"You don't have to coddle me," Hazel complained as she looked up at Nico. He was standing over her and fluffing her pillow because she had commented that it was slightly uncomfortable. A small smile came to her face despite her situation. When Nico made it to her room, he ran in so fast that he slipped on the floor. Thankfully, Annabeth had been there to catch him.
"You're going to be coddled," Nico replied, but it sounded more like a threat. He placed the pillow back down, and Hazel laid against it. "Is that better?"
"It is. Thank you," Hazel answered. "Has Reyna texted you back yet?"
"Not yet," Nico replied. Hazel frowned. She had watched Frank's fight on Annabeth's phone, and she was so proud of him for winning and not being distracted. Hazel just wished one of them would answer their phone. Her gaze moved around the hospital room.
Annabeth had stepped out to get them food while they waited for Hazel to get a few tests to determine what was wrong with her leg. All of them seemed to share the same thought, but no one wanted to say it out loud.
Hazel looked down at the blanket over her legs. She swallowed painfully. A voice spoke, "There is no need to worry, Hazel."
Hazel slowly looked up at their mentor. Lupa was sitting next to her bed and had her phone in her hands. Hazel slowly spoke, "But, what if I did tear my ACL? I heard something, and I don't know what it was."
A shaky breath left Hazel, and Lupa gently grabbed her hand, "Your injury is just a setback, Hazel. I know that you are going to come back from it stronger than ever."
"What if I don't come back stronger than before?" Hazel asked in a quiet voice. "What if I just can't recover? You hear all those stories about athletes tearing their ACLs and never getting back into shape."
"You will get better," Nico interrupted. Lupa gently grabbed Hazel's arm.
"At the beginning of my career, I tore my ACL. My trainer dropped me from his gym right then and there. All of those I called my friends in the fighting world did the same. I was told by the league that I had six months to get back into shape, or I would forfeit my contract. There was one person who believed in me: my mother," Lupa said.
"With her support, I came back stronger than before. I won my next fight and found myself a sparring partner, a friend, to help me in my career. An ACL tear, especially with today's medicine, is not the death knell that you think it is," Lupa continued. She smiled at Hazel. "While I just had my mother to support me, you have the entire team, and I will not put a timetable on your return."
"Even if you can't continue to fight, I'm not going to kick you out of my gym. There will always be a place for you," Lupa promised.
"Thank you, Lupa. That means a lot," Hazel said softly as she felt tears brimming in her eyes. She took a deep breath. "You're right. I do have a great support system."
"And, we're here for anything that you need," Nico added. Hazel nodded and heard a thud at the door. She frowned and turned her head. The door was pushed open, and Frank hurried into the room. His gaze shot around before focusing on Hazel. He rushed to her side.
"Hazel," Frank gasped. He was breathing heavily like he had just run from the parking lot to see her. And, he was still shirtless.
"Sir, you can't be running through the halls!" a nurse called as she stepped into the room. "And you need to put on a shirt!"
Frank's eyes widened, and he looked down at his bare chest. A blush immediately came to his face. Frank quickly spoke, "I'm sorry! I just... I-"
"It won't happen again," Lupa promised as she stood and pulled off her jacket. She handed it to Frank, who quickly put it on. The jacket didn't fit him well, but it was better than him being kicked out.
"I really am sorry," Frank swore. The nurse gave him a stern look before leaving the room. Octavian stepped in a moment after and closed the door behind him.
"Frank," Octavian began.
"He's embarrassed enough," Lupa said as she sat back down in her chair. "Let us all take a deep breath and relax. Hazel does not need any more stress than she already has."
"Are you doing okay?" Frank questioned as he looked at Hazel. "Have you learned anything yet?"
"I haven't," Hazel responded as she studied Frank again. He was wearing the shorts that he always wore during a fight, and considering he had been shirtless, he had probably just come from his match. Or, he just ran from the cage and didn't stop until he was at the hospital.
"I'm so proud of you, Frank. You did great during your fight," Hazel complimented. She smiled at Frank, but he didn't exactly return it. "What's wrong?"
"Reyna didn't tell me that you were hurt until after my fight," Frank said with a scowl. He sat in a free chair and crossed his arms. Now that he wasn't embarrassed, he seemed to be simmering in rage. Hazel lost her smile. "She should have told me as soon as it happened."
"I'm glad she didn't," Hazel stated. "I didn't want you to be distracted during your fight."
"Hazel, I don't care about my fight if you're hurt. Someone should have told me as soon as it happened," Frank argued. "Reyna didn't care enough to."
"Frank, you shouldn't be this mad," Octavian began. Frank snapped his head towards him and opened his mouth.
"Frank, what would you have done if you learned the news?" Lupa questioned. Frank slowly turned toward their mentor. "If Reyna or Octavian had told you that Hazel was hurt and on the way to the hospital, what would you have done?
