Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the characters.

Chapter 2

Usagi walked through her front door, wincing slightly as she put too much weight on her wounded leg.

Why hadn't it healed yet?

Usagi was pulled from her ponderings by her mother who had just come into view from the living room.

"There you are honey. Do you think you could help me with these Christmas decorations? They need to be strung up near the ceiling and I'm afraid I can't do it by myself," Ikoku asked, wiping her hands on a small dish towel as she talked.

"Um, sure Mom!" Usagi replied, trying to put her usual amount of giggliness and innocence into her voice, as well as a bright smile as she followed her mother into the living room, which Ikoku was currently decorating with lots of holly, reefs, and tiny electric candles.

What if mom sees the bandages? I can't let her, she'd ask me how I got the wound and I still haven't come up with a believable story! How could I when I was too busy worrying about why it hadn't healed yet! Usually wounds like this would have healed hours ago, like they usually do, like Ami said!

"Ok Usa, you can stand on the chair and tie the holly to the string in the corner while I get the reef and hang it over the mantel." Ikoku dictated handing Usagi the holly branches.

Usagi stood gently on the chair, careful of her wounded leg and the weak bandages. Once she had finished hanging up the holly, she climbed down from the chair, being careful not to jump to the ground like she usually would have.

"Is my Usa finally growing up?" Ikoku asked laughing gently as Usagi brushed of her skirt.

"What do you mean mamma?" Usagi replied glancing up at her mother, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

Had her momma noticed anything? Oh Kami, I hope not…

"Oh, you've just become very graceful darling; in fact, you looked like a dancer as you stepped down from the chair." Ikoku replied smiling at her daughter as Usagi just smiled weakly.

"I've got a lot of stuff to do Mom, I'll see you at dinner, okay?" Usagi replied grabbing her bag as she headed to the stairs.

Too bad she didn't make it.

Usagi's foot caught on the edge of her bag and she tumbled forward, hitting the edge of the wall on her way down, the corner snagging on her bandages, ripping them in half.

Pain shot through Usagi's leg like it was being run over by a steam roller. She could feel the wet stickiness of her blood as it soaked through the ripped bandages and onto the white carpet, now red from blood.

My broach, it can take away the pain… my broach…

"Yes, 911, it's my daughter, she tripped when she was walking upstairs… her leg won't stop bleeding!! I don't know how to stop it! I don't know what to do? I need he-"

That was the last thing Usagi heard before she welcomed the abyss of unfeeling blackness.

Local Hospital

Room 423

"Don't worry Mrs. Tsukino; she'll be fine with some rest and a month of physical therapy." A strange male voice said.

She didn't know who he was. Who was he talking about?

"Oh thank goodness! She's going to be alright!" another male voice said, but this one she recognized, it was her father.

What is dad talking about? Why isn't he at work? I thought he had an important meeting today and that he wouldn't be back until late.

"There is, um, something that is, um, worrying us at the moment, though it is unrelated to her recuperation." The male voice said hastily, the last part a bit rushed.

I wonder why… nobody said anything, ah, he's probably just weird, whoever he is.

"Well you see the gash on her leg, was just that, a gash. It was jagged and uneven, as if whatever had cut her had been ripped out forcefully. It is a 3 inch deep gash, we don't believe she got this from tripping in her home." The male voice said.

"Well how else could she have gotten it?! She was perfectly fine before she fell!" a women's voice said, though it sounded borderline hysterical.

I guess I would know huh, been there done, that, hysteria is not fun. But that's momma's voice, why would she be hysterical…

"Well, you see, that's not the only reason that we believe this. The wound was previously bandaged before the EMT's arrived, but the bandage was so covered in blood we didn't even realize it was there until we staunched the blood flow and was able to wipe the rest of it away. The bandaged was torn, which leaves us to believe it tore when she fell and hit her leg against the corner of a wall."

"Are you implying that we are abusing Usagi!? Our own daughter!?"

"Well, of course I didn't Mr. Tsukino but I must follow hospital rules when it comes to things like this. I'm sorry, but someone will be here to question you shortly. You're going to have to vacate the room until then." the doctor said standing up and gesturing for the parents to stand up as well.

That's when Usagi's mind finally decided to wake up. She could feel sheets on her skin, the softness of a pillow beneath her head, and the scratchiness of gauze wrapped around her thigh. She was in a hospital that much was obvious. The strange man's voice was that of a doctor, and he thought her parent's had abused her!!!

No, they would never do such a thing, they would never lay a hand on me! They would die before that happened!

"No!" the blonde girl cried out hoarsely, trying desperately to reach her hand out.

"No! Come back!"

The adults in the room turned abruptly and watched as Irene ran over to her daughter's bedside, whispering words of comfort and love as she did. The doctor looked at her quizzically.

There was no way this girl should be awake, let alone talking and moving around! She was given 6.5 mg's of morphine along with a sleeping drug not 35 minutes ago!

"You're ok Usa. You're going to be fine!" Irene said, though it seemed like she was reassuring herself instead of her daughter.

Usagi forced laughter from her lip.

"I'm fine Mamma, don't worry, it was just a scratch, there was really no need to worry at all."

"No need to worry! You had a gash on your thigh that was three inches deep! You had to get stitches and now you have to complete one month of physical therapy! That gash could have gotten infected and you might have lost the use of your leg Usagi!" Her father yelled as his eyes started to water. When his wife had called and told him that Usagi was in the hospital he had been beyond worried. What had happened to his precious little girl?

The doctor cleared his throat and got everyone's attention. "I'm sorry but I must ask you two to leave, I have to ask Usagi some questions, privately." Her parents walked out of the room, her mother looked back over her shoulder before she passed through the doorway, a doleful expression painted on her face.

"Usagi, I want you to answer these questions honestly, no matter what, ok?" the doctor asked, as if he was speaking to inept 5 year old. Usagi nodded her head, waiting for the doctor to continue.

"Do you remember what happened before you arrived at the hospital?"

"I remember standing on a chair putting up Christmas decorations, walking towards the stairs, tripping, pain, then, nothing." Usagi replied blandly wanting the man to go away. The doctor wrote something on his clipboard before continuing.

"Do you remember how you got the gash on you thigh?"

Usagi blanched. Usagi! You Baka! You should have already thought of an answer for this! Now what are you going to do!

I'm really sorry for the amount of dialogue in this chapter but i couldnt figure out another way to get the point across. Reviews are loved! If you see any spelling/grammar mistakes please tell me! I'm not perfect no matter how many times i try to be.

Liv ;-)