A/N: Shorter chapter for today. This is what happened after the night of the invasion.

Also, I made some changes to the dialogue, and fixed some grammar errors in the previous chapter. Again, it's nothing too major.

*NOTE: After disregarding some of Mario & Tails' injuries and how Colombo reunited with Mario and the others, this chapter has been re-edited to avoid any discrepancies.

Disclaimer: Nintendo and Sega own the Mario and Sonic characters/IP's, etc. I only own the plot of the story and my OC, Myster Edge.

Chapter 12: Wait and Pray

Location: Toadley Clinic (1)

Room 206, located on the second floor of the building. If someone walked inside, they'd find two hospital beds. One laid directly across from the entrance; the second was on the other side of the room next to a large window that had a view of Toad Town, or what was left of it since the Koopa Troop destroyed and invaded the properties. The two beds were separated by three feet and there was a tableside dresser between them that leaned against the back wall. The one closer to the room's door was empty; the one near the glass pane had an individual lying under the covers.

In the bed was a patient who wore a pair of dark blue scrub bottoms that went down to the top of his feet. On each side of the bed were some IV stands that transferred blood and various fluids to the patient's arms. The man didn't have a shirt on, but there were white, stretchable bandages that protected the lower half of his trunk and back. There were more wrapped around his bare hands and wrists, arms, legs, and shins. A heart monitor was hooked up to the patient's naked chest while the machine tracked the cardiac rhythm. Gratefully, the device beeped steadily. It was neither slow nor fast. The patient's heartbeat pounded at a regular rate. The only article clothing he still had (that he owned) was the green cap with a large 'L', covering his brown hair.

Yes, the patient being taken care of, was Luigi.

It was now 6:50 a.m., the morning after Luigi's birthday and after all the tragedies that occurred the previous night. The yellow sun started to peek over the green-hilled valleys. Light shined past the window curtains, but it didn't seem to disturb Luigi who was still asleep.

Across from his bed was a couch that could fit two people, lodged in the corner with a set of chairs next to it. All the spots were occupied by none other than his friends.

Sitting in the sofa near the window was Sonic the Hedgehog. He had two fingers rubbing his right temple as his emerald eyes cautiously darted back and forth between Luigi, his companions, and the sunrise outside.

Beside him was Tails who was sedentary between his older brother and the mustachioed hero in red. His twin appendages waved behind his back in a slow motion as his eyes gazed at the ground. He placed his left hand on his face while his elbow rested on his knee. His right hand stood still on the other kneecap as it was covered in bandages since he received third-degree burns from Bowser.

Next to the kitsune was Mario who sat in the wooden chair as his right hand held his bandaged chest. He occasionally rubbed his tired eyes which formed black bags and were easily visible to everyone. His left hand was scratching the figure lying on the remaining seat. There laid Colombo, Luigi's Polterpup, who was in the comfort of the red-hatted plumber. They both stared at the unconscious younger brother with uneasiness.

Beforehand, it was midnight when Mario sat with Sonic, Tails, and Colombo in a separate hospital room. Then, Doctor Toadley, the caretaker of the hospital and the brothers' personal consultant, and his staff tended to his injured torso (since he suffered those scratches from Bowser) while the fox received some support for his burnt hand. Instead of wearing his red shirt and blue overalls, he wore a white, sleeveless hospital gown. From the back, one could barely see the white bandages that wrapped around his body, even though they were used to heal his slashed abdomen. Furthermore, he had an ice pack tied under his left leg to heal his pulled calf muscle and was given pills to treat the blow he received from the shadow figure. Tails had some healing cream applied to his right hand and was offered a new glove as the doctors discarded the burnt one. He was also given an ice pack to cool down the pain.

As for Sonic, he was the only one who didn't have any noticeable injuries, so he waited patiently. However, he felt uneasy because of his hatred for hospitals. Luckily, the worst he had was a pill to get rid of a headache he received from Edge's shock waves. Unfortunately, his friends had it worse from last night's ambush.

Colombo, on the other hand, avoided getting injured or attacked by Myster Edge when he turned invisible from the gang. But when he found that the villain slammed his owner into the ground, he followed in pursuit of Sonic and Tails who carried the brothers to the clinic as they avoided Edge (who eventually made off with the kidnapped victims). While still invisible, he ran to the Toadley Clinic and surprised everyone when he appeared from out of sight. Although he reunited with Mario, he missed his chance to see Luigi because he was frantically carted away in a gurney minutes before he appeared.

Afterwards, the doctor recommended that Mario should rejuvenate himself after the unfortunate incident. The mustached man was reluctant because he was more worried about his brother. He asked the experienced medic if he could see Luigi. Dr. Toadley was afraid he would ask about Luigi, for it was the reason why he placed Mario in a different room. He accepted his request, but again advised him to sleep it off when he's finished.

