Nocturne

River and Finn were still sitting on the cold floor in their respective spots, on opposite sides of the bunker, and Raven and Nima were sharing that delicate, rare moment when Cove's scream filled the air, echoing off every old wall of the cement structure.

Every boy ran to the locker room, including Raven, who quickly composed himself and snapped back to his usual cold demeanour almost too easily. Nima was greatly disappointed; he would have liked to savour that fleeting moment of vulnerability for just another second.

They found Cove shaking beside Sage's still body. "Oh my God!" Nima screamed, his voice louder than it had ever been. He tried to get closer to his friend, but Raven held him back, worried that Nima might lose his balance and fall. Everyone just looked shocked.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Finn approached, dropped to his knees, and lifted Sage's arm to check for a pulse. Then he leaned closer to his chest, listening for a breath. The air was cold and still, and what was likely only thirty seconds felt like half an hour.

"He's breathing, and his pulse is just slightly accelerated," Finn announced, sighing in relief but still visibly worried. Everyone else sighed as well, except for Raven, who remained flustered from before. Luckily for him, everyone was too involved in the current predicament to notice.

"What do we do now? Should we move him to the couch?" River asked uncertainly.

"You're not supposed to move people who have passed out," Cove observed, still in shock.

"Well, what do you suggest then? Do we just leave him lying face down on the floor?" River responded with a touch of sarcasm and snark. He clearly was not in the best of moods to begin with.

Everyone exchanged glances and shrugged. "I think we have to move him. He might suffocate lying like this," Finn suggested.

There was a moment of silent agreement among them.

"Raven, can you lend me a hand?" Finn asked. Raven gave a quick glance at Nima, then moved closer to Sage, preparing to lift him by his feet. Following Finn's lead, the two carefully transported the unconscious boy to the couch in the main room, gently setting him down on the faded blue fabric.

"What now?" asked Cove, his voice filled with genuine worry. Finn shrugged. "We can't really do much by ourselves, we need a doctor," he said.

Nima slowly sat down on the couch beside his unresponsive friend and opened the briefcase they had retrieved from the fireplace, revealing the old flip phone and the olive-colored small phone book.

"There has to be some kind of emergency number for situations like this," he observed, flipping through the pages.

"Ah, here it is!" Cove pointed to an entry that simply said "HOSPITAL" in a stark, unfriendly font.

Nima nodded and punched in the number, pressing the phone's rubbery buttons before hitting the green call button.

Everyone waited with bated breath as they listened to the line's dial tone.

"Good evening, and welcome to the Crisis Emergency Line," a welcoming feminine voice chirped on the other end.

"Hello, yes, thank you! My name's Nima, and my friend here--"

"Your position in the waiting line is thirty-four. Please hold to maintain your place in queue and preserve your priority. Thank you for your patience and resilience during these challenging times," the automated voice interrupted.

Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 began playing in a cold, distorted version, leaving the boys crestfallen.

"Thirty-four?!" Cove exclaimed in frustration.

"There must be a lot of requests due to yesterday's earthquake," Finn remarked. "We were lucky not to be severely hurt by that," he concluded in a semi-composed tone, trying his best not to let panic take over.

"I'll stay here with him and wait," Nima said, his soft words blending with Chopin's composition. "There's no point in all of us staying here doing nothing. Let me handle this," he stated with determination.

After a brief moment of uncertainty, River broke the silence, interrupting the surreal atmosphere created by the symphony. "Okay then, I'll go make lunch," he said.

"Let me help you, River. Nima, let us know if there are any updates. We'll be in the kitchen," Finn said, prompting Nima to nod reassuringly.

"Cove, could you please wash the morning dishes and set the table?" Finn asked. Cove nodded reluctantly; he wanted to stay with Sage, but he didn't want everyone to think he cared about him in particular-oblivious to the obvious concern in his gaze.

Raven sat in the chair beside the couch. "I'll just stay here, I guess," he muttered, looking down. The other boys silently agreed.

"Your position is now thirty-three," the friendly voice declared through the phone, momentarily interrupting Chopin's piece, while River, Finn, and Cove headed to the kitchen area. Raven's gaze met Nima's focused stare, fixed on his motionless friend.

Deep down, in that very moment, Raven thought Nima was just adorable.

Then, Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 eerily danced through the air again.