Chapter 9-Reveal:
Crystal:
It took awhile for me to get to the hospital, but Mori was able to call his limo driver rather quickly to get us there. When we got there, I went straight up the desk. Before I could speak, the doctor was right there,
"You are Crystal LeAnn, correct? We've been expecting you. You're Carolina Venn's sister, or guardian?"
"Guardian, of sorts, let me see her."
He nodded sadly and led us to a room. She looked even worse than she did when she had fallen. Her skin was sickly pale. Her hair was matted with blood, but it was obvious they had cleaned most of it. She had IV's in her arm, her head was bandaged, she had many bandages everywhere, there were blood stains on the bandages, cuts, scrapes, and she was hooked up to a heart monitor that was barely beeping. I gasped and bit my lip. Mori put a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"She is not doing so well," Dr. Daichi said, "broken ribs, punctured lung, stitches in the back of her head, concussion…the list goes on and on. She is barely alive, she must be kept under a 24-7 watch at the hospital for a few weeks."
I nodded slowly,
"Since I am her guardian," technically I was since I was eighteen and in Japan I was, "I am allowed to stay overnight, right?"
"Indeed, your boyfriend can stay as well."
"And her," I nodded to Cara, "boyfriend too, when he gets here?"
The doctor sighed,
"It's not exactly policy-"
"-I will pay you-"
"-yes he may stay as well."
I tried to get a hold of Ritsu, which I did by calling his father, and I just told him Cara had been in accident (I wasn't stupid enough to tell him she was dying over the phone). He said he would be there in a about one or two days. I managed to convince Mori not to call the host club yet. Right at the moment, I wouldn't be able to deal with them. The doctor had told me, in private, that Cara was dying- mostly because she had a punctured lung. I knew she was though. There was no denying it. Wit that information in mind, I wouldn't be able to handle all the hosts.
Mori stayed by me though. He didn't leave me side once. When we ended up staying the night, he stayed too. He never did correct the doctor calling him my boyfriend. The second night we were staying there. I couldn't sleep. Not when I knew that my father was lose and Cara was dying. The first night- I needed the rest, but now that my body is caught up with the news- I can't sleep. I can't leave her, and me, vulnerable. If they meant to kill her, they would come back. I knew my father had sent someone to do this to Cara. She wasn't clumsy enough to slip twice. I just hoped that they really did think she was dead and didn't come back- not until she was healed because when she was healed I would know she was okay. I would know that she would be able to defend herself correctly.
It was about two in the morning. I couldn't sleep- not while she was like that. Not when she was dying. I put my head in my hands and sighed.
"She's like a sister to me," I said my tears falling and Mori looked at me sadly. I continued,
"She's dying…and…I can't lose my sister…"
Mori put a comforting hand on my shoulder,
"It will be alright."
"No…no it won't….he'll come back," I whispered. Mori looked at me concerned,
"Who will come back?"
I shook my head,
"Nothing, never mind."
Mori grabbed onto my shoulders, forcing me to look at him, but I refused to make eye contact.
"Crystal, who is it? Is someone hurting you? Threatening you?"
I felt tears starting to rise,
"Why would you care," I whispered.
"I care more than you know," Mori said.
I looked up at him and for a while we stared into each other eyes. Mine were a bit teary, and his were serious.
"Crystal," he said, "I never got the chance to tell you what I was going to before."
I looked at him curiously and I noticed that Mori…he was nervous.
"Crystal," he said with a gulp, "I…I do care about you…I…I like you, a lot…and I understand if you don't feel the same way, but I do-"
I looked at him with a smile,
"-I understand, Mori," I interrupted, "and…I like you too- a lot….but I don't know if I can-"
Before I could say another word, Mori took my chin in his hand and kissed me. Needless to say, I think we were a couple now and I slept kind of okay after that.
In the morning, Ritsu finally got there. He came running in, his hair was a bit more messy and his eyes were frantic.
"Where is she?!"
"Shhh," I said a bit loudly and pointed to the still resting Cara. Ritsu was by her side in a second, tears were in his eyes,
"What's wrong? What happened?"
