"Bru... Bru ... Kid where are you?" Way started shouting as soon as they got in his apartment.
The apartment looked dishevelled and smelled strongly of alcohol. Both Way and Ignis were not into alcohol besides occasional red wine and Bru was strictly a social drinker. Ignis knew his way around Bru's place more than Way did and he went straight to the bathroom.
"Wayyy... WAY...come here .... WAY... HERE!" Ignis started shouting and Way turned around almost slipping on the mat as he ran to the bathroom.
Ignis was holding an unconscious and prone Bru on his lap. "Abre los ojos... Bru! Hermano, puedes oÃrme, por favor despierta?
'Open your eyes ...Bru! Brother, can you hear me, please wake up?'
"Bru ....kiddo!" Way sat next to him and looked around, there were some vodka bottles and many empty medicine plastic containers. He checked his pulse and breathing. "He is breathing and is not choked, help me pick him up and let's take him to the commode." Way instructed Ignis.
He took the toothpaste tube and smeared some on his fingers and pushed it in Bru's throat. "Bru ... Bru ... Wake up ..." He pushed the fingers and pressed the tongue, inducing gag reflex. Bru stirred and started making vomiting noises but didn't throw up.
"Bru ... Hermano! Wake up ..." Ignis rubbed Bru's back.
"Honey! Take these medicine bottles, call 911 and give them the medicine names that may have possibly been consumed by Bru. Tell them there is a doctor here and I am trying to clear his stomach by inducing vomiting. Go... go ... I will take care of Bru!" Way smeared some more paste and inserted his fingers deeper to make Bru vomit, who had started to wake-up because of the discomfort and gagging.
Ignis collected the bottle and sat outside the bathroom just a few feet away and called 911.
As he started to relay the situation, Bru started puking and Way held his head over the commode. "Ya Kiddo .... Let it out ..." Way rubbed his back and when he stopped puking, he gagged him and made his vomit again, getting covered with it in the process, unflinching or moving away.
"They are on their way, Let me hold him, you make him puke." Ignis held on to Bru as Way pushed his fingers again into his throat till he started throwing up. This went on for almost 10 minutes till the paramedics reached them and Ignis opened the door.
Way introduced himself and apprised them of the situation and gave them step by step actions to take.
The Paramedics followed him, nodding and the respect and hierarchy clearly established, Way gave instructions without being cocky and never touching or offering to do the paramedics job. He was different in his doctor mode, powerful, professional and in control but respectful.
Way rode with Bru in the ambulance as he was a family member and Ignis followed them after quickly picking a sweat shirt and tracks from Bru's closet for Way.
By the time Bru was admitted and Way had changed, Mr and Mrs. Davis reached the spot. The family hugged each other and then Mrs. Davis hugged Ignis and they started crying. The doctors came out of the ER and wheeled Bru to the ICCU with Mr. Davis following them.
Way collected Ignis in his arms and he hugged him close, he continued crying, as he kissed Ignis on his head, he looked over and Mrs. Davis raised her eyebrows at the display. Way nodded, communicating as best as he could in the current situation that he and Ignis were now together. Mrs. Davis smiled at him, crying for Bru but happy for Way and Ignis. They loved Ignis as their own since he was a kid and this was a happy turn of events if it wasn't for what was happening with Bru.
Ignis didn't care about anyone at this point, without Way he did and would learn to live but without his best friend and brother Bru, he would die. He didn't have the energy to pace or talk, hence he just sat in the waiting room praying for Bru. Way spoke with his colleagues and other surgeons as they came to see him in the waiting room.
Kia walked in, her eyes swollen from crying and Way hugged her and she sat next to him, too scared to communicate with Ignis at this point. Way walked up to Ignis frequently, hugging him and kissing his head, but Ignis just kept his head down, elbows on his thighs, praying and remembered the day he had called Bru after being off radar for a year.
"Where the fuck have you been for a year, IGNIS?" Bru's voice broke as he spoke to his friend after a year. "And what number is this?"
"Hola Hermano!" Ignis started crying. "I will tell you everything, you are the first person I am calling from this payphone after Mama came to my college today." He held on tightly to the receiver.
"It doesn't matter, I am packed to drive to your college anyways. I was withdrawing cash when you called. I wanted to come earlier but Dad had a heart scare and Way is in the UK, and you left me alone to deal with everything. Te odio! I fucking hate you bitch!"
"Lo siento, Bru and tambein te amo." Ignis felt a wave of relief to not have lost his only friend. He wanted to ask about Way but not before telling Bru what was going on with him. "I am really sorry and can't wait to see you bro!"
