"Dad! Daddy!" Jinora called as she flew around the temple on an air scooter. "Dad!" Pema suddenly walked down the steps of the temple.
"Jinora! What in the world is wrong? Why are you screaming down here?" she asked sternly, scolding her daughter.
"Where's daddy?" she asked her mother hurriedly. The very pregnant Pema crossed her arms and glared at her eldest daughter.
"He's out with the Sky Bison, but why-?" Jinora was flying out of the courtyard before she could finish. She sighed and brought her hand up to her forehead. "Why I decided to marry the last airbender, I don't know," she muttered as she walked back into the house.
"Daaad!" Jinora's voice echoed through the barn holding the flying bison. Tenzin heard his daughter calling him from one of the highest pens in the building where he was taking care of Oogi.
"Jinora?" he called out. Jinora looked up to see her father's head sticking out from one of the doors. "What is it?" The girl shot herself up to where her father was with a quick gust of air.
"It's Mako. When we got to the arena, the old owner told us he was caught in an explosion. He said they took him to the hospital and Korra rushed out of the room." Everything tumbled out of her mouth in a rush. Tenzin's eye's widened as she told him what happened.
"Go tell one of the White Lotus to finish up in here, then go tell your mother what's happened and that I've gone to get Korra." Tenzin told her as he grabbed his glider from the wall. He jumped out of the pen and opened the glider. "I'll be back soon." He walked to an open window and jumped out. He flew towards the city, praying to the spirits that Korra would do anything to rash.
Korra burst into the small hospital, making the young nurse behind the main desk jump.
"Mako? Where is he?!" His brother Bolin is most likely here too," she said loudly, directing the question at the startled nurse.
"I-I… I believe he's gone into surgery," she said quickly, flipping through some papers on her desk. "I don't know-"
"I just ran all the way down here from the arena! Where is he?!" she yelled. The small nurse almost shrank back at the force in her voice. She pointed down a hall to her left and Korra took off.
"He's in surgery, you won't be able to see him," the nurse called meekly after her. The upset and worried waterbender ignored her and continued to race down the hall. She came to a waiting room of sorts. She saw Bolin sitting in one of the chairs, his head in his hands.
"Bolin," she breathed softly. The earthbender looked up. There were tear streaks down his cheeks and his clothes were dirty and torn in a few places. His hair was messy and she noticed a small bandage on his forehead and on his arms. "Bo, what happened?" Mako's younger brother stared at her, tears streaming down his face.
"M-Mako… he… he got caught in the explosion a-at the factory. I was running over here… and a car… it bumped into me as I was running… I fell but I kept going…" the shaken earthbender was stumbling and stuttering through his words, barely able to make out a word he said.
"Shh, it's alright Bo." Korra went and wrapped her arms around him as best she could. "It's gonna be okay," she whispered. The boy buried his face into her shoulder.
"Korra… I-I c-cant… I can't l-lose him. I've already lost everything else… I c-can't lose him… I j-just can't…" he blubbered almost incoherently.
"Bolin. Shh, Bo. It's all going to be okay." She murmured desperately. She was so scared and she wanted to see the firebender so badly. She pulled back and looked at Bolin's grubby face. She stared into his bright green eyes. "It's all gonna be just fine." He nodded and wiped his eyes. "Now, stay put and I'm going to go try to find him." She stood up and nodded at the frightened earthbender, making sure he understood. She probably shouldn't leave him in such a delicate state, but she had to find Mako. She began walking down a random hallway when she saw a white bed being rolled down the hall by several doctors. On the blankets was a man. He had terrible burns along his body. She could see scratches and gashes here and there. She looked at his face, She gasped loudly and her eyes welled with tears.
"Mako!" she yelled. The doctors rolling the bed turned to look at her. She tried to run towards him but several doctors ran out from room and held her back. "Let me go! I have to see him!" She screamed at them, trying to fight them off. More and more came, trying to hold her down.
"We can't let you back there. He is going into surgery, ma'am." One of the men told her sternly. She was kicking, shrieking, and swinging her arms, trying to get back to the injured firebender.
