Infatuation (Nalu)

Chapter 14

Natsu's eyes fluttered open, and he was met with his bedroom ceiling.

He looked around, confused. 'When did I come to bed?' he questioned.

His memories of what happened came flooding back. He jumped up and sprinted out of his room.

"Oh, you're finally awake," a voice said as he ran out of his room.

He paused and turned around to find Mavis with August in her arms.

"Where is everyone? Where's Lucy? Is she okay?" Natsu needed to see her. He had to.

"Everyone's at the hospital, and she's stable," Mavis answered.

Natsu rushed out of the house after searching for his car keys.

He sped out of the driveway and rushed to the hospital, not noticing he was still in his pajamas.

He parked his car, not caring how awful his parking was, and ran into the building.

"Where is Lucy Heartfilia?!" He asked in a panic.

The nurse looked startled. She opened her mouth to answer him when she was interrupted.

"Natsu?"

The boy looked to the side and saw Erza with a cup of coffee in her hands.

"It's good to see you awake," she said, walking over to him.

"Where's Lucy?" He asked.

"Come with me."

Natsu followed behind the redhead; his heart ached to see his beloved. Erza glanced back at him; she saw the panic and urgency in his eyes. She knew he needed to make sure Lucy was okay; that's why she was afraid. She was scared of how he might react to seeing Lucy in the state she was in.

They walked along a corridor in silence until they stopped at the door. Erza opened it and stepped inside.

Almost everyone was there. It was a big room, so it wasn't packed considering the number of people inside. Levy and Juvia were curled up together on a single seat. Gajeel, Gray and Jellal sat on a couch. Zeref sat on another single seat beside the girls. Grandeeny and Layla sat on either side of Lucy's bed.

When they entered, nobody had been talking much. They all looked tired and worn out, Layla especially. The room grew silent as they all looked at Natsu.

Grandeeny got up and rushed to her son, crushing him in a hug and telling him how glad she was that he was okay. Natsu didn't respond as his eyes landed on the girl in bed.

Lucy was covered in bandages; the only place that seemed unscathed was her face. She looked pale and yet so peaceful with her eyes closed. She looked like she was just sleeping.

Natsu's heart clenched in his chest. He felt as if his whole world had stopped. He stood frozen, staring at her. He hadn't even noticed when his mother let him go, nor did he notice when everyone except Layla left the room.

He slowly walked to the side of the bed and sat down, his eyes never leaving Lucy.

"Can I touch her?" He asked quietly.

Layla nodded. "Just be gentle with her; she was badly injured," she responded.

Natsu slowly placed Lucy's hand in his.

"She hasn't woken up yet. The doctors are unsure when she will recover due to how grave her injuries are"

Natsu felt a whole lot worse after hearing that. 'I should've been there sooner,' he blamed himself.