Author's Note: I'm so sorry again, chapters take much longer to come out due to my Youtube channel. Its reached over 7000 subscribers so I'm extra busy, but because Blue Butterfly is part of my channel you guys don't need to worry about me abandoning this, chapter updates will just be slow is all, thank you for your patience!
About a half an hour passed since arriving at the hospital. They were still waiting on news about Mikasa. Akane was sitting near the ER doors, biting her nail and slowly rocking herself.
She was pale, and had some of her daughter's blood on her hands. Herrick had been pacing back and fourth, while Eren was sitting with his mom, just as anxious.
As Herrick paced, he just noticed the blood on his wife's hands. His eyes softened worried and he approached her. "Akane, sweetie...let's get you cleaned up, okay?", he said soothingly, rubbing her back.
Akane didn't answer at first, looking towards the ER doors. "Honey, I'll come get you if the doctor comes out" Carla assured her, with a kind but worried expression.
Remaining silent, obviously still in shock, Akane nodded and followed her husband into the restroom. Eren remained still and quiet, starring down slightly.
As his thoughts raced, he heard the doors open from outside. "Eren!", Armin and Sasha had hurried in, both looking worried.
"Armin, Sasha.." Eren said, looking up. "We got here as soon as we could! The police are questioning all the students and teachers.." Armin said, out of breath.
"How's Mikasa..?" added Sasha worriedly, placing a hand over her heart. "We don't know yet...", Eren admitted, his voice low.
Armin and Sasha exchanged worried looks. Eren blinked then. "Hey...did you guys hear who did this? Started the fire I mean..", he asked anxiously.
"Gabi and her parents were taken into questioning before anyone...it seems like it was Gabi" Armin revealed. Eren glared, looking back down. "Why am I not surprised...", he growled.
"I...kinda am to be honest. I mean...I know Gabi's always been a bit of a bully, but her parents never treated her right. Didn't you hear the rumor about her mom hitting her..?", pointed out Sasha softly.
"If those rumors are true, she should have set her own house on fire, not the fucking school!", Eren barked, tense. Armin frowned a bit, moving a bit closer to Sasha.
"Sorry Sasha...", Eren sighed after getting a look from Carla. "It's alright...I'm worried too. Mikasa's like my sister..", Sasha assured, looking towards the ER doors.
Herrick and Akane soon came out of the bathroom, and seeing there was still no news, Herrick frowned. He hurried to the receptionist counter, as Akane followed, hugging herself.
"Isn't there any updates on my daughter?!", Herrick demanded, shaking with worry and impatience. "I'm sorry Mr. Ackerman, but I don't have any more information", the receptionist replied.
Herrick sighed, and just then the ER doors opened. "Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman?", the doctor came out. Everyone looked towards him, Armin and Sasha included.
Eren stood up, hurrying over while Carla also got up. "How's our daughter?!", Akane asked anxiously. "Is she going to be alright?" Herrick added, wrapping a comforting arm around his wife's shoulders.
"Can we see her..?", asked Eren, just as worriedly.
"You can go see her now, but I need to talk to you two please", the doctor said, looking at Akane and Herrick. Without hesitation, Eren hurried down the hall to Mikasa's room.
"What's going on?", Herrick asked the doctor anxiously, as Akane's breath staggered slightly.
"I'll start by saying your daughter is very lucky to survive that ordeal, her lungs were filled with smoke, and she lost a lot of blood from her wound. What we're most concerned about is her fractured ribs", the doctor started.
"Fractured ribs?", Herrick asked, turning pale. "Oh god...", Akane placed a hand over her mouth. "O-Okay so, morphine right? Bed rest and morphine will make her better?", Herrick asked, wrapping a comforting arm around his wife's shoulders.
"Mr. Ackerman, I'm afraid its...not that simple in your case", the doctor said then. Herrick frowned. "What do you mean...our case?", asked Akane.
