Bruno, Ciro, and Lexy are out in the hallway, listening to Dino, who explains to them that Ciro is allowed to go home if there's someone to take care of him. He is not allowed to move his shoulder and the stitched-up bullet holes require time to heal.

The doctors are not in agreement about Logan. On one hand, they are afraid of him panicking again and on the other hand, they see the effect Scorpia has on him. He has to stay in bed and has to take it easy. He is only allowed a few visitors at a time. Anything that could give him stress, should be avoided.

The doctor urged Dino that the same goes for Scorpia. The doctor only knows half of what they've been through, but has years of experience with Italian 'families'. And he knows it must have been severe. They both could relapse or even worse if they go to fast and don't take time to rest.

Dino asks: "What do you guys think?"

Lexy and Bruno say in unison: "They have to stay together."

Ciro nods and Dino says: "We're in agreement then. I am convinced their health will deteriorate if we split them up."

Bruno says: "We will gather clothes and stuff for them. If I am really honest I would feel better if they both stayed here for now. There are doctors and nurses to keep an eye on them here. Maybe we should have Scorpia admitted too?"

Dino laughs and says: "And who is going to suggest that to her?"

Ciro says: "Not me. I'm already wounded."

Bruno laughs and Lexy says: "I will."

She walks back into Logan's room and sits down at the edge of the bed. Logan gives her a questioning look and she says: "Could you wake her up for me? I have something I need to talk to you about."

Logan kisses Scorpia awake and she looks at him through sleepy eyes. "Bonnie, Lexy wants to talk to us."

Scorpia mumbles: "I'm sorry. I'm not fully awake yet." Logan kisses her again and a tiny smile appears on her lips. "Not helping Logan. It will only make me believe I'm still dreaming."

Logan chuckles and says: "I could bite you if that works better."

Her eyes shoot open and she says: "Don't you dare!"

Lexy laughs and says: "Take it easy Scorpia. I'm not in a rush."

Scorpia sits up and rubs her eyes.

Lexy makes eye contact with her and says: "Ciro is allowed to go home if there's someone to take care of him. And we all decided you two need to stay together. Whatever it takes."

Logan smiles at Scorpia and says: "I need her Lex. I can't live without her."

Lexy says: "I know brother and I know Scorpia feels the same. But both of you need to understand that two people, in one hospital bed all day, is not normal. And that the doctor is worried about you both. Especially about your mental health. And to be really honest we all worry about that. We don't want to split you two up, but at the same time we don't want you to relapse because you jumped back into normal life too fast."

Scorpia looks into Lexy's eyes and asks: "What do I have to do, to be allowed to stay with him?"

Lexy smiles and says: "Have yourself admitted too. Dino will arrange a comfortable room for you both to stay in, including medical staff to keep an eye on you two. You can both get some well-needed rest in there and work through it all. We will get clothes and stuff for you and then we'll leave you alone. Please go along with all of this and choose your health and love. I would be a lot less worried if you were both looked after here."

Scorpia says: "Alright."

Lexy asks a bit surprised: "Really? That easily?"

Scorpia says: "Yes. I want to become the best version of me, to be there for Logan. And I know deep down that I am nowhere near that. I need time and peace to really let everything that happened sink in. To work through it all. On top of that, I would be too scared to talk about things at home with Logan. Scared he might relapse. But in here..."

───────

Lexy and Bruno are sitting on the couch, watching the breaking news on the TV. The boys are napping together, which gives them the time to look at the news freely. Salvatore's burnt body and the remains of his house are shown and the anchor talks about the stack of evidence that was received by the police. They paint Salvatore's picture perfectly; a cold-hearted, ruthless bastard.

They also talk about a lot of parents finally finding out what happened to their daughters. Because Salvatore abused a lot of girls and forced them to sell their bodies for him. They also talk about the illegal fights he organized and they even found a few people willing to talk about what he did to them already. It's on every single channel and Lexy looks Bruno over.

Bruno says: "She did good. She never let her anger rule, she always used her common sense. She has been so strong mentally, supernaturally strong. I pray to God that it hasn't been too much for her. The same goes for Logan. I hope they can work through it together, that it doesn't break them."

