~ Madison's POV ~

Everyone in the room stop and stared at the two of us as we stepped inside, before his parents seemed to do a double take when they saw me.

"Madison?"

I managed to give them a small smile as I walked into the room, putting down our food on the table next to Santi's bed.

"Hi. Wow...it's been so long. How are you both?"

"Good."

Both Santi's parents continued to stare at me in shock, but mostly his father who looked like he couldn't seem to believe I was actually standing in front of him.

Weird.

When no one said anything else in response to my question, I just awkwardly nodded my head before turning my attention to Santiago who was still glaring at his parents.

"Sit back against the bed properly, you'll do some damage if you sit like that. You're straining yourself."

I could tell he was confused when I told him this, probably thinking that there more important issues at hand like his parents sudden appearance. But, I didn't care about that - I cared about his health first and foremost.

He continued to stare at me until I gave him a glare and finally he moved back into his proper position. When I was satisfied, I made an attempt to walk back over to Arturo who was still standing near the door, but to my surprise Santiago took my hand, stopping me from walking away.

And the gesture definitely didn't go unnoticed by his parents.

Thankfully, instead of commenting on it, Santiago's father turned his attention to the angry tattooed man by the door.

"Arturo." Santiago's father nodded in his direction, but Arturo just continued to glare at him. By the way his glare held so much anger and hate, it instantly told me there was something from the past that I didn't know.

I mean, all of this was strange when I think about it. In the four years since the twins were born, Santiago had never mentioned his parents to me - not even once.

I never thought anything of it but now...

"Answer my damn question then. What are you doing here?"

My eyes widened when Santiago finally spoke for the first time since I entered the room, using a very unexpected cold tone.

"Santi-" Before I could even try to ask him what was wrong or try to calm him down, his father cut me off.

"Don't speak to us like that son."

"I'm not your freaking son." He spat the words with so much hatred in his tone, that it definitely started to worry me.

Once it fell silent again, I looked between Santiago and his parents before I let out a nervous breath knowing what I was about to say wouldn't go down well, at all.

"I think...I think maybe you should go. Santiago is still recovering and this kind of stress-"

"This doesn't concern you Madison. I think I should be the one asking you both to leave, this is a family matter." Santiago's father focused his attention me, sending me a glare of his own before glancing over at Arturo too.

"Don't talk to her like that. She is my family and so is Arturo. You're nothing to me, so leave."

"But Santiago I'm your mother, I care about you and you're in hospital." At this, Santiago rose an eyebrow at his mom who spoke for the first time, before he let out a scoff.

"Mother? You don't know the meaning of the word. I've been in hospital for almost a month, what the hell are you doing here now?"

"We care about you Santiago, we do. We were in Bora Bora when we got a call from the hospital as your kin, but your father had already paid for an all-inclusive stay at the resort and it was non refundable."

Wow.

"Non-refundable? Your son was dying and you were worried about a couple of grand you spent on a vacation?" Both his parents turned to look at Arturo who had now stepped closer to them, clearly allowing the anger he was feeling to get the better of him.

I could already see this was going to blow up into something if I didn't do my best to control it - for Santiago's sake.

"Please Mr and Mrs Hernández, you need to leave."

When I spoke I seemed to have redirected all their attention back to me.

"When did you come back into his life? From what I remember, he did the right thing by cutting you off when he was 18."

Although Santiago's father was aiming his words at me, as he spoke he shifted his attention over to Santiago who was now giving him one of the harshest glares I've ever seen on his face.

"La dejé por ti." (I left her because of you.)

As soon as those words left Santiago's mouth, his father fired his own response right back.

"Ella te hizo débil." (She made you weak.)

The tension in the air seemed to increase tenfold as I stood there watching the stare down between Santiago and his father. I was the only one who didn't understand what they were saying but no doubt they were talking about me.

Bitch, don't you think it's time you learned some Spanish?