When Eren entered Mikasa's room, it was a sight he had to take in. He took a shaky breath, his heart sinking at how...fragile his girlfriend now looked.
Mikasa was laying in bed, in a reclined position. She seemed unconscious, hooked up to an IV and a heart monitor.
She also had oxygen tubes in her nostrils, and Eren noticed her chest rarely rose up or fell. Indicating the oxygen machine was doing 90% of her breathing, due to how painful her ribs were.
Seeing her like this...struggling to do something as simple as breathing...it took all of Eren's strength not to crumble to the floor. He walked over, gently taking her limp hand in his.
He gazed down at her, stroking her hair softly. There was a small bandage over a deep slash in her face under her eye, it looked deep enough to scar.
Eren swallowed hard, as he rubbed her hand softly, trying to warm her up noticing how cold her skin felt. "I'm so sorry Mikasa...I'm...so sorry...", he leaned down, kissing her forehead, cupping her cheek.
Outside in the hall, the doctor had just finished what he was saying to the Ackermans. Sasha and Armin had to go home to their worried families, but would be back. Carla had offered to go pick up Sebastian from school, so she had left as well.
"Are you out of your mind?! She's hurt! We can't take her home like this!", Akane cried, mortified. "What the hell do you mean limited morphine?!", Herrick added, just as horrified by what the doctor told them.
"It's just as I said both of you, your health insurance doesn't cover a hospital stay over 4 days, and it doesn't cover more than 5 days supply of morphine for home", the doctor replied simply.
"And like I said, are you out of your MIND?! Broken ribs takes up to six weeks to heal, at LEAST! And you're telling us she can only have treatment for NINE DAYS out of those six weeks?!", Akane yelled, shaking.
"Doctor please, there must be something we can do", Herrick said, more calmly but still firmly, rubbing his wife's back to soothe her.
"You can call your insurance company and see if they're willing to pay for longer treatment. If they won't, then we have no choice but to release her in four days...", the doctor answered.
"Fine, can we see her?", Herrick asked. "Yes, right this way...she's very weak so she may not respond much", the doctor admitted, leading the worried parents to her room.
When they entered, Akane choked back a small sob, hurrying to her daughter's side. "Oh Mikasa...oh my baby..", she gripped Mikasa's hand gently, wrapping her arms around her so carefully, showering her forehead in kisses.
At her mother's comforting presence, Mikasa stirred very weakly. She forced her heavy eyelids opened a little, her vision was a bit clouded and she felt heavy as led.
But she could make out the worried faces of her parents and Eren. "E-Eren...? M-mom...", she coughed then, unable to really speak.
"Shh, shhh baby shhh, don't speak, just rest, we're here...", Akane shushed her gently, stroking her hair.
"We're here princess, you just rest easy now sweetheart..", Herrick added, rubbing her shoulder. "You're gonna be okay Mikasa, we're right here", Eren added softly.
Mikasa winced slightly, as she tried to take a deep breath but it only ended in a small coughing fit and some wheezing as she whimpered.
"Easy, easy baby girl, let the machine work for you butterfly, just rest...", Akane soothed, stroking her hair once more, a worried look in her eyes. She had to swallow the lump in her throat...it was difficult to see her baby girl in such pain.
Herrick looked down, shaking furiously. "Honey, I'll be right back, I need to make some phone calls", he said, kissing his daughter's forehead and leaving the room.
He had to call the health insurance company, but he also wanted to know who caused this for positive. He got his phone out and stepped into the waiting room, calling the police first.
It was confirmed that Gabi was the one who set the fire, but that her parents wouldn't be able to pay anyone anything until an actual court date. Which wasn't for another five months. To make matters worse, the health insurance company refused to bend on paying for Mikasa's proper treatment.
Within just four days, Mikasa was sent home with limited pain medicine. Akane was making sure her injured daughter was comfortable in bed.
