Like she said, it wasn’t fair.

But nothing prepared him for what he saw when he stepped into the ICU room that held Mekena’s sister. His attempted rapist.

In the bed was who he assumed was Skylar since her parents sat beside her, crying with their hands on her. Her face was completely swollen, red and bandaged up. There was a sheet starting at the middle of her forehead that draped back, which he assumed was being used to cover her exposed brain. The rest of her was swathed in bandages, and when they fully entered the room, Mekena stumbled beside him, her sobs filling the room as he fought to catch her, not allowing her to hit the floor.

“I can’t.”

“You can,” he reminded her, holding her up and against him as she dug her face into his chest, crying, her whole body shaking.

“Mekena, please come here,” her mother said, but he wouldn’t let her go. She wouldn’t make it. He knew that, so he held her, his eyes closed as he calmly tried to breathe, his own eyes filling with tears.

“Mom, no, give me a second,” she cried, shaking her head against Markus as he looked past her to Skylar. She wasn’t even who he remembered. The strong girl who could kick his ass. She was broken. Completely broken, and he cried for the girl that was lost. Not the one who hurt him and Mekena, but the one before that. The good one. The one who loved her sister, who loved life, and who loved to make people laugh.

The room was nearly silent, the only noises coming from the ventilator down Skylar’s throat and the very slow beeping of the heart monitor. As Mekena cried, holding him so tight, his own tears fell down his cheeks. These people didn’t deserve this. No one deserved this, but most of all, he hated that Skylar had never apologized. Never looked him in the eye and said she was sorry for what she had done. Never apologized to the girl he loved for trying to break her heart.

“Mr. and Mrs. Preston, I’m sorry to bother you, but we need some paperwork signed by one of you.”

All four of them looked behind them, and Markus hadn’t even realized a nurse had come in. A lump formed in his throat when he saw the acronym DNR on the top of the forms. He knew what that meant and assumed that once her parents saw it, it wouldn’t go well. No one wanted to accept that the person they loved was leaving. As Markus watched, Stan stood, kissing Linda’s head before heading to the nurse. His eyes were bloodshot, his face grim, and Markus couldn’t imagine the pain he was going through. That all of them were going through.

As Stan passed, he nodded to Markus, cupping his shoulder before whispering, “Thank you.”

Markus could only nod as Mekena clung to him, needing the support that only he could provide her. That he would always provide her. For the rest of his existence. Swallowing hard, he asked, “Do you want to go closer?”

She shook her head. “I can’t.”

He nodded slowly, but he needed to go closer. “Okay, well, I have to.”

“Huh?” she asked as she pulled back, looking at him in disbelief. “What for?”

“For me,” he said simply as he lowered her into the chair beside him. She watched him with wide eyes as he cupped her face, kissing the tip of her nose. “I’ll be over there.”

He started to turn, but then her words stopped him. “Do you want me to come?”

“I do.”

Her lip came between her teeth as the tears washed down her cheeks. She looked past him, her face twisting in horror before she looked back up to him and rose slowly. “Okay.”

His lip quivered a bit as she took his hand, and they looked to where Skylar was lying, her mother laid out across her. As they closed the distance between them and Skylar, his heart was pounding, there was a lump in his throat, and his chest hurt, but he kept moving, being strong not only for Mekena, but for himself. When they reached her, Mekena cried out, looking away because Skylar’s eyes were fluttering. It was terrifying, and it freaked him the hell out, but he had to do this because he was pretty damn sure he would never get this moment again.

And he had to do this to her face. Even if it no longer resembled the girl he’d known.

Reaching out, he swallowed hard as he laid his hand on Skylar’s while Mekena clung to him. Clearing his throat, his mouth opened but nothing came out. His throat was tight and so was his chest, but he knew what he needed to do.

For himself.

For Mekena.

Clearing his throat once more past the sob that wanted to escape, he said, “I forgive you, Skylar.” A cry left Mekena’s lips as she clung to him, and he could feel her staring at him. “For everything. Don’t worry, I won’t be a scumbag and hurt your sister ever. I’ll love her. I’ll fight for her. I’ll be her rock and constant supporter for the rest of my life. I promise you, I’ll prove you wrong, and I’ll do right by her.”

Mekena hiccupped a sob beside him as he slowly backed away, feeling like the weight of the world had been lifted off his chest. He had done it; he had forgiven her, and it felt right. He wanted to say the anger, the resentment, everything was gone, but he would be lying. It was there, but he would work through it because she could go and he would know he was at peace with all that had happened. He was going to be fine. He was going to be successful and happy, but above all, he was going to love Mekena more than anyone could even fathom.

She was his second chance.

Looking down at her, he smiled, cupping her face as she whispered, “You amaze me.”

He shrugged. “I think that about you, daily.”

Her lip quivered as she looked back at her sister, her tears flowing in rivers down her cheeks. The doctor from earlier had entered the room, and he walked around them, going to the ventilator and shutting it off. Mekena looked around frantically as her mother cried into her father’s arms before she looked back up at him. “That’s it? You’re giving up?” Mekena accused the doctor, and he held his hands out.

“Your parents have made the decision to discontinue treatment.”

“Mekena, she’s gone,” her mother cried. “She’s brain dead, we have to let go.”

Mekena looked to Markus as his heart sank and then back to the monitor that still recorded Skylar’s heartbeat. It was still beating, and Skylar was still breathing. It could be a good sign, though the doctor didn’t seem to think so.

“She’s still breathing, she’s alive,” Mekena protested.