"Abandoned your fight?" Lupa pressed. Frank looked down as he was scolded. "Would you not have been distracted? By keeping you in the dark, your head was focused solely on the fight. If it wasn't, you could have lost. Not to mention seriously hurt."
"I was surprised that Reyna didn't say anything either, but as we were driving here, I realized why she kept quiet. It wasn't because she doesn't care about you. It's because she does. She was just trying to protect you," Octavian elaborated. "I'm sure she would have told you as soon as your adrenaline calmed down."
"While you might not like it, that didn't give you the right to blow up on her," Octavian added.
"What happened?" Nico questioned. Lupa looked at Frank in interest. Frank looked away and didn't answer.
"Did you get mad at Reyna?" Hazel questioned.
"A little bit," Frank muttered.
"More than that," Octavian commented. Frank glared at him. "I haven't seen you that angry before, Frank. Not to mention what you said."
"I was worried about Hazel," Frank began. He started to cross his arms but stopped and rubbed his forehead. "I was worried, angry, and still on this adrenaline high. It just came out, and I couldn't stop myself."
Frank slumped in the chair and laid his head back, "I know I screwed up."
"And Reyna still hasn't answered me," Nico grumbled. He stared down at his phone before turning it into a glare. Nico put down his phone and just stared at his lap.
"I'm sure she's just driving," Hazel began. Nico didn't answer. They heard the door open, and everyone turned to see Annabeth. She was followed by Will, and both of them were holding on to a few bags of food.
"How are you feeling?" Will asked as he focused on Hazel.
"I'm not in any more pain right now," Hazel replied. "I am nervous, though. About what's wrong."
"It won't be as bad as you think," Will reassured. He took a seat next to Nico, which at some point had been vacated by Lupa, and gave him a small smile. Nico glanced around the room and took a deep breath. He gently grabbed Will's hand and squeezed it. No one commented on the action.
"I got more food than we will need," Annabeth supplied as she passed around fries and a wrapped burger to everyone. "I hope it's a decent alternative to going out to restaurants."
"Thank you, Annabeth. This is perfect, and it's a good celebration," Hazel said. She probably wasn't supposed to eat any fast food at the moment, but she was having a really rough night. It was quiet in the room as they ate.
Frank was sitting on Hazel's left and seemed to be stewing in anger and regret. Nico sat on Hazel's right and just looked worried. Will leaned on Nico and kept rubbing his hand. Lupa and Octavian were on the opposite side of the bed, leaning on the wall. Annabeth sat on the free bed.
As the door opened once again, Hazel winced. She knew she was about to get caught by a nurse and lectured. Reyna walked into the room a moment later, and Hazel felt relief wash through her. Nico's head shot up, and he glared at Reyna.
"Sorry I'm late," Reyna excused. She took a duffel bag off of her shoulder, and Hazel frowned as she saw her name on the bag. "I hope you don't mind Hazel; I stopped by your place and got you some stuff for however long you stay. Frank, I packed your duffel bag. It's in my car."
Frank nodded and didn't look at Reyna. Hazel smiled at her friend, "Thank you. You didn't have to."
"It wasn't a problem," Reyna dismissed. She placed the duffel bag down and opened it. Reyna plugged in a charger and plugged Hazels' phone in, placing it by the bed. Then, she took a seat next to Annaeth who passed her a carton of fries and a sandwich.
"We haven't heard anything yet," Annabeth filled in. Reyna nodded and watched Hazel. There was nothing but concern in the woman's eyes.
"Are we able to stay here until we learn something, or do we have to leave?" Reyna asked.
"We'll have to leave before ten," Lupa replied. Reyna nodded and took a bite of her food. "Nico is going to stay the night tonight, and we can come back first thing in the morning."
Reyna nodded and glanced at Hazel, "I'll bring you breakfast in the morning."
"You don't have to," Hazel declined. Reyna just shrugged and looked back at her food. It was hard to read the look on her face. While Reyna's expression was neutral, Hazel felt like there was more to it. She would just have to ask. For now, she wanted to relax with her friends.
"I'm going to," Reyna confirmed with a shrug. "I'll stop by before I go to the gym."
"Going to train this weekend?" Annabeth asked. Reyna glanced at her and nodded.
"Thank you," Hazel said with a smile. Reyna smiled back slightly. Hazel glanced at Nico and shared the warmth with him. Nico returned it. He seemed more relaxed with Will in the room, and Hazel just knew he would coddle her as soon as everyone was gone. He would probably baby her with everyone still here.
But, Hazel was grateful. She was happy to have family that actually cared for her and friends that were just as close. Hazel would need the support system as she healed from her injury. She hoped it wasn't too serious, but if it was, she knew that the gym, her real family, had her back.