"Are the pillows comfortable sweetie? The neighbors actually bought them for you", she asked, fussing a bit. "They're fine, mom...that was nice of them", Mikasa replied softly.
She was laying in bed, her back propped by pillows. Her ribcage was sore, but bearable with her pain medicine.
"Listen lovebug, don't worry okay? Your dad and I are gonna figure something out...we won't let you suffer", Akane said softly, gently taking Mikasa's hand.
"I know mom...hey...", Mikasa gently squeezed her mother's hand back. "I'll be okay mom...I have you, dad, Eren, Auntie Carla and my friends", Mikasa assured her.
Akane gave her daughter a small smile. She exhaled shakily, kissing Mikasa's forehead, cupping her cheek. "You get some rest angel, I'll make your favorite dinner", she said.
After her mother exited her room, Mikasa took a deep, but strained breath, her ribs hurt quite a bit if she breathed heavy at all...even with pain medication. And they were absolutely on fire if she coughed.
Just as her mind began to wander, the door opened softly. "Sissy?", Sebastian looked in, holding a little gift bag. Mikasa blinked.
"Hey kiddo", she said softly, patting the bed for him to come closer. Sebastian walked over, he had a worried look on his face. Even though he was young, he could tell how hurt his older sister was.
"I got you a present, Dad helped me make it", he said, holding the bag up. Mikasa smiled weakly. "Thank you Sebasitan, that was so sweet...", Mikasa opened it, and it was a colorful Get Well Soon card, with a drawing of Orca whales in the ocean.
It made Mikasa smile, she patted her brother's hair. "Thank you so much buddy...I appreciate it", Mikasa said, as she gently set it on her nightstand.
"You're...gonna get better soon, right sissy? So we can play again?", Sebastian asked, biting his lip. "Yeah, of course...don't worry, okay?", Mikasa assured him, though her voice was a bit strained. Talking too much was also difficult for her.
By the second day, she had visitors. Eren, Armin and Sasha showed up with get well soon gifts. Sasha had gotten Mikasa a cherry blossom bath bomb along with a huge box of random Pocky flavors, while Armin got her a plush Shiba Inu, and Eren got her bellflowers and a card.
Eren made it a point to visit daily, and soon a total of a week went by.
It was late at night, everyone in the Ackerman household were asleep. Except there was a sound of small feet hurrying through the hallway. Sebastian had woken up to sneak some ice cream out of the kitchen, but on his way out he stopped.
He could hear his sister coughing hard in her bedroom. "Sis?", he pushed her bedroom door opened gently. Mikasa was coughing hard in bed, sounding almost like she was struggling to breathe.
She had run out of morphine two days ago, and it had been absolute agony to breathe properly without it. But tonight she was really struggling.
Knowing something was wrong, Sebasitan hurried to wake his parents. When Mikasa's parents hurried in, her coughing fit barely eased.
"Mikasa? Baby! Here, sit up, come on sweetie, that's it...", Akane helped her daughter sit up, rubbing her back as Herrick turned the lamp on. They had gotten Sebastian back to bed.
Mikasa coughed hard and then groaned painfully, whimpering as Akane held her gently, continuing to rub her back. She felt her daughter's forehead, noticing how warm her body felt.
"Herrick, she's burning up...", Akane confirmed, anxiously.
"Keep her upright, hang tight princess", Herrick hurried to get some medicine from the bathroom. Mikasa shivered, whimpering as her mother smoothed her long bangs back.
"Angel, can you hear me? What are you feeling, baby?", Akane asked softly but worriedly. Mikasa coughed once more, shuddering.
"It hurts...it hurts so much...I can't-", Mikasa's voice was weak and hoarse from coughing, as she cried out in pain, wincing and gritting her teeth.
"Shhhh, its okay, its okay...oh my baby, you're soaked through...", Akane noticed how much her daughter was sweating from the fever, she quickly but gently began to remove her warm pajamas.
