"Hola!"

My head snapped to the doorway, my eyes going wide automatically.

"H-...hello?"

What in the world was this? Standing in the doorway were three people, two of whom I recognized. The third was tall, lean, and achingly handsome. I was blushing pink before I could even fathom a reaction.

"Georgina," Ruiz breathed, rushing to me immediately. She looked so pretty in her dark red, velvet half turtlenecked mini dress with black stockings. There was a gothic vibe going on with her make-up, her lips in wine and her eyes heavily smokey. I thought the look suited her well.

But speaking of gothic. The boy was staring at me from the doorway with heavy black eyeliner around his eyes, dressed in a black netted shirt with a black gauzy material underneath that trailed over his hands. Tight, dark crimson leather pants were paired with this, and I could have recognized those black snakeskin Manolo Blahniks a mile away. Cha Cha nudged him on the shoulder and my heart melted at the boy's eyebrows peaking, a shy expression at her.

"You're being a mouse," Cha Cha whispered to him a little too loudly. "She doesn't bite. Only I do."

"Gross," he replied to her in a silky, sexy voice.

Warm arms were around me before I could think much more about it.

"Georgina, I'm so worried," Ruiz said warmly next to my ear. "Please be okay! We're going to help you a lot. We've been preparing the house nonstop! I promise I'm going to do everything I can! You've helped me a lot, so I'm going to repay you! I promise!"

"I'm okay," I smiled, hugging her back. Her arms tightened around me.

She sniffled.

"Aww, it's okay," I giggled, trying to make her see.

But I didn't have to. "Aww. Come on, Ruiz. You said you weren't going to cry in the car." That silky voice again. It was drippingly sympathetic.

Ruiz sniffed next to my ear again. "I know, Ambrose! But- but...Georgina, I'm sorry!"

Ambrose? This was Ambrose? Holy hell. Congratulations, Ruiz. Now I could see why she was so taken with him. That on top of all the nice things she'd told me about him. No wonder indeed.

"Georgina, sorry to spring this on you, but we got some really good news. I wanted you to meet Ambrose before we took you home next week," Cha Cha beamed at me, swinging around my bed to the side with the window.

"Home?" I couldn't control my surprised expression. My blush deepened.

"Si, home. You're going to be getting better in our home."

My brain couldn't think. "What?"

Ruiz perked up. "We got your bed stuff from your apartment! Charlie let us up. It smells like Chanel. I couldn't stop smelling it! I wanted to bring your perfume here so your bed stuff smells like it here, but Cha Cha said the hospital wouldn't allow it. Something about Asthma? You're going to be comfortable, just like home. I promise." She said this while still sniffling, and I hoped not a tear would fall because her make-up was perfect.

"You were in my apartment?"

"Si, your apartment. It's just like how you left it. Well, except for the flowers. I tidied up a little bit in there," Cha Cha smiled assuringly.

Ambrose took Ruiz's hand and I noticed a hint of uncomfortableness on her face. It shocked me a little bit. He didn't seem to notice, which was a bit odd. More so, he was staring at me unwaveringly, seeming to be studying me. I wanted to shrink. Instead, I looked into his eyes.

And what I saw.

My breath caught.

I blinked, having to shake my head. It was just like...but that was impossible. I didn't even know him.

"Are you okay, Georgina?!" Ruiz jumped, ready for action. It warmed my heart.

"Y- yes. Yes." I smiled to her to assure her, using the adaptation I had learned this morning.

"Okay," she breathed, visibly relaxing. Ambrose began rubbing her back. Her head went down a little, her shoulders went up, the tenseness immediately back.

There was no question. She didn't want him to be doing that. I had to stop my face from showing I was picking up on this, instead smiling like I had been but this time forced. How badly I wanted to ask her why. What was going on with her? We hadn't seen each other in over two months. Clearly something major was going on.

Immediately, I began feeling guilty for not knowing. Not being there for her. But there was nothing I could do, which made me feel even worse. I shifted on my bed like I was getting into a more comfortable position but really, I was just uncomfortable.

His eyes. The way she was reacting to him. Was that the reason?

"Derek said you can start eating solid food again. The doctor approved it earlier today. He doesn't see any risk. You're really improving, even getting to the bathroom by yourself and moving around. Your strength is really coming back, eh? It's so good!" Cha Cha was absolutely radiant in merriment.

This was very good news. But I was much more concerned with what was going on to her left. Ruiz's eyes were full of tears, and it didn't look like it was because of me.

"Yes," I said simply, still staring at her.

"Derek said he's been speaking Italian to you. He said he talks to you a lot. I'm glad he does."

I blinked. Oh wait, that. I redirected my attention at Cha Cha. Right, I was supposed to talk to her about Derek. But now. My eyes went back to Ruiz. She bounced her right shoulder twice, each time about a centimeter farther away from Ambrose but not enough.

I knew her well enough to recognize what she was doing. She was being too scared to show she didn't like him touching her. Scared and shy like always. Remembering what she'd told me about her father, my body tightened. My hands itched to knock his hand away from her, even though I didn't know what was going on. Just to make him stop doing that, which she clearly wanted. What could I do?