Ironically, I had already asked Santiago to teach me some Spanish and he had been teaching me some of the basics while we were in the hospital room but I think he actually preferred being able to speak a language that I couldn't.

Probably for this very reason.

The longer I stared at Santiago's father, the more I began to pick up on this weird aura he carried with him. I don't know how to explain it - it was like he had power, but at the same time he didn't.

"No, ella no lo hizo. Ella es mi fuerza, ella es mi todo." (No she didn't. She's my strength, she's my everything.)

Both his parents took a moment to process whatever he had just said before turning to look at me, his father having a look of amusement on his face as his eyes lingered on our intertwined hands.

"So you're together now? I can't say I didn't see it coming but, like I said, I thought he left you behind."

"He did, but I guess fate had other ideas."

"Fate?" He rose an eyebrow at me, his amusement only increasing as he smirked. "You believe in fate Madison?"

I slowly nodded my head, not knowing where this conversation was heading.

"So you're telling me fate has controlled everything that's happened in my life?"

From his question it was clear he was trying to bait me into saying something in particular, but I didn't know what it was.

"Maybe not everything. I believe everyone is partly responsible for what happens to them because of their own actions, but there is also fate which, I guess, controls everything else."

"So you're saying it was both my own fault and fate that caused my son to steal everything from me?"

My eyes widened at his words and, unsure of how to respond, I looked over at Arturo who had taken a protective step closer to me and then over at Santiago who looked ready to kill.

"Déjala fuera de esto. Ella no sabe nada de eso." (Leave her out of this. She doesn't know anything about that.)

"You mean you never told her?" I could tell his father was enjoying this whole thing as he switched back to English, glancing away from Santi and over at me with a smirk.

"That's enough. Get the hell out of here before I kill you myself."

This time Arturo stepped between me and Santiago's father, his hand reaching behind him to the gun which was no doubt tucked into the back of his pants.

"Has hecho tantos enemigos Santiago. Pedro está fuera para matarte ya que nunca lograste hacerlo primero. Ahora escucho rumores de que El Dios Del Diablo también te persigue. Qué desastre has hecho de tu vida." (You have made so many enemies Santiago. Pedro is out to kill you, since you never managed to do it first. Now I hear rumours that The Devil's God is also chasing you. What a mess you have made of your life.)

After speaking for a while in Spanish, his father turned his attention back to me with a teasing smirk.

"But at least you have Madison because she won't become a weakness to you at all." His mocking tone was the last thing heard in the room before he took hold of his wife's hand and pretty much dragged her out of the hospital room, leaving us in silence.

The room was so tense as we just stood there, all three of us staring at the door until I eventually turned to face Santiago.

"Santi..."

His eyes shifted away from the door and he turned to look at me, his eyes softening ever so slightly, but still remaining pretty cold.

"Let's eat."

<<<<<<< >>>>>>> <<<<<<<

The rest of the day passed in a weird haze as all of us tried to get over what had happened this morning.

Once we'd finished eating, I decided it was better to give Arturo and Santiago some time alone together so I decided to go back to the hotel to take a shower and call the twins.

When I eventually came back a few hours later, they'd just finished a FaceTime call with Noah and Nicolas who had actually gone back to California about a week ago since Santiago was on the mend and they needed to fill in for him with work.

Arturo did offer to go back but they all agreed it was better he stayed with Santiago to deal with any work related issues together here and also, they were just too close for him to leave Santi in hospital alone.

It was 'the bromance' as I called it which often earned me a glare from both of them and maybe a few choice words from Santiago.

Weirdly, sometimes Arturo would agree with the bromance idea just to make Santiago uncomfortable.

"Hey." I gave Santi a slightly nervous smile, receiving nothing in response from him as I went and sat down on my usual chair while Arturo walked over to the door to leave.

"I'll speak to you later bro. Madiosn." Santiago nodded his head and after Arturo acknowledged me too, he left the room, leaving us alone for the first time since this morning.