As Herrick hurried back in, Akane gestured to the dresser.
"Get her something cool to wear, she's boiling", she said urgently.
"Should we run her a cool shower?", Herrick asked worriedly, setting the medicine and bowl of cool water on the nightmare, hurrying over to the dresser.
"No, she's hurting too much for that, we'll just have to wipe her down best we can for tonight", Akane replied, as she dipped the washcloth in the cold water, rung it out and began wiping her daughter's forehead, neck, arms and even her legs.
Mikasa was far too weak to really say or do anything, Herrick brought a cool, short sleeved nightgown over for his daughter, and Akane helped her into it.
Once she was dressed and wiped down with cool water from the washcloth, Mikasa was resting against the pillows laying down. She was still coughing off and on, but she was too weak to really say anything as she watched her parents.
First they took her temperature. When it beeped, Herrick swallowed hard. "105, Akane we should call an ambulance, she has pneumonia", he said urgently. "No, she's only this sick because she can't breathe right...if they won't give our daughter pain medicine, I doubt they'll help with this", Akane answered, her voice sharp.
It was understandable Akane had grown distrusting of the hospital after they sent Mikasa home like this. "We can't treat pneumonia here! We just have over the counter medicine...they can't deny us an ambulance", Herrick pointed out.
"And then what Herrick?! Have our daughter sit in an ER waiting room for five hours only to be given some fluids, and oh...MAYBE actual medicine if we have a thousand dollars up front?!", Akane snapped then.
"Hey, hey...", Herrick gently sat on the side of the bed by his wife, as Akane sobbed shakily, placing her hand over her face.
Mikasa felt tears filling her eyes...seeing her parents so upset and lost, and she couldn't even do anything to comfort them. "M-Mom...", she managed weakly, she tried to lift her hand but it was no use.
It felt like a pile of bricks was weighing her arms down. Akane sniffled shakily, pushing her hair back as she very gently squeezed her daughter's hand and showered her forehead in kisses.
"Shhhh, its okay baby girl, you're staying right here, we're gonna take care of you...", she assured, stroking Mikasa's hair.
'I know that mom...I know...please...I don't want you so upset...I'll be okay...', is what raced through Mikasa's mind but she was too weak and in too much pain to speak the words.
"Okay..okay honey...we'll stay up with her tonight, and figure something out tomorrow...we can't let our daughter keep suffering like this...", Herrick spoke softly, comforting his wife.
The two parents didn't get a wink of sleep that night, and neither did Mikasa. Her fever didn't break, and her condition was only getting worse.
When daylight came, Herrick was brainstorming in the kitchen best he could on no sleep and just one cup of coffee. Akane refused to leave Mikasa's side.
Just then, there was a knock at the front door. "Come in", Herrick said, tiredly. The door opened, and Eren stepped in. He had been visiting daily so the Ackermans came to expect him.
"Morning Mr. Ackerman...", Eren trailed off, noticing Herrick smoking a cigarette. In the several years he's known Mikasa and her parents, he's never seen Herrick smoke before.
"How's Mikasa...?", Eren asked after a moment, biting his lip. Herrick gave a shaky sigh. "She's got pneumonia...fever started last night and hasn't broke...", he replied, before putting his cigarette out.
Eren swallowed hard, he looked towards the hallway. She was getting worse...and now she was sick. Very sick. And judging by the expression on Herrick's face, the Ackermans were at the end of their rope.
Akane came out of her bedroom, looking even more tired than her husband. "Oh, hello Eren...you can go see Mikasa, but she's...very weak so she won't be able to talk much", she admitted softly.
"No, I understand...", Eren entered her bedroom as Akane sat at the kitchen table with her husband.
As Eren entered his girlfriend's bedroom quietly, his heart sunk. He didn't think it were possible, but she looked even worse than days ago. She was pale, her breathing raspy and weak. Her eyes were closed, but she wasn't resting peacefully.
