Ok.

It's time to do it.

I will escape.

Then I can tell someone about Dr. Watanabe.

As long as I don't move around too much, I can be off the ventilator for a couple of hours with no problems whatsoever.

I slowly removed the nasal tubes that went up my nose and immediately started to cough.

No.

I can do this.

I need to see Josuke.

To see Jotaro.

Someone.

Anyone!

I started to take shallow breaths. Once my lungs calmed down, I moved to step two: trying to walk.

Everywhere I went has always been a wheelchair. I even needed a nurse to help me take a shower, so this was a new challenge. I moved myself up in a sitting position and towards the foot of the bed. I tried placing my right foot on the ground and standing up. Instantly, a shot of pain drilled from my foot to my thigh. I almost screamed, but I remembered that everyone was asleep so I muffled it with my hand. I tried placing my left foot on the floor and applied pressure to it to feel nothing.

I guess I have to use my stand to carry me once I get outside.

I then sat on the cold tile floor and dragged myself to the window. Although I'm on the first floor, the way down was pretty far. Plus, the ground beneath the window grew bushes that had already shed their leaves, leaving their branches bare, meaning I can't use them to break my fall.

I then dragged myself to the door, opened it slightly, and peaked through the cracks. The lights in the long hospital hallways were dim and the receptionist at the desk had her head down, snoring.

I can leave through the hallway, but once I enter the lobby, I need to take the emergency exit from the back. Once I get outside, I can use my stand to carry me to the hotel Jotaro's staying at and come back. I have to be as discreet as possible. It would be weird for everyone else to see a floating girl moving on her own.

I slowly pushed the door open and pushed my body out into the hallway and saw the thing that would help lead my escape.

A blue wheelchair.

I quietly dragged my body up to it and used all my energy to push myself up on top of the seat.

Lucky!

I rolled myself down the hallway, praying that there weren't any other staff members that needed to go into this hallway.

The hospital was eerily silent. The dim lights, the faint sound of oxygen machines coming from other patient's rooms, it feels like a horror movie.

I've never been in this area of the hospital before, so getting lost was inevitable but five minutes later, I finally found what I was looking for.

The emergency exit.

Finally, now once I get outside, I can use Iron Maiden to carry me the rest of the way.

I rolled up to the door and pushed the emergency exit door slightly. Immediately, a siren rang throughout the hallway as red and white light flashed.

Shit! I totally forgot about the alarms! I have to book it!

I pushed myself through the door and outside. Scanning the area, I found my worst nightmare. I was in the employee parking lot. Surrounding the parking lot was a black metal fence and at the end was a checkpoint to scan your ID to enter and exit.

I can't go through this way.

And I just sounded off an alarm.

Staff are going to come this way and see me.

I closed the door and rolled down the opposite hallway in my wheelchair and made a sharp left with the alarm still ringing. This hallway was empty and had a closet door open. I wheeled myself into the dim closet that was filled with toilet paper stacks, bleach, mops, and cleaner.

Then, the alarm went off. The white and red flashing stopped.

Thank god.

Someone from the security department must've turned it off.

Then, my worst nightmare came again.

The speaker in the hallway rang. "Good evening. The hospital is now in code yellow. Please stay inside while security looks for the missing patient."

Shit!

Ok Kuroko, calm down!

I just need to escape before they find me.

Maybe I can go into another patient's room and crawl out their window.

I slowly opened and peeked through the door. Multiple security guards ran past, frantically looking for me.

There's no way I can escape.

I ruined everything.

Every few minutes, I peeked through the janitor's closet, hoping to see a clear hallway but to no avail. About fifteen minutes passed until the door opened up the opposite way and I was met with a tall man in a blue and black security guard uniform."Dr. Izumi's daughter? Why are you in the janitor's closet?"

I let out a nervous laugh. "Um…hi."