Mamma walks into the room with a bottle of wine and five glasses. Bruno gives her a questioning look and she says: "Ciro and Dino are on their way. We really need to drink to love."

Ciro and Dino walk in and sit down on the couch in the living room, where the TV still displays the kind of bastard Salvatore was. Mamma pours the wine and they toast to love together.

Ciro says: "To Logan and Scorpia. May their days be filled with love from now on and may they grow old together."

──────

Logan looks at the woman snuggled up to him with a worried look on his face. She keeps falling asleep and that wouldn't be so bad if she didn't look like she's in pain. She moans and cries and waves her arms around violently. The nurses tried to remove her from his bed, but he refused. He made her a promise and he is keeping it. He is staying with her, no matter what.

He strokes her back and whispers in her ear: "Bonnie, you're safe. Calm down. Bonnie. Shhh."

She shoots up and looks straight through him. He presses the emergency button next to his bed, scared of what he is witnessing. She jumps out of bed and looks around with a distant look in her eyes. 

"Bonnie? Scorpia?"

She crouches down on the floor and looks around in panic. She doesn't hear or see him. He pulls his IV out and rips all tubes and cords from his body to get to her. His legs are weak, but he manages to make his way over to her. He lets himself sink down to the floor, next to her and wraps his arms around her. 

"Bonnie? Scorpia?"

She panics even more and escapes from his arms. She jumps up and runs for the door. The door opens at that exact moment and reveals a male nurse. He assesses the situation quickly and injects her with a sedative. She drops down to the floor and Logan starts to cry.

He doesn't hear a word the nurse says, as the nurse tries to get him back into bed. Logan looks down at his arm and sees the blood stream down, leaving tiny red puddles on the floor. He wants to be with Scorpia, but the nurse drags him back towards the bed.

Three more nurses run in and lift Scorpia from the ground. The male nurse pushes Logan into bed and says: "Mister Brewster! Stop fighting me! We need to take care of you! Unless you want to bleed to death. If that's the case, tell us and we'll walk out of the room!"

Logan shoots the nurse a defeated look and says: "She has to stay with me. You can't take her. She has to stay here." The nurse sticks a needle in his arm and his world goes black.

─────

Dino barges into the doctor's office and bangs his fist on the table. "Would you please explain to me why my sister and Logan are in separate rooms? Goddammit! And on top of that heavily sedated and tied to their beds! Are you trying to fucking kill them?!"

The doctor stays silent and waits patiently for Dino to calm down. Dino sits down on the chair in front of the desk but is still very riled up. "We had a deal doctor!"

The doctor breathes slowly and speaks in a calm tone. "As long as they weren't a threat to each other's health, the deal was fine. But Scorpia freaked out and Logan ripped all medical equipment from his body to get to her. That only made her panic worse and we had to inject her with a sedative. And we had to do the same to Logan because he wouldn't let us take her. Logan has lost a lot of blood, probably damaged his hand a second time and his body went through a lot of stress. His heart rate is irregular and we are very worried. Scorpia is still not completely calm, even with a high dose of sedatives in her system."

Dino stares at the doctor in disbelief and clenches his fists. "Goddammit, doctor. This can't be happening. They can't pay the price for what that bastard did to them. Now what?"

The doctor says: "I'm about to convene a crisis meeting. We're thinking about admitting them to the psych ward and as far apart as possible."

Dino jumps up and yells: "No!" The doctor gestures him to sit down and Dino asks: "What if they wake up with a clear mind? And don't see the person they love? What do you think will happen then?" The doctor looks away and sighs. Dino says: "If you're not willing to work with me here, I will take them with me. Even if I have to carry them out on my back!"

The doctor rubs his temples and says: "This can't happen again, Dino. What if we're too late to intervene? How do you explain to your sister that Logan's gone because she lost it?"

Dino says: "I don't even want to imagine that doctor. But I am not breaking their hearts by keeping them apart. Even if they never fully recover or god forbid if they don't make it, they have to be together."

The doctor nods slowly and says: "Same room, separate beds. And someone in that room twenty-four-seven to intervene when needed. And an evaluation by a psychiatrist for both of them."