She coughed weakly off and on, turning her head from side to side. It was obvious her fever was still going strong. Hurrying over to her bedside, Eren quickly got her washcloth wet again and wiped her forehead.
He felt himself shaking furiously...if only...he had been stronger, if he had been able to lift that wreckage off her faster...maybe..her ribs wouldn't have gotten so injured...and this wouldn't have happened.
"I'm so sorry Mikasa...you're laid up, suffering with pneumonia and everything because of me...", Eren said bitterly, unable to look at her but he gently squeezed her hand. Mikasa watched him weakly, her eyelids slightly opening.
Her vision was blurry, her hearing muffling. The fever was making her see clouded vision, and distorted colors. 'Eren..please...stop...', she thought weakly.
He glared, gritting his teeth. "No...its not just my fault...that bastard...that son of a bitch...if my father hadn't done this to my arm...", he growled shakily.
Mikasa's eyes grew heavy with tears, she hated seeing him blame himself for this. She used the last bit of her strength to weakly squeeze his hand. Eren looked up at her, he took a shaky breath.
"I'm going to make sure you get better, I promise you Mikasa", he assured her, kissing her forehead, tears in his eyes. Mikasa felt her own tears start to flow...as sick as she felt...she started to wonder if..she even would get better.
She had never before in her life felt this weak...no...she wasn't ready yet. She couldn't die yet...her parents needed her, Sebastian needed her...Sasha, Armin...and Eren...
She exhaled shakily, her fever weakening her as she drifted to unconsciousness for now...praying she'd wake back up.
As Eren made his way back into the kitchen, he paused in the hallway, overhearing Akane and Herrick's conversation.
"It's our only option at this point...its the only thing that'll save her...", Akane spoke softly. "We've lived in this house...since our honeymoon", Herrick said quietly. Akane took a sudden shaky breath, a lump in her throat filling.
"I'd rather live in a cramped apartment with my daughter alive and well, then have her die under the roof of this cabin...this will not be home if she...", she trailed over, sobbing quietly.
"I know..I know...we have a lot of farmland, we'll be able to sell it at enough to cover her medical bills...then we'll just...figure out somewhere else to live", Herrick soothed his distraught wife.
Eren froze, his heart sunk. No...he wasn't going to let this happen. Mikasa had so many memories in this home...she's lived here all her life. This was her home...and Eren knew Mikasa wouldn't last long enough to wait for the farm to sell.
He made his exit quietly, and hurried home to his mother...with a plan.
Early the following morning, as Herrick started to get about a wink of some sleep in the living room chair, Akane hurried in, shaking him.
"Herrick! Wake up! Now!", she cried frantically. "W-What is it?", Herrick woke with a start. "Mikasa's bleeding..!", Akane spoke as they both hurried into their daughter's bedroom.
"She must have ripped her stitches in her side, from coughing so hard-Get her a blanket, we need to take her to the ER..", Akane told him urgently, shaking. It had become dire enough where despite Akane's distrust, they had no choice now.
After wrapping Mikasa's limp form in a blanket, Herrick carried her out as Akane followed close behind, with Sebastian in hand.
Just as they got off the front porch, Carla's car pulled in quickly. She got out in a rush with Eren behind her. "Mikasa...?!", Eren hurried over, fearfully.
"She's bleeding out...!", Akane began to explain. "All of you, in the car I'll drive you to the hospital", Carla said quickly, helping them get in with Eren.
With no time to question why Carla and Eren were there in the first place, the family got in and Carla began driving quickly to the hospital.
"Try and keep pressure on her wound, hang in there", Carla said, keeping her eyes on the road. "Oh god...they're just going to make it worse...I know they will", Akane cried, shaking her head as Herrick applied pressure to his daughter's side.
"Not this time, I promise you Akane", Carla assured her, as Eren gently held Mikasa's hand. She was deathly pale...they were losing her.