"What's that supposed to mean?

Grabbing onto Ashen's triceps and trying not to flinch from the pain, Gwen flexed her abs and managed to maintain an upright sitting position without further aid. "Look me in the eye and say that again. Mom's in a coma; she's not dead. So quit exaggerating!"

The doctor quickly insisted that she lie back down, but Gwen simply shrugged off his hands and tuned him out. In fact, aside from the loud ringing sound compounding in volume in her ears, she couldn't really hear much of anything. Yet she was too frantic to care.

Ashen looked away solemnly, before his eyes flicked up and glowered at Dr. Briel who was suddenly oddly fascinated by his menial task of disinfecting instruments. "Doctor, we're teenagers. We're not young children so naïve that we can't register a body as being deceased."

Gaze shifting from her brother to the doctor until she felt like she might be ill, Gwen put a hand over her chest to measure the loud pounding of her heart. She felt like she had never felt before—not even when her own mother had died—and it truly felt as if one of her organs was trying to crawl its way up her throat. Needless to say, it was not a pleasant feeling.

"Are you serious?" Unable to hold it in any further, Gwen hurled the pen that had been sitting on the tale beside her at the doctor. As if on cue, several nurses promptly filed in and bounded to her side in an attempt to hold her down. "Have you been lying to me, you freaking quack? Aren't you bound to truth by law or something?" She kicked with her free leg as much as possible until one of the male nurses did their best to calm her. "Mom's not dead! She's not!"

Why does this happen to me?

"You're very mature, young man. You're very intelligent." Dr. Briel said dryly with no sign of friendliness. Despite the compliment, Ashen could only roll his eyes and shake his head in a disgusted manner.

"And you're not. Truth be told, I don't think you're fit to run this hospital wing."

Ignoring the comment to the best of his ability, he simply plowed on with his gaze on Gwen. "I could definitely think of better times to deliver this news, which was why I withheld the information." He murmured in a somber tone, much to Gwen's horror. "But your brother has not misled you. Your stepmother sustained serious injuries and passed en route to the hospital. Your father has been taken to the station, and if worse comes to worst the two of you may have to be separated."

Dr. Briel just ignored the comment and plowed on, his gaze shifting to Gwen. Removing his glasses, he gently massaged the bridge of his nose in an annoyingly calm manner. "I could think of better times to deliver the bad news," he murmured quietly, to Gwen's horror. "But you did not hear wrong. Mrs. Jade Wu is now dead. Your father has been sent to the station, and according to what the law states, he will have to face consequences and the two of you may have to be separated."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He hadn't even looked at her since they came.

But, since forty-five minutes had elapsed, Syoaran's worried gaze shifted over to Sakura who was fidgeting like there was no tomorrow. She had been sitting in her hospital chair, barely moving, and looked as if someone she liked had just died. Responding to his gaze by staring back uneasily at him, she swallowed hard. "Do you think… she'll be okay?" She asked, her lower lip subconsciously trembling despite herself.

No, definitely not.

Bitter thoughts ran through Syoaran's mind, as well as pain and anguish. "Yes," he finally managed, "She'll be okay."

Although honestly the lie was so absolutely ridiculous he couldn't help but die a little inside. Suddenly losing feeling to his legs, he collapsed into a chair and his entire upper body lurched forward, his elbows holding his head in his hands. His dark brown bangs shadowed his eyes—and entire face, for that matter.

All thoughts of sympathy towards Gwen was immediately pushed aside, when Sakura quickly got to the floor, kneeling in front of her lover. "Syoaran? What's wrong?" She lowered her face and looked up at him when her body recoiled back in shock after catching a glimpse of his face. Tears slid down his face and droplets unexpectedly fell onto his ghostly-white fists. Without any prior notice, he immediately grabbed her, and practically pulled her into him.

"Don't look," he ordered, almost inaudibly in a whisper. "I'll stop in a minute… I'll smile again in just one minute. Just don't…"

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Sakura whispered, feeling her own brimming tears threatening to fall as she kissed the top of his forehead. "I know Gwen means the world to you, but right now we can't do anything but pray for her."

"What the fuck are you two doing?" An angry voice sounded behind Sakura. She whirled around to see Ashen there, and believe it or not, he was on the verge of tears himself. "My sister is in an operation, wallowing in her sufferings partly due to the two of you, who might as well be in a hotel room. Get out if that's what you're going to be doing, asshole!"

"Hold on a second. Why aren't you with her?" Syoaran asked, his voice surprisingly unaffected by any closing of the throat from the tears. Ashen practically knocked Sakura out of the way before shoving Syoaran against the wall and picking him up by the collar of his shirt. "A fine question, isn't it? I got kicked out, since the surgery is private." He snarled. "I don't understand. What's so good about you? A guy who would go cuddling with another girl while she is enduring an innumerous amount of pain! You think you fucking know her, hotshot? You don't know a thing!"

"Dude, calm the fuck down-!" Syoaran began when Ashen pulled him closer, his dark eyes glittering with untarnished anger. "You think Gwen's bitter, don't you? You think she's a bitch? Just think, think of what happened to her. You don't know the details, but the gist of it is enough to make anyone sick."

Syoaran stared at him, his eyes dead, hardly feeling a thing in his body. Ashen wasn't wrong. Hell, he knew these things had happened to Gwen. He just hadn't come to realize how much of it stacked on top of one another.

"You're right." Syoaran replied simply. "You're not wrong- nobody should ever have to go through something like that." This seemed to anger Ashen more. He slammed his palm against the wall, beside Syoaran's face. "Something? It wasn't just a something that had happened to her, you conniving bastard, it was many things."

"—And it must be terrible for her," Syoara continued pointedly, ignoring Ashen's comment. "To have nobody in a time when she needs him or her the most. I'm sorry, but I can't do a single thing for her right now and neither can you. I love Gwen, more than words can tell. That's why I'm standing here, right now, like I have been for the past five hours."

Sakura moved back until she felt her back bum into the wall. Two childhood friends, friends that knew Syoaran at least three times as long as she'd known him… and arguing over a girl who wanted him. Was this all her fault?

Gwen was suffering so much, large in part because she longed for Syoaran with such startling devotion. Her life was so perfect… Syoaran didn't want to talk about these things, but she could tell he cared.

Am I just forcing him to be with me?

If this is really what Gwen's past was like...

She should be able to walk out of this hospital with at least something she wants.

...Right?