A/N: my updating skills are quite lacking.

Disclaimer: Teen Titans? Not mine. Get it through your puny brain.

TT2

Saturday October 10, 2019

Two weeks had passed. Richard had stayed vigilant by Kori's side, sleeping, eating, and even doing most of his work from her bedside. He only left a night or two to get some sleep in his own bed, despite everyone's attempts to get him home more often. Kimi was worried for her father, and worried about the unthinkable. If the outcome was the same as she predicted, how would he handle it? And she hadn't even begun to contemplate how she would handle it. Raven had heard nothing of Beast Boy for the past two weeks and was scared she would never hear from him again. She didn't want to break down now, though, not when Richard and Kimi needed her. Raven needed to stay strong for everyone else.

Kimi paced in the living room as she waited for the others. They were all getting ready to go visit her mother. They wouldn't be long, since Kimi just wanted them to say some nice things to her so she would know she's loved.

Danny came in first, in jeans and a sweatshirt, watching her worriedly as she paced about. "Kim, calm down. You're making me nervous." He tugged on the hem of his sweatshirt to portray said nervousness.

"I'm making myself nervous," she retorted. He came forward, stopped her pace, and gave her a short kiss. She couldn't help but think where she would be right now if she had never met Danny. Would she be on Tamaran, with Tyson? Would everything be different? She hadn't noticed that they were now standing within two feet of each other, just staring blankly. Him, at her, her, into space.

"I know you're scared, Kim," he started, his hand coming up to rest on her cheek. Her gaze shifted away from his, her cheek moving so his hand was touching nothing but air. "Kimi?" His hand fell.

"I am scared," she responded quietly, fidgeting with her hands. "But I don't want to admit it. If I'm not strong, who will be? Certainly not my father. He's so weak and defenseless right now."

"But Kim, you don't have to be so strong all the time. It's not your responsibility to carry the weight of your entire family on your shoulders. Come 'ere." He opened up his arms and she gratefully took this as her cue to use him as her personal leaning post. Her arms wound around his shoulders and her head fell into the crook of his neck. "It's ok to let it out once in a while."

Kimi didn't want to start crying. She tried to turn her mind off, tried to forget everything that was happening, but it didn't seem to work. She hugged him tighter and closed her eyes, breathing in and out, deeply.

The door behind them slid open, though neither of them seemed to notice. "Don't mind us," Kyle started, Sara walking next to him with a small smile on her face. The pair jumped apart and Kimi blushed, but for what reason she did not know. "Hey, I said don't mind us."

Kimi looked at Danny, who was now looking at Sara and Kyle who were walking to the couch, hands intertwined. He nudged her, and pointed at their hands. Kimi, despite the current situation, let out a small chuckle. "You two are cute together," Danny joked. They looked at each other then looked down at their hands, pulling them away sheepishly.

The next to enter the room was Taku, shortly followed by Clara, who was religiously watching her cell phone screen. Her fingers were moving a mile a minute on the keypad. "Jake?" Sara asked knowingly, looking at her from her spot over the back of the couch.

"Yes," Clara responded indignantly, taking a seat on the couch.

Sara sighed to herself. "I'm still trying to decide if that boy is better or worse for you than when you were sulky and single," she joked. Clara glared at her sister and snapped her cell phone shut. She muttered something that sounded a lot like 'well, I don't see a man hanging off your arm'.

"So, we're all here?" Kimi asked, clapping her hands together. "Good, now let's get on our way. Kyle or Taku, who wants to drive?"

"I'd just like to say I don't trust Taku behind the wheel of a moving vehicle," Clara jutted in. "So I'd much rather like it if Kyle drove."

Taku glared at Clara, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're just jealous you don't have your license yet," he shot back.

"I'll drive," Kyle offered. "I think I'm a tad bit safer of a driver than Taku."

"Are not!" Taku retorted. "Are you kidding, I'm a safe driver!"

"Not really," three out of six Titans started in unison.

Taku sulked at his loss and let a little sneer cross over his face. "Whatever." Kimi rolled her eyes and motioned everyone towards the living room door, ready to go see her mother for the first time in two days.

They all piled into Kyle's car (which was a very sleek black BMW) and found that all six of them wouldn't fit anyways so they would as well have to take Taku's car, a slightly beat-up hand-me-down gold Audi convertible. Sara, Kyle, and Danny all slid into Kyle's car, while Kimi, Clara, and Taku slid into Taku's car.

