Twisted

TWENTY THREE

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♪ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ : ᴍᴛ. ᴡᴀsʜɪɴɢᴛᴏɴ - ʟᴏᴄᴀʟ ɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇs♪

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"Where is she?!" screeched Natsu as he ran through the hospital hallways. Sting and Michelle followed behind him, urgency and worry plastered on their faces. They had just gotten news of a car crash involving Lisanna after her parents had called Natsu informing him of the incident. His mind was only fixated on one thing; his girlfriend, Lisanna, and her wellbeing. He prayed to God hoping her injuries weren't serious, and it was almost like the Heavens called back to him when he saw Lisanna anxiously waiting outside of a room with bandages wrapped around her body, alongside with Flare and Jellal.
     "Lisanna!" Natsu called as he opened his arms. The silver haired girl looked up when she heard her name being called, and tears welled up in her eyes as she threw herself into his arms. They remained like that for a little while, and Sting and Michelle watched as the couple consoled each other and whispered quiet comforting messages into each other's ears. They felt the corner of their frown turn into a small smile, but the moment was short-lived before a nurse came rushing out of the room that the trio were waiting by.
     "What's going on? Are all of you okay?" asked Michelle, as she approached Jellal and Flare and took their hands into hers. "I'll handle the medical bills as you're all friends of ours. What happened?"
     Michelle's pleading look was diverted to the nurse who had disappointment present on her face. She simply shook her head and gave them the news they never expected.
     "They're both in stable condition. Both of them are very fortunate to have survived the crash considering the blow to the car was on the left side, which was where both patients were sitting at the time. However I'm afraid that the male, Rogue Cheney, will need physio-therapy which will last approximately two years, but he is expected to make a full recovery. As for your other friend-" the nurse hesitated, "I'm very sorry to say that the accident caused a miscarriage, and she will be undergoing a c-section to remove the baby from her womb. She's given consent to the whole thing and she will be having the operation shortly. The doctor has asked me to ask you if you would like to the both of them before you're dismissed to your rooms for the night."
     "You're fucking kidding-" choked Jellal as he held back tears. He took his bandaged hands from Michelle and opened his mouth to protest against the nurse's news, not wanting to believe it, but his legs wobbled and gave in to the weight of his body. He collapsed onto his knees and tightly grabbed fistfuls of his blue hair as tears of frustration and hurt flowed freely from his eyes. Flare looked down in pity and quietly entered the room where Rogue and Lucy rested. Lisanna pulled away from Natsu's warm hug and placed a supportive hand on Jellal's shoulder as he shakily took her other hand and let himself be guided into the room.
     "May we see them too?" Michelle asked the nurse quietly, who nodded sympathetically in response to her question. Michelle took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping into the room. The sickening smell of death and blood filled her nostrils. It was putrid, and it was a smell she hated so much. However, with the strength she had, she brushed away the bother that the scent had brought her, and she looked to her left to see a bed-ridden Rogue with an unstable Jellal holding his hand tightly, and a familiar blonde who was sat upright in her bed, being comforted by the two girls. To her right was a doctor, who quickly left the room to give all of them some time together. Sting and Natsu came into the room shortly after Michelle, and they quietly gasped at the sight of the injured duo.
     "It's going to be okay, Lucy." Lisanna cried as she rubbed circles on her back as she cried. Flare just sat silently, her gaze lost and confused.
     "Lucy-chan!" a small, high-pitched voice called. A young teenage girl with deep, navy-blue hair tied up into two pigtails burst through the door with a bundle of keys in her shaking hands. A middle-aged woman approached from behind her, a pained expression strewn across her face.
     "Oh, Lucy..." Grandeeny murmured, sympathy laced with her soft words. The blonde was too lost in her tearful sobs and cries that she was unable to register  the comfort she was recieving. She felt numb to the touch. She felt so broken, and her heart felt as though it had dropped down dead. She was alive, she was still processing what had happened, but the unfathomable loss of her child was what broke her. She was determined to have the baby, and to be frank she was quite excited, and that moment was taken away from her in a split second. The crash took away her ability to feel okay, she felt empty inside, and she didn't want to believe it was true, but she was facing the harsh reality that she lived in.
     Her child was gone, and she would need to undergo a procedure so she could deliver the baby safely without causing further damage to her womb. It's a nightmare that any other mother would hate to be in, and Lucy was convinced it was all a bad dream until she had seen Rogue in another bed unconscious just a few feet away from her.
     That's what broke her.
     "Lucy-chan..." Wendy whimpered as she took one of Lucy's hands and placed the bundle of keys in her palm. She then climbed onto the bed and curled up into Lucy's lap, something she always did when Lucy babysit her, and she closed her eyes, feeling the wetness of salty tears travel down her face. She felt sorry for the blonde, who she considered to be an older sister, and she wanted to do everything she could to ensure that the Lucy would be okay, but part of her knew that it wasn't possible. She was smart, and judging by the numerous appointments that Lucy would have before her mother had told her about Lucy's pregnancy, she was already broken beforehand, and she was slowly healing thanks to her newfound friends.
     Suddenly, the nurse had come in, with the doctor by her side, and she informed the group that Lucy was to be taken into surgery. With that, Wendy climbed off of the blonde's lap, and she carefully took the keys away and gave a comforting kiss on the blonde's cheek and they all sadly watched as Lucy was rolled away in her bed, a look of sadness and devastation filling her chocolate-brown eyes.
