The first part of the disney princess series! I'm not sure how many of these there are going to be, but this one's loosely based off of sleeping beauty, in case you can't tell. Hope you enjoy!

Will's POV

I stared around in awe at the sterile white walls of the hospital, every surface glistening clean. Kayla, my mentor lead me around the halls, pointing out the details. "You'll be working in the section where we keep the coma patients," Kayla said, leading me into a silent hallway, doors lining either side of the hall. The other wings were bustling with people, visitors pouring in and out of the rooms of their loved ones, but this hallway was like a ghost town. Kayla must have seen me staring around in shock because she was wearing a sad smile. 

"Most people in this ward have been in a coma for six months or more," she sighed. "They get visitors at the beginning of their stay here but after a while, they just... stop." We were both silent for a few seconds. "Each patient has their own way that they need to be taken care of," Kayla said, opening the first door. There was an old woman inside, thin and pale with long, matted white hair falling off of the tiny bed. "This is Jane," Kayla said. "She had a stroke six months ago, and she's been in a coma ever since. We're trying to bring her out of it, but we have no idea how." 

She led me through the other rooms, introducing me to Kate, Josh, Lucy, Stan, Tidus and Sarah. They were all in comas for their own reasons, all of them at least over fifty. She reached the last door, the one at the very end of the hallway on the right and took a breath, steeling herself. "Is something wrong?" I wondered, taking in the mournful expression taking over her face. 

"No," she sighed, shaking her head, light green hair swishing around her ears. "It's just that Nico was only eighteen. He was about to go off to college when we were forced to put him into a coma." 

"What happened?" I asked as Kayla swung open the door. 

"Brain tumor," she responded. "He might have died if we didn't put him in a coma."(A/n: I did like half an hour of research on this. I know my stuff. I think.) 

"Can you bring him out of it?"

"We're under strict orders from his father not to take any risks with his life," Kayla responded. "He could die if we did but being in a coma for four years, missing out on everything- that's a fate worse than death, in my opinion. Anyway, there he is." She gestured toward the middle of the room, where the beds were usually placed. I had been so busy talking to Kayla I had nearly forgotten to look. I cast my gaze on the boy in the bed, my heart nearly stopping when I saw him. 

His raven black hair, spread out on his pillow like a halo, was a stark contrast to his pale features. Like the other patients he wore a plain hospital gown, covered up in the scratchy hospital sheets. An IV was embedded in his left arm, dripping a clear substance into his blood that must have kept his body functioning while he was asleep. His thin chest rose and fell in a soothing rhythm. His face seemed untroubled and peaceful, his lips parted slightly to allow tiny puffs of air out of his mouth. 

"How did you do it?" I wondered, tilting my head to get another look at Nico. "Put him in the coma." 

"It's a drug," Kayla answered, glancing down at her clipboard, scribbling down a note. "We give it to him through the IV. Why do you want to know?" 

"No reason." My response was hasty, a little bit too hasty. "I just didn't know how medically induced comas worked. Is there anything else you need to show me?" 

"Just a few more things, and then you're good to go!" Kayla beamed. "Come on, I want to show you the staff room. When it's a slow day, sometimes we throw parties. Our ambulance driver picks up pizzas." 

I was given a full tour of the hospital, including a few rooms that even Kayla wasn't supposed to know about, but my mind was elsewhere. I thought of the IV stuck in Nico's arm, dripping a drug into him that would keep him asleep forever. He was my age; I had seen his chart. He was about to go off to college when they put him into the coma, forcing him to miss out on all the amazing experiences I had in college. His youth had been stripped away, all because he had the unfortunate luck to get a brain tumor when he was eighteen. His tranquil face was in every corner of my mind, his rhythmic breathing filling my head. I thought about what Kayla had said, about how we were under strict orders not to bring him out of his coma but then I thought about the other thing she had said, that Nico had suffered a fate worse than death. By the tour ended, I had one thought in my mind, leaving no space for anything else; I had to help Nico, even if it cost me my job. 

That night in bed, I was body slammed by reality. If I messed up and Nico's body wasn't ready to come out of the coma, he could die. There wouldn't be a do- over, there wouldn't be a reset button. A boy my age would be dead, and it would be all my fault. 

