My Angel

Chapter 3

When Nico opened her eyes, things were still hazy. She didn't really know where she was at the time and she felt extremely weak. She turned her head and a couple of times to see if she would recognize where she was, but it was no use. Nothing look familiar. As she looked around, a nurse was by her side checking her vital signs and other good stuff. She turned towards her, still half-out of it.

"W-Where are I am?"

"You're in the hospital silly. You just finished up your surgery and you did an amazing job."

"Did I? That's good." She didn't know what she was saying. Words just came to her and she spoke them without really knowing.

"You're gonna be like that for about another hour or so. So try to take things easy and I'll be back soon to check on you, alright?"

"Okay, take care."

"Haha, you too." The nurse gave her a smile and walked out, leaving the door open behind her. Not long after, a knock came from the door and she looked to see who it was.

"Nico-chan, are you okay?" She squinted her eyes to get a better picture of who they were until they were right beside her. "How are you feeling?"

"Kayo-chin, Rin-chan. Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's us. We heard about the accident and wanted to visit you as quickly as possible."

"Aw, you guys are so sweet. Thank you. You didn't have to."

"Of course we had to. You're our best friend. We care about you Nico." Kayo-chin grabbed her head and held it softly in hers. "We're really sorry about what happened though. We know it must have meant a lot to you."

"Oh it's okay. These things tend to happen I guess. What can you do?" the two of them smiled at her care-free attitude. That's what made her so special.

"Well, we're glad that you're holding up so well. We can't stay long, but it was nice seeing you again."

"Yeah, right back at you."

"Get well, okay?"

"Alright."

"Bye." They waved goodbye to her and she mustered up all the strength she could to wave back at them. As they left, she realized that she was alone again. She looked underneath the blankets and saw her knee in something quite strange to her. She was wearing a brace that restricted her movements to very small motions. It was odd because this kind of thing was given to people who were near the end of recovering from this kind of injury. She pulled the blankets back over her body and continued to look at the ceiling as things were starting to become clearer and less confusing.

A couple of hours later, the drug she was on finally wore off. She looked around the room and noticed that it was the exact same one she was in the previous night. She took a sigh of relief for she knew that she was back to normal. Normal, except for her injured knee.

Another knock came from the door and in walked her group members. She was completely shocked. Today was the day of the Heart of Summer performance. None of them were dressed and they all had sad faces on.

"What are you guys doing here? You're supposed to be preparing for the show."

"We're not going to the show."

"What?"

"We can't do it without you."

"Oh come on. Of course you can. From what I remember, you guys did the routine perfectly. You don't need me for one performance."

"We do. It wouldn't be fair for us to perform and you sit here all alone."

"Whoa, where's this coming from?"

"So that's why we decided to stay here with you until you're discharged." The four of them grabbed a seat and stared at Nico as if she was some kind of unknown creature.

"No. No. You can't stay here. I want you to go that Live."

"We can't."

"Yes you can. I want you to. This is the first year our group has been asked to perform. I don't want you guys to miss this opportunity."

"But you won't be there with us."

"Did you forget about Muse? We were able to perform that show right before we disbanded. It was incredible. One of the best memories I had with Muse. I don't want you guys to miss out on that because I know you'll only regret it."

"But…"

"Please." She grabbed one of her members hand and held it tight. "I want you to go. You staying here will only make things harder on me. Please, I know you guys can do it."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. I am the leader right?" Some of them had some tears falling from their faces which they quickly wiped off. They stood up and crowded Nico's bed.

"Feel better, okay?"

"Ugh!" The four of them hugged her with all they could which caused her to feel claustrophobic. "Okay. Okay, I get it. You guys are gonna be late if you don't get a move on." After a few more seconds, they finally pulled away and looked at Nico one more time.

"You're gonna watch us right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." They all pumped their fists and ran out of the room, screaming Nico's name all throughout the hospital. Meanwhile, just outside the room, Maki was listening in on the entire conversation.

She's just an Idol. There's no one else like here. Those girls are lucky to have her in their group. She smiled and walked off to attend to other business she had to take care of.

As she stayed in that room all day, she kind of got the idea that today was "Visit Nico Day" because she was never really left alone. Most of her family came by and visited. Other classmates from high school came as well. But the most shocking visit was from Honoka, Umi, and Kotori. They walked in and Nico grew so happy. By this time in the day, she looked completely normal and nothing about her made it seem like she had surgery except for what she was covering up underneath the blankets.

"Hey you guys, how did you know I was here?"

