𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 | 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐨 𝐱 𝐅𝐞𝐦!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 {𝚁𝙴𝚆𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙴}

𝟐𝟕 | 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦

[L/N] = Last Name
[F/F] = Favorite Food

I hummed quietly as I tilted my head to the left. A high-pitched beeping rang in my ears, causing me to stir in place. Opening my eyes a tad, I was met with a blinding light shining against me. I let out a hoarse groan, bringing my left arm lazily on top of my face. "Ow..." I managed to mumble through my parched throat, swallowing the bits of saliva that collected in my mouth.

Flopping my arm back to my side, I fluttered open my eyes steadily to a white, popcorn ceiling above me. My eyes widened as I flung myself upright, scanning my surroundings in a panic. The walls were a creamy-white, paired with a black-trimmed, modern window in front of me. The skies were tinted with an orange hue, just enough to light the room. Beside me was a monitor flashing a red light and other bits I couldn't figure out, in addition to a blood bag hanging from it.

"W-What...?" A swoosh of fabric sounded beside me, followed by a soft grunt. I turned hastily to the sound, spotting a middle-aged man in a white lab coat. Standing a couple inches shorter than Cherry, the caramel-skinned man gazed down to me deadpan. Holding the curtain up with his latex-covered hand. "Miss [L/N], I see you're awake now." He stated, losing his hold on the curtain as he moved towards me.

"Get away from me!" I cried out, pushing myself back away from the unknown male. Wincing in pain inflicted on my wrists. My breathing became sharper as he continued approaching me, ignoring my cries. His tired, jade green eyes darted between me and the alarm system above the monitor. I eyed the male as he went to the end of the bed, reaching down for something.

"Relax." He commented with a sigh, grabbing a clipboard attached to the bed and bringing up to his chest. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he examined the contents on the wooden surface. "You're in the hospital." "The hospital? I can't be!" I objected through cracks, tears staining my cheeks as I gripped tightly onto the fabric that clothed me. "Where are my friends? My love? Where are they?!"

"Miss, you have to calm down." The man replied, putting emphasis on "have". He glanced back to me over the clipboard, eyebrows knitted as he went back to reading something on the surface. "What? No! You're hurting me!" I looked down to my right wrist, wrapped in bandages and a small tube attached to my hand. I quickly reached down to it with my left hand, pulling at the tube. I let out a hitched breath as I fought through the pain, only to stop when a hand forced itself on top of mine.

"Miss [L/N], please!" The doctor said firmly, struggling to pull my hand away from the tube. "Let go of me!" I screamed, jerking my hand away from him. "I told you to get away!" Amidst my screams, a pair of footsteps entered the room. The side curtain being pushed aside out of the corner of my eye. "Mallow?"

The familiar voice sent shockwaves through my body, causing me to glance to my right. "Ke..." I gasped softly, easing up from the sight of Keith and Cherry standing behind the curtain. Their gazes filled with mixed emotions. They were here... or were they? What if this was some cruel trick being played on me from those punks? Was I hallucinating all of this?

Keith took a deep breath before approaching my side steadily, moving past the doctor and taking a seat on my bedside. "It's ok, you're safe." He assured with a gentle smile, placing his hand gently on top of mine. I sat speechless, sniffling sporadically as I stared at my best friend in shock. Ignoring the conversation that was happening between Cherry and the doctor.

Gazing down somberly to our hands sometime after, I took a better look at the bandages wrapped around my wrists. They seemed to have been placed on multiple times, as I noticed small splotches of dried blood hidden beneath layers of wrappings. "Hey, you good?" Keith asked, rubbing the side of my finger with his thumb steadily. "I just..." I looked up to the cyanette, locking eyes with his. "I don't remember how I got here. I only remember us meeting up at the café..."

"It's normal for someone who's been in a coma to experience memory loss." The doctor explained, attaching the clipboard back to the end of the bed. "They should come back in time, but I wouldn't expect much right now. For now, get some rest. We'll see how you're feeling later and go from there." With that, the doctor left the room. Leaving the three of us alone.

"I was... in a coma?" I thought, looking up to the auburn approaching us. "H... How long was I out for?" "Hey sweetie." Cherry greeted with a sincere smile, placing a hand on Keith's shoulder. "We're glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?" "I don't know..." I looked to the couple with uncertainty. "What happened? Where's Pico?"

Keith and Cherry's expressions changed at the mention of our friend. "A lot." She eventually said, faintly gripping onto Keith's shoulder. Shifting her gaze to the floor. "I don't know if now's the best time to tell you everything." "It's ok, I can handle it." I insisted, forcing a small smile. "Please, tell me if he's ok. I need to know."

"...He's alive." Cherry begun, choosing her words attentively as she looked back to me. "But I feel it's not our place to tell you much else." I turned my gaze to the window, replaying Cherry's words in my head. "So he's alive..." I sighed in relief, creeping a small smile. "But what's so wrong that they can't tell me themselves?"

"The doctor said that if everything looks good, then you can leave by the end of the day." She explained, making her towards the counters near the window. "Do you want anything to eat in the meantime?" Cherry asked immediately after, peeking over her shoulder. "[F/F]..." I muttered loudly in awe, gazing to the auburn with star-eyes.

Cherry giggled, placing her purse down on the countertops and pulling her wallet out. "I'll take that as a yes. We'll go and get some food from the cafeteria." Keith nodded in agreement, jumping from his seat and stretching. "I'll get ahold of your mom and let her know you're up." He added, making his way to his girlfriend. "That'll be great, thanks guys." I smiled warmly to him. "'Course! We'll see you in a few!"