I apologise for another short chapter... buuuuuuuutttt...

YAY! I FINALLY UPDATED ON A SUNDAY :D

Anyways guys, hope you enjoy :D

"Hello?" I said into the plastic mouth piece of the phone.

"Good afternoon," A deep voice replied, sounding slightly awkward, "Is this the Herondale residence?"

"Uh, yeah. This is Jace." I replied awkwardly, unsure of what to make of this phone call.

"My name is Jacob Wells. I'm a doctor at the Washington hospital. I was just calling to make sure that you were aware that Imogene Herondale was checked in about an hour ago."

"What?" I exclaimed, "Why? What happened?"

There was a short pause on the other end of the line, and the silence wound up my muscles with every second. By the time he answered, I was as tense as I had ever been and I had a death grip on the plastic landline phone. Jacob said softly, "She was pulled in by the ambulance. She was in a car crash. Her condition is stable for now, but –"

"For now?" I hissed, unable to contain the shock and sudden anger in my voice.

"Please, sir, it is ok," the doctor tried to amend, "But is there any way that you could come by the hospital?"

All the anger drained out of me and a collapsed into the kitchen stool beside me. I lent on my elbow with one hand and held the phone to my ear with the other. "I think so… I dunno. I guess I'll catch the bus or something."

"Thank you," the doctor said, and I could hear the relief clear in his voice, "She already has two visitors, but when she was conscious she demanded that I call you."

"I…" My head started to spin, "Two visitors?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Who…?" I began, but my stomach dropped with realisation. "No…"

"Sir, is everything okay?" the doctor asked.

"No," I choked, anger rising up once again, "No, I'm not. I'll be there as soon as I can. Just keep an eye on her. Please. Who are the visitors, can I ask?"

"They didn't specify names. A man and a little girl."

My teeth clenched at the confirmation. "Don't leave her alone with the man. Please. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Before the doctor could say anything else, I hung up.

That afternoon I caught the first bus through to Washington, and it passed in a blur. My mind was still whirling with possibilities, poisoning my thoughts with the worst possible scenarios.

What if she was in a coma?

What it Valentine hurt her while she was unconscious?

What if she wasn't going to wake up?

I didn't keep track of time on the bus ride… couldn't…. but when I stepped of the rickety old vehicle the sun was beginning to set. It felt like days had passed, but I knew it had been a few hours at most. The drive from Philadelphia to Washington wasn't that long, after all. The hospital was at least two blocks away, and I jogged the whole way. The streets were quiet, which weirded me out. But then again, being around people in the mood I was in would be a bad idea.

I reached the hospital and rushed in through the front doors. I passed a person being pushed along in a wheel chair, but the hospital was otherwise quiet. I could only imagine what the emergency bay might look like. I strode up to the front desk, and once I told the lady sitting there who I was she waved me through with brief instructions.

I hurried through the corridors, rarely passing a patient. Room 11E in the critical care ward. That was where my mum was. It took me a good ten minutes to find it, but when I did I stopped cold in my tracks. I stood in the doorway, looking at the single bed that took up most of the space in the small room. Machines were whirring around it, buzzing and beeping in their robotic attempts to keep my mother stable. Wire ran from the machines and disappeared underneath the blankets, where the familiar figure of my mother lay. I stepped towards her, steeling my nerves and trying to push the thoughts of what she would look like out of my mind.

To my surprise and relief, she didn't look to bad. Her left eye was purple and swollen, her face covered in tiny scratches, a bandage wrapped around her arm and disappeared up her sleeve, and a metal brace circled her head. I felt the sting of tears behind my eyes and gently took her hand. Her eyes were closed and her breath wheezed in and out of her weakly.

"Jace?" A small voice said.

I had my eyes closed, and half expected to see my mum's eyes looking back at me when I opened them. But she was still asleep. I turned around to see a small figure standing in the doorway. They stepped forward, and I was able to make out the glint of fair blonde hair and a small, pale face.

"Cece?" I gasped.

And that was all it took. The small girl bolted towards me and flung herself into my arms. The attack was so sudden that I almost dropped her. I caught her small frame in my arms at the last second and hoisted her up into a bear hug. "What are you doing here?" she squealed.

"One of the doctors called me," I told her, "And so I came as quickly as I could."

She was grinning up until then, but suddenly her smile drooped. "Jace," she whispered, "I need to tell you something."

"Well, spill it then," I prompted.

"I don't think that what happened to mum was – "

"Ah, Jace," Another voice interrupted, "It's been a while, my boy. It's nice to see you still care about your family, despite your recent actions."

I looked up, my muscles tensing. In the doorway stood a tall figure. As he stepped into the room he flicked on the light, illuminating us and himself in all his awfulness. Silver hair, sharp cheekbones, lean figure. I knew who it was before I could see him.

Valentine.

"You wouldn't know anything about family," I spat, feeling rage boiling deep within me.

"Now, now," he cooed, "Don't make me argue with you while your mother is sleeping on death's doorstep."

"She isn't on death's doorstep. She'll be fine." I retorted.

Valentine let out a regretful sigh that didn't seem all too regretful. "I'm afraid she really is," she said softly, but I couldn't still here the hint of eagerness in his voice, "All that needs to be done is ring the doorbell. As it would turn out, the doctors are afraid that she won't wake up from this coma. After twelve 'o' clock on Friday, the doctors have been given permission to… how to put this lightly… pull the plug."

My head that had seemed to be spinning ever since I had gotten that phone call stopped, and the room stood still. The silence roared in my ears. I barely registered Cece latching onto my shirtsleeve. "Who gave them permission."

"Being her husband," Valentine said, "Of course, I did."

Thanks so much for reading guys! Let me know what you think! See you next week :D