Through Thick and Thin

Sirens filled the streets of Los Angeles. One ambulance in particular sped down the backroads, flooring the gas pedal. Its wheels screeched on the cracked pavement, and the sirens were deafening. Emergency medical technicians were rushing inside of the vehicle, trying their hardest to safe the man on the gurney, who was bloody and impaled with glass; all that the EMTs knew was that there had been a car accident, which was evident by the man's injuries.

The leader of the emergency team was shouting orders left and right in an attempt to save the man in their care. The driver called back to the team that they were less than a mile from the hospital. In response, the EMTs prepared the man to be transported outside, giving him an oxygen mask and covering him with a blanket so he stayed warm. They unlocked the wheels of the gurney and stood at the ready to run the man into the hospital.

Before long, doctors opened the ambulance doors, and they wheeled the gurney into the massive building. One of the doctors ordered to take the man to surgery, and the others obeyed, cleaning up the man as much as they could and then wheeled him into large double doors, which had a sign above them with the word "SURGERY" etched into it.

Outside, in the waiting room, a woman sat, occasionally fidgeting. She sobbed quietly, wiping her eyes with a tissue. After what seemed like many hours, a doctor walked out calmly through the double doors, and the woman looked at him expectedly. All the blood that covered the doctor's gloves and surgical coat worried her, but she was relieved when he told her that the man would be fine after lots of recovery.

The woman walked down a long, empty hall that smelled of antiseptic, her high-heels tapping elegantly on the polished floor. She opened a door that had "ICU" painted on it, and sighed in like the doctor told her to. She then walked through the large room, slightly saddened by the number of patients in the room. After searching for a little while, the woman found who she was looking for, and her eyes teared up. She walked to the man's bedside and sat in the chair that was provided.

She caressed his hand, tracing the tattoos that covered it, and with her other hand ran her fingers through his black hair. "Nikki…" she sobbed. She tightened her grip on his hand, and to her surprise, her hand was squeezed back. The woman leaned her head down so her lips were by Nikki's ear. The oxygen mask he was wearing echoed his breathing, and the woman closed her eyes. "Nikki… please be okay. I hope you can hear me… I love you. Please don't leave me."

Nikki moaned, which startled her. "Nikki?"

His eyes slowly opened, the color in his eyes slightly faded. He had dark circles under his hazel eyes, which scanned the surrounding area slowly. They eventually focused on the woman beside him, and he opened his mouth slightly. "Courtney…" His voice was raspy and tired, as to be expected from someone who was in a car accident.

"Oh, Nikki… you're awake." Courtney said happily with a smile. "You had me worried…" She got lost in her train of thought when she looked at Nikki's torso, which was covered in bandages. There was a scar going down his right cheek as well, and she traced it gently with her finger. Nikki's eyes eventually closed again, his breathing slowing down as he fell back asleep.

"Sleep well, honey." Courtney whispered, and she kissed Nikki lightly on his forehead.

——

"You ready to go, Nikki? Do you need some help?" Courtney asked as she walked into the room numbered 248. She grinned as Nikki tried to make the hospital bed. "What are you doing, hun?"

Nikki looked up and smiled. "Just thought I'd do something for the nurses. Since they helped save my live and all."

Courtney giggled. She realized in that moment how much she loved this man; he was everything she wanted. Caring, compassionate, romantic. Nikki was just amazing, and she became more and more certain of that as she watched him struggle with the bed. He occasionally cursed the bedsheets, and Courtney couldn't help but laugh slightly. Nikki stuck his tongue out at her playfully, which made her laugh more.

Once he finally got the bed made, Nikki followed Courtney out of the room. She stopped and turned around, and Nikki stopped in his tracks. "Something wrong, babe?" Courtney did not answer; instead, she placed her hands on Nikki's cheeks and brought his face closer to hers. She looked sadly at his scar and then kissed him gently. Nikki placed his hands on her hips and closed his eyes, embracing Courtney's love. He realized how lucky he was to have such a loving girlfriend, and he broke the kiss and hugged her firmly but gently. "I love you." He whispered into her ear.

Courtney smiled, pushing Nikki back so she could see his bright, hazel eyes. "I love you, too." She grabbed Nikki's hand and grinned. "Why don't we go home?" Nikki nodded and walked beside her, gripping her hand. The nurses congratulated Nikki on a great recovery as the couple walked down the hall, and he said his goodbyes and thank yous.

As the two walked outside, Nikki was overcome by the Los Angeles air, something he hadn't felt in close to a month. Courtney leaned into Nikki's chest and smiled as Nikki breathed in deeply, letting the crisp air fill his lungs. He looked down at Courtney and smiled slightly. "Ready to go home?" Courtney nodded, and they walked hand-in-hand toward Courtney's car.

——

"You didn't kill him?! How hard can it be?"

A scrawny man cowered in fear at his boss's anger. He knew he would be in deep shit if he failed, but he didn't think he would. It turns out he did fail; the man was still alive, and the boss was not pleased.

"I've gotten reports that he has recovered almost fully. There is no excuse for you… he should be dead. You hear me? DEAD."

The scrawny man stuttered as he tried to find his words. His boss was intimidating, and he was afraid he would say something that would not help his case. "B-Boss…"

The boss turned around and glared. "What?"

"Maybe we can still get him… Just not him."

The boss looked at him, puzzled. "Explain yourself, Slim."

Slim evilly smirked slightly, his confidence building as he got the boss's attention. "We could, in theory, go after something he loves and lead him into a trap."