The security guard wheeled me back to my room while all the doctors and nurses in the halls stared at me. I covered my face with my hands in embarrassment. Once we got back to my room, the security guard lifted me onto my bed, took out his handcuffs, and handcuffed me to the bar on the side of the bed. "We're going to call Dr. Izumi." The security guard said. "She can decide on what to do after this."

"…fine." There's no point in struggling at this point, I'll just be causing everyone here more trouble. This is all protocol after all. The security guard then left me and closed the door.

What felt like forever passed and the next person that opened the door was my mom in a thick black coat.

Our eyes met.

Her golden eyes were filled with rage.

Rage, anger, fury.

Disappointment.

Oh no.

"Mom, I can explain, I-"

Before I said anything she stomped up to me, pulled her palm back, and slapped me. I could feel my right cheek throbbing. "Are you serious? You tried to escape from the hospital while you're still injured! What do you think would have happened?! Once you were off the ventilator? Once the cold air outside touches and constricts your lungs? You would've died! Are you crazy?!"

I need an excuse. Something. ANYTHING! "It's your fault for not letting me see Josuke!" I retorted. "First you blacklist him from seeing me, and then you block his phone number! What's wrong with you?!"

"What's wrong with me?! Look at yourself! You're escaping the hospital just to see some boy!"

"His name is Josuke Higashikata! You've known him for years mom! We've even spent Christmas over his house one year!"

"I know Kuroko, but whoever hurts my daughter is someone I have zero respect for."

"Josuke didn't hurt me!"

"Then tell me who then!" She then went to the phone that was hooked to the wall. "Tell me so I can call the police and we can make a report right now."

I bit my lip. I'm in the same damn situation I was almost a week ago. I don't want to put my mom in danger, anyone in danger, especially Josuke, but I can't just sit back with the way things are right now. "Mom, there's something going on in Morioh. Something that I can't explain."

My mom raised an eyebrow. "And what the hell does that have to do with my daughter?"

I looked away in defeat. "Nothing…"

My mom placed her hand on my shoulder. "Then you shouldn't get involved in things that aren't your problem."

"But they ARE my problem. It's my problem because I live here, and I love this town. I love everyone in it."

"No they aren't!" She raised her voice even more. "Listen to me. If there's supposedly something dangerous in this small town, the police would know about it. It would be all over the news. Mothers wouldn't let their children play outside. There is nothing going on in this small town, unless you're not willing to admit something, are you?"

No. I can't put my mom in danger. My mom is a scientist for a reason. If she knew about stands, she would want to get involved in them, and once ordinary people get involved with stands, nothing good comes their way.

"I'm not hiding anything from you," I lied. "I just…wanted to see Josuke. That's why I tried to escape."

My mom let out a huge sigh. "Whatever. It's normal for teens your age to be disobedient once in a while. Just don't pull one of those stunts again, OK?"

"OK."

My mom let go of my shoulder and turned her back on me "Now go ahead and go to bed. It's 2 AM and you put the entire hospital staff in a frenzy."

Huh? It was just that easy? I just had to apologize? Whatever. It's best not to question it.

"OK, mom."

"I'm going to go home and go back to bed as well. Goodnight."

She then left my room and flipped the light switch off, leaving me alone in the dark.

Well, that went better than I expected.

I might as well go to bed now

I slumped down into my bed and turned to my side to make myself comfortable enough to fall into a deep sleep.

…

When I opened my eyes, the ceiling fan was missing. I turned my head, instead of white, the walls that were surrounding me were baby blue. The phone that was on the left side of the wall was gone and the door was a deeper shade of brown with no window on it. In the top corner of the room was a white camera.

Am I hallucinating?

I pinched and pulled on my cheeks.

I'm awake.

Where am I?

This isn't my room.

I sat up on my bed, detached the tubes that went up into my nose, and pushed myself onto the floor. I then dragged myself up to the window. The bushes that were right outside my window were now gone. Looking down, there were eight stories below me with their own windows. The grass was now missing and was replaced with black pavement and what sat on top were multiple parked cars. I tried to open the window up to find resistance.

