Mikey had paced back and forth across the bench where his mother-in-law sat. The halls were dead silent, the bland hospital smell filling the air and the lights shining dully on their faces.

The tension could be cut with a butcher knife. His mother in law sitting in the bench behind him. She had her legs and arms crossed with a cigarette in her mouth. Even as a old woman, she was a huge rebel.

"Why wasn't I there?" Mikey had muttered to himself, ever since he heard about his step daughter getting shot, he had made sure he got here as fast as he could.

And now he's doing what he does best, blame himself.

"Stop doing that shit." His mother in law snaps, she's the only one who had remained composed during the whole situation, and she just wants to bitch slap everyone she sees right about now. Her voice was low and brooding, and it immediately hushed Mike's breakdown.

This woman's name is Ailani, she's been a single mother for so many years that she had some sort of forward attitude about her.

She gives no fucks about how old she is.

"Sorry Ails, I forgot you were here."

Ailani takes a cigarette to her lips, she leans against the bench.

"Listen, what Ishika needs you to do is to stay calm and have hope for Sierra and her unborn child."

"Don't think of the worst case scenario." Ailani says, blowing out smoke.

"You do realize that this is a hospital right?" Mike asks as he narrows his eyes at the cigarette between her nimble fingers. The nurses begin to walk down the hall.

"Yes?" She replies, raising an eyebrows.

"You should probably do that outside so that you won't get in trouble with the nurses again." Mikey suggests, sliding his hands in his pockets.

"I suppose you're right."

"But they wouldn't hurt a sixty nine year old lady would they?" Ailani asks, giggling at her small joke as she exited the building, her long white hair tied up in a messy ponytail.

She hasn't changed a bit according to Ishika.

"Mr. Aligani, would follow me please?" A nurse asks.

Mikey nods before following the small nurse down the hall, there was no sound except for the IV monitors that kept beating and doctors conversing.

The smell was strong, it was that strong hospital smell that had smelled strongly metallic.

Mikey personally hated being in hospitals. It reminded him of the day when he was forced to quit the military.

The nurse turns her heel to jerk her thumb at Ishika kneeling over the hospital bed.

"I'm afraid to say...but Sierra will not make it, the gunshots had hit three blood vessels and had punctured both of her lungs, along with her unborn child."

"S-She was pregnant?" Mikey stammered, his voice wavering.

Mikey was hurt, his eyebrows scrunch together and he rolls his lips in and out to refrain himself from crying. Sierra was like a daughter he never had.

Sierra had welcomed him into the family with wide and open arms, she always solved small arguments between him and his wife and she would always tease him by saying that he was old.

Mikey saunters into the room, Ishika's beautiful makeup now ruined by the continuous crying. Ishika sat in a wooden chair on the right, next to the death bed, the whole place was organized. Ishika had both of her hands clasped around one of her daughter's hands.

The whole room was dim, it took Ishika a full two minutes to realize that her husband was in the room. Once she had raised her head, her hair slumps over her shoulder, her running mascara now smeared. The bedsheets were clean. Ishika shakes her head from side to side.

"Mike."

"Shika...oh my God." Mikey gasps, no longer able to hide his true feelings, he collapses next to the bed and he takes Sierra's other hand.

"She won't make it. We were going to be grandparents Mike, she would've had the experience of being a mom...dealing with mood swings. Now that's stolen from her. Gone. It's funny Mike....how we think that we have it all...." Ishika rambles, barely making any sense at all, she kept rocking herself back and forth in the chair as she held her daughter's pale hand.

"This is my fault y'know." Ishika pipes, grimacing silently as Mike raises his head. His eyebrows immediately knit together.

"Don't say that."

"When Sierra's father was still around, he would blame me for acting like a child. Maybe he's right, maybe I am too selfish...maybe if I wasn't so caught up in my success-"

"Ishika babe, you're not making any sense." Mike says sadly. Ishika shakes her head violently.

"What if the people who shot Sierra were connections of that man who was murdered?" Ishika asks.

"Impossible, the man who was killed was a rapist and he needed to be stopped, your client had killed him in self defense and that's that. You did what was right." Mike explains softly, running his thumb over Sierra's cold hand.

"It's what Sierra would've wanted you to do."

Sierra's IV starts beating rapidly. Ishika immediately stands up, the chair screeching beneath her as she hovered over the death bed.

"Come on Sierra! Come on baby! Don't leave us! Fuck! Mike go get the nurse!" Ishika wailed as she clutches her daughter's hand.

The nurses run inside but it was too late, the IV monitor's beating came to a stop. Ishika screams hysterically. Two nurses' slowly walk towards her.

Her screams became louder and she starts to throw things at the nurses. Mike darts between the nurses' and he grabs Ishika by the waist, hauling her out of the room screaming and kicking.

And as Mike left with Ishika on his shoulder, he hears the words that had killed him the most.

"Sierra Aligani, time of death, 12:04 a.m. October 7th."

Right on Sierra's birthday.