The awkward outcome |A Paradise City Fanfic|

Pt 3

Phones were ringing nonstop that night but no one was around to pick them up. Gretchen heard the news on the radio while driving home and acted dumb after pulling up to their driveway. That was the first time Gretchen and Nala met one on one and this experience would leave a permanent mark on them. The band were the first to know and stopped recording to get answers about Nala's current state. Since she was in the E.R., all they could do was wait in the lobby and wondered how this accident happened.

Gretchen didn't want Johnny to leave as she feared what Nala would say and Gretchen did everything she could to do to prevent him from leaving. However, Johnny knew something was wrong but didn't question her. He was out of the house by the time she tried blocking the door and he drove off as thoughts raced inside him.

Was she going to make it?

Simon cried while his band comforted him in the lobby and couldn't imagine his life without her. They were filming music videos, exploring the city, and getting sponsors not too long ago but kept strong for her. Johnny was an ugly mess in the parking lot. He swiped through his phone at the memories they've made throughout the years and hated himself for not being there for her lowest moments. Clearing his face from tears, he met up with his band at the lobby and they all wondered how they'll move on.

"Simon?" Johnny asked after noticing the young man and his band near the hospital's cafeteria. How did he know his name? Johnny didn't know either but remembered hearing about a new underground band forming weeks ago, and recognized Simon as the singer.

"Hey, Johnny. You got the same news, too?" the two gentlemen gave each other their condolences and both bands became one big family.

Even though they were enemies in the music industry, they put aside their differences and comforted each other in their times of need. They were aware that Nala helped promote other bands so it wasn't a shocker for both bands to be at the same place.

It was calm in the lobby until Lily spoke up. Someone was missing. "Where's Elias?" The room got more silent.

Elias was the first to get the call and to be honest, he was in a worse mental state than everyone else combined. Elias didn't admit it but deep down, he'd always saw and treated Nala as his kid. The closest thing to a kid he'd ever have would be her and they've seen it all throughout the years. He was tough on her because he loved her as the child he always wanted and wanted to see her grow. Seeing her success gave him joy and imagined all the things she would achieve in the future.

Elias was in the prayer room since he arrived and while he was praying, Johnny slowly entered the room to not disturb him. Elias knew where he sat and finished his prayer as he stood up. They hugged each other for the first time and cried in each other's arms while asking each other how this could have happened.

Hours went by and still no nurse or doctor came to give them any update on Nala's surgery or her current state. Since they were taking up most of the lounge' chairs, Johnny, Simon, and Elias stayed but would inform their friends about the situation once they knew. Between the three of them, Johnny was the worse of them all and he muttered the same thing underneath his breath.

"Please don't go, Nala, I love you,".

"Family of Nala Hall?" The three of them quickly stood up at the moment they saw a nurse and they hugged each other after getting the best news.

The nurse informed them that Nala's surgery was a success but only one person could see her due to her small room she was in. Both Elias and Simon assured Johnny they'd be fine with having him see her first. Both gentlemen had heavy bags underneath their eyes that they could be mistaken as zombies from The Walking Dead, but planned to see Nala the following day.

Johnny almost fell to his knees at the sight of Nala. IVs needles were attached to her wrists, several monitors beeped with the sound of her heart monitor showing her heart status, and casts covered several parts of her body. Not wanting to hurt her injured hand, he held onto her free hand with interlocking their hands carefully. He didn't know if she would wake up that day, tomorrow, or never but what he did know was that he wasn't going to leave her side.

Johnny passed out on the sofa next to Nala's bed after sitting next to her for the past three hours. Gretchen tried calling him, sending him countless voicemails, and spammed his phone with messages but his phone just vibrates on the table. Throwing her phone at the floor, she tried distracting herself by going to clubs with her friends and pretended to forget about Nala's situation.

The next few weeks were the same; visit Nala, bring her flowers and gifts from the hospital's gift shop, and try having conversations with her in the hopes of it waking her up. Doctors believed she would wake up soon based on her current results and hearing this made their days better.

Johnny's the most.

Both bands would give updates on their websites and social media so that their fans were aware of Nala's situation. Millions of fans gave their condolences to the bands as well as spreading the news so that they were aware. The band decided to pause their album recording to take care of Nala as she was more important than a twelve song album, and fans understood their situation.

Elias took care of Faith throughout the past couple of days as he didn't want to put more pressure on Nala. He enjoyed the days he spent with Faith since he just handed her to Nala all those months ago, and he felt bad for how he treated Nala. He didn't want her to think that he only saw her as an underpaid staff member, and began doing changes to improve her life. He bought her a new car so that she could get to the studio earlier and didn't have to sprint around town anymore. He would deposit $100,000 each week so she wouldn't need to worry about her hospital bills, and he paid all her bills while housesitting.

Johnny placed another vase of flowers near the window after bringing more light into her room to make it feel more alive. Her room was filled with many vases and bouquets of flowers, stuffed animals of every size and kind, and the colorful balloons. With his back facing her, he didn't see Nala starting to open her eyes and he remained frozen at the sight of seeing her eyes again. He thought he was dreaming it but after pinching himself roughly, he knew it wasn't a dream and couldn't help himself but kneel down to her height.

All the things he wished to say to her but could only manage to say one thing.

"Nala, I love you".