"How are you feeling babe?"

"Fine."

I nodded my head, pursing my lips for a moment to think of something else to say. I knew he would be closed off but I didn't know exactly how much.

"Have you eaten lunch? Do you want me to-"

Santiago let out an exaggerated sigh cutting me off as he threw his back against his pillow, closing his eyes.

"No Madison I haven't and no I don't want you to do anything." It fell silent for a moment as he still refused to look at me, before he continued speaking. "Actually, can you do me a favour and just leave? I don't need to sit here with you pitying me. You don't know a thing about anything that happened."

Woah.

My eyes widened at his outburst as he just kept his eyes closed and when he swallowed I could see his Adam's Apple bob up and down.

For some reason the fact he wouldn't look at me was the only thing that just annoyed me.

"If you're going to speak to me like that, at least have the guts to look at me instead of avoiding eye contact."

He stiffened at my words before he eventually turned his head to look at me.

As soon as he did any anger inside me just vanished completely.

Instead of looking at me angrily or with hard eyes like I expected, he just looked so...broken.

There was a frown on his face and his eyes seemed tired and sore as if he'd been rubbing them which is something I noticed he did whenever he was extremely stressed or tired.

His hair was messy like he'd ran his hands through it countless times and was now hanging over his face slightly. I had to bite back the urge to move it away from him eyes like I so desperately wanted to.

"Santi..."

"A vacation Madison. They were on vacation and they knew I was dying. You remember what I was like, don't you? I woke up with that tube in my mouth after the operation while you were sleeping and all I remember was panicking like hell until they took it out. I couldn't breathe, I had no clue where I was. The only thing that brought me comfort was your hand. That was why I didn't wake you up because I thought you would let go."

Aw.

He shook his head as he ran his hand through his hair, letting out a deep sigh. Before I could even try to speak, he continued.

"I was going through hell for days thinking I could take my last breath at any moment while they were on the beach sipping freaking margaritas, knowing I was dying."

Once again he shook his head as I reached out to take his hand in mine.

"What kind of parent would do that?"

Using my free hand I finally moved the hair away from his face before stroking his cheek gently.

"I'm so sorry baby."

I know that was an awful response, but what else was I supposed to say?

All he did was close his eyes, leaning into my touch. Moments passed before he cracked one eye open to look at me.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you...and for not looking at you when I snapped."

Even though he was apologising for being a jerk, once again, I couldn't stop the soft smile that tugged at my lips.

"Don't worry about it."

He nodded before turning his head slightly to kiss my palm before he took both of my hands in his.

"Since you asked...I am a little bit hungry." Giving me a sheepish grin, he nodded towards the door causing me to let out a laugh.

"What would you like?"

"Hm, surprise me mi pequeña enfermera." (My little nurse.)

"What?"

When he just smirked at me wordlessly, I rolled my eyes, standing to my feet.

"I'll be back soon idiot."

"Woah, what did I do?" As I picked up my purse, I turned to look at him, mirroring his smirk from moments ago.

"If you're not going to tell me what you say then I'll just assume it's something mean and I will respond accordingly."

Santiago just frowned at my logic while I walked out, letting out a laugh when I heard him mumble something to himself in Spanish.

<<<<<<< >>>>>>> <<<<<<<<

To pass the time later that day, Santiago and were trying to play a very civilised memory game, each adding an item to ever growing list. Surprisingly I was actually the one who seemed to be able to remember the list better, which he definitely didn't like, mostly because he always won our games.

Which is why he tried to distract me by kissing me - a kiss that soon turned into a make out session. It continued for a while until we eventually pulled away and thankfully Santiago brought his hands back to himself before I completely melted into a puddle in the hospital bed.

"That was cheating and you know it."

Letting out a small chuckle he just sat up leaning against the pillows while grabbing his bottle of water by the side of his bed.

