Chapter Twenty One

One Month Later

Lucy POV

I left the courthouse with a bright smile on my face. Ami had told us that the prosecutor wanted to plead the case out. Once she called and told him that there was another complainant he had no choice but to take the deal off the table and pursue the charges once again. Once the case hit the news it set off a chain reaction. There were three other girls that wanted to testify against the three jocks that assaulted them.

Sting, Rufus, and Orga all got seven year sentences seeing as they were still minors during the attacks and they'd be on the sex offender registry for the rest of their lives. Rogue who was only there for my attack got three years in prison and ten on the sex offender registry. When I had to get up there and testify against them I wasn't afraid the way I thought I'd be.

I was calm and answered all of the prosecution and defenses questions. The defense attorney tried to make it seem like I wanted it but the jury didn't buy that. There was one too many victims for that rouse to work. Even though I'd tried to push my mother away she was there with me every time. She and Natsu had been my biggest support system over this last month. I wasn't afraid of them with him at my side.

He knew that he'd let me down before, I could see it in his eyes that he wouldn't do that again. He listened to all of the gory details of the case, hand wrapped tightly around mine. He didn't look at me with pity, he didn't treat me like a wounded animal. I finally understood what Mira meant when she said it was possible. This was what Francis was to her, a person that knew what she had been through and still loved her, still wanted her, didn't treat her like used goods.

This was what I needed right now, someone that wouldn't tell me it would be okay but make me feel that it would. I wouldn't heal over night but with Natsu I knew I would eventually. I was finally comfortable with a man that wasn't my brother touching me.

Mom made Jude pay for the best doctors they could find to oversee Frankie's recovery. He still hadn't woken up yet and was still in the hospital. Mira and I took turns watching over him seeing as she still had to care for Miranda. It had only been a month but she was growing so fast. She looked just like him, as if he'd spit her out and made a female clone of himself. I knew it was killing Mira every time she looked into her daughters brown eyes. The same brown eyes that we'd both wished would open just once more.

After court I went to go and see Francis, I was sure Mira needed a break seeing as she spent almost every waking moment of her day at the hospital for the last month. I wanted to share this good news with him, I wanted him to know that he didn't have to protect me anymore. That I was okay now, that he could be happy and be with his family. The way it was before I got there.

"Lucille Heartfilia"

I turned to the voice. It was Yuuko, Frankie's older sister.

I didn't know why she was here. The doctors said he would come out of his coma. Her mother didn't have to worry about a murder charge. Gaara's no filter ass blew the lid on how they treated my brother after the first week. The doctor that visited two weeks later proved everything he said to be fact. This woman helped me, I couldn't deny that, but she was also apart of my brothers childhood torture. For that I could never forgive her.

"Can I help you?" I asked trying to remain as calm as I possibly could. Every time I looked at her I could see her teenage face tormenting my brother. Abusing him, mistreating him, making him feel like he was less than nothing.

"I wanted to see our brother... his fiancee disapproved of my presence" Yuuko said softly. Was she sad? No... she was guilty, I'd know that look anywhere. "I would like you to return something to Ha-... Francis... for me... please" she said softly with her head bowed in shame. She took my hand and placed what felt to be a cold metal object in my hand. "When he wakes... tell him that Yuuko... is sorry" she said before rushing out of the hospital doors.

I looked at what she had given me. It was Frankie's necklace that he had given her that night at her house. She was giving it back. I didn't know Yuuko very well but even I knew that she never gave anything back. All I could do was smile at the object before getting into the elevator heading up to see my brother.

When I got in the room Miranda was sleeping in her carrier and Mira was meticulously shaving the excess hair from Francis' face. She always did the "uncomfortable" parts of upkeep before I got there. She almost tore the roof off that first time the female nurse attempted to wash his man parts. She looked so tired but I could tell she was trying to stay strong.

"Hey Mira, I'm here" I said putting my bag down as she smiled over her shoulder at me. I hadn't seen one of those in a while.

"The doctors say he's beginning to react to outside stimuli. They think he'll wake up soon" she said happily wiping the excess shaving cream from his face.

"That's great" she went and got me excited along with her. Looking at my brother's sleeping face.

"We just have to keep on talking to him. It helps" she said rubbing his cheek gently. "Just need a little push right babe... always stubborn" she sighed kissing his forehead.

They were supposed to be planning their wedding. This wasn't where we were supposed to be. It was supposed to be different.

"Hey Luce I got ya coffee" Natsu bounced into the room handing me a cup of coffee.

