GRIFFIN
   Elly still hasn't woken up yet, but the doctor said she should be awake soon. Her condition is stable, he said.
   I sit beside her bed in a chair, listening to the sound of her heart monitor. It's just us here right now like it's been for a while. The past couple of hours.
   The past couple of years.
   Our parents died when Elly was only 13. I was 18. The court let me get custody of her, so it's just been us for a while. I don't drink or stay out late. I stay home and help her with homework at night and go to college during the day. Although we are both making money now, it's hard to balance everything. I'm going to have to drop out, but I haven't mentioned it to Elly yet. It's already hard enough on her.
   My phone lights up with another text, and I decide to answer it before I start thinking too much about everything. And anyway, I've been ignoring texts for the past couple of hours.
How is she? Jaden asks.
Still not awake, I reply.
Everyone has been worried about her. I've been really worried about her. Let us know how she is when she wakes up.
Come over, I reply. Just you. I don't want too many people here.
I'll be over as soon as I can.
I put my phone back down on the bedside table and gently hold one of Elly's hand in my own, rubbing my thumb back and forth against it and bringing it towards me to kiss it. I just hold her hand for a few minutes while I watch her. I sigh quietly when I see the scratches on the back of her arms.
"Oh, Elly. I'm sorry. So sorry. I should've been there to protect you. I should've been there." Tears start pouring down my face again, and I have to let go of her hand so I don't shake her at all.
"Griffin?" I turn my head slightly to the side to see Jaden standing in the doorway.
"Hey," I murmur to him.
"Do you want to talk?" he asks quietly.
I nod, wiping the tears off of my face. "Yeah. Sure. Let's go out in the hall."
"Alright." He steps out of the doorway, and I spare a final glance to Elly before walking out after him. "Have the doctors said anything about her condition yet?" He asks quickly after I shut the door behind me.
"She's good. She'll be fine. They don't know what has happened yet since she hasn't woken up, but they are going to talk to her when she does. File a police report." I shake my head and sit down in a chair across from the door. Jaden stays standing, looking down at me. I sigh and glance up at him. "I'm scared. I don't know what happened. All we know was that there was a knife, but whoever it was could've done so much more. Jaden, I'm scared."
He comes over and sits in the chair next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry that I didn't get there in time. But I'll do whatever it takes now to make sure she is alright."
"Yeah," I murmur. "But I should've never left her alone. I'm her brother. I have to protect her, Jaden. Gosh. This is all my fault."
"Hey, don't put this all on yourself. It's nobody's fault. We didn't know this was going to happen," Jaden tries to reassure me. "It'll...it'll work out."
"Griffin?" a soft voice calls. I bolt out of my chair and into the room. Elly's eyes are barely cracked open.
"Elly, I'm here." I come over to her side and take hold of her hand again, rubbing it gently and kneeling down on the floor so my head is close to her's. "I'm here, Elly. Right here."
"Griff, it really hurts. Everywhere," she whispers, turning her head to me so that we are only a few inches apart. A few tears trickle out of her eyes, and I reach up and wipe them off.
"I'm sorry, Elly. I know it hurts, but it'll get better, alright?" I whisper, giving her a hint of a smile.
"Alright," she whispers back. Then, she turns her head to Jaden, who had remained far back against the wall by the doorway. "Jaden?"
"Hey, Elly. I'm glad that you are up," he says as he approaches. He remains a few feet away, sitting in one of the chairs. "Do you-Do you need anything?"
"No," she whispers. "How long have you guys been here?"
"I came with you in the ambulance," I tell her.
"I got here a few minutes ago," Jaden says softly. "Everyone else is still at the hotel, though. But they'll be glad to hear that you've woken up."
"That's good." Elly's mouth hints at a smile, but I can see it's clearly laced with pain.
"Do you want me to go find a nurse?" I ask. She nods slowly, weakly.
Jaden stands up. "I'll go find someone." Then he leaves the room, and we are alone.
"Jaden was in the alley," Elly whispers, turning her head back to me. "Was he the one that found me there?"
"Yeah. Yeah, he was," I tell her. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there first."
"It's okay, Griff."
"You were already out when I got there."
Elly smiles. "Griffin, it's okay. You're here now."
"Elly?" a nurse asks as she walks into the room. I can see Jaden is in the hallway. "Glad to see that you are up."
"Glad to be up." Elly tries at a small laugh.
"I understand that you're in a lot of pain. We will get you on some medicine for that." The nurse puts her clipboard down. "Can we talk about what happened first?"