Bad Friend

Present

Ethan scrambled out of the car in long strides, his tall stature imposing as he walked through the hallway albeit the exhausted look on his face, attracting curious gazes.

Sera closely followed behind Ethan almost hidden in his shadow, her steps faltering and uncertain. She looked like a meek and lost little lamb.

Clenching the hem of her white tulle skirt she stood in a trance, the unfamiliar faces brought her a strange sense of discomfort.

With an uneasy, shaken heart Sera stopped before the chairs outside the Critical Care Unit (CCU), a tall man with masculine built and blue eyes stood leaning against the wall, distraught.

Ethan went straight to the man, shaking him by his tense shoulders, tears threatening to tumble down his honey-dewed skin.

"Brother! Lu.. Lucifer..", Ethan cried in a devastation tightening his grip on Adrian's arms, his voice strained.

"He's fine.. they just transferred him to the CCU! he'll probably wake up tomorrow.." Ethan was trying to process his words gazing into his blue eyes, his deep eyes darkened.

"How..! You were there with him right? then how..", Ethan couldn't accept the turn of events, even after their meticulous attention to every detail Lucifer was injured.

Adrian heard Ethan's question, it was a sharp stab in his already bleeding heart, he felt pathetic.

"It.. It was a planned ambush.. the bullet hit his abdomen fortunately there are no internal organs or skeletal anomalies but despite that there was a lot of blood loss", Adrian said as he looked at the shuddering Ethan who was struggling to regain his composure.

"It's just a bullet.. It cannot kill him, he's Lucifer..", anyone could tell that Adrian's words were to convince himself rather than comfort the haggard man before him. Adrian's voice raspy, the last few bits were almost forced out of his throat.

Sera's knees gave out, she fell with a soft thud on the chairs outside the CCU, horror-struck. She sat looking vacantly at the closed door waiting for Lucifer to walk out and embrace her, to tell her that all of this is a bad dream, it'll be alright once she wakes up.

"Bull.. bullet? he lost blood..", staggered, Adrian's words had a huge impact on her, hot tears streamed down her now ashen face as she clutched the pendant in despair.

"Milady.. bullet!"

"I'm Lucifer.. bullet..."

"I miss you.. bullet!!"

"I like you.. bullet"

"The sunrise of new beginnings.. bullet"

"The sunrise of our life.. bullet.."

Sera held her head in disbelief, eyes closed shut with Lucifer's words resonating in her ears clashing with Adrian's now spoken words.

Adrian patted his back like a elder brother that he was, Ethan pulled away and leaned beside him waiting for the doctor's update on Lucifer's condition.

Soon the door to the CCU opened, white coat cladded a middle aged doctor strolled out holding a sheet of paper with a few nurses and doctors behind him.

"How, how is he?", Ethan jumped at the doctor, with somewhat sanguine expectations in his eyes as he questioned the middle aged man.

"Mr Lee, the surgery was successful however Mr Lucifer is still in a critical state. We are going to monitor him through out the night, hopefully he'll wake up soon!"

The monotonous speech forced Ethan to swallow his words, he was disposed to look on the bright side and believe that Lucifer will wake up all fit and fine.

Forcing a smile Ethan nodded his head, Adrian looked away as a tear rolled down his left cheek. He shook out his tension but felt an even heavier sense of guilt to the point of self-blame for being incompetent.

Sera heard the doctor speak, staring at the three men in the distance she wiped her tear stricken face harshly and hurriedly stood up.

"You should go back Ethan!", Adrian saw Sera walking towards them in an unsteady gait, she looked extremely pallid with red eyes.

Ethan followed Adrian's gaze, Sera's disheveled small face came into his view. He felt the familiar pang of heartache as their eyes met, it made him restless as he clenched his fists in silence to get clear headed.

Ethan glanced at Adrian before turning back and walking towards Sera, he felt remorseful for dragging her here in his daze.

Unbeknownst to Ethan Sera had willingly followed after him worried about Lucifer, he was just too lost to notice her presence.

"Sera? Lucifer, he's fine now.. let's go, I'll drop you home", Ethan's spoke patiently, in a soft voice as though coaxing a small child to sleep.

"Lucifer.. I.. I want to stay", Sera's hoarse tone verifying that she's been crying for a while now.

Ethan extended his hand to hold her shaking shoulders, her vulnerable self was a very painful sight for him.

Ethan wanted to comfort her, provide assurance that Lucifer was fine and would very soon wake up and be back to his healthy self.

However, it felt a little odd to Ethan. The way Sera was crying for his friend, it evoked a sense of insecurity and distress in him.

Sera hugged Ethan catching him by surprise, holding onto his now stiff arms she was crying and her tiny frame shuddered with every sob.

"I want to stay, Ethan.. he..", Sera sobbed softly pleading to let her stay, Ethan's words were lodged into his throat seeing her so distraught, it pained him.

"Lucifer.. Let me.. stay.. Lucifer is my..", Ethan retracted his hand midway as he heard Sera's words, his eyes darkened and looked at the girl in his arms with an indescribable pain.

"Friend..!", Ethan interrupted Sera's soft cries of request, his tone abnormally high and it shook Sera who raised her head to look at Ethan, her tear rimmed eyes raced his heart and he stepped back, frustrated.

Sera was still in a daze, she looked at Ethan with her large doe eyes as she wiped her tears like a wronged child.

As he gazed at Sera's sorry appearance Ethan recognized something shocking which rattled him greatly.

"Shit!!", Ethan cursed under his breathe as realization struck him like a bolt of lightning, freezing his senses and evoking a sense of shame.

Ethan's brain registered how Sera's tears for Lucifer had the same effect on him when he had felt agitated seeing Mia's closeness and skinship to her brother, Lucifer.

Ethan was yet again jealous of his friend, Lucifer. However the feelings this time were far more intense which made Ethan understand how much of a bad friend he is.