(Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any of the characters and stories associated with it.)

A Mother's Observation

Nabiki hated hospitals. Sitting in the waiting room while the doctors worked on Ranma only reminded her of her own mother's short, but painful stay in much the same place.

The ride to the hospital had been a blur of fast paced motion as the paramedics quickly began to work on Ranma. Not thinking, Nabiki had followed them out to the ambulance and stood by the door while he was placed inside. When one of the attendants asked if she was a friend of his, she nodded yes and was helped inside the ambulance.

Her normal mask of ice forgotten, she could only stare as the paramedics continued to work on Ranma. Visions of I.V.'s, blood soaked bandages and oxygen masks haunted her and refused to let her turn away. The eerie blip of the cardio monitor timed out the seconds as they made their way to the waiting hospital, one beat at a time.

As she now sat in the waiting room, the middle Tendo's thoughts were interrupted by a small commotion down the hall. She looked up to see Ranma's father and mother walking towards the desk. They were accompanied by her sisters, Akane and Kasumi, as well as her father, Soun. A doctor entered the waiting room and walked over to the families, and after a while, pulled Genma, Nodoka, and Akane aside to talk with them.

Kasumi walked over to where Nabiki was sitting and gently sat herself down. She placed a hand on Nabiki's, "The doctor is talking to Ranma's parents about his condition."

Nabiki kept her eyes on her sister's hand and the soothing comfort it was giving her, "I figured as much. So why's Akane with them?"

"You know our sister as well as I do. She can be somewhat stubborn when she wants to."

Nabiki looked up at her sister and for the first time since this started, smirked sarcastically, "Stubborn is a pretty tame word when it comes to Akane, sis."

Kasumi saw the streaks on her sister's face and gasped, "Nabiki…. You've been crying."

"Yeah, you could say it's been one of those days."

Without thinking, she reached in her purse and pulled out a soft handkerchief, "Here, you can use this."

Nabiki wiped her eyes and cheeks with the hanky. When she was finished, she folded it and offered it back to her sister, "Thanks sis. I can imagine I pretty much look like hell."

As Kasumi took the hanky back, she looked closely at her sister for a moment. "This is not like Nabiki at all. She's seen Ranma get hurt time and time again and it never had this kind of reaction on her. Could it be that something has changed?"

"Were you with him?"

Nabiki looked up at her sister for a moment before looking again at her hands, "Yeah. I saw the whole thing. He was going to meet me at the ice cream parlor, but instead wound up getting shot while protecting a couple of kids. I saw it all, Kasumi…the blood, the paramedics….I…"

Nabiki took a couple of deep breaths before shaking her head slightly as she looked over at her sister, "Damn it! This isn't me, sis! Here I am, the so-called Ice Queen of Furinkan High School. I make money deals every day and don't bat an eye at how I do it. Yet, here I now sit, bawling like a little 8 year old. What's the hell's wrong with me?"

Kasumi smiled as she placed her hand on her sister's, "If I were to guess, I'd say you're having some feelings for Ranma. Sometimes when you see someone you care for get badly injured, it becomes hard to concentrate."

Nabiki's eyes widened, "You've gotta be kidding me, sis. There's no way I'm growing a crush on Ranma! He already has four fiancés that we know of with no telling how many more out there waiting to surprise us. He's dirt poor, he gets terrible grades, and he can't keep his foot out of his own mouth. That's not counting his curse, the amazons or the bunches of challenges he seems to attract."

Kasumi looked at Nabiki for a moment before she answered, "This is true, but he is also honest to a fault and will protect his friends and family without caring for his own safety."

Nabiki allowed herself to smile, "Yeah, he's got that going for him."

She looked at Kasumi for a moment, "There's no way I could be attracted to a jock like that, sis. When I'm finish school and college, I'm going to set my sights on the business world. How could I possibly do that if I was attached to Ranma?"

"Nabiki, I'm afraid that only you have the answer to that question. That is within you, and you alone."

Nabiki smirked at her sister, "Somehow, I knew you were going to say something like that."

Kasumi patted Nabiki on the back, "Don't worry, little sister. I'm sure you'll figure it all out."