With Dr. Toadley leading the way and his Mobian pals following behind, Mario limped into Luigi's room. As they walked in, the three were utterly shocked at the visual they witnessed. Luigi was already taken care of by Toadley's crew, but he was in critical condition compared to Mario, though it didn't surprise him in that extent.

At one point, they stood on each side of Luigi's bed and begged him to wake up. Sonic gently shook his shoulder while Tails kneeled close to him with a sympathetic look. Mario held his brother's right hand tightly, desperately wanting to hear from him again. He was hoping his thoughts could communicate with Luigi's because of their brotherly bond. Colombo hopped onto the bed and carefully laid near his owner. He whined softly every time he nudged his nose on Luigi and felt saddened that he didn't respond.

The fox and the hedgehog decided to stay in the hospital room that night to keep the brothers company. By 1 a.m., the two slept on the couch together while Mario and Colombo sat in the chairs. He could have opted for the other bed, but he wanted to stay close with company. Although the ghostly Polterpup fell asleep, the red-hatted patient couldn't find the urge to join. While awake, the only thing riding on his mind overnight was Luigi. The thought of his little sibling made him forget about his own injuries. All he wanted was Luigi to be okay. He felt very bad for having his birthday ruined by some random, evil stranger which led him to a trip to the hospital.

Fast forward to the following morning and now all four of them were in complete silence after they woke up (except for Mario, albeit his leg was feeling better). They anxiously waited for the test results regarding their injured friend. Their faces expressed a large amount of worry because of the damage the green plumber had suffered from. All they could do was wait. Wait and pray.

Dr. Toadley was unlike any of the ordinary Toad denizens in the Mushroom Kingdom. He's the most famous specialist in Mario's dimension, but in a very peculiar way. He had a dark blue mushroom top with yellow stars around the border and a blue orb on top. He wore a veiling mask that covered his mouth and a matching cape with a brooch, similar to the one Princess Peach wears on her dress. Toadley also had hoop earrings in the form of rings, just like the ones Sonic collected in his adventures.

Like other doctors, he treated his patients with care and respect to nurse them back to full health. As for the unusual side, he was a fortune teller! Just like Merlon, Merluvlee, and their relatives in the wizard/clairvoyant family, the doctor owned a crystal ball. The exception was that he used it to diagnose any sicknesses and predict upcoming danger or epidemics that could strike the mushroom community.

Back then, he helped the Mario Bros. cure the Blorbs, a disease that spread throughout the town that affected poor Toads to enlarge in size and render them to be immovable. He also had this weird sense of dialogue where he asked and answered his own questions. When Mario and Luigi first met with the doctor, they were somewhat bewildered by his speech. But over the years, they've gotten used to it. He was claimed to know everything. (2)

In this case, he was analyzing Luigi's status since Sonic and Tails carried the Mario Bros. to the clinic. And after taking care of Mario, he went back to work to recover the younger one. Even though he and his workers were up all night in the office to seek answers, they finally reached a diagnosis. Unfortunately, it involved some bad news and he had to deliver it to his guests, one way or another.

He sauntered inside Room 206 to see the four allies sitting quietly in the corner. They all turned to him when they heard his footsteps. His facial expressions were disguised under his doctor's mask. He appeared to be nonchalant, but deep down he was discouraged. Toadley felt horrible that he had to share his discovery.

"Dr. Toadley, have you figured out anything? Will he be okay?" pleaded Mario with sadness.

He took a deep breath before answering. "Will the green-hatted patient be fine? Yes, he's holding his own for the recovery." The guys all sighed with relief. "However, does this mean it is a good situation? No, not at all." The group converted back to their worried selves. "I'm afraid I have some bad news regarding the poor man. It's more… devastating towards you, to say the least. But unless your friends don't mind, I'll tell it to them as well," he referred towards the mustached man.

Mario looked back at Tails and Sonic who both nodded their heads for assurance. They wanted him to know that he wasn't the only one who was curious about Luigi's condition. Colombo added a slight whimper to show his affection.

Mario stared back at the physician. "Go ahead…"

"Will you be upset when I tell this? Definitely. What is the current status of Luigi Mario, the younger Mario brother? Well…" Dr. Toadley let his head peer down and shut his eyes. He paused for a few seconds for a dramatic reveal. The red-hatted plumber was shaking on the edge of his chair. Sonic, Tails, and Colombo each had troubled looks on their faces. Finally, he raised his chin, opened his eyelids, and finished his statement, "…he's in a coma."

"…"

That was the basic response from the quartet. To summarize in three words, they were speechless. So speechless that they froze in their chairs for a minute.

