I walked back down the hallway to where I had left Leif sitting, still feeling better than I had been before I spoke to Aria.

However, it only took a glare from Leif to send me crashing back down again.

"Where were you?" he asked.

"Trying to avoid a conflict with you," I said. "I would have thought that to be pretty obvious, considering I removed myself from the situation."

"Well," he said. "I don't think removing yourself from the situation would be a very good thing if something went wrong with-"

"Shut up," I hissed. He glared at me for a moment before sighing and rubbing his eyes. I sat down one seat away from him, crossing my arms.

And we stayed that way for quite some time. I didn't even bother. But then, something started beeping in Leif's pocket.

"Oh God..." he murmured, his face turning pale as he took the small device out. I felt sick once I realized what it was. It was some kind of alert system given to us in case anything went wrong during Gunie's surgery.

And the loud, angry, repetitive noises coming from that thing were signifying just that.

"Come on!" Leif cried, pulling me out of my chair. As much as my legs wanted to move, faster than they ever had before, I felt as though I had gone into shock and become dead weight. But we didn't go far before we saw a doctor that I recognized, and Leif obviously recognized him too.

"I was coming to get you," he said. "Now calm down and come with me."

The doctor led us down a long, brightly lit hallway, like every godforsaken one in the building, but this one led to a room with white tile floor and pale green walls, and there were two armchairs that didn't look very comfortable in the corner.

"You might want to sit down," he said.

As if I didn't know there was bad news coming, I thought bitterly.

"The tumor was successfully removed," he said. For a second, I felt a tiny spark of hope. "However, your son has slipped into a coma that may develop into a persistent vegetative state. If that occurs...we are not sure if he will ever be able to recover. I'm sorry..."

The emotional turmoil I felt at that moment was paralyzing. Leif held back tears as the doctor left the room, but I felt as though I couldn't move, I couldn't cry, I couldn't do anything.

But then, they brought Gunie into the room on a gurney and laid him down in the small bed in the center of the room. As they hooked him up to several machines they had brought in, I got up from my chair and started walking toward him. It felt as though I was under some sort of hypnosis, but if that were the case, I would have felt completely calm, free of a palpitating heart.

As I neared the bed, my heart started beating faster and faster as the details came into my sight. He was pale, and a section of his head had been shaven and had stitches running across it. But even though his physical appearance at the time was enough to make anyone lose control, there was something about him that was just...empty. He didn't seem like my beautiful, happy baby anymore. He seemed like he was already a ghost.

And that was when I snapped.

The next few minutes were a complete blur as I ran out of the building, screaming in anguish. It was raining hard, but I didn't care. I was crying too hard to notice my surroundings, or where I was going. But eventually, my legs gave out, and I fell to my knees, right in a deep, filthy puddle on the dirty sidewalk.

The thoughts and images racing through my head were all disturbing ones, and I couldn't get them to leave. This child, my precious baby that I had carried inside me for nine months and known for even longer...why did I run away from him? And why did I run away from Leif?

"I'm scared," I murmured. "I'm scared!"

But the horrible thing about it was that I was scared for myself. And I felt as though I couldn't be with them anymore. Leif deserved someone stable, and Gunie deserved a mother that would never abandon him. Still, I had nowhere to go.

I looked up at the sky that was dark from heavy storm clouds and the approaching night, and I was shocked when I realized that I had run all the way to the theater...the place with the stage I had dreamed of performing on. That seemed so far in the past, and just seeing it again made me want to die.

After sitting there and crying for what seemed like forever, I heard footsteps coming toward me.

"Leona!" a familiar voice cried. I looked up, and saw my only friend left in Palermo, Richard. But I couldn't even bring myself to stand up.

"What happened to you, sweetie?" he asked as he approached me. It was at that point that I was able to bring myself to stand up.

"I...I left them..." I whimpered. "And...I have nowhere to g-go..." The more I thought about that, the truer it seemed; I had left everything behind, including clothing and money. But I couldn't go back.

"Oh, honey," he said, giving me a hug despite my filthy and soaked clothing. "I won't bring it up again, but for now, you can stay at my apartment, okay?"

"But...but what about Marcus?" I asked. "Will you have enough room for me?"

"Sweetie," he said. "Marcus and I split up ages ago. And even if we hadn't, I wouldn't just let you go through this by yourself! Now, you are coming over and getting out of this rain."

"O...Okay," I said quietly.

Richard started dragging me off in the direction of his apartment, and for the next few blocks, my eyes continued to tear up. While I was relieved that he had so eagerly agreed to let me stay with him, I almost wished that no one in the world would ever show me such kindness again.

Well, Leona's snapped...and it's only going to get worse.

And I apologize for how short it is, and how long I've gone without updating! I'm going to try to be more consistent again.