"Natsu" Mira said softly not turning to him. "Speak again" she said still staring at Francis.

"I don't get it" Natsu was confused, rubbing the back of his head.

"I heard it" it was faint but I could hear a light growl. Like a growly grumble. He was reacting to Natsu's voice. "Babe! Babe say something again" we were just confusing poor Natsu more and more.

"Okay guys, what's going on?" he asked as the growl got louder. "Is douche bag growling?" he asked looking behind me at narrowed brown eyes. "Oh shit" he muttered softly as I slowly turned to see the narrowed brown eyes as well.

He was moving, trying to sit up but Mira calmly pushed him back down. He was trying to speak but his throat was probably dry beyond belief. He just kept growling and glaring at Natsu.

"Lucy, get the doctor quick" Mira said barely holding back her excitement. He was up and he was damn sure Francis. "Babe. Babe look at me" she said grabbing his face as I rushed out of the room to retrieve a doctor.

Words couldn't describe how I felt heading back to that room with the doctor. He was alive and he was up, this was hands down the best day of my life.

I could hear him complaining to Mira already when I came back in with the doctor. Natsu was hiding in a far corner of the room, I was sure Francis could barely move but him being up and alert was enough for Natsu to be on guard.

"Relax babe, we'll ask the doctor when he comes in okay" Mira was saying as we entered the room.

"YOU THERE! Why do I have no feeling in my left leg?" I already knew the answer to that question and I'm sure Mira did too.

"Partial paralysis Mr. Heartfilia. One of the bullets very lightly grazed your spinal cord on the left side. It's just your leg? Not your arm or anything else?" the doctor asked going to work immediately checking Francis out. He and Mira were talking to the doctor about his condition and the future.

"Can't believe he hates me that much" Natsu sighed in disbelief. I couldn't help but laugh. It was true, you couldn't make this shit up. Natsu's voice brought Francis out of his coma.

The rest of the day was spent with everyone visiting to check up on him. Even dad came to see him which was shocking to both of us. After the rush of visitors died down it was just me and him. Mira had went for coffee and Lisanna had taken the baby home.

"So how the hell are you gonna dance at your wedding with a useless leg?" I asked watching him snort a laugh at my joke.

"You think I'm worried about that? The real question is how do I bang my hot wife with a useless leg?" he joked back making me laugh with him. "Did we get em?" he asked. He wanted to know about court.

"Yeah... we got em... got em good too" I answered as he smiled at me with teeth finally. His smile always made me smile for some reason. Not his grin, his real smile. It was rare and I could only remember seeing it on a few occasions. It was pure and child like, like he was happy.

"Now... you can be happy... and I can rest" he said softly confusing me a little. "When you were standing in the wake of devastation. When you were waiting on the edge of the unknown. And with the cataclysm raining down. Insides crying, "Save me now!"You were there, impossibly alone" I knew this song. He was still smiling at me as he sang the words. "Do you feel cold and lost in desperation? You build up hope, but failure's all you've known. Remember all the sadness and frustration. And let it go. Let it go" he always knew just what to say to me. Even if the words weren't his own they always hit home.

"I'm not great... but I'm good... promise" I said feeling his hand wrap around mine.

"That's my girl" he breathed out closing his eyes. He was still smiling.

"Always" I said placing his chain in his hand and closing it. He'd be happy to see it when he woke up.

"How's she doing?"

"She just keeps muttering the name Toshiro. That she killed Toshiro"

"Did no one inform her that he isn't actually dead?"

"If I told you that the child you thought you murdered was still alive and wanted nothing to do with you not even to hear an apology how would you react? Your mother is suffering from severe psychosis still ma'am. It would probably be a set back to share this news with her. Perhaps if you could get him to come and see her then maybe it would help her recovery"

"Would you willingly step into a room with a person who tried to kill you?"

"Point taken"

"Toshiro... Toshiro..." she'd seen her mother have bad days but she'd never seen her like this. They all blamed "him" for her behavior. For their father leaving them because they couldn't afford the abortion and get rid of him. For not having as much as they could have because there was an extra mouth taking away from the table.

"Is the medicine doing anything for her?"

"She goes in and out of this... but once she realizes what she's done, this is her until she goes to sleep"

"She needs to know, I'll tell her. It's your job to deal with what happens after"

A/N: Alright, almost to the finish line. The next chapter is the last chapter and it'll be a epilogue. Thank everyone for joining me on this ride, it's been a privilege.

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