"Word gets around about such a popular Idol like yourself. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing alright. I can't complain. These doctors really know how to treat their patients." No duh, it was run by Maki-chan so of course the care service was superb.

"That's good. It's so nice to see you again. We kind of wished it was in better circumstances thought." They all started to laugh at that comment. When another knock came from the door, they all turned around and looked to see who it was and it was Eli and Nozomi standing in the doorway.

"Hey, who said there was a party going on?"

Nico stuck her arms in the air and demanded hugs from everyone. Without saying anything, they all dove in for a hug. She had no idea so many of her best friends were going to be here at the same time. Now, it was starting to feel like Muse was reuniting once again. For endless hours, the six of them talked about their lives and what each of them were doing. Nico tried to stay silent because she wanted to hear from everyone else, but she was constantly asked questions about her life. She answered with such enthusiasm and spunk that it didn't even feel like a hospital anymore. The room filled with joy and laughter as the day grew old.

After a few more hours, a nurse came in and told them that visiting hours were over. They all complained and wanted more time, but couldn't get it. Before they left, they all gave Nico one last hug. They each said one last thing to each other before her room was finally empty.

"Man, you sure do have a lot of friends. I don't think you room was empty at all today."

"Haha, yeah I know. I wasn't expecting this at all. So what's the plan now?"

"Oh, I'm not doing the check-up. We have somebody else coming in to see you."

"Oh, okay. You have a good night then."

"Why thank you. You too." They smiled at each other as the nurse left the room. Finally, she was all alone, waiting for another check-up. The room was so quiet. All she could hear was the sound of the clock ticking away. She looked around and everything looked so boring now that everyone went home. She slumped into the bed and waited until the other doctor came in. Again, she was taken by surprise. It was Maki.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine now."

"Good." Maki walked over to her monitor and saw that everything was perfectly fine. Her body wasn't responding in negative ways so this brought relief to her mind. She checked underneath the blankets and saw that her knee was at reasonable size for how long it's been since the surgery. She pulled the blanket back over Nico's body and sat down on her bed. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"Maki-chan, about before, I have a reason."

"What are you talking about?"

"Yesterday, you asked me why I didn't come back for you. I have an answer."

"Nico, it's alright. I was being selfish. I know you have good reasons for not coming back for me."

"But still, I feel like I'm letting you down for not being there for you."

"Don't think that way. You're perfect the way you are. I couldn't ask for anyone better."

"You're wrong. I'm not perfect." Maki was shocked by this comment.

"What are you talking?"

"I never came back for you because I knew that I wasn't good enough for you!" Nico dropped her head and tears started to fall from her eyes. Maki was speechless. She couldn't believe that she would say something like that. She got off of her bed and knelt down beside her while putting her hands on Nico's.

"You were always good enough for me. I didn't care about who you were back then. You were my first love and that was all I cared about. And now that you're in front of me, those thoughts are finally coming back to me now." Nico turned her head and looked at her hand. At first, she was happy that Maki said that, but was immediately pushed away. She turned her head back the other way and Maki took notice to this. "What's wrong?"

"You're married," she asked softly to herself.

"What?" Nico turned her head slowly and looked Maki straight in the eye.

"You're married?" Maki's eyes opened wide. She pulled her hands back into her chest, covering her ring finger.

"Nico, it's not what you think."

"Really? It's not? Then tell me what it is then."

"I'm engaged. It's not an official thing yet."

"That doesn't change anything. You still have your heart with someone else now." Nico turned away from Maki.

"Nico please, it's not like that at all. It just happened. I still love you," she said with tears welling up. "I love you Nico. Please understand. I didn't do this to hurt you. I couldn't stop this. My parents wanted me to get married to a high-class man and they wouldn't except any excuses from me. Please. I still love you."

"Get out." Maki couldn't believe it. Nico has never shunned her before. She tried to reach for her shoulder, but knew that that wasn't a good idea. She stood up and walked towards the door. Before she left, she stopped and turned around once more.

"I'm sorry Nico. I hope you can forgive." She silently walked out with tears falling to the floor. Meanwhile, Nico was trying her best to hold in the tears, but they started to flood her eyes. She cried out in pain. Her fists pounded her bed and her knee started to feel tremendous pain. A couple of nurses who happened to pass by her room came in to calm her down. After that was resolved. They told her to rest for the night, but it was no use. She stayed awake all night, unable to sleep, unable to forget about what had happened between her and Maki.

End of Chapter 3