Natsu glanced from left to right as he stepped out of the lift, his short pink ponytail flicking over his shoulder as he looked for the Burns Unit desk. Seeing the bright green Information sign to his left, he walked hastily towards it, cradling a black backpack to his chest with both hands. He placed his backpack with care near his feet on the grey linoleum flooring that seemed ubiquitous to most hospitals and greeted the woman at the desk with a bright smile.
"Hi, can you tell me what room Lucy is in please?"
"Lucy….?" questioned the elderly woman, obviously waiting for him to provide the surname as she looked over her glasses at patient records on the computer screen in front of her.
"Oh. Uh, I didn't quite catch her last name." When the desk lady raised an eyebrow, he pointed to the Magnolia Fire Department emblem on his navy t-shirt. "I was part of the team that rescued her the night before last, and I just wanted to check in on her and make sure she was doin' okay." He reached into the back pocket of his faded blue jeans for his wallet. "I can provide some I.D. if you want…"
A sound of scratching and a small whimper came from the bag at Natsu's feet, and Natsu seemed to be suddenly overtaken with a violently loud coughing fit.
"Are you okay? Can I get you a glass of water?" asked the woman at the desk uncertainly.
"Nope, I'm fine, it's all good", answered Natsu, leaning forward with what he hoped was a winning smile.
"Lucy Heartfilia is in room 506, down the hall to your left. You might only have a time for a short visit though. A woman called earlier to say that she would need to interview Ms Heartfilia about the fire in her apartment, and…"
"That's okay, it's probably Erza. I know her. Thanks for the information ma'am."
Natsu picked up the black backpack and walked down the hallway, holding the bag carefully as he bent his head down to the small gap in the zippered opening. "Quiet down buddy!" he whispered. "You nearly blew our cover. What'd I say before? They don't usually let dogs visit in hospital wards, so you gotta be quiet Plue. Like a ninja pup, okay?" A small pink tongue flicked out to lick his cheek, and he chuckled. "Aw thanks, I'm flattered pup, but save your kisses for Lucy."
He walked down the hall towards the room the lady on the desk had directed him to but paused before knocking. Was he doing the right thing? He had never visited anyone he'd rescued before. He didn't think he was breaking any departmental rules, not that he'd gone looking. He just hadn't been able to get that woman's smile out of his head. To be in that much pain, and still be able to smile like the sun suddenly coming out from behind a cloud. He wanted to see that smile again. No, scrap that. He wanted to see how beautiful her smile could be when she was really happy.
And besides, he'd been taking care of Plue, and he'd seen how worried she was about her dog. He really was a lucky mutt – the vet had kept him overnight on oxygen for smoke inhalation, but apart from that he was uninjured. Natsu was hoping that seeing her dog would cheer Lucy up, because the news about her apartment really wasn't that great. He took a deep breath, and then knocked on the door.
"Come in", rasped a soft voice.
Natsu peeked his head around the door before walking in, standing a little uncertainly near the doorway. Lucy was sitting up in bed, dressed in a pale blue hospital gown, her blonde hair tucked behind her ears by the plastic tubing of a nasal canula for oxygen. There was a large gash on her forehead, pulled together with sutures, a darkening bruise under her right eye, and bandages on both her arms. But despite her injuries, the expression she turned toward the door was cheerful. Natsu opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. Dammit, c'mon, this wasn't like him at all! He was never all shy like this. He stepped forward with a grin.
"Hi, I'm Natsu. You probably don't remember me, but…"
"The firefighter! You do have pink hair!" A soft blush pinked her cheeks, and she waved her hands in the air in front of her. "Ah, sorry, some of what happened is a little foggy, and I was wondering if my memory of a firefighter with pink hair was my brain hallucinating due to oxygen deprivation or something!" She coughed and took a few deep breaths.
