Adrien takes a bite out of the apple in his hand, leisurely strolling through the quiet hospital. He needed to clear his head a little, and walking seems to help with that.
A buzzing comes from his pocket, and he pulls out his phone to check it.
He answers the call and hears Marinette's voice, "Hey, sorry, I know you're probably already on your way back, but I'm suddenly really hungry. Would you mind grabbing a snack for me real quick?"
Adrien chuckles into his phone, "Yeah, I can get you something. Anything in mind?"
"I have no idea. How about I keep you on the line, and you can tell me my choices when you get there?"
"Sounds good." He turns back around in the direction of the cafeteria, "Aren't they supposed to bring you lunch?"
"I dunno, but if so, they're taking too long," Marinette's stomach grumbles again, "My stomach is crying for food."
"Gosh, have they been starving you?" He stops too late, remembering what the nurses had said: she didn't eat nearly the entire time she was held captive.
The girl's mind momentarily flashes back to the dungeon.
Adrien stutters over the phone, "Shoot, I'm sorry, Marinette. That's probably a sore subject, I'll just-"
She interrupts him, pushing away the fresh memory, "It's okay, you didn't mean to." She forces her voice to sound care free, "Focus on the mission, silly."
So much like Ladybug; thinking of others before herself. A wave of gratefulness goes over Adrien for his Lady's understanding, even when she's in the worst of situations.
"Okay, so are you craving something salty, sweet, savory...?" He asks.
"Is there an all of the above option?" Marinette chuckles.
"I wouldn't doubt it. I'm almost there, so I'll check. I'm gonna put you on speakerphone." A beep sound comes from over the phone and suddenly Marinette's ear is full of noise from machines ringing and people talking on Adrien's end. She moves her cell away from her face and switches it to speaker too.
Adrien lists off the different dishes the cafeteria offers, and Marinette finally decides on a plate of roast beef and potatoes with some gelatin for dessert. The boy balances it all on a tray in one hand and puts his phone back up to his ear, "The package is on its way."
"You are the best!" She squeals, her mouth already watering from the thought of food.
"I know," He smirks to himself, "I'll be up in around 10 minutes."
Adrien goes to hang up the phone, but Marinette stops him,
"Wait, would you mind staying on the line? I just... I kind of like hearing your voice."
"You're lucky I have unlimited data, then, Your Highness." The girl can practically hear him raising his eyebrow in amusement.
"Good. So what I wa-" She stops short, seeing a figure on the other side of the clear wall, "Adrien, why's your dad here?"
"My dad?" He asks, surprised.
"Yeah, he's- Wait, he's coming in here, one second."
Adrien can hear Marinette talking over the other end, only hearing mutters of his father's voice. Bracing the tray in his hand, he starts walking a little faster.
"Mr. Agreste, what brings you here?" Marinette asks in the nicest voice she can.
"Well, I thought it was awful what happened, and my son seems to be rather fond of you, so I decided to pay a visit."
"That's very kind! I appreciate you checking in... Adrien is around here somewhere."
"Oh, I'm not here for Adrien." Gabriel comes closer to the bed, closing the curtain that surrounds it, "Just you."
Marinette's palms start to get sweaty, "O-oh? What for? I mean, I've been doing okay."
"Good, good." He eyes the Miraculous that's in her ears again.
"W-was that all?" Something in his body language and tone of voice makes her uncomfortable. Her hand unconsciously goes to the nurse call button.
"I was just thinking how it would have been such a pity to lose a fabulous up and coming designer such as yourself." He suddenly grabs her hand that was reaching for the call button, squeezing it in a way that would suggest he's trying to be comforting, but his grip is much too firm. Gabriel tilts his chin up, acting like he's holding back tears.
Marinette catches a glimpse of a dark purple bruise around his neck, and her heart skips a beat, "Yes, I suppose it would've." She tries to keep her voice even, "Mr. Agreste, if you don't mind me asking, where did you get a bruise like that?" She points to his neck with her free hand.
He clears his throat, and whispers, "You're much too observant, aren't you?" Gabriel takes the remote with the call button and breaks it from its wire, "I'll make this quick if you cooperate. But, unfortunately, making it out with your life isn't going to be possible this time."
"You're Hawk Moth." Marinette says it slowly and clearly so Adrien can hear it over the phone.
He hears every word, and his face goes white as a sheet. Adrien drops the tray on the floor and sprints in the direction of her room.
"What gave it away?" Gabriel chuckles darkly, "That pest, Chat Noir, may have put a damper on my plan, but you didn't think I would just let you go, did you?"
Marinette's eyes begin to sting with tears, and the monitor tracks her rapidly beating heart. She wants to run, she wants to fight, but she won't make it far in the condition she's in,
"If you think I'll give up, you're wrong."
He ignores her defiance and rips the covers off of her, burying the sleeping Tikki underneath a pile of sheets. Marinette cowers away from him, the only thing between her and his fists a thin hospital gown.
"You've already lost," He says quietly, "Give me your Miraculous."
The girl covers her earrings with her hands, "Get out, before I call the police."
His eyes move to the phone by her side, "It'll be too late when they finally get here." Gabriel quickly grabs Marinette's wrists, but she struggles against his grip, kicking her feet and yelling. He let's go of one of her wrists and grabs for her right side, squeezing and pressing into her wound as hard as he can, breaking her stitches. A red stain spreads on her hospital gown, and she howls in pain. Gabriel tries to reach for her earrings, but she shakes her head over and over, keeping his hands away from her.
Instead, he wraps his hands around her throat, slowly squeezing the breath out of her. She hits his arms and face, but he doesn't budge. Her vision starts to get blurry as her lungs burn for oxygen.
"MARINETTE!" Adrien runs down the hall her room is on, his voice echoing on her phone, "Is somebody visiting in room 410?" He asks a front desk nurse in a hurry. The nurse nods confusedly, noticing his demeanor, and calls staff to hurry to the room.
Adrien continues running down the hall.
400, 402, 404, 406... Almost there.
He bursts through the door of room 410 to the sight of Marinette passed out in bed, the covers ripped off of her, and her chest barely moving up and down. No one else is in the room. He goes to her side, holding her hand, "Marinette, wake up!"
Doctors and nurses run in, realizing the situation, and set to work keeping the girl alive. They make Adrien leave the room, and he can only watch helplessly as they perform CPR on her. Her life seemingly hanging by a thread. The beeping monitor tracking her heart gets more and more irregular, making it sound like it will leap out of her chest.
Adrien presses his hand against the glass window to her room.
One of the nurses pulls out a defibrillator and charges it, "Clear!"
~ ~ ~
Author's note:
Y'all spoil me too much!! Thanks so much for 300 views. If you guys can get this chapter to 25 votes, there might be a surprise in store for my readers. 😉