I looked at Ritsu,
"She fell again…the doctor's don't know when she'll wake up…they…the doctor told me…that she's dying…"
The tears started to fall again, but I buried my head into Mori's offered shoulder. Ritsu had tears too. But I give him credit…he didn't fall entirely apart like I thought he would- and like I did. He had silent tears going down his face as he sat as close to Cara as he could and he held her hand. After a few hours, I was getting a bit restless. Mori had left for a few minutes to call the Host Club. Soon, he came back in, followed by the hosts.
"What happened," Hunny cried.
"Cara fell again, the doctor's don't know when she'll wake up…if she wakes up," I answered softly. My eyes didn't leave Cara once. Kyoya, his face still a bit red from my slap, looked at her curiously,
"Interesting. Such a fall shouldn't have put her in such critical condition."
"Well it's not her fault, she has a condition and she was pushed," I snapped.
As soon as I realized what I said, I put my hand over my mouth. The hosts' heads snapped to face me, including Ritsu. I saw tears in everyone's eyes (expect Mori's, that showed concern, and Kyoya's, that were blank). Kyoya didn't look surprised- mostly because he already knew.
"What do you mean, condition," Hunny asked with tears falling, "is Cara-chan dying?"
I winced and Ritsu looked at me, the tears were barely visible, but his eyes were very serious,
"What do you mean pushed?"
I fidgeted. Mori stood by my side and squeezed my shoulder in an attempt to give me for confidence. I took a breath of courage,
"You forget," I said softly, "We are mob daughters. Both from different, opposing mobs. But I am still her cousin, and her bodyguard. We are like sisters. But…I forget that as her bodyguard, sometimes it is more threatening to her…."
"Please explain," Kyoya said calmly as he took a seat. The others gathered in a circle around me on the floor expect for Mori, who stood beside me with his hand still on my shoulder, and Ritsu, who was still holding Cara's hand.
"My uncle, that is Cara's father, is the leader of a very strong mob, Snake- famously known for snake tattoos. So…everyone has to have, well, a tattoo. No matter what age you are, if you are associated with the Snaked Mob, you need the tattoo of snakes. Two snakes wrapping around each other. Cara…has one, but she didn't get it by choice, I willingly got mine because as Cara's bodyguard, if I had mine in a visible place than others should know not to fool around."
"Where is it," Mori asked, his grip tightening on my shoulder. I pulled down my turtleneck, revealing the tattoo on my collar bone.
"Poor princesses," Tamaki cried, "so unpure! Mob wives!"
I glared at him and eventually, he shut up.
"But the tattoo artist left, he was…not exactly right in the head…so, when Uncle finally fired him, he went insane. He kidnapped Cara and planned to make her as weak as he felt- he planned to give her brittle bone disease."
"Such a feat is impossible," Kyoya muttered, but I shook my head,
"Not in America. But I got there in time…took them all out…got the needles out of her before it was completed. Now, she has her condition. She is more fragile than she should be. Her bones aren't glass…just something a bit stronger than glass but not as sturdy as bone."
"And what about someone pushing her," Ritsu growled out. I could tell he was worried and getting impatient about how did that to his girlfriend.
"I know who did it," I whispered, "or rather who ordered it."
"Who," Ritsu pushed.
"My father."
Silence filled the room. Ritsu's eyes widened, Mori's hand fell from her shoulder. The twins' mouths were agape. Tamaki was hysterical. Haruhi's jaw was down and her eyes were wide. Even Kyoya lost his cool.
"Shut up," I shouted, but I was still quite because of Cara's critical condition and I didn't want to get kicked out, "I know, okay? My father's not exactly a good man! That doesn't mean I am a bad person!"
Mori's eyes showed regret as he hugged me,
"You are you, not your father."
I saw the hosts' smirk to themselves.
"Mori-chan," Hunny said as he cheered, "are you and Crystal-chan dating?"
I blushed and Mori shifted,
"I…yes?"
Hunny awed, Tamaki awed, Kyoya glared, and the twins were laughing. Haruhi patted me on the back,
"Good job, and it will be okay," she whispered.
"Thanks, it seems you're the only sane one," I whispered back nodding to the twins that were dancing in a circle singing 'Mori and Crystal sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.'