Gabe was running as fast as his legs could possibly carry him. He bolted down the steps, tripping over each one and dragging himself from the home with the Raven's on the hitching posts. His breath was coming out heavy, in short pants as he made his way through town. Gabe needed to move, and fast, as Kate was in terrible and horrifying danger. All that Gabe could picture was Kate's blood pouring down her neck and shoulder. Gabe remembered running over to her and pressing hard, trying to help before his uncle pushed him away. It truly was a traumatizing experience. Gabe was still suffering in such shock that looked around and literally had no idea where to go. Sure, he had only been here a few days, but when he wasn't panicked, he knew his way pretty well around. It was clear now that something was desperately wrong. "Somebody! Anybody..." Gabe spoke, tears in his warm brown eyes as he looked around, frantically. It was like he had forgotten everything in his moment of fear.
Gabe's mind immediately began to drift as he slipped into a state of pandemic panic. What if he hadn't come in quick enough to save Kate from Macy and Javi from Macy? Gabe immediately began to think of the worst possible situations as his blood turned cold.
As he began to think for the worst possible situations, he came to realization that the this was all his fault again. He had successfully managed to fuck this entire situation up. If he wouldn't have thrown a fit over Kate and Javi kissing in the kitchen, then Javi would have been with Kate. If Javi had been with Kate, then none of this would have happened. It was likely that Macy had pulled Kate up with a knife when she was sleeping. But if she was with Javi if would have been different. Gabe was now fully convinced it was his fault again. Gabe hung his head some in shame, hunching over with his hands on his knees. "Oh God....no..... I hurt my mom. It's my fault she's....she's...." Gabe hunched over further before literally throwing up anything he had in his stomach. It was unintentional, truly, but the idea of Kate getting hurt because of him made him sick.
He worried about Kate dying, but also what losing the key to their family would do to them. If Kate bled out from her injuries, Javi would never forgive Gabe. Gabe thought his uncle would never look at him the same. The fear of losing Javi and Kate made him terrified. How could he have messed this up? Somehow, it had become just about his biggest fear now.
Gabe coughed some and tried to stand up again, tears in his eyes. Gabe looked to the sky for a minute as if somehow his family and friends who were gone before him could give him some strength. "I'm so sorry I messed everything up...." Gabe spoke, making his way now to the infirmary with blurry vision of his own. When he found it was empty, due to the fact it was night time, he began to try to think where Eleanor lived. Realizing she lived in the same apartment they used to hide out in before, Gabe dragged himself over with tear stricken eyes.
"I need your help." Gabe spoke, unable to help the emotions that came from him as he hurried alongside Eleanor back to their new home. Eleanor was carrying a bag of things as she made her way inside, the stench of blood instantly hitting her nose, which caused it to crinkle. "Oh God, Javi....is she...?" Eleanor asked as she entered, seeing all the blood that was on his hands, arms, and body.
Gabe stood in the doorway, not knowing what to say or do as he slid to the ground. Gabe put his head in his hands again, muttering to himself about messing everything up. He couldn't even seem to see any logic right now, likely because of how traumatizing the situation was.
Whenever Eleanor spoke to Javi, he barely heard her words. He was so focused on Kate and not letting her die, that he found it hard to come back to reality. Javier lifted his head slightly, glancing to Eleanor. Eleanor, who was the last person in this world he wanted to seek help from. He still hasn't managed to forgive her yet, and this seemed to be an ongoing thing. But now, he needed her more than ever before. He had killed Dr. Lingard in hopes to get Clementine some answers. This left Eleanor as the only medic, though after this Javi wanted to get trained himself. "No...n-o of course not. She's...she's breathing." Javi spoke, almost clutching Kate a bit protectively to him as Eleanor implied she was dead. "She's a lot stronger than that. /My/ Kate." Javier spoke, moving to stroke back her hair now as Eleanor came over and immediately began to help.
It was clear by Eleanor's face and words that the dire nature of the situation could not be understated. "Oh God...this is bad. She's bleeding terribly. She's going to need a blood transfusion."