The boss looked out the window thoughtfully. "Well, well, Slim. You have certainly redeemed yourself." He turned around and grinned evilly. "I love that plan. Execute it as soon as possible."

Slim stood erect, full of confidence. "Yes, sir!"

——

Nikki and Courtney finally arrived at their destination: Courtney's home. She figured that being away from the stress at his own house would help Nikki recover. She helped him out of the car, and he grimaced in pain; the morphine had worn off by now, and the pain was overcoming him at this point. This concerned Courtney, so she put one of his arms around her shoulders to support him. With each step, Nikki groaned.

"You okay, hun? We're almost inside, don't worry." Nikki nodded and moaned slightly. Courtney slowly walked to the house, being sure to help Nikki along the way. As they entered the house, a car drove up to the curb, and a scrawny man smirked in satisfaction.

——

By the time Courtney got Nikki to the master bedroom, he could barely walk and was running a fever because of the amount of pain he was in. She sat Nikki lightly on the bed. "Try and relax, honey. I'll go get a nice, cold rag for you, okay?" Nikki just nodded as he laid down on the bed.

When Courtney came back from the bathroom with a rag, she heard Nikki snoring lightly. She couldn't help but smile. She walked over and put the rag on his forehead, moving his hair out of the way. Nikki shivered a little, and Courtney got a sheet from the closet and put it over Nikki's body. She sat there for awhile, just watching Nikki sleep. His face was generally peaceful; only once in awhile did his face contort into some form of pain. This made Courtney feel a little sad. She hated seeing Nikki like this, and she couldn't do anything about it.

After watching him for a few minutes to make sure he was alright, Courtney silently left the bedroom after kissing Nikki lightly on his lips. She walked out into the living room and sat on the couch, pulling out a book and reading. She then realized she forgot her phone in her car. In a bit of annoyance, she sighed and walked out to her car.

A shadow appeared on her car, and Courtney turned around only to come face-to-face with a scrawny man. He grinned the most evil grin she had ever seen, and he grabbed her, covering her mouth with one of his hands. "Don't even think about screaming. The name is Slim; you better call me that, or else."

——

Nikki awoke in a panic, jolting up, which made him cringe in excruciating pain. He had thought that he heard screaming… Courtney screaming. He slipped on his flip-flops and walked to the bedroom door, attempting not to fall over from exhaustion and his fever. He slowly opened the door. "Courtney…?"

He walked around the house, searching for the one he loved. He couldn't find her though, and this worried him. He decided to check outside; maybe she had gone out to get some fresh air. Nikki painfully made his way down the stairs and out the front door. The cool Southern California air hit him like bricks, and he loved it, especially since his fever was making him extremely hot. He scanned the front yard, searching for Courtney, but he didn't see her. "Courtney!"

Nikki walked over to her car, checking to see if she was there at some point. He didn't hear the footsteps coming behind him. Nikki felt someone grip his shoulder, and he turned around. Slim chuckled, and the last thing Nikki heard before everything turned black was Courtney screaming.

——

Nikki opened his eyes, the light hurting his head. He found himself in an awkward position, similar to how hostages were imprisoned in Hollywood movies; his wrists and ankles were shackled to the wall behind him. His head was pounding, and his fever was getting worse. His chest ached, mainly from the wounds that have not healed yet. Nikki closed his eyes, trying to ease the pain, but his relaxation was interrupted with a loud bang and defiant moans. Nikki opened his eyes back up, and he saw Courtney being held by a brute of a man.

The man walked over toward Nikki, smiling. "Well, you're alive, eh? I didn't expect you to be… you were hit by a pretty huge truck."

Nikki growled. "Fuck you."

"I don't think you are in any position to talk to me that way…" The man then punched Nikki right in the chest. Nikki coughed violently, and he could feel blood seeping out of his wounds. He felt as though he would pass out. The man jerked Nikki's head up by his hair and laughed.

"Aw, does someone not feel good?" The man asked in a sarcastically caring tone. Nikki started to breath extremely hard, and he was finding it hard to stay awake. "Call me Boss. If you know what's good for you."

Boss threw Nikki's head back against the wall, making Nikki scream in pain. He heard Courtney sob uncontrollably as his vision began to blur. He was in too much pain, he had too high of a fever, he was losing blood ever so slightly. Courtney yelling to him was the last thing he heard before he let his eyes close.

"NIKKI!" Courtney screamed. Boss smirked as he saw Nikki grimace in pain as he slowly passed out. He motioned to Slim to unshackle him. Slim did as he was told, and he let Nikki fall onto the floor. A groan escaped Nikki's lips, and Courtney ran toward him. She placed his head in her lap and started stroking his hair. She cried harder than ever; he was panting, sweating, bleeding. It was hard for her to take in.

Nikki slowly opened his eyes when he felt Courtney's cool fingers touch his burning face. "Nikki…?" She whispered.

He looked into her eyes as she traced his scar, sobbing. "Courtney… I don't feel good…"

"I know, Nikki, but you have to stay awake. You have to stay alive…"

"It hurts, babe…"

Courtney hugged Nikki tightly, rubbing his back gently. "It'll be okay, honey. We will make it through this. It'll be okay." An ambulance could be heard coming down the street. Nikki pulled Courtney down and kissed her with undying passion. Their mouths were locked for a couple of minutes, and then Nikki pulled back and smiled.

"I won't die. I promise." With that, he cuddled against Courtney and fell asleep as the ambulance and police pulled in by the building. They were done… the whole thing was finally over. Courtney sighed with relief. They could be at peace now.