Life After Near Death

A Fragile Existence

"For the life of the flesh is in the blood."

― Bible, Leviticus 17:11

Natsu sat in what was probably the most uncomfortable chair ever built in the history of Fiore, placed in what was likely the coldest room in all of Magnolia. However, comfort was the last thing on his mind. The ache of the hard chair and shivering chill of the icy hospital waiting room were lost on a sea of worries.

All around him, most of Fairy Tail had gathered. Juvia sat in a chair sobbing so hard, Mira and Lisanna were taking turns emptying entire buckets of her tears. Lyon had arrived not too long ago, and he did his best to comfort Juvia. Rather than be his normal flirtatious self around the rain woman, Lyon looked stricken with grief, and he only patted Juvia's shoulders, whispering gentle words to her once in a while. Erza paced the floor. She had already raged for hours, blaming herself for leaving the rest of their group to go after the leader. Now she silently simmered with an aura of impending doom. Lucy sobbed softly, and Loke was still around holding Lucy's face to his shoulders, looking decidedly uncomfortable with finally being able to hug Lucy, only to comfort her grief.

"He hasn't said a word."

People whispered that about Natsu, as if they thought he could not hear them. He did; he just did not care. He sat slouched, his hands held together, elbows on the knees, his mouth resting against the folded fingers as he hunched over. Someone had brought him a change of clothes so he could get out of the blood-soaked shirt, but his scarf still had dried brown stains of blood, including streaked fingerprints from when Gray grabbed him.

Gray's final words rang through his head. What the hell was the ice bastard trying to say to him? And the last bit: 'Don't forget, Natsu.' Forget what? What was he supposed to remember?

The door opened, and a doctor stepped in. All whispers ceased, and dozens of worried eyes lifted with hope.

"Mister Fullbuster is out of surgery," the doctor reported. "We managed to save his leg, although ... I'm not sure if it was really worth such effort."

"Of course it is!" Lyon yelled. "Why wouldn't it be?"

The doctor looked around at the large gathering. "Gray Fullbuster ... is not doing well. We've treated what we can, but his injuries are extensive and potentially fatal. He's in extremely critical condition. He hasn't regained consciousness. To be honest, I don't think he will. We're keeping him on life support for now, but ... I'm really sorry," he sighed. "We've tried our best, yet even with surgery and magical healers, the injuries are too extensive. His chances of survival are very slim. It's best if all of you prepare for the worst."

Juvia shrieked, and Mira quickly grabbed her to stifle the hysterical screams with her bosom.

"Are you saying there's no hope at all?" Makarov asked with his brow deeply wrinkled.

"I won't give up on him yet. He'll need another surgery to fix his intestinal track, a rather massive surgery, rerouting much of the intestines. Even on a healthy body, such an invasive procedure could cause shock and death, so in his condition ... it's not possible tonight. We'd only kill him. I've already sent word for three of the top magical healers in Fiore, but they won't reach Magnolia until tomorrow at the earliest. Your little healer here," he said, nodding to Wendy, "did a miracle job merely keeping him alive long enough to bring him here, but her magic was drained with just that. Our own healers are barely keeping him alive with both magic and machines. We'll keep monitoring his blood pressure, but to be honest..." The doctor gave a deep sigh and dropped his eyes. "I hate to bring bad news, especially seeing just how many friends Mister Fullbuster has, but I also don't like to give people a false sense of hope. There's a seventy percent chance he won't make it through the night. Even if he does, full recovery is likely impossible. He's lost entire nerves and muscles. He'll never walk on that leg. His lung may never fully heal. His days as a fighting wizard are, essentially, over."