Before Eleanor could even finish her statement, Javier had his arm extended. His head snapped in her direction as a sense of purpose finally came before him. For the past so many minutes, he had felt useless. But hearing that Kate needed blood reassured him that he could be helpful again. Javi knew that he was O+ and Kate was A+. He could one hundred percent donate to her. But if the tables were reversed, she couldn't do the same for him. "I'm O+. Take it. Take whatever she needs. I don't care about me. I don't care...Take all of my blood if it means she'll be okay." Javier spoke, clearly distraught as Eleanor cleaned Kate's neck and shoulder. Eleanor immediately began to stitch Kate up, as quickly as possible. She could use some help, but seeing as Gabe was huddled far in the doorway, and Javi was willing to drain his entire blood supply for Kate, none of those options seemed stable.
"I'm not taking all of your blood. Just enough to get Kate stable. /If/ I can get her stable....We need to get her stitched and cleaned first." Eleanor spoke, trying not to overthink how easily bad this could go. Javi had said before she needed to earn forgiveness, and what better way to earn it than this? Helping Javi and his family would surely put Eleanor on his good side.
"No... If." He scoffed at Eleanor, fire in his eyes. "When....you mean /when/ you can get her stable." Javier spoke to Eleanor, his brown eyes wide and vulnerable, pleading. "What do I need to do? Tell me what I need to do and I'll do it. Just tell me." Javi spoke, moving to take Kate's limp hand in his and gently squeezing it to reassure her he was there.
Eleanor glanced to Javi, trying to move him aside as she continued to work. "Just hold this and don't move. I'm trying to sew as quickly as I can and you're distracting me." Eleanor immediately went back to stitching Kate's up as she had Javi hold her cleanish supplies. The blood now began oozing slightly from the incision.
There was nothing but the sound of silence, and Eleanor's quiet working. It was about an hour until her work was complete, and even then, she was still cleaning up. Javi hadn't moved from Kate's side the entire time. He watched her with a worried and awestruck expression, just wishing she would wake up again. It seemed now he owed some sort of thanks to Eleanor, as he didn't think Kate would have made it without her. As Eleanor began to throw away the gauze and bloody wrappings, Javi tightened his hold on Kate's hand. Gabe came to sit beside Kate on the bed, directly by his uncle.
Javi spoke to Gabe, clearing the air now. "T-thank you for your help earlier. In saving me from...Macy." Javi looked over to her body, which still remained. Eleanor was going to get someone to help her move Macy's body. "I don't know what would have happened if you didn't come. I'm proud of you, buddy." Javi spoke, though the exhaustion was utterly apparent in his voice.
Eleanor cleared her throat, interrupting the conversation now and glancing to Javi and Gabe. "I know you told me I'd have to earn my forgiveness that day after Richmond's walls had fallen. I'm trying the best I can. I hope this all means something to you." Eleanor spoke, lowering her head as she exited and went off to get some help.
Neither Gabe nor Javi answered Eleanor, not worried about her forgiveness after her major betrayal right now when Kate's life was in jeopardy.
Gabe immediately looked back to Javi, his voice quiet and raw with emotion. "N-no. Don't say that. This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so upset at you and Kate...You would have been with her. Macy never would have had her. She'd be awake right now and you...Wouldn't be like this." Gabe spoke, moving his hand to rub his face.
Of course Javi didn't believe this, immediately sitting further upright. "That's not fair to you." Javi frowned, trying to be strong for Gabe. "Macy coming in here had nothing to do with you. There's no saying that if I would have been here, it would have been different. Maybe she would have hurt Kate right away before I could have intervened. No one can really know. But she's resting, and getting stronger, like usual. She amazes me more and more every day." Javi spoke, taking her bloody hand to his lips and giving it a tender kiss now. He felt the emotion building up in him again as he watched Kate.
She had such a pained expression on her face, it felt like he too was suffering just by watching her. Javi tried not to dwell on it, but it was easier said than done. Kate's pain was his pain to bear, as far as he was concerned. Kate was resting, but not by any means of comfort. Javi hoped that the blood he provided would provide her some sort of healing comfort, giving her strength through his own blood.
