Amaya's POV

I woke up the next morning in the hospital. My mom was at my side asleep in a chair. I had been diagnosed with vasovagal syncope and I had smacked my head twice, so they wanted to monitor me all day.

The doctor came in to explain everything that had happened. Vasovagal syncope was triggered from the amount of pain I was experiencing in my stomach. I also suffered a mild concussion when I went down. 

But the worse news was the pain in my stomach was gallstones.

Having gallstones twice now put me at a greater chance of getting my gallbladder removed. I had gallstones once when I lived Portland, the doctor put me on meds and I was fine.

"Hija, I need to check on your sisters and I'll be back at 3 o'clock."

"Mami just go take care of Sara and her party. Her twelfth birthday needs to be better than mine."

She looked at me, tears in her eyes, hair messed up, red in the face.

"I want to take care of you. Why won't you let me?" She said with the smallest voice.

"Mami...I'm fine. I'm in a hospital, there are nurses and doctors. Katia, Lilia and Sara need you to take care of them, they're still kids. I'll I'm going to do today is sit in this bed, watch some bad tv and have you staring at me like I'm gonna die. Please, just go take care of them, that's how you can take care of me."

"First off Amaya, you are still my kid."

"But I'm also a grown ass woman. They're barely teenagers, they don't need to know that either one of us is worried right now. I'll be fine. Go home."

Mami wiped her eyes and nodded at me. She didn't say goodbye or hug me, she just went straight out the door.

The nurse came around for my vital signs, she gave me some painkillers knocking me on my ass.

Good thing I was already laying bed.

I woke up to the sounds of Dorothy making fun of Rose on Golden Girls.

"Hey sleepy head. Doctor said you can get discharged. I have a packet full of information for you on all your diagnoses. No work for at least a week, low fat diet, some prescriptions to be picked up. Just need to know how you're getting home and I'll be right back with the papers." The nurse who was previously giving me meds said to a startled me.

"Ummm I'm gonna take a taxi."

"Okay. Be right back." She waltzed out of the room and I found myself free of my IV. 

I quickly got up to change back into the dress they brought me in with. I was so grateful that I'm a lazy heel hating bitch and had put on Nike's last night.

Sliding those on, the nurse was there and waiting.

"Sign these three things and you'll be on your way Ms. Sanchez."

I did just that. "Thanks."

"I'll show you to the elevators."

Grabbing my purse the nurse led me to a hall of 4 separate elevators and hit the button for me.

"Hope you feel better." She said before leaving me.

"Yeah me too."

In the lobby I hailed an Uber and was on my way home. When we pulled up there were cars lining the street. Some familiar some not so much.

Sneaking in past relatives and little kids I didn't know I found my way up to my room.

I changed from the party dress into some joggers and a baggy shirt.

Making my way downstairs people were so involved in their conversations they didn't notice me. 

My Tias were huddling around the food and my mother. My Tios were all gathered around the grill, drinking, ignoring the kids who were being tyrants.

My sisters were talking to the cousins who were their age. All except Sara who was looking sad and weirdly sitting in a circle of clearly her friends.

Making my way over to the birthday girl, still no one noticed me. No one pulled me into a hug and forced me to talk to them. It was like no one knew who I was.

"Birthday girl! Why do you look so sad?" I said loud enough for Sara to see me before I got to the circle.

"AJ!" She go up and slammed into me, giving me a painful hug.

"Sup, kid? Why you sad?"

"Cause I wanted you to be here."

"Well I am. Introduce me to your friends." She grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the group of four that were still sitting there.

"Guys this is my sister AJ. AJ this is Pammy, Graciela, Taylor and Collette."

"Hey everyone. Are you enjoying the party?"

"Yeah, this party has better food than most of my mom's cooking."

"Definitely. But also look at how dangerous it is. Santos everywhere."

I needed to cut in right there. "They're not dangerous."

All four girls just looked at me.

"What? I heard that Spooky killed a guy."

"No it was an old woman."

"Wrong it was his girlfriend."

"Couldn't have been his girlfriend." I chime in.

"How do you know?"

"Cause I was his girlfriend." I reveal.

"You dated a Santo?"

"Not a Santo, the leader." Someone corrects her.

"Ummm, yeah but that was a long time ago."

"That's cool." They say before going back to talk about something.

I turn to Sara and made her move away from the group.

"These are your friends? They don't seem like good people."

"They're all I got." Sara said defeated.

"What about Luisa and Luis?"

"They're more like family. They can't be my friends and my family."

"Oh but they can. I consider Lupe my family. My sister from a different mister. Try to find more friends who know what its like to live on this block. Okay?"

"Yes. Those four can be too bitchy sometimes too." I laugh when I know I should scold her for swearing.

"Go kill it little sister."

"Okay! Hey AJ! Thanks for my earrings! I love them!"

What earrings? I ask myself. Before I can digest anything I look up to see Oscar standing on the back stairs.

He made his way through the crowd to come to me.

"Thanks for getting her birthday present. That was really nice of you."

"No problem. Didn't think that you'd be out so soon. What did the doctor's say?"

"Ah I passed out from pain from gallstones. Got a concussion from hitting my head but other than that I'm gonna be fine."

"Yeah?" I nodded.

"Just gotta get through this party and then go pick up stuff."

"You need a ride?"

"Nah I'm good. Thanks though."

"Todos! Hora de comer paste!" My mom announced.

Sara ran over taking my hand pulling me once again towards the table with the cake.

Mami was surprised to see me.

"I told you to take care of them first." She once again had tears in her eyes.

"I know. I know." She whispered into my hair.

"Alright we ready?"

We sang Feliz Cumpleaños to Sara. And when she went to go blow out the candles. All three of her big sisters pushed her face in to the cake.

Sara got frosting all the way up her nose and all over her face.

"Feliz cumpleaños, little sister." I said while wiping her face.

"I missed six face in the cakes. It was nice to have that again."

"Wait none of you did that. Why?"

"Because Mami said that it was you and Papi's tradition and it felt wrong to do. So for the last six birthdays none of us did them."

"Well I'm glad that you're weirdly happy that you got a face full of frosting. Go play." 

Sara took off with a piece of cake towards her rude group of friends and I found myself walking towards the stoop in the front yard.

"What's gonna happen now?" Mami asked taking a seat next to me.

"I have to be out of work for the next 7 to 10 days. Medications that need to be taken on a regular basis."

"What about your gallbladder? I heard that Mary-Bernadette's daughter had to have her's out because she ate too many Takis."

"That could happen. I have an appointment sometime next week to decide if medication will treat it or if we need to wait. But I also have to eat like a rabbit. Low fat foods."

"What's the fun in that?"

"No more pain." 

She shakes her head like she doesn't know what's worse. Giving up tacos for a while or eating solely lettuce.

"Hey ladies. Can I cut in?" I look up to see my Uncle standing there.

"What do you want?" My mother asks coldly.

"Need to talk to you." At that moment Oscar appeared from around the side yard.

"Where you going?"

"Ah, gotta go to something and I'll be back."

"Mami I'll be back soon!" I called out trying to keep up with Oscar.

"You can't come with me." He says.

"But I am."

He stops to look at me from over the roof of his car. He knows how I am. How I will, will my way into things.

"Fine get in."

"Yay."