Natsu grinned, walking over towards Lucy's bed. "Nah, definitely pink. I lost a bet a while ago and had to dye it, then decided I liked it enough to keep it." He gestured towards the cannula. "If you're feelin' a little out of breath, make sure you breathe in through your nose. I know those things are annoying, but they do help." He nodded approvingly as Lucy took a few more deep breaths, in through her nose and out through her mouth. "Do you mind if I sit down Ms Heartfilia?"
"Thanks, I keep forgetting to do that", Lucy smiled, her voice sounding a little easier. "Please, call me Lucy. I'm so glad that you dropped by. Now I get a chance to thank you properly."
Natsu smiled. "No need to thank me Lucy, it's what I do. I'm glad to see you're doin' better." He picked up the backpack and placed it gently on the bed. Lucy looked at him, a little confused. "There's a reason I wanted to visit you here while you were in hospital. I thought you might like to see someone who I know will cheer you up and make you feel a whole lot better."
Lucy's brown eyes widened a little in surprise. "Uh, I'm grateful that you saved me, but uh…"
"No, not me", he sputtered, chuckling at Lucy's pink cheeks and his own. "I guess that came out kinda weird, sorry".
He leaned to one side and pulled the privacy curtain, then unzipped the top of the now violently shaking bag. A small furry white head popped out, and Lucy's uneasy expression changed to one of delight.
"Plue!" she said excitedly, and Plue wriggled in the backpack in an effort to get closer to her, almost falling off the bed in his struggle. Natsu grabbed him just in time.
"Chill, buddy! Remember, I said this was a ninja mission – we need to keep you on the down low." He waited until Lucy had both hands on the bag containing the excited dog and got up to shut the door.
Lucy was giggling, scratching behind Plue's ears as he struggled to lick her hands. She looked up at Natsu as he sat down again, the smile on her face as bright as any sunrise Natsu had ever seen. "I'm assuming he's not allowed to be here then?"
Natsu grinned a little sheepishly as he helped Lucy lift Plue out of the backpack, then sat down on the chair again, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know they allow Pets as Therapy dogs in this ward, but I wasn't sure if they'd allow a visit from your own dog, so I kinda smuggled him in. I didn't know if anyone had let you know that I was lookin' after him."
Lucy's brown eyes filled with tears. "I don't know what to say. Thank you so much Natsu, I was so worried about him. He wasn't hurt at all, was he?"
"Nah, apparently he's tougher than he looks. He spent the night at the vets in an oxygen tent, and then he was good to go. No burns at all, which is pretty amazing considering how fast that fire was progressing."
Lucy's hand continued to rub Plue's silky ears. "I promise I'll pay you back for any costs involved in taking him to the vet." Natsu shrugged noncommittally, he wasn't fussed either way. Lucy looked up at Natsu, her gaze uncertain. "Natsu? Was the fire really that bad? Is… is my apartment okay?"
Natsu sighed. There was really no easy way to say this. "I'm sorry Lucy. It was totally burnt out. There's not much left. The building owners had structural engineers in there not long after the arson squad had gone over the place and it doesn't look great."
"Oh. I see." She lowered her gaze, looking down to Plue who was currently snuggled into her lap, then looked back to Natsu, her brown eyes overly bright. "You know what? Th… that's okay. Plue is alive. I'm alive. They… they were only things right. That's what insurance is for, right?" Her lips compressed together, twisting as she struggled to keep her emotions under control. "There's really nothing left huh?" she said softly. A large tear rolled down her bruised cheek, followed by another, and she screwed her eyes shut, as if trying to stop them coming.
Natsu reached out his hand tentatively, placing it gently on her upper arm and rubbing soothingly. "Hey Lucy? It's totally okay to be upset. If you need to cry, you go right ahead."
Lucy's lip wobbled a little more, her voice coming out in a squeaky rush. "I know I just met you and all Natsu, but I could really, really use a hug right now."
"You got it Lucy", he said softly.
