Removing the Mask (Book Two)

Chapter 15

(Adrien's POV)
"Madame Cheng and Monsieur Dupain?"

A doctor steps into the room, making us break the group hug.

"You can come see your daughter, she's awake"

A smile appears on all of our faces as Marinette's parents follow the doctor to her room. I place my hand over my beating heart, inhaling and exhaling slowly while my lips formed a relieved smile. She's alive.

Alya started crying tears of joy while Nino hugged her.

"I'm so glad she's alive!" Marinette's best friend exclaims, "I was worried sick!"

"I knew she would make it," Nino says, "She's a tough dudette"

After a couple minutes, the doctor comes back out.

"Alya, Nino, and Adrien? Marinette wants to see you guys"

We follow the doctor down the hall until we reach Marinette's room. The doctor opens the door and all three of us step in to see Marinette sitting up on the hospital bed. Her face lights up the second she sees us.

Alya runs up to Marinette and gives her a light hug.

She ran a hand through Marinette's hair, "You really had us worried back there"

Nino went around to the other side of the bed to join the hug. I stood at the end of the bed, smiling.

Just then, the door opens and Alya and Nino break the hug.

A nurse steps into the room, "Marinette, you have another visitor"

The nurse steps aside, letting Chloé and Mayor Bourgeois step inside.

"Chloé?" Alya, Nino, and Marinette say at the same time.

Chloé crossed her arms and looked away, "Actually, I only came to get my jacket back"

Mayor Bourgeois puts his hands on his daughter's shoulders, "Come on, Chloé. You told me you wanted to check up on your friend"

Chloé pouts, not looking at Marinette, "She's not my friend, Daddy!"

Mayor Bourgeois sighed, "Well, it's good to see that you're alright. My greatest apologies," he says to Marinette.

Chloé finally looked at Marinette, then to a doctor, "Can I just have my jacket back?"

The doctor nodded and grabbed Chloé's bloodstained jacket out of a cabinet, handing it to her.

Chloé takes it without a word and turns around, "Let's go home. I need to wash this"

"I wish you a quick recovery," Mayor Bourgeois says to Marinette before following his daughter out the door.

Everyone in the room except me had confusion written on their face as soon as the door closed.

"Why was Chloé here?" Nino asks.

"And her jacket?" Alya adds.

"I thought she hated me," Marinette mumbles.

"Well, long story short: her dad was the one who hit you and he drove you to the hospital," I explain, "And Chloé used her jacket to stop your blood flow"

Everyone in the room was surprised.

"Looks like Chloé does have a heart deep down," Marinette says.

"That's not all they did," A doctor adds, "They even paid for your medical bills"

All of our mouths dropped open.

"What?!" Monsieur Dupain exclaims, "How much was it?"

"They asked us not to tell you the price," the doctor says calmly, "But your daughter is quite lucky. She didn't lose a life-threatening amount of blood. She is suffering a couple of injuries, but she passed out due to shock during the incident"

"Quite a miracle, isn't it?" Marinette says quietly.

"It's quite... Miraculous," I say softly.

Marinette giggles quietly and shakes her head. I couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Everyone else in the room looked confused as to why we found that funny.

I looked at Marinette's wrist, noticing the lucky charm I gave her for her birthday. Looks like it really is lucky, just like the one she gave me.