Sugu hurried down the hospital corridor, not really paying attention to her surroundings. Her focus was on the instructions her mother had given her. She stopped at the elevator and pressed the button.

"Come on." She whispered impatiently, she readjusted the bag in her hands. "Everything's going so slow today." When finally the door opened, she hurried in, pressing the button to close the door and the number three. Sugu watched the display above the door, her thoughts with Kazuto.

I'm on my way, Brother. I need you to be okay..She silently pleaded into the empty elevator. As she reached the third floor, she drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly just in time for the door to open.

Sugu stepped out, finding her mother waiting for her.

"Mom, is he-" Midori pulled her daughter into a hug.

"He's in surgery. No one's been out yet." Midori said.

"He's going to be okay. He was strong enough to come back to us last time, he'll do it again." Sugu comforted. When Midori finally released her, they sat down in the waiting area.

"You're right." Midori said at last. "It's just that, as a mother, seeing your child in that much pain and not being able to help...not being able to be with him right now-"

"But you'll be there when he comes out of it. You're doing everything you can." Sugu took her mother's hand. Suguha did her best to hide her own concerns, but knew the attempt was wearing thin.

"If I had gotten him here sooner-"

"You couldn't have known it would turn out this way. It happened kind of fast." The soft sound emitted from Midori's purse. She reached in and removed her son's phone, glancing at the display. It was only then that she noticed the missed texts.

"It's Asuna. I didn't even realize anyone was-" Midori felt guilt gripping her heart. Sugu took the phone from her mother.

"I'll take care of this, maybe you should get some coffee and take a little break, I'll be right here." Midori nodded.

"I could use some coffee, it's been a long night. I won't be long. Call me if someone comes out." She stood and made her way to the elevator.

Sugu opened the text, scanning the messages.

Hey, I haven't heard from you in a while, I just wanted to see if you're ok. Call me when you can. I love you.She noticed the time shown had been earlier that morning. She scrolled down to the next ones.

12:00pm

Hey, I'm thinking about you and I hope you're ok. You're not in school today so I guess you're not feeling well. Get better soon, it's lonely here without you to spend lunch with me.

Sugu skimmed the final message carefully.

3:30am

Kirito I'm getting worried. This isn't like you to not return my texts. Please let me know you're all right. I love you so much.

With a heavy sigh, Sugu typed her reply, informing her of the situation.

Hey, It's Sugu. I'm sorry we didn't text you sooner, Kazuto has been sick the past couple days and we had to take him to the hospital. He's in surgery right now. The OR waiting room is on the third floor. No one's been out yet.

Sugu hit send and sighed. She knew Asuna would soon join them. She also knew that if there was anyone that could help Kazuto through his illness., it would be Asuna. It had been proven that when the pair were together, there wasn't anything they couldn't do. This thought brought her only a little comfort. There was only one thing that could ease her mind.

"Still nothing?" Midori asked taking a seat beside her daughter. Sugu shook her head.

"No. But I told Asuna. She'll be coming soon."

"I know. Those two are practically inseparable." Thirty minutes passed as they became increasingly anxious and found they could no longer sit.

"Mrs. Kirigaya, Sugu-" Asuna hurried toward them, finding herself pulled into a hug.

"I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner, everything seemed to happen so fast." She explained.

"You had to put him first, he'll be fine." She soothed.

"Mrs. kirigaya?"The trio turned, a young woman dressed in surgical scrubs stood before them.

"Yes." Midori replied.

"I'm Dr. Ishida. I have some updates regarding your son. If you wouldn't mind taking a seat, I'd like to go over the details. The women sank back down onto the chairs.

"First you should know that he's been taken to recovery but it's going to be a while before he can be moved from there. His appendix ruptured and the infection spread through his abdomen and into his blood. We're continuing the medication he was getting down stairs. During the procedure, his blood pressure dropped and we're still trying to stabilize it. He-"

"But he's okay, right, I mean the medicine can fix that." Sugu said hopefully.

"The surgery was difficult for him, but the hope is that his condition will start to improve within the next few days. You can expect the symptoms to continue for a while and he's going to be very weak. The pain can be severe, so we'll be giving him pain management as well. All of this is given through an IV. We'll monitor him closely. I can take you to see him if you like." Midori nodded and the group stood up, following the doctor through the hall. Their anxiety increasing.

The group came to a stop in front of the last door in the hall.

"If you need anything, or you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask." Midori nodded. The three women drew in a breath and let it out slowly as they stepped into the room and over to the bed.

Kazuto was pale, signs of his fever were clearly visible. Wires seemed to come from everywhere, attaching the boy to the medical equipment surrounding him.

Asuna reached out, stroking his hair and taking his hand with her free hand, careful not to disturb the IV that had been inserted. Midori and Sugu stood on the other side of the bed.

"Kazuto," Asuna said softly. "We're here, Sugu, your mom and me. We love you so much and we need you to get better,okay?"

"Please Brother." Sugu pleaded. Hoping that somehow Kazuto would hear her and oblige.