Nabiki took a deep breath, "I know, Kasumi. It's just that I-."

They were interrupted by a loud yell, "He was what?!"

Nabiki and Kasumi both looked up to see their youngest sister, Akane screaming as she pulled away from her father, "You're saying that pervert was with another girl?

Soun could be seen trying to calm his youngest daughter, but Akane wouldn't have any part of it, "Leave me alone, father! If that Casanova was out on a date and got hurt, then it serves him right!"

With that, Akane turned and stormed out of the waiting room, her shoes stomping loudly as she left.

Nabiki glanced over at Kasumi and back to Ranma's parents, "What the…? What's she going on about this time?"

The doctor bowed to Nodoka and Genma before excusing himself. Genma then headed over to where his friend was standing. The two of them spoke a few words before they both headed out the door.

Nodoka looked over at the two girls for a moment before walking over and sitting across from them in a chair. She took note of the middle Tendo daughter's face and the fact that she had been crying before she spoke, "The doctor says Ranma will be alright. The bullet struck his collar bone and grazed a blood vessel before it passed through his shoulder. The trauma and the rapid loss of blood had sent him into shock. We are very fortunate that he was brought here as fast as he was."

She took a deep breath and paused for a moment, "He's resting for now but the doctor said he will be able to have visitors tomorrow. If he does well, he will be released from the hospital in a few days to finish his recovery at home."

Kasumi smiled warmly, "That's great news Auntie! We've been very worried about him."

Nodoka nodded politely, "I thank you both for your concern."

The Saotome matriarch's expression hardened slightly, "Would either of you mind if I asked a question?"

Kasumi smiled, "No, Auntie. What would you like to know?"

When she was sure she had both the girl's attention, she continued, "You no doubt saw the reaction of my son's fiancé a couple of minutes ago."

Both girls blushed slightly in embarrassment as they nodded.

Nodoka shook her head slightly, "Her actions were very disrespectful for a young woman who is supposedly engaged to my son. I do expect her father to have a talk with her later on that matter."

She waited a few moments before continuing, "What I want to know is, do either of you know who this other person is. The doctor said my son was brought in with a female companion."

Kasumi placed her hand over her mouth, "Oh my."

Nabiki chuckled slightly, "I think I can answer that, Auntie"

"Oh? Is my son seeing another woman?"

Nabiki began to calm down as she continued, "No, nothing like that. He was with me."

"You, Nabiki?"

Nabiki nodded and Nodoka once again took note of the middle Tendo's condition and raised an eyebrow, "May I ask what happened?"

Without realizing it, Nabiki slipped into her businesswoman mode, "Ranma and I had some things to discuss concerning some costs he had acquired and we were going to meet downtown right after school to get it taken care of. Unfortunately for Ranma, he got caught up in a robbery on the way there. He was protecting a pair of kids and when the thief got distracted, Ranma attacked him. It happened pretty fast, but the robber got off a few shots and one hit your son. The rest you already know."

Nodoka listened carefully to Nabiki's story and felt the pride for her son growing within her as she learned of the children he protected. When Nabiki was finished, Ranma's mother smiled warmly as she stood up and nodded towards the exit door, "Ranma is going to be resting all night and I think it would be a good idea for us to go home and return tomorrow. I'll come by early tomorrow to pick up Kasumi, and you and Akane can come by to visit after school."

Nabiki stood and picked up her things, "That's a good idea, Auntie."

She rubbed her tummy for a second, "Wow, I can't believe how hungry I am right now."

Nodoka smiled warmly, "Well then, I'm looking forward to fixing a nice meal for you tonight."

Kasumi began to protest, "But Auntie. That's my jo-"

The older woman chuckled a bit as she lead the two sisters out the door, "Now, now my dear. You wouldn't rob me of the chance to cook for my friends and family, now would you?"

Kasumi blushed slightly as she smiled, "Alright Auntie, but only if you allow me to help."

Nodoka chuckled, "That sounds like a great idea. Perhaps we can share a recipe or two."

As the three women headed home, Ranma slept soundly while his body began to heal.