A small whimper escaped Lucy's pressed lips as Natsu reached forward, his arms circling her gently. His hands rubbed her back soothingly as she rested her head on his shoulder, sobs finally escaping. Plue wriggled in the space between them on the bed, whining and pressing his face into Lucy's hands.
Natsu's teeth clenched as he hugged Lucy. He loved his job, but this part, the part where they didn't make it in time and people lost everything? He hated it. And having been through it himself, even though he'd been much younger when his family had lost everything in a house fire, meant he understood Lucy's distress. Yes, they were just things, but they were markers to important events in her life, mementoes that were probably irreplaceable.
He made soothing noises, wishing he could do more. He knew he should probably feel awkward, hugging a girl he'd just met but… There was just something about her. He didn't know what it was, and now was definitely not the time to push any kind of romantic feelings, but he was glad that he could provide her with some sort of comfort at least. There was no sign of other visitors having been to her room – no flowers, no cards, no empty cups. He wondered if she had anyone to be there for her. Maybe no one knew she'd been injured yet? Had her family been called?
Hearing that her sobs had quieted, Natsu leaned back, moving his hands to gently squeeze her upper arms. "Anytime you need a hug Lucy, you just ask, 'kay?" Lucy nodded, then laughed apologetically.
"I'm sor..ry", she said, her voice raspy again, her breaths uneven. "I… got… snot… all over… your shirt." Natsu reached forward towards the switches and knobs on the wall behind Lucy's hospital bed and dialled up the saturation level of oxygen coming through the plastic tubing.
"What's a little snot between friends huh?", he smiled comfortingly, his green eyes crinkling at the corners. "Don't sweat it, Lucy. Deep breaths. It's gonna be okay." Lucy nodded and closed her eyes, concentrating on her breathing for a few minutes, then opened them again.
"What am I gonna do Natsu?", she sighed, looking down at Plue and stroking the soft white fur on his head as he gazed adoringly up at her, his pink tongue lolling out.
"Lucy, I know it will be hard but try not to worry too much about what's gonna happen once you leave here for the moment", he suggested. "You need to concentrate on getting well first. Did the doctor give you any idea of how long you'll be here?"
Lucy shook her head. "Uh, that's a little foggy. They're waiting to see how my injuries heal. Something to do with percentages, and partial thickness burns, I think. I was in some kind of chamber for a while yesterday to help with my breathing, and I was on a morphine drip for a while. Most of yesterday is a big blur."
Natsu nodded sympathetically. "Glad I decided not to come yesterday then. I wanted to make sure I could bring Plue with me. Is there anyone I can call for you? Your parents, family?"
Lucy sighed. "There's no one. All my family have passed on. I haven't made any friends here in Magnolia yet, I only moved here last month for…". Her eyes widened and she groaned. "For a job I probably don't have anymore. Jason's gonna kill me."
"Who's Jason?" asked Natsu, not knowing who he was, but disliking him already.
"My boss, Jason. I'm an investigative reporter for the Magnolia Times, and I was meant to file a story yesterday, on… on… a possible… arsonist. Natsu, you don't think the fire could have anything to do with that could you?"
Before Natsu could answer, there was a sharp knock on the door. Lucy looked at Natsu, and then down at Plue. "Who is it?" she called out, as Natsu tried to coax Plue back into the backpack.
"Erza Scarlett, from the Arson Squad, Magnolia Police Department. I need to speak with you regarding the fire in your apartment Ms. Heartfilia. May I come in?"
Lucy looked towards Natsu, who grinned and nodded. "I know Erza, it's fine."
"Please come in", Lucy called out, coughing a little at the effort of raising her voice again. She looked at her dog, currently sitting in Natsu's lap. He'd refused to get back in the backpack. "Natsu", she hissed, "what about Plue?"
"Eh, I'm sure it'll be fine", he grinned. "And if not, I'm willing to take the heat for it. It was worth it." Lucy raised an eyebrow quizzically. "I got to see that smile again."