I looked over to my bedside table on the opposite side to them. My cup of water was resting there, half full. Her voice was in my head. I promise I'll do everything I can!

There was only one thing I could do.

Without a second thought, I faked my hand being shaky and went to grab my cup. With a flourish that could have won me an Oscar, I knocked the cup onto its side.

And just like I knew she would, Ruiz shot around the bed. It happened so fast. I could have snapped my fingers one and two, like a director of a movie for this perfect direction.

"Ay dios mio! Did it wet you? Are you okay? Napkins? Towels? Algo? Oh no, sus ropas están húmedas! Toalla!" She gasped, already searching around my bedside table for these things. I flicked my hand, the water that got on me jumping away onto my blankets.

"I'll ask Derek if there's any towels!" Cha Cha panicked, darting around my bed, her yellow boots clicking rapidly on the tiles I knew so well. This I had not predicted. But now, Ambrose was alone on that side, still staring at me. He was quiet now, not moving a muscle to help me or his girlfriend.

I stared into his unblinking eyes. They didn't look particularly mean. But there was a definite, unmistakable familiarity about them. Something that shouldn't have been there. Something I knew too painfully well.

I grabbed Ruiz's hand and she jumped, but I didn't mind. I stared her straight in the eyes and she froze.

"Bathroom," I said as clearly as I could to her, "brown paper towel." I made the motion of grabbing the brown paper towels out of the metal dispenser.

Beautiful comprehension bloomed on her face and I smiled for real. Thank god.

"The paper towels! You're a genius!" she cried, squeezing my hand with both of hers. I nodded, beaming at her. I didn't care what I looked like. I needed to get her out of the room. Ambrose's eyes. I had no doubts. And I needed to know the answer. I would make him understand me, no matter what.

I watched her run out of the room and refocused my attention on him. He was making like he was going to follow her but hesitating, so I made sure he wouldn't. My hand fell on his and grabbed it like a bug latching onto a branch. He jumped, just like I thought he would.

"Jumpy, are we?" I asked, not expecting an answer.

"I'm sorry?" he asked back, his eyes very worried. I couldn't stop staring at his eyes.

"Does she know?"

"Excuse me?"

He wasn't blinking.

"When was the last time? Ten minutes ago?"

"I'm really sorry, I don't understan-"

"Cocaine. When was the last time you used?"

He stopped moving, staring at me like a deer caught in headlights. Ah, so he'd understood me. However.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying." But he was looking at me as if he knew exactly what I was saying.

"Co-caine. You know." I swiped my finger under my nose twice. "You're a user. Your eyes are dilated. Your nose is raw."

His eyes went incredibly wider. "I have a cold."

Oh my god.

"Paulie said that, too."

"Paulie?"

"Paulie." Silence followed this. I broke it, wasting no time. "Did you tell her you have a cold?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Does Ruiz think you have a cold. I know you understand me," I snapped at him.

"Ruiz. Oh god. Don't tell Ruiz." Genuine shame appeared in his dilated eyes. It caught me off guard. This was familiar, too. So he really was like Paulie. Paulie... My brain made a connection, making it hard to breathe. A memory appeared in my mind, attempting to snuff out my anger and my protective instinct for Ruiz.

He was Paulie's daughter.

"Did you use cocaine with Paulie?" I asked, more gentle now and going slow so he could hear every word, my brain going one hundred miles per minute.

"Yes." His response was very shaky, unsure.

The sound of clicking heels made him jump again and try to get away from me. My grip tightened, a swirling in my gut telling me to. His hand tried to jerk away from mine, but my other hand joined our's and clasped over them. There was no way I was letting him go. I didn't care if he tried to get violent either, but it didn't seem like he would. Not with that terrified look in his eyes.

"You have to tell her."

"Please, Miss...please..." his whispered insistently, desperately.

"Promise me."

"Please don't..." Evident despair was in his voice.

Ruiz appeared in the doorway with way too many paper towels. It would have made me burst into laughter if this situation weren't so serious. But just seeing her made my heart fall into a thousand pieces.

Did she have any idea?

I unclasped his hand and he took a step back, teetering on his Manolos at the unexpected release. He gave me a fearful gaze and ticked around my bed, the stilettos making their own unique sound on the tile.

As Ruiz patted me down gently with the paper towels, Ambrose wiped clean my bedside table with the efficiency of a real nurse. Except better, because his body was working with the precision of a fear fueled machine.

They weren't done by the time Cha Cha came back, holding a new hospital gown for me. She explained that Derek said I should just have a new one since it was easier than attempting to dry the old one. This was met with fake laughter from me, breaking the tension and making Ruiz laugh. It sent a wave of relief through me, seeing this. She deserved laughter.

But Ambrose. He seemed like he wanted to go into a corner and hide. I couldn't decide if I felt bad or not. But thinking about all the nice things Ruiz had said about him, seeing the despair in his eyes. It made me ease in this consideration.

That boy. No matter what, Ruiz cared a lot about him. Cha Cha cared a lot about him. Even Paulie had cared a lot about him.

Cha Cha held the gown up for me like it was a beautiful costume and told them to leave the room. They nodded, and I watched them go. Ambrose was moving like a kicked puppy. Ruiz was, too.

My heart wrenched. How had it gone so wrong?