Hey guys, I'm so sorry for the delay. My Grandpa passed away recently and I've only just been able to get round to writing this chapter. I want to say thank you so much for those who have favourited/followed/reviewed and I really hope you all enjoy this new chapter!
Freed was standing at the bar of his guildhall when he was pulled forward. The party had started clearing out a short while ago and only a select few were left. He was talking with his girlfriend when he was yanked forward, Makarov pulling him away by his cravat. He was about to protest until he saw the look of fear in his guild master's face.
"Raijinshuu and Wendy! With me now!" Freed looked back to see Evergreen leaving Elfman's side and Bickslow moving Cana from his lap to follow. Wendy hopped down from her seat with Gajeel and Levy and ran up to them, Carla hovering above her. They all fell into step as they left the guildhall, exchanging questioning glances with each other. Freed was starting to feel his airways being blocked off when Makarov mercifully released his cravat. He took in a few gulps of air before Freed decided he needed answers.
"Master, what has happened?" The small entourage almost froze at the amount of pain in their guild master's watery eyes. Freed vaguely registered the direction they were headed and a pit formed deep in his stomach.
"My children, it would seem tonight one of our own was attacked." Wendy and Evergreen gasped as Bickslow scowled at this news, "I received news that our dear Lucy has been brutally assaulted in her own home. Wendy, you are needed at the hospital to get her stabilised and healed as best you can. I do not know the extent of her injuries but I do know that she is gravely wounded and her heart has given out at least once. Carla, would be able to take Wendy ahead?" Carla gave a stern nod and with a barely discernible sniffle, she grabbed the back of a sobbing Wendy's dress and flew in the direction of the hospital as fast as she could. Once they were out of sight, Bickslow spoke up, his voice heavy with emotion.
"Gramps, we all love Cosplayer and trust me, I'd happily die for her but why are we going? Shouldn't you be getting Team Natsu to go with you? Why us?" They were more than halfway there when Freed spotted something on the ground near the junction to Strawberry Street. He glanced up at locked eyes with a pale Ever. She'd seen it too. If there was this much blood here, what the hell happened to Lucy?
"There is nothing they can do for her at this time and I would not want such a burden to befall them whilst they are celebrating. As for why you are here, Lucy was found by-"
"Laxus." Freed interrupted. It was easy to figure out in all actuality. Lucy was hurt but the Raijinshuu were being called to her side instead of Team Natsu. Of course Laxus had to be the one to find her.
At Freed's answer, Ever and Bickslow paled and started running towards the hospital. Freed grabbed Gramps by his collar, pushing down the slight satisfaction that came from avenging his cravat, and hoisted the small man onto his shoulders before taking off after his teammates. If Lucy really was in such a bad state, who knows what condition Laxus would be in when they found him.
'Please let her live,' Freed thought as he sprinted towards the hospital, 'I don't know if Laxus will survive without her.'
Laxus had been staring at the doors ever since his grandfather had hung up. He vaguely registered the small Sky Dragon Slayer rush past through those doors and the grumpy white cat sit next to him, grumbling about how animals weren't allowed in the operating theatres, but other than that all he saw was those doors. He couldn't help but think this was both good and bad news. Good because Wendy was here. She could help Lucy and heal her better than anyone, maybe even the Old Hag, but…bad? Was she really injured so badly that she needed to be operated on? He'd seen some of her injuries but he had no clue what internal ones she had. Laxus swallowed thickly, trying to breathe enough that he wasn't going to puke on the waiting room floor. His heart was beating too fast, hurting as if someone had shoved a hot poker into him. He didn't want to live in a world without her in it.
"Laxus!" he fought to rip his eyes away from their focus point and looked over to see his team with his Gramps being lifted off Freed's shoulders. Normally Laxus would have made a joke or snide comment about his grandfather being carried like a toddler but he just couldn't right now.
"Gramps, she-" Laxus barely croaked out before a sob wrenched from his throat and he buried his head again.
Makarov looked at the Raijinshuu, shock etched in his features but they just watched their leader with pained expressions. Freed caught his eyes before shaking his head and moving towards his friend. Makarov frowned, not liking the feeling of being left out of something so obviously important but he couldn't watch his grandson crying like he did when he lost his mother. Instead, Makarov moved to the desk where a solitary nurse had been watching the group and began to discuss the status of his favourite child, providing any information that could help her.
Laxus felt a small paw pat his leg before Carla moved away and Freed took her seat beside him, Bickslow taking the chair to his right. Evergreen said something about finding coffee and wandered off with Carla who knew the hospital like the back of her hand from helping Wendy.
"Boss? How is she?" Bicks was the first to break the silence, resting his hand on Laxus's shoulder. He lifted his head and Bickslow did the only thing he could think of at the unbearable pain in his best friend's face. He knew there was a 50/50 chance he was about to get shocked so hard, he'd never bare children but he thought he should try. He hugged him.