****
After about an hour of waiting, the doctor came up to Way and explained that Bru had consumed heavy doses of painkillers, sleeping pills and some random prescription meds like laxatives and anti-allergens clearly wanting to end his life. The clearing of his stomach in time helped, though the dosages wouldn't have killed him but the toxicity would have had some other complications. They had pumped out whatever was remaining and he was now sedated and sleeping and completely out of danger. Mr and Mrs. Davis went to the room and sat there next to him.
Way went to Ignis and kneeled before him, "Babes! Bru is okay now. He is out of danger and is sleeping. Mom and Dad are with him. Come let's see him." Ignis looked up, his eyes red and puffy, "I don't want to see that motherfucker! Fucking hijo de puta!" He got up and walked out of the door. Way gave him the space he needed and went to him after 15 minutes.
Ignis was sitting on the bench outside the hospital just scrolling through his phone, Way went and sat next to him. "This is the ER that they got Caleb right and I checked the cameras angles and I made some phone calls. We will find some friendly and talkative security janitors, nurses, garbage disposable guys etc. We should be able to get the footage, documents and Caleb's address. I think we will be able to make a breakthrough really quickly." He didn't look at Way as he tried to talk normally and failed because his voice kept cracking.
"Ignis! Sweetie!" Way hugged him from his side and brought his head to his chest.
"That fucker gave me so much crap because I couldn't keep in touch for a year. He drove 230 miles to tell me that I am a piece of shit for going underground. And now that cabronazo! Wanted to end his life. I fucking hate him. I am not talking to him again, él puede ir a comer mierda!" Ignis sniffled.
"Yes! We will serve him shit once he can eat again." Way assured Ignis and rocked him gently. "You want to talk to Kia?"
"No ... that puta, she almost killed my brother!" Ignis straightened up and combed his hair with his fingers and rubbed his eyes. Way combed Ignis's hair wherever it was standing up.
"Querido! You are closer to Kia than me... please check what happened?"
"That Puta! She is having an affair ... multiple actually. That's the reason I had stopped talking to her and didn't want to respond to that furcia on her shit group chat. But I didn't want to be the one telling Bru. That idiot shouldn't have been dating her to begin with ... never get serious with anyone you meet in the bar and she is piss drunk and with someone else... it's not a fucking sitcom... this is not how you meet you fucking father or mother ... maldito idiota! I stopped the wedding, you know. I told Bru that he needs to get to know that puta better. We are fucking 25... Why the fuck do you want to marry a woman, 8 years your senior and with an open door for strangers. None of us are saints here, Way! But you love someone than at least try to make it work and you can stop by fucking around first! Fucking Idiot meets a Fucking Whore! That's what this sitcom is .... How I met the bitch that almost killed me." Ignis wiped his tears with the back of his hand and sniffled.
Way dipped his nose with the sleeve of the sweatshirt he was wearing. "Okay Baby! Cool down now! And let's ask that Puta to leave our brother alone or we will fucking sue her. Come!"
"I have no qualms on hitting her you know, I am gay and bottom so it's practically a cat fight. I will beat the shit out of that furcia!" Ignis said hotly as he got up.
"Nope Tiger! We will just ask her to leave and never show her face... no beating and no name calling... Okay?" Way kissed Ignis on his cheeks and hugged him and then wiped his face and nose.
"Fucking Bitch! I should have fucking blackmailed her to leave Bru... I have pictures and all ... fucks anyone with a dick... she made Bru buy expensive gifts for her... that gold digging anyonefucking whore!" Ignis and Way walked side by side, Way had his arm around Ignis's shoulders and tried not to laugh at his outburst making his accent more pronounced as he sweared all the way to the door.
Way did try to rein-in Ignis when they talked to Kia but there is only so much you can do when a Latino man is defending his familia.
He went to his phone cloud account and showed hundreds of pictures to Kia, threatening to make the pictures public and destroy her. "You Fucking Cunt! Return the gifts and take your diseased vagina as far as possible from Bru. I see you a 1000 miles around him and I will ensure that you will make the Whore of Babylon look like a cookie selling Girl Scout. Maldita puta buscadora de oro!" When Kia didn't understand the Spanish, Ignis got madder, "Get it translated when you are fucking a Spanish hobo ... a 1000 miles away from my brother ... now get the fuck out of here before I publish these pictures on the evening local news." He hissed at her and spat on the pavement outside the hospital where they had been talking. Way just stood there, falling for Ignis a little more with every swear word he used against Kia and head over heels when he started hissing in Spanish after Kia as she ran away from him as fast as her heels could, "Sal de aquà y no vuelvas. Maldita perra! And because you don't speak spanish let me make it clear in English, Get out of here and don't come back. Damn Bitch!" He spat again to ward off her evil shadow on them.
***