"Am I telling the truth? I'm afraid so. How long will this man be comatose and bedridden? Not even I know the answer to that. If I were to make a prediction, he would need at least a couple days to recompose himself. His heartbeat has been steady every time I checked him for the last three hours. But still, those electric shocks he received earlier caused him to fall in this deep slumber. Initially, his heart rate was as high as 140 beats per minute, which was not a good sign. But as time passed, it seemed to decrease to a normal rate of eighty to ninety. Thankfully, he's still with us. Alive."

"Is there anything else we may need to know about him?" Sonic asked kindly.

"Nothing new so far other than the information I gave you, my blue friend. Sadly, we need to wait," he sighed. "I'll continue to regularly check up on him. I'll take a look at his blood pressure, listen to his lungs and heart, the usual procedure plus additional assistance for the situation."

"I feel so terrible for Luigi. Sonic and I have had our unfortunate trips to the hospital back on Mobius whenever Eggman attacked the city. But we have never suffered as bad as him," Tails mourned with his tails and ears drooping.

"Eventually, we'll have to tell him about what happened. When he hears about that though, he's going to be heartbroken. No doubt about it. He's probably going to blame himself for this when it wasn't his fault in the first place," lamented Mario.

"If he does pin blame and responsibility, then I won't take it. He should know that he got attacked. He got hurt. He got into this state all because of that… damn shadow figure. So it wasn't his fault. Ugh, I swear, I'm gonna make that purple, butt-faced jerk pay for what he did to Luigi and the others," Sonic grumbled as he made a fist.

The hedgehog was very passionate and serious when it comes to his friends being in danger. Whenever it happened to Tails, his overprotective traits would take over, and he would get angry at himself for not protecting the fox. Sonic promised that he would do whatever it took to save his little buddy from Eggman or whoever threatened him. And the slightest can easily trigger him, even if the enemy were to touch one of the yellow bangs on his forehead. If he was too late to rescue him, he would never live it down; he wouldn't know what to do without his kind, loving brother.

Mario and Tails were not as mad as him, but they could see where Sonic was going. They all despised Myster Edge when he kidnapped their friends. Along with Colombo, they were the only ones who made it out of the incident. To further elaborate, Knuckles, Shadow, Silver, Amy, and Yoshi ended up getting taken by Edge along with the other captives (including Bowser and Bowser Jr.). They also knew that he was desperate to find the Chaos Emeralds. By capturing Shadow, the villain had the cyan jewel to give him three in his hand, unbeknownst to Luigi, while Sonic kept the yellow one. The purple, blue, and green gems lingered in his world, but neither he nor Tails knew where they were located.

The guys already have two problems in the palms of their hands. One, they needed to save their friends. And two, they had to prevent Edge from collecting the other Emeralds. Alas, they would have to deal with a third issue, but they won't know until later. That's because they had to wait for Luigi to wake up, as he was the one out of the group who had learned the gist of Edge's master plan through his dreams.

The doctor spoke again, only this time without questions. Nothing but serious statements. "I'll leave you guys for a bit. I understand you're taking in this information slowly. Trust me, I'm as distraught as you guys are, for I, too, am concerned about Luigi." And with that, Dr. Toadley silently walked out of the room.

Tails, Sonic, Mario, and Colombo simultaneously gave each other glances once the physician left. They all looked back at the unconscious Italian who lied in his hospital bed. Again, all they could do was the same thing they've done before Dr. Toadley gave them the heartbreaking news. Wait until he wakes up. Pray that he'll be okay from the recovery. Just wait and pray.

END OF CHAPTER

Now we know that Luigi's out cold in the clinic, but he's gonna be okay… Hopefully. Nonetheless, it will take some time for him to get back on his feet, which will be at least a week in real life when I update the next chapter.

What will happen next? Can Luigi hold his own ground despite his poor condition? Only one way to find out…

Please review, follow/favorite, PM me if you want, and all that good stuff. Thanks for reading, and I'll see in the next one!

Post-Chapter Notes:

(1): The Toadley Clinic is a hospital owned by Dr. Toadley and found in Toad Town, which was introduced in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story for the Nintendo DS.

(2): Dr. Toadley made his debut in said game above. I played this last summer for the first time and it's my favorite of the series. It's also one of the best Mario RPG games in my opinion. I totally recommend playing this game, along with Superstar Saga and Partners in Time (the 1st and 2nd installments of the Mario & Luigi games). Without spoiling too much of the game, Dr. Toadley helped Mario and Luigi find some special objects that were needed to get rid of the spreading illness and rescue Princess Peach from the main antagonist (who is NOT Bowser, which is a nice change).