Hello, Sapphire here! I have limited medical knowledge, so if I get something wrong please forgive me. BTW, emotional rollercoaster. I almost cried writing this. I'm estimating that this will be done by chapter 10, but I honestly don't know because I have no management skills... Anyways, on to reading!

Stopped

oooOOOOooo

Alya was shaking. Her mother was holding her. They had convinced the hospital staff to let them stay the night, because Nino's chances were that low.

Chloe had called Nino's father soon after Alya had gone to the waiting room. They had explained what happened with Mayura to his family when they got there. Luka, Chloe, Marinette and Celine had been picked up and taken home by their parents, and Adrian had been put into a drug induced sleep.

They'd been waiting for 3 hours and Nino still hadn't come out of surgery. It was almost 11 and Nino's little brother Curtis curled up on the floor next to his parents to try and sleep. Alya thought that sleep sounded nice, but she was afraid that she'd miss something.

Just then, a nurse walked into the room. "Family of Nino Lahiffe?" he called.

Nino's parents got up, and Alya and her mother moved to follow. They went to stand in front of the nurse, who had a clip board in hand and a solemn expression.

"Nino has just gotten out of surgery. We have repaired internal damage but were forced to remove his spleen. He will have a higher risk of infection because of that. He went into cardiac arrest once mid-surgery, but we managed to restart it within a minute, so there will be minimal complications because of that. However, due to the extent of the damage, Nino's chances of surviving the night are around 30% due to making it out of surgery. If he does make it through, his chances of waking up in the next 2 days are high. Do you have any questions?" the nurse debriefed.

"Can we see him?" Mrs. Lahiffe asked.

"He's very fragile right now, so the less chances of coming into contact with a virus that could kill him easily the better. That being said, immediate family can visit if you want to risk that," the nurse told them.

Nino's parents looked at each other. "You said his chance of surviving the night is 40%, right?" Mr. Lahiffe asked.

"Yes," the nurse confirmed.

"So, this is more than likely our last chance to say goodbye," Mrs. Lahiffe whispered.

Mr. Lahiffe wrapped an arm around his wife. "Please let us see him."

The nurse began to lead the couple down a hallway, and Alya tentatively began to follow. "Come here, sweetheart," Mrs. Lahiffe beckoned. "You're a part of the family, too."

Alya ran to catch up with Nino's parents, and Mr. Lahiffe put his other arm around Alya. "You're our daughter, too, you know," he whispered to her. "My son loves you very much, and I know you feel the same way."

Alya felt tears well up in her eyes and did nothing to stop them from falling. "You think of me as a daughter?"

"How could we not? You come for dinner almost every night and interact with the rest of us as if we were your own family. Nino's very lucky to have you, and so are we," Mrs. Lahiffe told her, starting to cry as well.

"I love you," Alya sobbed as the nurse opened a door and turned to beckon the trio.

"Here he is."

Alya and Nino's parents entered the room and the nurse shut the door behind them. Nino had many tubes inside and surrounding his body and several machines were around his bed.

Mrs. Lahiffe pulled up a chair next to where Nino's head was resting. Alya went to the other side of the bed and sat on its edge, grabbing Nino's hand with her own. Mr. Lahiffe simply stood behind his wife, hands on her shoulders.

"Nino, I want you to know that I love you. I care so much. Please, please try to wake up from this. I promise I'll be with you whenever you need me. But if you don't, know that I love you and always will. Thank you for being the best boyfriend I ever could have asked for. I know that I can drive you crazy sometimes, but it's always been us. So if you can hear us, know we love you no matter what happens."

"Nino, my child, I love you. Ever since the day I found out I was pregnant with you. You've been such a light in my life, and always will be. It hurts to see you like this, but I know that it'll all be over soon, one way or another. I know that it isn't easy. I know that it hurts. But I will be here for you if you wake up, and I will love you even if you don't. Never forget that, Nino."

"Nino, ever since the day you were born, you've been the bright spot of my day. You've grown up to be such a fine young man, who truly cares about the well-being of those around him. You've brought another bright spot to our lives, and I know you don't want to leave her. Just know that I love you so much and will never forget you. We love you."

There were tears streaming down the faces of all those conscious in that room. Gazes filled with love fell upon the one who wasn't. The three knew that they loved him, whether he woke up or not. And the closure of being able to say goodbye gave them comfort. None of them wanted Nino to die. But they also knew that it would end his suffering. And if that was what happened, who were they to say no?

oooOOOOooo

Celine was curled on her bed, crying, while her older sister held her.

"Everything is going to be okay," Emily whispered to her.

"But it's not! It's like the Linville's all over again," Celine sobbed.

"It's not okay now. But it will be. I've lost a close friend, too. I know how much this hurts. But it'll get better, I promise," Emily soothed.

"I just hate feeling helpless! And it happened twice today! How could the world be so cruel? How could anyone be so cruel?"

"Adrian is fine, and I'm sure that he will find happiness with you as a sister. And Nino, whether he lives or dies, did love you as a friend. I'm sure you're glad that you got to meet him, even if it was just for 3 days. Remember that you aren't helpless. You just don't have control over everything that happens."

oooOOOOooo

"Luka, what happened?" Juleka asked quietly.

She had found him sitting on the edge of his bed, tears silently streaming down his face, holding the bracelet that let him transform.

"Two of your classmates got shot, Juleka. I was there for one of them. I had to carry him to the hospital. It was so bad that they don't even know if he'll survive the night."

Horror jolted through Juleka's body, both at the fact that 2 of her classmates could be dying and the fact that Luka had seen it. She hesitated for a moment, then made up her mind to sit down next to him.

"It was as Viperion, wasn't it," Juleka whispered. "And my classmates that got shot- they were in their superhero forms, weren't they?"

Luka nodded weakly. "I'm not going to even ask how you know that. I guess it's kind of obvious. I mean, even I figured it out, and I'm not in your class."

"You'd think that someone would just bring it up at some point, but they don't. Do you want to talk about what happened?" Juleka offered.

"Could you just hold me?" Luka asked softly.

Juleka shifted to wrap an arm around him. "Of course. Love you, Luka."

"Love you, too."

oooOOOOooo

Chloe sat on her bed alone.

She had refused to tell her father what happened. She had run out of tears while Luka was holding them back, and she supposed that he probably wasn't trying anymore.

The reason the two had been together in the first place was because she had wanted to ask Viperion something. Then, they had heard the gunshot.

The image of Carapace bleeding on the rough ground of the alleyway was burned into Chloe's memory.

'I hope that your friend dies," the taunting voice of Mayura repeated in her head.

That's when Chloe couldn't stand being alone anymore. It didn't matter that it would seem childish. All she wanted was to be in the arms of her daddy. So, she ran to his room and flung herself onto his still standing form, body wracked with sobs even though the tears had run out.

And he just held his daughter, knowing that the support she needed was just being held, and that the words could come later.

oooOOOOooo

Sorry, but you'll need to wait one more chapter to see if Nino survives. Please read and review!