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“Oh my god,” I gasp as I hurry to them.
“Dad, go make sure Aisha stays in her room,” Emma says in a commanding voice. She’s the leader of her gang right now, and emotions have no place in her role.
I help Logan bring Xi in. His t-shirt is soaked in blood and his head hangs in front of him, chin to chest. I’m not even sure he’s conscious. His feet are dragging, his legs not holding him as we bring him to the sofa. His face is the palest I’ve ever seen; the usual North-African olive skin has lost its complexion.
Emma leaves the room and comes back just as we lay him down. She’s got a huge pouch in her hands and talks quickly to Logan.
“Where are the wounds?”
“Three stabs to the stomach,” Logan replies quickly.
The words only make me stumble back into Racer’s arms.
I put a hand on my mouth as a sob tries to escape. I must keep calm, or they’ll kick me out of the living room. This is not the time to panic; it won’t help Emma if I do.
My sister cuts Xi’s t-shirt open with scissors, and there is so much blood that it permeates the air with a coppery scent. Emma never went to college, she has no degree in anything, but she is the epitome of street-smart. She has fixed enough broken bodies in her lifetime that she could probably work at the hospital.
My sister gets to work quickly, disinfecting the three wounds. She leads a whole operation independently as if she were the head surgeon.
When Xi groans, I exhale a breath. At least he’s alive.
I go to the end of the sofa and kneel by his head, putting a hand on his sweaty forehead before dropping a kiss on it. “You’re going to be okay,” I whisper. “Just hold on, please.” A sob tightens my throat, and I repeat, “Please, just hold on for me.”
I keep my cheek against his forehead the whole time Emma works on him. Blood has dripped on the sofa, and Emma’s hands are covered in it. Lik joins us and I hold his hand as he settles next to me, his head falling on my shoulder.
“Xi,WAllah, if you die, I’m coming to hell and bringing you right back just to kick your ass,” he says through gritted teeth.
I let out a short chuckle and sniffle. That’s when I realize I have been crying silently for who knows how long.
Xi’s eyes have been opening and closing, pain twisting his features as Emma works on him. I’ve lost track of time, but I do notice the second they don’t open back up.
“Emma,” I panic, straightening up and forcing Lik off my shoulder.
Her eyes snap to Xi’s face and her lips part in shock. “No, no,” she murmurs. “Xi…”
My heart kicks at my chest and my stomach twists painfully.
“Xi,” I repeat after her. The panic in my voice is palpable. His eyes remain closed and Emma puts bloody fingers to his neck, checking his pulse.
“Ziad,” she snaps. “Don’t fucking do this to me.”
Lik falls back on his ass, his gaze lost. I can see him refusing to connect with reality.
“No, please.” A wail explodes out of my chest. I crawl in front of the sofa and grab his head, shaking him. “Don’t leave us. Xi, don’t leave us.” My cries bubble out of my mouth, and I can barely breathe.
His head feels completely loose, and his body pliable. I drop my lips to his cheek, crying against him. “Please…”
I pull back, my heart shattering into pieces and that’s when I notice it, one corner of his mouth tipping up slightly. His eyes stay closed, but he lets out a ragged whisper. “Are you in love with me or something?”
“Fucking…bastard,” I huff a relieved laugh. Tears are still streaming down my face as I drop another kiss to his cheek. His eyes open slowly and he’s clearly in a bad state, but he’s alive.
Emma and Lik crowd us, and my sister blows out a long breath. “You fucking scared us, asshole.”
“I’m going to kick your fucking ass when you’re better,” Lik adds.
Xi smiles at all of us, but he looks at me when he talks. “I just wanted to check how much you guys love me.”
A few hours later, Xi is sleeping in our parents’ bedroom. Lik called Sam to help us move him. He also brought drips of antibiotics to keep him from developing an infection. None of us asked where he got those; he wouldn’t answer anyway.
