Chapter 8: Waiting

The rest of the team had turned away and was getting ready to take off. Ace was just about to join them when he saw a shady, thin figure stumble out from beside the building. He turned to face it, to ask it who it was, when recognition hit him: Lexi. That was her coming to him.

She's alive! He rushed over to her, and just as she tripped and fell, he caught her. He held her cold body close to him, murmuring her name over and over when he felt an odd, liquid warmth coming from her side. He held her away from him, and he felt his blood turn to ice: she had been seriously wounded.

He picked her up, bridal-style, and clutched her close to him. "Hold on, Lexi. Just keep fighting a little longer…" he whispered to her as he jetted off, the remainder of the team following curiously.

Flying at dangerous speeds, they reached HQ in record time, considering how far away they were. Ace immediately dashed off to Tech's lab, where he placed her on a gurney. He pushed her hair back away from her face and spoke quiet words of comfort to her as Tech put on his lab coat and started hooking her up to an IV, a breathing regulator, and other machines. He took her vitals, and gave the grim report.

"She's lost a lot of blood, more than enough to merely pass out," he said darkly, looking over at her, "She's bruised and battered, might have a broken rib in there, and she can't breathe on her own quite yet." Ace followed his line of vision, and asked, "Will she be okay?" The coyote shrugged, and said, "I don't know, there's not much more I can do for her. I patched her up and mended her as much as I could. It's a miracle she isn't dead already." After that promising statement, Tech left to bring the rest of the team in to see their teammate.

They came in and crowded around her. Rev was the first to speak. "Dang-she-looks-awful!-I-feel-really-bad-about-it-and-she's-probably-gonna-die-but-I'm-really-hoping-not-cuz-she's-really-really-nice-and-I-don't-wanna-see-Ace-mope-around-all-the-time-so-Lexi-if-you-can-hear-me-please-live-please-please-please-please-live!" Slam nodded his agreement.

"She still has my Special Edition Pony," Duck muttered under his breath, glaring at the limp body lying before him. Ace gave him a look, and he shut his trap, holding back whatever else he was going to say.

After a while, they dispersed. Rev gave her a few taps on her hand, and fled to go to bed. Slam and Duck made a stop in the kitchen on their way to their rooms. Tech patted Ace's shoulder in a brotherly gesture, checked the screens, and walked away to his room.

As for Ace himself, he wouldn't be moving an inch. If she was in distress, he would be there. If she woke up, he would be there. He wanted to tell her exactly what she meant to him, that if he lost her, he would lose himself.

He drew up a chair to her side, and picked up one of her hands, cradling it between both of his. All he could do now was hope and wait.

When morning arrived a few hours later, Ace was still up. He watched as the sun rose up through the window, and wished that Lexi could see it. He looked down at her again, but she hadn't changed from when the team had gone to bed. She looked so vulnerable, and a wave of protectiveness washed over him. He couldn't let anything else happen to her.

He swore that he wouldn't.

He kissed the back of her hand, and softly, so softly, called her name, willing her to wake up and come back to him.

It was so dark. Dark, but…peaceful. Nothing could harm her here, not in this black oblivion. Lexi felt no pain, it was as if nothing had happened to her. A shining light beckoned her toward it, to an even better place.

She smoothly walked toward it, no injuries hindering her now…