"You loved it." Rolling my eyes, I sat up too, snatching the bottle from his hand as I leaned back against the pillows next to him. "Thanks babe."

Ignoring the annoyed look he was giving me, I drank some of the water before handing the bottle back to him with a smile.

"You're lucky I love you Madison Clarke."

"You're lucky I love you Madison Clarke." I rolled my eyes again as I repeated his sentence in a mocking tone causing him to laugh before drinking the water.

"What's your problem Maddie?"

"My problem is that you cheated. I almost won for the first time and then you cheated. You're a cheater." Pouting my lips I let out a defeated sigh which only amused him.

It may sound like I was over reacting but when stupid memory games are your best form of entertainment, you become kind of competitive.

Especially when you lose every time.

"Next time I'll let you win, okay?" He leaned over pressing a kiss to my cheek before he curled up next to me, nuzzling his face into my neck as he took my hand in his.

I watched our hands as he intertwined our fingers together before tracing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb.

"How are you feeling after what happened this morning?"

It was currently almost 10pm and all day we'd avoided mentioning that particular topic, although I did have a lot of questions.

"I don't know Maddie. I'm just angry, I guess."

"Do you want to talk about it?" In response, felt him shake his head slightly against my shoulder before he spoke.

"I know you're probably annoyed that I haven't told you anything, especially with the way my father spoke to you, but..."

"But you're not ready yet? It's okay baby, I understand." I squeezed his hand gently in mine as he finally sat up so that he could look at me as we spoke.

"You know how we said we need to talk about everything that happened...and why I left?"

"Yeah."

"Well this is all part of that story." Once again I just squeezed his hand as I gave him a small smile.

"Then we'll talk about it when you're ready. Maybe once we're in the hotel room instead of here? It's only a few days anyway to wait, there's no pressure Santiago."

Santiago gave me a grateful nod as he leaned forward, placing a quick kiss on my lips.

"I love you baby."

"I love you too mi pequeña enfermera." (My little nurse.)

<<<<<<< >>>>>>> <<<<<<<

Four Days Later

~ Santiago's POV ~

"Hell yes." I let out a laugh as I held the black gun in my hand like a child holding a brand new toy on Christmas Day.

"Finally you look more like yourself." Arturo nodded as he took in the sight of me dressed in my black and gold Gucci sweatpants and grey hoodie, holding my gun in my hand.

For most of my stay in the hospital once I could start moving again I was able to wear my own clothes instead of the hospital gown, but the clothes were never as nice as the ones I usually wore.

Oh how I missed my Gucci sweatpants.

"Madison, you ready?" Tucking the gun in the back of my pants, I turned my attention towards Maddie as she finished packing up all our things from the hospital room.

As much as I hated being in there, I did actually enjoy some parts of it. The times Madison and I would just watch movie after movie on the flatscreen in my bed, Maddie's trips to the bakery and of course the make out sessions.

It wasn't normal for me to just have so much time with her. I'm sure once I was out of here, I'd be constantly busy catching up on everything I missed so I'm glad I got something good out of this time.

Over the last few days of my stay in hospital, my little nurse had been helping me get used to walking again which I was grateful for. It definitely wasn't easy after being in bed for just over a month, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly.

"Finally we get to leave this place, I've always hated coming here to visit you." I turned my head to look at Arturo who went over to Maddie to take the bags from her, causing her to give him a grateful smile. He walked over to the door, turning to look back at the room for a moment with a glare before he eventually left to take the bags to the car, mumbling about how he would meet us down there.

"Señor Hernández, es una pena verte ir." (Mr Hernández, it's such a shame to see you go.)

I watched as one of the nurses came into the room, giving me a bright smile as she came over to the bed where I was sitting, holding a bag in her hands.

"¿No es bueno que me vaya?" (Isn't it a good thing that I'm leaving?)

"Para ti sí, pero te voy a extrañar." (For you yes, but I'm going to miss you.) I watched as she flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder, before