"You have to let me back there!" she yelled at them, begging for them to let her go to him as tears poured from her eyes. She watched as they pushed Mako through a set of doors. She saw his eyes flutter a moment and saw his lips trying to form words, but he was gone from her sight before she could make them out. She felt something snap inside her as she watched him disappear within the doors.
"Let. Me. Go!" The doctors were thrown back as Korra's eyes glowed a startling blue. She pushed them away and rose halfway off the hospital floor. "Where is he?" She spoke with a thousand voices behind her own, making the hospital shake. Her eyes refused to stop crying as her heart began to break inside of her.
"Korra!" She looked around and saw Tenzin. He ran up towards her. "Korra! You have to calm down!" he called to her. She shook her head, slightly confused.
"What about Mako?" she said, her voice echoing around the small hall. The airbending looked at her, not sure of how to handle her. His father had told him about when he'd first gone into the Avatar State, how Katara had helped calmed him down and brought him back.
"He's going to be alright, but you have to calm down or you're going to hurt him and even more people." he yelled. "Please, Korra!" He walked up, facing the distressed girl's torrent of violent wind. He reached out a gently grabbed her wrist.
"Mako," she hoarsely, her voice softening ever-so-slightly. Tenzin reached out and grabbed her arms as she began to fall back down.
"I know," he said gently. "But everything's going to turn out alright." He pulled her into his arms. She went limp in his hold and the bright glow faded from her eyes.
"Oh Tenzin," she sobbed into his shoulder. "M-Mako. I-it was t-t-terrible. H-he had b-burns and c-cuts all over h-him." Tenzin nodded and rubbed her back soothingly.
"I know, Korra," he whispered, "but you have to trust the doctors and let them do what they can to help him. They're doing their best." He looked back up at the frightened men and nodded. "I've got her now." He picked up the Avatar and carried her back to the waiting room.
"Tenzin… what if… what if they can't…"" she couldn't even complete her sentence. She clutched at Tenzin's robes and blubbered.
"Shh, Korra." He sat down in one of the chairs next to Bolin. The boy stared at Korra. He had never seen her break down like this. Tenzin sat the girl in his lap, thinking of nothing else to do for the girl. "You mustn't think that way. Everything is going to turn out just fine." Bolin hesitantly raised his hand patted Korra's back.
"Everything'll be alright, you'll see. Mako's a fighter, he won't give up that easy." He tried to reassure her. "Do you think we'd be here today if he hadn't of been there when we were on the streets?" Korra pulled away from Tenzin's chest and rubbed her eyes and nose.
"I k-know." She stood up off the airbending master's lap and sat down in her own chair. She gently fingered the stone that dangled around her throat. "He's got to make it. He can't give up," she whispered.
They waited all afternoon in the cramped waiting room, even after the sun had begun to set. Tenzin had insisted that Korra come back to Air Temple Island and get something to eat and some rest, but she stubbornly refused.
"Not until I see him. I've lost my appetite for right now, but if I do get hungry I'll get something to eat from the cafeteria." She insisted to the airbender. Tenzin pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing in defeat.
"Fine, but I'll be back later tonight to check on you." He told her. He knew he shouldn't be leaving her here. She nodded her head and laid it on Bolin's shoulder.
"I'll nap here in the waiting room." she mumbled as her eyes drifted shut. Bolin looked down at her then back at Tenzin.
"Don't worry, sir. I'll take care of her, sir," he said softly. Tenzin sighed again and nodded.
"Alright. Thank you." It was better than leaving her completely by herself. He bowed his head towards the young earthbender before turning and walking down the hall towards the exit.
"Thank you, Bo." Korra whispered as she curled into his arm. Bolin lifted his arm and let the girl lay against him. She yawned and went limp against his broad chest. "Oh," she mumbled as she fell asleep, "don't tell Tenzin there's not a cafeteria." Bolin grinned as he leaned back in his chair.
"I won't, Korra. Good night," he said, silently praying his older brother would come out of this alive.