I looked back at my bed.

Wheels.

Someone moved my bed while I was sleeping!

I quickly crawled to the door and started banging on it with my hands. "HEY! OPEN THE DOOR! LET ME OUT!"

No response.

"MOM! MS. HANA! SOMEONE! ANYONE! ANSWER THE DAMN DOOR!"

"STOP BANGING ON THE DAMN DOOR!" A deep male voice called out. "IT'S FIVE IN THE MORNING!"

"I DON'T CARE THAT IT'S FIVE IN THE MORNING! WHERE THE HELL AM I?!

The voice paused for a moment. "You're in Budogaoka hospital."

"I know that I'm in the hospital. This isn't my room. Who moved me?"

"Dr. Izumi ordered the staff to move you. You're now in the psychiatric ward."

The psych ward?!

"But…why? Where's Ms. Hana?! Where's my mom?!"

"You tried to escape. Ms. Hana is in charge of the recovery wing. Your mom is not here. Dr. Izumi said that you'll be sleeping and staying here until you're discharged."

My mom ordered this? Wait. Of course she did. OF COURSE SHE DID!

"Let me talk to my mom right now!"

"I just said she isn't here!"

"Then call my house number."

"Calling hours are between seven and eight PM"

"But!"

"CALLING HOURS ARE BETWEEN SEVEN AND EIGHT PM!"

There's no point.

It's not like whoever's on the other side cares.

"It's unprofessional to talk back to a patient," a familiar voice joined. "Remember, you're speaking with the daughter of the head of a hospital department."

"But Dr. Watanabe-"

"You don't want to cause Dr. Izumi any trouble, do you?"

"N-no."

"Then, let me talk to her."

I then heard a soft knock. "Kuroko. This is Dr. Watanabe."

It's him.

"Go fuck yourself!" I shouted.

"Now, now, no need to get sassy." I could hear the tease in his voice. "Your mom put you in here for your own safety. It's obvious that she cares about you. We're still going to have physical therapy at our usual time, but for now, just relax. You do remember the deal right?"

Our deal?

Our deal.

No.

No no no no no!

I started banging on the door once more. "Please don't! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I won't do it again! I promise!"

"Dr. Watanabe, what is she talking about?"

"Oh, you don't know?" The doctor asked. "I guess you don't since you're in a different department. You see, Dr. Izumi won't let one of her friends visit her in the hospital. But she said that if her daughter is obedient, he can visit her. Now, if you stop being obedient, you'll never be able to see your friend ever again, understand?

That bastard. I can't do anything. Not with these cameras. Not in the condition I'm in.

Not with the way things are right now.

"Y…yes."

"Good girl. Now go back to your bed. It's five in the morning after all."

His footsteps started to become quieter and quieter until silence filled the hallway.

Why…

Why me?

What did I do to deserve this?

I scanned the room once more and I noticed a pink and brown box placed next to the sink in my room. I crawled up to the counter, grabbed it and rested my back on the wall. On it was a heart-shaped sticky note.

"Dear Kuroko,

I am only doing this for your own good.

By the way, your soft diet ends today, so please enjoy this when lunch comes around. I packed your favorite.

-Mom."

Opening the box revealed three small tuna-filled rice balls, six perfectly cooked octopus-shaped sausages, a rolled egg omelet, seaweed salad, and two mini hamburger steak patties.

The same two hamburger steak patties Josuke and I would share.

"YOU BITCH!" I threw the box at the wall, causing all of its contents to splatter all over the wall and drop onto the floor. I slumped down in the corner of the room and curled into a ball as tears dripped down my cheeks.

I'm locked in this stupid room.

And all the stand users in Morioh are in danger.

And I can't do anything about it.

Because my stand is useless.

Because I am useless.

*************************************AUTHOR'S NOTE************************************

I would like to thank everyone across all platforms for reading this fanfiction. Every view and comment means a lot to me thus far. I'll see you in the next chapter :).