Laxus stiffened as arms wrapped around him. He'd been hugged only a few times in his life and most of them had ended with a twitching friend on the floor but right now? He wrapped his arms around Bickslow and sobbed into his shoulder.
"Laxus, what happened? Master only told us that Miss Lucy was hurt and that you had found her." Freed asked. Laxus took a shuddering breath and released his hold on the Seith Mage, both nodding slightly in agreement that the hug was a onetime thing, never to be spoken of again. He took the coffee offered to him by Evergreen who handed out the rest of the drinks and sat with Carla in her lap, both waiting to hear the answer to Freed's question.
"I honestly don't know. I was just headed home and I smelt blood in her apartment. And I found her there." Laxus frowned, trying to think of any details that stood out amongst the blood and Lucy. "I don't remember much but her apartment was kinda trashed. Her couch was flipped and I think there were some broken glasses or some shit but I…She was just…" They all nodded in understanding and quickly fell into silence.
It was about an hour later when an exhausted Wendy fell through the ER doors. Laxus was standing up before anyone could blink and ran forward to catch the exhausted girl. She smiled gratefully up at him and nodded towards the chair. She could see the fear in his eyes and immediately knew Gajeel had been right. Lucy was his mate and he had no idea. Once seated, Wendy looked at the worried faces of the Raijinshuu, Master and Carla. She knew she had Lucy's blood on her clothes and that probably wasn't helping Laxus but she at least had good news to share.
"She's alive and stable." A collective sigh of relief echoed in the room, "She has two broken legs, her right arm was fractured and her shoulder dislocated. She had three cracked ribs and one had punctured her lung. Her spleen was ruptured and we had to transfuse a lot of blood. I was able to fix her internal injuries, but I need more magic before I try to fix the rest. She was lucky though. One of her cuts almost sliced her aorta and it wouldn't have mattered how fast Laxus got her here. She would have died before he found her." A whimper came from the Slayer standing next to her but nobody was really paying attention. They were all ashen faced and most were crying. Wendy felt sleep begin to tug at her as the events of the evening finally sank in. "She might need Porlyusica to check her though. Her magic containers were almost empty. They're moving her to a room in the ICU but the doctor said only two people can see her right now." Wendy barely had time to slur out the last word before she collapsed on the chair.
Evergreen wiped away her tears before tugging at Freed's jacket, "Freed?" He looked down at her and noticed she was trying to pull his coat off. Releasing himself from its confines, Ever made her way over to the small girl and draped it over her, taking her own coat off and bundling it up under the girl's head.
Makarov allowed a small smile at the kind action before turning to where his grandson was standing a few moments ago, "Did anyone see where Laxus went?"
Laxus had left the room as soon Wendy had stopped speaking. He followed Lucy's scent down the winding halls of the hospital before he came to a stop in front of Room 394. With each injury listed, Laxus had felt his heart shatter a little more, his inner voice roaring in agony, and as soon as she had mentioned visitors his legs had started moving on their own. Now he was here though, he froze. Flashes of Lucy lying in a pool of her own blood, of her heart stopping and her small frame disappearing behind those double doors flooded his memories. He didn't think he could stand seeing her so small and fragile. She was supposed to be a strong warrior goddess, tearing down her enemies and evoking awe in everyone around her. Before he could make up his mind, his body moved, grasping the door handle and pushing it open. He stepped inside and softly closed the door behind him, keeping his eyes on the floor. Her scent flooded him, seeping out from the overwhelming odour of cleaning products and hospital smell. Beeping reached his ears, indicating a steady heartbeat and a slight whooshing as a machine helped her breathe better. Laxus made his way to the side of her bed, wanting to keep his eyes averted but something inside him needed to see her. Make sure she really was here and alive.
Lifting his head, Laxus took in Lucy's image. Her skin was still pale but her cheeks were slightly flushed from the blood transfusion and her eyes had slight bags underneath them. Her golden hair flared out around her head and some of it was trapped under the strap of her ventilator. Laxus gently brushed the silky strands back until they were free before moving his hand to her cheek and lightly stroked her soft skin. He quickly drew the chair behind him closer with his foot and sat before taking Lucy's uninjured hand in his, not stopping the gentle caress as he did.
"Lucy, I don't know if you can hear me, but I promise you this. I will find whoever did this and I will kill them. No one will ever hurt you ever again, I won't let them. Just please, wake up soon. I'll be right here waiting, just come back to me." Laxus sat there taking in every detail of her beautiful face, rubbing soothing circles on her hand and whispering pleas to her. He didn't even notice his grandfather standing in the open doorway, crying softly as he watched his grandson begging the Celestial Mage to wake up for him.