𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐹𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝓁𝒹𝓈 𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝒰𝓈 *Slow Updates*

Chapter Twenty Five

sorry about the delay on this chapter! I hope this will hold you down until 26. word count: 1292
^i ship these two ♡

As they rotated in their shifts of taking care of an unconscious Luka Couffaine, the hospital staff cast not-so discreet pity glances at Anarka Couffaine and Juleka Couffaine. The two women on either side of the bed, the mother asleep half on her chair, half on Luka's bed, or at least she had been. Anarka had woken up not too long ago to venture to the hospital cafeteria for some coffee and some aspirin. Juleka had propped her body onto the arms of her chair, her jacket cushioning the uncomfortable wooden chair arm at the middle of her spine.

It had been quite the night for the family.

Luka was still unconscious. No signs of any waking at all. 

Since Luka had been admitted in last night, not once had his sister or mother attempted to leave him. The rest of the night and parts of the morning, Juleka's phone dinged and dinged.

The consistent chimes caused a twitching reaction from the stirring boy tucked under the thin hospital blanket. At first, Luka inhaled through his nose, squeezing his lids for a second and then forcing them to open. 

His mind had a flurry of thoughts, flickering his eyes around the dimmed hospital room, wondering he was and how he got there before he looked at Juleka tiredly. He hadn't thought he made any sound at all, moving his head and neck felt like he had this fierce cramp. Maybe he made a small groan of pain, and he happened to not hear it, or even feel the vibrations that usually happen when one uses their voice.

Luka never would reprimand his sister for her phone going off so much, but he had this headache that could've split his skull in half if he heard another ding.

"Hey, " His voice was hoarse and very scratchy.

Juleka nearly jumped from her skin and chair, being greeted so suddenly. Her amber eyes shot open, focusing on her brother in disbelief.

"Tell your girlfriend I said hi." 

"Luka!" Juleka catapulted from her uncomfortable position in the chair and lunged herself at Luka, forgetting he was hurt. She had tears burning through her tear ducts as she embraced him.

The blue-haired boy yelped out, sucking in a deep breath as the pain swarmed him when Juleka touched him. His ribs scream out, and it's very clear to him that he's very much in pain. Especially when that pain amplifies to every limb and muscle, even to places he thought weren't capable of having this excruciation. If Juleka hadn't been touching him, he would've thought he was dying a thousand deaths in a thousand ways.

"Oh!" Juleka released him immediately, contorting guiltily. "Sorry, sorry! Are you okay? How are you feeling? Are you in pain? Do you need anything? Should I get a nurse?"

"I'm fine, " Luka grimaced, going to adjust himself into a sitting position. 

"You don't look fine."

"Then look away."

"Luka!" Juleka frowned, settling back into the chair, but scooting it closer to the bed. 

"Where's mom?" Luka grunted, clutching his torso as he finally managed to sit up properly as he also looked around the room again.

"She went to get some coffee, " Julek said. "And to get updates about your...condition."

"Oh, " Luka murmured, thumbing over his aching ribs. 

"Aren't you going to ask where you're at? And what happened?" Juleka's cat peeked from her crown, finding it grossly odd he hadn't once asked.

"I'm at the hospital. I know I'm at the hospital. Those fricking assholes hit me so hard, I thought I traveled into the future and then back."

"You know who did this to you?" Juleka's eyes widened, baffled.

"Yeah, I know who did this."

"Who?" His sister demanded.

"Telling you won't make it any easier."

"Easier?" Juleka guffawed. "Was I thinking it would be easy when we got the call telling us you were hospitalized? You've gotta be out of your mind, Luka! Mom and I...we both thought you were going to die, okay! I'm sorry if I'm trying to make this 'easy' for the both of us!" 

Luka went to argue back, but he knew she was right. Instead of saying anything more, he reached out for his little sister, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into a hug. Or at least he tried to without grimacing in pain.

"I'm sorry, Jules, " He murmured. "I'm sorry I scared you and mom."

"Well, I sure hope you are, " Anarka's voice huffed from behind the siblings. She had her arms crossed over her chest while seeming to desperately tried not to weep.

"Mom."

"Oh, I can't be angry with you, " Anarka hurried to her son and daughter, giving them the hug of their lives. "I never could be."

"Okay...okay, " Luka breathed out, peeling himself out of the hug and lay back down, unable to handle his pain any longer. "I'm pooped."

"I can page a doctor--"

"Could you get some pills for me, Mom? You know how much I hate needles." Luka asked with a small smile.

Anarka wanted to resist the request Luka gave her, but how could she? Here he lays, bruised and still terribly battered. Her heart squeezed with anger and grief. How could anyone hurt him? He hadn't hurt anyone, as far as she was concerned. All she knew, feeling obliged to wonder if, was that someone had it out for her son.

"Okay, sweetie, " She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I'll be back." 

The siblings watch their mother exit the room in silence.

"Do I have to ask twice?" Juleka eyed her brother down.

"If I tell you, you have to do something in return for me, can you do that?"

Juleka nodded. "What is it?"

"I want you to go to Marinette. Don't try to call her, her phone's been stolen. Tell her what happened. And then I want you to punch Lila's face. Right in the nose, if you break it, then I'll give like fifty bucks out of my savings."

"Lila?" Juleka blinked. "Wait, Lila did this to you?"

"You're not surprised," Luka said.

"I'm not...you gonna tell me what happened?"

"She called me through Mari's phone, saying she needed help and that she was in the park. When I got there, she ambushed me with these huge dudes. When I say huge, they were like half the size of a skyscraper huge."

"That bitch!" Juleka seethed, curling her hands into fists. 

"I don't want you losing your cool about this, okay?" Luka said firmly. "I don't want you getting hurt too."

"You probably should have said that first, " Juleka frowned, narrowing her amber eyes at no one in particular. The fury bubbling in her chest was hot, seering even. It was to the point fo feeling like indigestion. "I'm not going to promise anything."

Why was it when Lila was around, someone got hurt? And it wasn't looking like a coincidence now. Maybe Juleka preferred Chloe. The blonde was spiteful, and she sure, she said hurtful things and whined when she didn't get her way, but Juleka never saw her hurting someone to point of hospitalization. Okay, maybe she could see that, but honestly? Right now, Chloe seemed nothing more than a saint. She didn't want to believe it at first, as her mother always taught her to keep an open mind to people's actions.

Lila lies. She manipulates. It's one of the reasons Marc transferred out of school in the first place. It's why Marinette was nearly expelled. And out of all the people, Lila could've gone after, she chose Luka for her envious vanity revenge. Juleka wished she had anything but anger right now.

She was past the point of anger.

Lila's going to wish she never returned to Paris.