dinner?" Mom follows me to the bathroom.
"It's urgent." I brush past her and grab my phone, texting T.J. to come get me. "When do you think it's safe for me to drive again? It's been months now, and no word from Ben. Maybe he has forgotten to torment me."
"I wouldn't take that chance." She shakes her head. "Maybe he's just waiting for you to be vulnerable."
"True." I kiss her on the cheek when T.J. lets me know he's five minutes away. "I love you, thanks for the hug."
She still looks flabbergasted when I leave, and I still feel like crying, but at least I have someone to talk to.
T.J. still looks at me weirdly, but luckily he's no longer asking questions.
The team is on the field practicing drills when we get there, and Dad looks surprised when he sees me.
I haven't been out on the field since he stopped playing, always up in the box with my family because I don't want to interfere with his job. I also stay far away from the players as an unspoken rule.
He runs over to me with a wide grin on his face, making me think that maybe I should do this more often.
"Baby girl!" He hugs me tightly, and I hold onto him just a little bit longer than usual. "What are you doing here?"
I wave at Alonso who has noticed me.
"I wanted to speak with Raul." I tell him. "It's quite important."
Dad frowns. "He left about an hour ago because of a family emergency."
Shit.
"Can I maybe have his number? It's really urgent." I should've gotten his number at the rehabilitation centre, especially since I suspected he was Black.
"You know I can't do that."
I know my Dad though, I was never a demanding child except when it came to ballet, but he could never say no to me.
"Daddy please." My voice drops an octave lower. "There is something I have to ask him, and it's really important."
Dad eyes me suspiciously, but he's already taking out his phone. "Are you going to tell me why? You don't want to date him, right?"
I almost laugh at the irony of that. "Of course not, Daddy, I know the rules."
He grumbles something under his breath, but sends me Raul's number. I kiss him hard on the cheek.
"I love you, thank you!"
He looks like my mom did when I high tailed it out of the house. I'm already dialling Raul's number, but he doesn't answer. On the fourth ring, he does.
"Hello?" His voice sounds thicker than when I last spoke to him.
"Raul." I say in relief that he picked up the phone. "It's Madison."
"Madison." His voice breaks on my name, and I have to stand still, my heart breaking all over again.
"What's..... What's going on with Miguel?" I force the words out of my mouth, too scared to know the answer.
Does Raul even know about us? They're best friends, though, maybe he knows.
"I.... God." My tears start falling again at the anguish in his voice. "They're flying him to Germany as we speak."
"He's alive."
He's alive. That's all I needed to know. He's fucking alive. A sob rips from my throat in sheer relief.
"It's not looking good, Madison."
"What do you mean!" The relief turns to trepidation. "You said he's alive."
"They stabilized him, yes, but he was shot six times in the chest. He needs surgery, he's holding on by a thread."
Raul's words struggle to register in my head.
Barely holding on.
It can't be.
Miguel's body is strong, the fucking strongest I've ever seen. He's made up of marble and stone. He's invincible.
We haven't even started yet. I don't even really know him.
"Listen, I'm packing right now, I'm flying out to Germany as soon as I can." Raul sighs shakily. "I'll let you know what's going on as soon as I get there."
He ends the call abruptly, leaving me standing there with a breaking fucking heart.