Forever Mine (Lippa, Janthony, Adopted by Lippa)

Chapter 8

~Chris POV~

"CATCH HIM!" I yell as Lin falls to the floor. Leslie sticks his arms under Lin and he falls. He drags him over to the couch and lays him down. We all sit in shock. I knew this was gonna happen. I knew he wouldn't be able to take it much like longer. His love for Pippa runs so deep in him. Uprooting that, I knew this would be bad. I hope we find Pippa soon. For now, we can't leave Lin's side. We have to stand with him and keep him strong. He's not going to last any longer. If she's hurt, or worse, dead, Lin would not be able to live with himself. What confuses me is why he said Pippa's name. "Somebody quickly grab some water for when he wakes up. We also need a wet towel for his head. Les, you caught him before he could get hurt, right?" I ask. Leslie nods. "Good. Now does anyone have any idea why he said Pippa's name?"

"I think he may be so out of it at this point, that it was the only thing he could get out of his mouth." Daveed says. I nod.

"Hallucinations maybe." Thayne points out.

"That's logical. I guess that could be it." I say.

"We gotta find her soon. I have a feeling that was his emotional breaking point, and that he isn't going to last much longer." Groff says very seriously.

"Yeah no kidding. He's beyond panicked. Beyond scared. Beyond terrified. The man sat up here crying the whole time you guys were gone. He kept repeating: 'She's gone' over and over. He's dug himself into a deep hole of despair and has convinced himself that she is gone, dead, and never returning." I say, glancing over sadly at my unconscious best friend. "I don't know how much longer he can hold on."

"Chris is right guys. We need to support Lin at all costs. He's going to slip and fall down a dark hole if we don't stay with him. I'm worried guys." Jas says, her voice cracking towards the end as a tear slips down her cheek. Anthony pulls her close to him.

"Jas, it will be okay. We will find Pippa. Lin will be okay. We're all worried. Baby girl, everything will be alright. We need to stay strong for Lin's sake." Anthony lightly says, comforting Jas. She nods her head.

"Chris, you and Groff know him the best, has anything like this ever happened to him before?" Oak asks.

"When his abuela passed, it was very hard on him. She and him were very close, and he shut himself away for weeks. We were working on the drafting of In The Heights, and thats where the song Alabanza comes from." (A/N I made that up, so don't count on it being true) "In all times that were tough on him, he just wrote. But this is different. I've never seen him like this before. He was talking to me once, and he said that Pippa is different. He loves her so much, and to see that love ripped apart is hard on me, and I'm not even the one it's being ripped from. I've never seen him cry so much, or be so vulnerable. He's willing to do anything for Pippa, even if it means dying for her. When we heard the gunshot and he yelled, he really meant it. He wanted them to bring her back and take him. I'm scared that if we don't find her soon, he may lock himself away forever." I say. Looks of shock arise, along with looks of fear.

"I hate to be this person, but what about the show?" Renée asks. I hadn't even thought about that. Do we just cancel it?

"Does anyone feel up to it?" Everyone raises their hands.

"It will help us get our minds off of it." Oak says. "I think it would be good for us. But we can't tell the fans about Pippa." People nod and agree. Thayne runs to tell everyone that's in the theater. A sudden shout jolts us all.