I grabbed my computer, dragging it up onto my small twin bed. Nico Di Angelo, Long Island, twenty two, I typed in, recalling his last name from his clipboard. A host of articles popped up and I clicked on the first one, bringing myself to a small article from a local newspaper. I barely knew a thing about Nico Di Angelo but maybe the internet had some information to give. 

Nico Di Angelo, eighteen, is about to go into a medically induced coma in hopes of curing his brain tumor, the article read. Di Angelo tells us that this is a last resort for him. "I want to go to college and be a normal kid," he says. "But if this is the only option I guess I have to take it. I hope to wake up within a year, though, so I can still have experiences everyone else has." Later we spoke with Di Angelo's father. "For Nico, this is his best option," Di Angelo Sr. says. "If this is what it takes to heal him I'm willing to lose my son  for a few years, just as long as he eventually comes back to me." 

I slammed my laptop shut, feeling sick. Nico hadn't even wanted to be put into a coma. It hadn't been his first choice, his father making the difficult decision that would undoubtably impact the rest of his life, if he even woke up. Nico had wanted to wake up within the year but four years later he was still asleep, missing out on some of the best moments of his life. My decision was made. I was going to help him. 

I finished my rounds, saving Nico's room for last. I darted inside, quickly shutting the door behind me. The room was silent, the only sound from Nico's monitor, beeping out his heartbeat in a slow but steady pattern. I drew closer, observing the IV sticking out of Nico's arm. The skin around it was slightly bruised but that seemed to be the worst of Nico's external problems. Despite being thin and pale, he seemed to be in perfect health, besides the obvious problem of his tumor. I braced myself, gripping my fingers around the IV. Was I really going to do this? If it went wrong, I could be responsible for Nico's death. 

Without even thinking I pulled, the IV sliding out of his arm smoothly, leaving nothing more than a bruise and what deeply resembled a mosquito bite. For a second everything seemed exactly as it had been just a moment before and I held my breath, my heart trying desperately t escape the confines of my body as I waited for something to happen. I shuffled my feet around, nearly knocking the monitor over. Clearly, I was clumsy when I was nervous. 

After a split second of waiting the heartbeat stopped, replaced with a shrill continuous noise. I cursed, leaping over to Nico. He wasn't breathing, his body limp. "Nico?" I gasped, grabbing his arm. "Nico, come on, answer me!" I pleaded. Nico's shoulders started to shake and I wondered for a brief moment if this was the beginning of the zombie apocalypse before Nico cracked open his eyes, beginning to laugh. 

"You're alive?" I asked, dropping his arm. "But you died! The heart monitor-" Nico was cracking up, his face splitting into a huge smile. 

"You unplugged it when you were doing your nervous dance," he chuckled. "I decided to play a little trick on you. After all, it's been, like, a year since I've gotten to pull a good, old fashioned prank." He must have seen My serious expression because he stopped laughing, the smile dropping from his face. "What?" 

"Nico, it's been four years." His face was expressionless for a good minute before my words registered, and he slammed his fist against the side of his bed. 

"So, I'm guessing my dad didn't let you wake me up after a year?" he sighed, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Sorry," I muttered. 

"How much have I missed?" 

"Well," I began. "Things are pretty crazy right now. It might take some time to get used to." 

"I guess you'll just have to get me caught up on things," Nico smirked. "After all, you just saved me from a coma that could have lasted ten more years. You're like my knight in shining armor." 

"Knight in shining armor," I grinned. "I like the sound of that. Can you stand?" Cautiously Nico slid his legs off of the side of the bed, wobbling but eventually steadying himself. 

"I'm good enough," he responded. He wrapped his arm around my waist, his head coming in at the top of my leg. 

"Well come on, Nico. It's time you met 2017." 

Hi guys! So I'm not exactly sure how medically accurate that is but I did do research, so I did try. It's been about a year since I first published this book so I just want to thank all of you for reading it<3. I probably wouldn't have kept writing it if it wasn't for all of you. Also, I want to keep doing these disney princess themed one shots, so comment which princess you want me to do next!

Nina