14, she's awake

The hospital room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the soft hiss of the oxygen. The world outside kept moving, the whole town buzzing with whispers of what had happened, Enid crying herself to sleep in her arms, and Pugsley refusing to leave Ari's side.

Days had passed. His hair was a mess, his shirt wrinkled, and his eyes ringed with dark circles, but he never left. He slept slumped in the chair by her bed, his hand always near hers in case she moved. His parents tried many times to get their son out of hospital but he was too stubborn.

And then finally Ari stirred. Her fingers twitched slightly, her chest rising with a deeper breath than before. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open against the bright hospital lights.

The first thing she saw was him.

"Pugsley..." her voice was hoarse, weak, but it was enough to make his head snap up instantly. His tired eyes widened, filling with a mix of shock and pure relief.

"Ari!" he exclaimed, nearly falling out of his chair as he scrambled to sit closer. His hands trembled as they hovered over hers, afraid to squeeze too tight in case she broke. "Oh my god! you're awake. You're actually awake."

Her lips curved into the softest smile, even though she looked pale and fragile. "I heard you liked me," she whispered, her voice raspy but teasing, as if she hadn't just been unconscious for days.

Pugsley blinked, caught completely off guard. "Wh–what?"

Her smile widened, weak but genuine. "Your uncle Fester told me... before all this happened." She let out the faintest laugh, her chest rising gently. "You really do like me, huh?"

Pugsley's face flushed red, his jaw opening and closing as if words had suddenly abandoned him. "I—I mean—yeah, I do. I really do." His voice cracked, emotions breaking through the walls he usually hid behind. "Well, I heard you like me."

"W-what?" Ari struggled to speak from shock.

"Gia mentioned something after yelling at me, Malachi and Enid." Pugsley explained still looking scared because of what happened earlier. "She's pretty scary when she is done listening."

"I am gonna kill Gia." Ari groaned.

Before Pugsley could react or answer to that, the door of hospital room was slummed open.

"Ari?!" Enid's voice cracked as she rushed inside, Gia right behind her. Liam lingered at the doorway, hesitant but unable to stay away.

The moment Enid saw her sister sitting up, awake and smiling, she practically launched herself at the bed. Gia was seconds behind her, both of them wrapping Ari into a crushing hug. Ari winced a little from the pressure but still laughed softly, resting her chin on Enid's shoulder.

"I thought I lost you," Enid whispered through shaky breaths, her tears dampening Ari's gown. Gia didn't say anything she just clung tighter.

They pulled away.

Ari's hand reached out slowly toward Liam, who still hadn't moved. He was standing there, torn between guilt and relief, remembering the last harsh words they had thrown at each other before everything went wrong.

Finally, Liam stepped forward. He crouched down at her bedside, his usually sharp eyes softer than she'd ever seen them. For a long second, they just looked at each other.

"I'm sorry," Ari whispered.

Liam shook his head, his jaw tight. "Don't. You scared the hell out of me, Ari." And then, to everyone's surprise, he pulled her into his arms last.

Gia glanced at Pugsley who was smiling at the hug. She excepted him to be jealous but boy was still too clueless to realize Liam wanted that girl he was hugging.

"This is so cute." Pugsley whispered to Gia who was about to start another scene.

As Liam pulled away, Enid and Gia hugged her again.

The moment passed... until Enid suddenly pulled back, her tears drying into fiery frustration. Gia followed right after.

"You could have died!" Enid snapped.

"You did almost die!" Gia added, grabbing one of the hospital pillows and smacking Ari with it.

Ari gasped dramatically, laughing despite the pillow attack. "What the—?!"

Enid joined in, smacking her on the other side, both girls whacking her relentlessly.

"Oh my god, stop!" Ari squealed, throwing the blanket over her head like a shield. "I'm still recovering here!"

But instead of staying in bed like a reasonable person, Ari suddenly jumped up way faster than any doctor would have approved and practically launched herself onto Pugsley's back like a kid escaping doom. He staggered forward, caught off guard, but held her up as she clung to him, laughing breathlessly.

"Save me, Pugsley! They're psychos!" Ari shouted.

Enid and Gia stood at the end of the bed, pillows in hand, glaring playfully like executioners ready to strike again.

And that's when Liam stepped in.

He moved in front of Ari and Pugsley, standing tall, arms slightly spread as if guarding them. His expression was dead serious.

"That's enough," Liam said, his voice sharp. "She just woke up from a coma. You're not laying another hand on her."

The girls froze, pillows still mid-air. Enid raised an eyebrow. Gia smirked faintly.

"Oh, so now you're protective?" Enid teased.

Liam didn't flinch, his eyes locked on them. "Yeah. Always."

Behind him, Ari peeked over Pugsley's shoulder, grinning like an idiot. "Guess that means I'm safe, huh?"

Pugsley groaned, carrying her weight. "Safe? You're heavy is what you are!"

He promptly dropped her.

"Oi! I just woke up from a coma!" she snapped, struggling to her feet with help from Pugsley and Liam.

"My bad," Pugsley muttered with a shrug.

She glared at him but didn't argue, focusing instead on making her way back toward the bed. Seeing her stumble, Pugsley quickly caught her hand and guided her down onto the mattress.

A long sigh slipped from her lips.

"You okay?" Liam and Pugsley asked at the same time.

They froze, exchanging looks, Liam's narrowed and sharp, Pugsley's wide-eyed and baffled, like he couldn't believe they'd just synced up.

Hurricane Gia was about to strike again.

"It was just a sigh. I'm bored," Ari explained, frowning at them as if they'd lost their minds.

Liam gave a small nod. Pugsley grinned, relieved.

Ari noticed how Enid was crying.

"Enid, are you crying?"

"I feel like an awful sister." She sobbed.

Ari gave a faint smile. "Don't cry, wolf girl. You'll flood the room."

The joke made everyone exhale in shaky relief, though Enid still looked wrecked. Ari's gaze flickered around, noticing everyone crowded together. Then her expression shifted, a flicker of sadness breaking through.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" she whispered. "They... they didn't come?"

The group froze. The truth was heavy and cruel, her parents hadn't even tried. But Enid's chest constricted as she looked at her sister's fragile form, IVs in her arm, her voice trembling with hope.

"They were here," Enid lied softly, brushing Ari's hair from her forehead. "They wanted to stay, but... they got called away. Work stuff. You know them. They didn't want to leave you."

Ari's eyes shimmered, and she nodded slowly. "Yeah... that sounds like them." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Thank you for telling me, Enid.

———————

A/N

Eh Ari, girl. I feel so bad for you. You deserve better parents😔😔 I wish I could adopt you

Yes I just published new chapter before new part..