     It wasn't long until Rogue had woken up, and he bolted upright, only to groan when he felt a stabbing pain in his abdomen. He felt his hand being tightly gripped and he looked to his left to see Jellal with a relieved look on his face.
     "You idiot, you scared me." Jellal spoke quietly as he leaned forward, his forehead touching Rogue's. Rogue smiled and let out a pained chuckle. Despite the agreement they had made to stay as friends, they still had conflicted feelings as to how they felt towards each other, and it seemed as though they developed some sort of romantic feeling for one another, and Rogue felt warm and bubbly inside despite feeling cold. Rogue had thought that he had finally gotten over Sting, and he was done pursuing the taken man in hopes that he would be noticed. He found someone new to cherish, and it made him happy knowing he was loved. However, the moment between the two was interrupted as Rogue felt a shiver run up his spine.
     "Sorry- I'm just quite cold. Is Lucy okay? Where is she?" questioned Rogue as he frantically looked around for the blonde. "Please don't tell me she-"
     "Lucy's fine, Rogue." Flare told him. However, her fists curled up into balls of rage. "But she lost the child. I swear to god I will murder whoever crashed into us with my bare hands, and I wont hesitate to strangle them to death."
     Flare's fit of fury was short-lived as she approached Rogue's side, dropped onto her knees and buried her face into his arm. Her small sobs were silenced by the raven-haired male who quietly consoled her. Then unexpectedly, Lisanna burst into a fit of rage. She stomped out of the room and Michelle followed behind her in a hurry and despite the door being closed, they could all hear the fury in her voice as she demanded the nurses for the name of the drunk driver that had crashed into them. Soon, all became silent, and they were all left in shock after hearing what had unfolded just outside of the room.
     "How are you feeling, Rogue?" Grandeeny asked him, who simply responded with a timid answer. He shyed away and attempted to hide his face by burying his head into Jellal's chest, but he knew he couldn't avoid the stares he was getting from Sting and Natsu. Wendy was quick to crawl onto Rogue's lap and lay there, and despite Grandeeny's protests telling Wendy that Rogue was in pain, he said all was fine and stroked the young girl's hair all while he leaned into Jellal's warmth.
     "So- uh- Rogue, long time no talk, huh?" Natsu said, hoping to spark a conversation. He recieved no answer, and he slumped over in disappointment. Whatever chemistry they had left was gone, and their bond as childhood friends was broken for sure. Sting on the other hand was having trouble trying to understand his own feelings. Part of him hated seeing Rogue and Jellal being all lovey-dovey touchy-feely like that, and part of him wanted to make sure he was okay.
     "I can only tolerate seeing you two right now only because you're here with Michelle." Jellal spoke as he sensed a feeling of uncomfortability from Rogue. "And unlike Michelle, you two have been far from 'nice' to Rogue and Lucy. After all of this has passed, if I see your faces again I swear to god I won't hesitate to punch both of you square in your pretty little faces." he spat spitefully.
     "Look man, we're not here to start fights. We're here because Michelle's here and Lisanna's here. That's all." Natsu told Jellal. Out of the corner of his eyes he swore he could see a look of hurt dawn upon Rogue's face.
     "You're not going to acknowledge your childhood friend- your friend since Kindergarten- who's sitting right across from you- who's seriously injured and is fortunate to have survived a head-on impact from a speeding car? Damn, some 'friend' you are."
     "Jellal, that's enough." Rogue whispered as he continued to play with Wendy's long hair. "He destroyed every last bit of bond we had ever since he concluded I was tainted meat just for hanging out with Lucy. I'm just as angry and hurt as you are, but this isn't about me. This is about Lucy, and she's much more important than me. I can't imagine the loss and devastation she's experiencing right now."
     "Rogue-kun, we've talked about this..." Wendy whimpered. "You're important too, remember? You and Lucy-chan are both special. Don't let what the shadows say get to your head, okay? You promised."
     Rogue smiled and leaned down to give Wendy a small kiss on the head. He winced in pain, but he was thanful for Wendy's constant reminders that kept him knowing that he was loved. Wendy was just like a little sister to him, and Grandeeny was like the mother he never had. When Lucy had first introduced the mother and daughter duo, he was hesitant to open up to them at first but then he realised there was nothing to be afraid of. He broke out of his shell and he had found a new family. After he ran away nearly a year ago, he stayed with Lucy in her apartment and helped her along with her pregnancy, then he started to get help from Grandeeny in regards to the depression he had developed when he was stuck in his homophobic, abusive family household.
     Sting's gaze had softened when he saw how Rogue had gently kissed the top of Wendy's head. He felt terrible for ever misjudging the guy, and he wanted to make it up to him. His mind had taken him back to the time when he had been a homophobic piece of shit and made some rude comments about Jellal and Rogue's relationship, and he only felt that guilty feeling swallow him whole.
     "Rogue, I-" Sting started, wanting to apologise, but no words left his mouth. He was completely frozen.
     "Just...just don't, Sting." Rogue replied quickly. "Don't start, especially after all the things you've-"
     "I'm going to kill her." Lisanna murmured as she stomped back into the room with clenched fists. Michelle was following behind her, trying to calm the furious silver-haired girl. Flare's eyes met Lisanna's, and a flame was lit in both of them. She removed herself from Rogue's side and she stood up, looking Lisanna straight in the eyes. Nothing but tension filled the room, and they could all feel it.
     "Did you find out the name of that son of a bitch?" Flare asked Lisanna, who only nodded in response.
     "And you'll never guess who it was. It was Levy-motherfucking-McGarden."