Kyle and Taku started up their vehicles and watched the garage door rise, letting in enormous amounts of sunlight. Kyle pulled out in front of Taku and Taku followed thereafter, pumping up the volume of his iPod, connected to his radio. "You are such a freaking scary driver," Clara began, having to yell over the air whipping next to them and the pumped up music.

"Thanks, babe," he retorted, taking a sharp turn at a corner in the driveway. He caught up to Kyle and had to slow down significantly, to at the most twenty-five miles per hour. Kyle put on his blinker ten seconds before he turned out of the Titans Driveway, and Taku didn't even bother to turn his on.

"He's a fun driver. Not safe, but what you gonna do about it?" Kimi asked, making sure to buckle herself in.

"Hey, Clare?" he asked. "Can you change the song? I don't like this one. Put it on...the rap playlist please."

"Rap?" Clara questioned in a scrutinizing manner. "You can't spell crap without rap."

"Well I happen to like it," he retorted. "And who's the one driving right now?" Clara sighed and did as she was told, hearing some vulgar song begin to pulse from the speakers. "Thank you." He took a sharp turn and almost collided bumpers with Kyle.

"Taku, remind me never to get in a car with you EVER again," Kimi yelled over the roar of the wind.

"We're almost there, suck it up!" he joked, taking a sharp left just as the stoplight was about to turn red.

"Who taught you how to drive, a monkey?" Clara yelled.

"Your point?" Clara looked at him as if he had three heads. "Kidding! My God, I would never let a monkey teach me how to drive."

"Well, you never know..." Clara muttered under her breath.

Soon enough, though, they were parking in the visitor's parking lot of Jump City General. Taku screeched into the spot right next to Kyle, turning down his music just a tad before letting the engine die with a turn of the key.

"Who taught you how to drive, a monkey?" Kyle yelled once he had walked around his car to face Taku sternly.

"Why does everyone think just because I don't drive like a grandma," he glared pointedly at Kyle. "That a monkey must've taught me how to drive!?"

"I resent that!" Kyle retorted. "I drive very responsibly for someone my age!"

"Puh-lease! My dead Great-grandfather drives faster than you, Mr. Twenty-miles-per-hour-in-a-forty-five-mile-per-hour-zone," Taku quipped, sticking the keys into the pocket of his jeans. "Remind me to take the lead next time. I nearly fell asleep behind you."

"Who on Earth gave you your license?" Kyle asked, exasperated, as they began to walk to the elevator that would bring them up into the hospital. They continued to argue for the next few minutes about Taku's driving ability (or lack thereof), until Kimi was able to find the room her mother was being kept in. They stopped just outside and they all fell silent. Even the previous argument was forgotten.

"Look, only two people are allowed to be in there at once and right now my dad's at the cafeteria getting some food. I'd like to be in there when you guys are, so you'll have to go one at a time," Kimi told them.

"Ok," they all agreed, in soft voices.

"Danny?" Kimi asked. "Do you want to go first?"

He nodded, coming forward to take Kimi's side as they went through the door. He was greeted with a somewhat familiar sight, since he had already been here once before. He took Kori's side on the right, and Kimi took her side to the left. "Hi mom," Danny started with a small smile. Ever since they were seven he had called her mom because she was like a second mother to him. "I'm really worried about you. We all are. Kimi's been so strong through this all. You'd be so proud of her."

Kimi looked up at him and smiled gently. "Get better soon, ma. Do you know what life would be like without you here? It'd be unbearable." He took her hand and gave it a short squeeze, before leaning forward to give her a gentle hug.

"Thanks, Danny," Kimi whispered. "If she'll listen to anyone, she'll listen to you. She absolutely adores you."

He smiled at her. "I love you, Kim." He left the room and soon his seat was replaced by Kyle. Kyle looked at Kimi, and he too smiled shakily. There was a dead silence in the room except for the steady beep of the heart rate machine.

"Hey Kori," he began gently. "Starfire. I don't know which to call you right now." She was very informal, and had many times insisted the kids called her Kori or Starfire. "I can't believe it. One minute you were here and the next you were gone, and then I heard that you were in a life-or-death coma. It all happens so fast it's hard to catch up. Kori, I just want you to know we all care about you. We'll all be heartbroken if you...if you don't wake up. Just think of what you'll be doing to Kimi and Richard." He, as well, gave her hand a little squeeze.

"Be strong, Kim," Kyle told her, standing up and walking out the door, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his head cast downwards.