Gabe watched Javi when he spoke, almost in disbelief at the love Javi had for his step-mom. Of course, Gabe loved her and the rest of his family. But seeing the way Javi's eyes flecked over her every movement proved just why Gabe needed to accept their relationship. And maybe with accepting their relationship, he would be able to accept the fact that Kate really was his mom. Deep down, she had been for a while, but Gabe was in denial.
It all stemmed back to one key person: his birth mother. When his birth mother delivered Mariana, she had already experienced such abuse from David that she couldn't stay with him after the birth of her child. She wanted to make it work, but it didn't seem possible with David and his family wishing to move out of Cuba. When they were younger, Gabe remembered being told his mother was ill and passed away. But as he grew older, he became keen enough to overhear his father's conversations about his biological mother.
Frequently, Gabe had nightmares about his mother and the rejection he felt he received from her. Often, in the dreams she would tell him he wasn't good enough. She would tell him that Gabriel's difficult temperament and similarity to his father was exactly why she left, even if he was just a boy. It stung deep, deeper than he even cared to admit. It definitely explained why he was so stubborn sometimes, and even upset quickly. It explained his distant nature to Kate, who had been nothing but constant in his life. It all stemmed back to his fear of losing someone else important. Recently, he had lost so much. But he couldn't let that fear consume his life.
"Yeah. She is pretty amazing." Gabe responded after a long and thought out pause. He sat up some, taking Kate's other hand and speaking to her in a low and kind voice. "Hey...I know you probably...Can't hear me because you're getting rest but I uh..." Gabe spoke, pausing and tucking his hair nervously under his hat. "I'm sorry...I've been such a bad son. It's no wonder that you haven't left me, too. I....." Gabe began to get choked up with emotion as he watched the only woman he had ever known as a mother, below him. It was hard to see Kate so vulnerable like this. Truthfully, he was having a hard time stomaching it.
Gabe paused as he heard the door open. It took a few minutes for the body to be removed, but when it was done, he was relieved.
He quickly looked back to Kate after Macy's body was gone, seeing this whole room needed a clean. Gabe continued. "I'm...so thankful. You...are such a good /mom/, and I know I don't say it enough but, please don't go. I love you. T-thank you for everything you do for me and dad." Gabe began to cry again, Javi instantly moving his free arm around Gabe. It was clear Javi's eyes were glistening with tears as well as he pulled Gabriel close to him. "That was perfect, buddy. I can't wait until she wakes up so that you can tell her again. She loves you so much." Javi spoke, wanting to reassure Gabe that his words would be accepted whenever Kate woke up.
It was then that she shocked them both, speaking in a low and scratchy voice. Apparently, Kate had been awake for some or most of Gabe's statements. "That's true....I do love you so much. I love you both so much." Kate spoke, her voice sounding strained as she tried to lift her head up some to watch them with wide and scared green eyes as she gathered her bearings.
Both of the men looked at her in disbelief, Gabe practically jumping into her arms and hugging her. He tried to mind her wounds, but he was just so damn happy to see her. Kate smiled at his actions, wrapping her one arm loosely around him. "Hey...I'm okay...And you are too." Kate spoke, quietly. She was already feeling week and exhausted. She didn't know how much longer she could keep up with this.
Gabe moved to sit up after Javi nudged him, reminding him not to overwhelm Kate.
Gabe was in such shock, that he continued to ramble on. "You are alright! I....I was so worried. I was so worried you weren't going to be okay, and it was all going to be my fault. I thought you were going to be gone, and I was never going to get to tell you how much I love you. I....I wanted to thank you. Just like /dad/ you never gave up on me. You have been with me forever, /Mom/, I love you." Gabe spoke, his voice shaking as he did so.
It was impossible to not be emotional from Gabriel's words. Gabe, Javi, and Kate were all hugging as soon as he finished. After he was finished speaking, Kate couldn't even come up with the words as she was too overwhelmed and in too much pain to do so. Kate just clutched Gabe and Javi close, whispering I love yous for as long as she could until she fell asleep underneath them, slowly but surely fighting and trying to regain her strength again.