Dino nods and says: "Okay. Get things started right now. They need to be in the same room as soon as possible."

Dino walks out of the room and kicks the wall.

The doctor comes out and says: "Room 513. Wait in the hallway until we're done."

Dino walks towards the elevator and tries to relax when the doors close. He walks out to find room 513, as soon as the doors od the elevator open. He opens the door and is relieved to see that it's a spacious room, right next to the nurses' office. He finds a quiet spot out in the corridor and calls Bruno.

"Bruno, it's a disaster."

Bruno walks into the garden with the phone pressed to his ear. "What happened Dino?" He listens breathlessly to what Dino is telling him and hears a sob at the end of the story. Bruno says: "Dino? Take a deep breath. You handled that perfectly. They can't live without each other. No matter what they say at the hospital. Are they in one room yet?"

"Not yet. They're working on it. Room 513. Oh Bruno, what if they don't recover. Or only one of them makes it?"

"Don't think about that Dino. We can't help them, they have to get through this on their own. The only thing we can do is make sure they are together. And if anything might go wrong, they are at least that. Together."

Dino watches a bed with Scorpia in it roll his way down the hallway. "She's coming Bruno. I'll talk to you later."

Scorpia is rolled into the room and they move her bed close to the window. Dino observes his sister from the doorway and sees she is trying to escape from her restraints, right through the high dose of sedatives in her system. He moves aside when Logan comes his way. They roll him into the room and Dino follows them into the room. He looks at the ghostly white Logan while listening to his irregular heartbeat on the monitor.

The doctor comes in and Dino says: "Doc? The beds need to be closer together. And Logan's left hand needs to be untied. He only has one good arm, allow him to use it." He looks at his little sister, who growls as she aggressively pulls at the restraints around her wrists. He sighs and says: "I wouldn't dare to suggest to untie her. But give him the chance to touch her. Please."

The doctor thinks about it for a while and gestures at the nurses to push the beds together. He walks towards Logan's left side and unties the restraint around his wrist. Dino steps forward, grabs Logan's hand and places it on top of Scorpia's. 

The doctor stares at him wide-eyed when Logan's heart rate stabilizes and Scorpia calms down.

Dino grins, looks at the medical staff in the room, and says: "Do you get it now? They need to be together! Not because we're all stubborn, but because they can't live without each other."

The doctor says: "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." He looks at the nurses and says: "The beds need to stay this way and he has to be able to touch her. That's a demand. Find a way to work around it. And tell everyone scheduled to take care of them about it." The nurses nod and leave the room.

The doctor uses his stethoscope to listen to Logan's heart and whispers: "Unbelievable." 

Logan's eyes shoot open, his heart beats irregular again and he stares at Dino with a wild expression on his face.

Dino says: "To your left, Logan." Logan turns his head to the left and sees Scorpia. He strokes her lower arm and his heart starts to beat steadily again. Dino sinks down on a chair next to Logan's bed and breathes out slowly, while the doctor watches the heart monitor in fascination.

Logan sounds hoarse when he says: "Thank you, Dino."

The doctor says: "Yeah, he fought for you guys. We wanted to separate you, but Dino wasn't having it." Logan stares at the doctor all worried and the doctor puts a hand on Logan's shoulder. "Don't worry Logan. Your heart made it crystal clear that you have to be with her. We will not split you two up again. I hope you understand that she will have to stay restrained for now."

Logan strokes the restraint around her right wrist and nods. "She looked right through me doctor."

The doctor nods and says: "Yeah. We think she is reliving one or more traumatic experiences. This also means she is not fully conscious, she's in the past. And she can only get out of it herself. The only thing we can do is keep her as calm as possible, to make sure the stress doesn't get too much for her body."

Logan asks: "Am I allowed to talk to her or is it better if I don't?"

The doctor says: "If you can think of anything that might pull her from her traumatic memories, please try. Her past is winning from the present right now. But anything that might bring her back to the present is worth a try."

Logan nods as a tear slowly finds it's way down his cheek.

───────────

That was Chapter 19 for you.

Don't shoot me! 

I'm sorry.

The second she didn't have to be strong anymore...

...her inner demons came out of the shadows.

Until next time.

XO Hankie ❥