The next to come in was Taku. He took hiss eat without even looking at Kimi, his eyes fixed upon Kori. "Kori," he started, patting her hand. "Please get better. We're all worried about you. We all care about you. Please, if you can hear us, just stop making us suffer like this. You know we love you. We love you more than anything else. Don't do this to us."

He looked down to his hands, fiddling in his lap. "That's all I have to say," he directed towards Kimi. He stood and, like the others, went out the door. Soon after him Sara came in, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Kori," she began, but looking at Kimi. Kimi gave her a small smile and nodded to urge her on. "You've taught me so much. You've been such a great role model. I would feel horrible if you didn't have the chance to touch more lives if yours was cut short because of something as silly as this. You know we love you. Your family loves you, the Titans love you, heck, people halfway across the universe love you. Come back to us, Kor."

She gave her hand a small squeeze. "It'll all be ok, Kim."

She stood and walked out, rubbing her eyes in the process. The last to be sent in was Clara, who dropped her cell phone into her pocket just as the door swung open. She took the seat next to Kori and was silent for a moment. Kori's face twitched slightly, but she settled back into a deep, restless sleep. "Kimi, I don't know what to say," she finally began truthfully. "How can I say anything? Your mom's been such a great person. She's taught us and she's helped us become who we are in terms of the Titans. We wouldn't be anywhere without her."

Clara looked to her feet. "That's all I have to say," Clara told Kimi, sitting up in her chair. She patted Kori's hand. "We love you, Kor."

At that moment Richard Grayson came trailing through the door, his eyes sunken. He looked horrible (which was putting it nicely). His clothes were a few days too old, his hair was greasy, he looked emaciated and his expression was stony and painless. "Hi daddy," Kimi started in her sweetest tone. She had to baby him now, because she was never sure what could set him off.

"Hey Kim," he returned. Kimi looked at Clara, who took her cue and began on her way out the door. "It was sweet of you to bring your friends over to talk to her."

Kimi stood and made her way over to her father's chair. She leaned over and gave him a short, sweet hug. "It was the least I could do. She needs to get better, and she won't without us." Kimi let out a sigh. "I'm going to let you have your time with her. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon to check up on you two." She kissed her father's head and found that he smelled quite clean, but only looked more disheveled than a homeless man.

"You think I need checking up on?" he asked with a pitiful laugh.

"Dad..." Kimi trailed off.

"Yea Kim. I'll see you tomorrow." He looked back at Kori, then up again at her. "I love you."

"I love you too, daddy," Kimi whispered. "Call me if anything happens, ok?"

"Ok baby."

She crossed her arms over her chest and slowly walked out the slightly ajar door. She saw the others grouped outside the door, watching it with interest. Kimi smiled up at her teammates though she didn't exactly feel like smiling right now. "We can go home now you guys," she told them, starting down the hallway. Everyone followed after her, talking softly. Danny jogged to catch up with her quick pace and slung an arm around her shoulder when he did.

"Are you ok?" he asked, though he knew she would lie either way.

"I'm fine," she responded with fake jubilance.

He smiled at her. "You didn't really think I'd believe that, did you?"

"No, and that's why I love you, Dan," she responded.

They all filtered into the elevator that would take them straight down into the underground parking garage. Clara had whipped out her cell phone once more, giggled, then slipped it back into her pocket after dialing an extensive message. They all clamored out of the elevator and were able to make it back to the side-by-side cars without getting lost.

A motorcycle roared in the distance.

"Stupid people who think motorcycles are cool," Taku mumbled.

Kyle coughed indignantly.

The roaring got even louder, and louder, until bright lights lit up the dim garage and something large, black, and red came to a stop in front of them. A tall and broad boy got off this black monstrosity and pulled off a motorcycle helmet. "Hey babe," he directed at one of them.

"Hey Jake," Clara started bashfully, cantering forward and wrapping her arms around the broad teenager. "I'm going out for a little while." This phrase was more directed towards Kyle.

He inwardly groaned. "Clara, is that absolutely necessary?" And he knew this was the wrong thing to say because she looked mortally offended.

"Yes, actually, it is," she retorted.

"It's ok," Jake started. "We can go out later."

"No, Kyle can't tell us what to do. He's not our mother," Clara stated indignantly. "I'm going out, Kyle. I hope you're ok with that." Clara turned to Jake and slipped on the helmet he offered her. He slipped his back on. "I'll be home early...hopefully."

With that, she and Jake sped away.

TT2