The waiting room, despite the cheerfully-colored walls and toys for children and a TV playing Disney, is a gloomy place. Though the windows are open, a sick air lingers, causing me to pull my shirt above my nose. People around me are crying or looking down, some watching their toddler. Others are staring off to the distance, or walking around the hospital.

One woman walks past me with her husband, and I could hear her whining that "he" is going to die. Her husband directs her to a seat, wiping her tears, "You can't believe that. Believe in him." I don't want them to see me staring, so I look away. And, I know those words were directed towards the woman with dark hair and the blue sweater, but I took them to heart as well. Believe in him.

I believe in you, Leo Valdez. For me, okay? Keep fighting for me.

I feel like I should have told him sooner, about my feelings for him, but he can't know. I love him...but no one is supposed to love me anymore. Because things like this happen.

PLEASE, LEO! I feel like shouting. I bend over and place my head in my arms. "Leo Valdez, don't you dare die on me. No freaking car crash should stop someone like you, not Leo Valdez." My voice breaks and I sob. I sob until my voice is too scratchy and salty to speak or to cry. Though I refuse to drink some water.

"Leo, if anyone should die, it's me." I wish you could hear me begging you.

"Leo Valdez?" I look up to see the nurse from his room approaching me.

"Yeah?" I reply, concerned.

She handed me a stack of papers, "Some you need to fill out, considering no parents or guardians are alive and known of, and some are updates on his conditions." she states.

I am so shocked. Leo's... alone? No parents, no guardians... I should've noticed when I was the only to see him. He doesn't deserve that...!

I look over the papers. I skipped to the ones on his conditions, shattering my own heart. Is that how heartbreak is supposed to work; you break your own heart yourself? How pathetic... I think once more.

I keep reading, wanting to stop but not wanting to at the same time. Broken... Sprained... SURGERY... Why did this happen to my Leo?

I put those papers down beside me, trying and failing at distancing myself from reality for a second. This isn't a dream. This isn't a nightmare. This is real.

I looked at the papers I needed to sign--definitely more of those then the others. I take the pen that was handed to me as well, and begin to fill it out. Half of it I couldn't answer, so I just wrote N/A. Once complete I handed them to the woman at the front desk.

"You don't look too good, love. Here's some tissue." she slid some tissue to me from the side of her computer. She wore a red dress, and hat short brown hair. She wore purple glasses at the edge of her nose, and had a black purse on her lap. Her nails were done, sharp and red, and you could tell she'd gotten her eyebrows done as well.

"Thank you." I murmured, probably too quite for her to hear.

I turned and walked back to my seat. I looked beside me at the pile of perfectly white and printed papers.

Suddenly the woman who gave them to me ran back to me, somewhat panting as I could tell she was out of shape.

"There's been a casualty." she explains.

I stand. "What?! What happened?" I demand.

"A few problems with his heartbeat. He's going to be put through surgery. Apparently something has been clogged, due to the injuries in his chest." Oh, no, no, no!

"Well, what- Is- Will he- Gah!" I shout in frustration. I'm too frantic to get a sentence out, too scattered. Stupid thoughts! I think.

"From what we know, we think he's going to be fine, but this delay has wavered our estimation. You'll have more news when we can provide." The nurse walked away quite quickly, assumingly to get back to my love.

I pace myself back and forth the distance of three chairs. The tissue I had forgotten that was balled up in my fists is now torn in pieces, no use. I wipe my face anyway, trying to cough back my sobs.

He'll be alright.

TIME SKIP

I had calmed myself once three hours later came. I was fine, just waiting. So far, I had gotten no new news. All I can do is hope.

"Hello!" a little girl, no older than four, seems to be standing right in front of me. I look up.

"Hello." I reply, giving a weak smile. She's wearing a ruffled skirt and a pink shirt with the word PRINCESS printed across.

"What's your name?" she asked. I looked around for a parent, but no one seemed to be watching the kid.

I sighed, "Nico."

"That's a pretty name! I'm Maybell. Mama told me it's her favorite name! She's somewhere in there," she pointed at a room down the hall near Leo's. "My brother Damon told me she is resting from a really bad cold. He said that she might go to sleep for a while. I don't know why he was crying when he said that, Mama told me sleeping renews energy!"

I listened to her, her innocent smile smearing across her face. Poor kid. I think. I nod, and smile for her.

"Is your mama a pretty lady? Strong?" I ask.

"Mama is very pretty!" she jumps and spreads her arms out. "And she's very strong! Like Daddy before he disappeared!"

The girl nearly broke my heart--she reminded me of...me. The old, childish, innocent me. The eight-year-old Nico di Angelo.

"Well, if she's pretty and strong, I think your mama is going to be just fine. You should tell your brother not to cry, because I'm sure your mama wouldn't want that." I smile.

She smiles widely, twirling on her feet, "Is your mama here?"

I stare at her. I feel like there's a rock in my throat. A tear slips down my face, and the little girl's smile drops a little.

I wear my smile again, "No. My mama went to sleep for a while." While talking my voice kept cracking.

"Oh." the little girl cooed.

I wipe my cheek, "But it's okay. My mama was happy. You should go back to whoever brought you here, okay?"

She nods, "Okay! Bye-bye, Mister!" she spins around and runs off to the other side of the waiting room.

My smile drooped into the saddest face I'd ever warn, and I couldn't help but to cry again. My face was most likely red, and I was probably as loud as a whale, but I just couldn't care.

All of this made sense, but none of it was just.

I took off my jacket, feeling hot in the room as more people entered.

"Oh gods, Leo, just be okay," I buried my face in my arms, squinting my eyes. "Be okay."

A/N
You know how in the last chapter I was splitting it in two, and this would be the second one? I lied, I'm splitting it in three.
I hope you cried! I'll be publishing the next chapter soon, and this time, Leo will be the one hurting the most.
As always, thanks for reading!!