Hey guys! Sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoy the newest chapter! Getting closer to the end!
Sting and Yukino rushed into the hospital and ran straight to the counter. "Where is Jude Heartfilia?!" Sting yelled.
"He is in the back being seen by the doctor." The nurse began to continue, but Sting stopped listening after that point. He and Yukino began walking towards the doors which led to the back (the doors which also said 'Do Not Enter'). "Sir, you can't go in there!" the nurse yelled as she ran around the counter towards the blonde.
"He's my father, I can do what I want!" Sting yelled just before he pushed open the door with his hand.
"Sting!" A voice yelled, causing Yukino and Sting to turn to face it. Mrs. Spetzo walked over to Sting, grabbed onto the sleeve of his extended arm and pulled him back towards the rest of the crowd waiting. "Stop causing a scene and stay over here with us." She scolded as she pulled him away from the staff.
"How is he?! Is it serious?!" Sting questioned with Yukino close behind him.
"He is fine, Sting," Grandine answered.
"It was just a case of heartburn," Igneel added; Yukino and Sting's shoulders relaxed.
"That's so good to hear," Yukino commented with a sense of relief.
"When will he be out?" Sting asked.
"He should be out any minute now," Mrs. Spetzo answered.
"Wait, where is Natsu?" Igneel asked.
Sting and Yukino paused to look at one another before he answered, "He is out in the car with the kids." The group paused before someone spoke up. "Why won't he come inside?"
Yukino sighed, "He didn't want to make things worse." The group collectively sighed in aggravation. Grandine placed her hand on Igneel's arm; he looked at his wife who returned his gaze with a nudge towards the exit. Igneel chuckled to himself as he stood and headed out the door.
…
Natsu gazed at the ceiling as he rested his head against the headrest on his seat. He had been dreading this week to begin with… the small talk between friends and the friends of his parents in the classic 'where are you and who are you with' game. He pictured his week being mostly him hiding in his room alone or drinking off in a corner when his mother made him socialize. He didn't expect this shenanigan with Lucy… he didn't expect to fall in love with her either.
He only wanted to help his childhood best friend and her father, granted it helped him out too, but looking back on it now he didn't care. All he cared about was Lucy; he caused her more trouble than when they first started. He caused everybody more trouble.
Because of him her father was sent to the hospital; great job, Natsu, the whole point was to make him happy before he died not speed up the process. Natsu closed his eyes, took a deep breath in before glancing down at the ring in his hand. This definitely puts a damper in our friendship; hell, sleeping with her did that. She probably never wants to see me again.
Natsu heard stirring next to him. He glanced over at the boy asleep in the car seat beside him. Yukino had driven like a bat out of hell to get them to the hospital as soon as possible; he was barely able to hang on as he was tossed about in the back seat of the car, but he had no clue how it lulled Lector to sleep.
He chuckled at the boy before motion outside the car caught his attention. Natsu glanced through the window at the approaching figure; he sighed in frustration upon seeing his father. "Oh no…" he whined as he slumped in his chair. Not this… anything but this.
"Natsu," Igneel stated softly as he stood outside the car. "I know you're in there… Sting told me." Natsu just sat still, hoping his father couldn't see him through the tinted glass. "Natsu, I won't force you to come out and talk to me… but if you want to stay in there, you have no choice but to listen." Natsu silently groaned and rolled his eyes.
"I'm sorry, son." Natsu's eyes widened. "I feel I must have failed you as a father if you believed you would be a disappointment to me. I'm sorry you felt you had to pretend to be anything other than yourself to feel like we were proud of you.
I want to see you succeed in life, but not at the cost of your own happiness; sure, you are going through a rough patch right now but that doesn't change the fact that we are proud of you. You will get back on your feet, it's in your blood."
"I don't know if I can come back from this…" Natsu muttered.
Igneel perked his ears upon hearing his son speak, "Why is that?"
Natsu continued to fiddle with the ring in his hands. "For starters, I sent Jude to the hospital."
"He's fine, Natsu." Natsu's eyes widened. He reached for the door handle and quickly slid the door open, startling Igneel. "He's really gonna be okay?!"
"Shh! You're gonna wake up the kids," Igneel whisper yelled at his son as he grabbed the handle and quietly shut the door. "You didn't put him in the hospital; Jude just ate some spicy food that didn't sit well with him."
Natsu chuckled in relief, "Well I'm glad he's okay."
"What about you? What happened to your face?"
Natsu sighed, "Sting." Igneel nodded in understanding. He paused before asking, "What about everything else?"
Natsu looked in dismay at his father. He sighed, "I ruined everything." Natsu leaned back against the minivan. "I didn't mean for all of this to happen; I just wanted Lucy to be happy. Not only have I messed that up, but… she probably never wants to see me again."
"How do you know what she wants if you haven't asked her?"
Natsu rolled his eyes, "What's with all the questions?!"
Igneel shrugged, "I find when we ask ourselves questions, we often also hold the answers." Natsu was silent and stared at the ground; he kept his hands inside the front pockets of his jeans with his fists clenched. His chest grew tight and he pressed his teeth together as his body slowly urged him to run.
No more deliberation, now or never.
Natsu turned to his father, "Will you stay with the kids?" Igneel smiled widely and nodded his head. Natsu smiled back and ran towards the front doors of the hospital.
