Countdown to the End (Gale) {Fairy Tail FF}

11 Days

(This one is kinda short, but I think it'll make up for that last one I posted. XD)

I hadn't slept at all. The night had passed by in a blur of worry and fear, but I still hadn't heard anything about Levy. It was when a nurse attempted to hand me a coffee and I threw it across the waiting room that I realized I wasn't helping Levy by being an asshole.

"Sorry," I muttered to the shocked nurse, taking tissues and wiping up the mess.

"It's alright," he told me, smiling gently as he touched my shoulder and crouched down to help me. "I can't imagine how worried you must be. I know if my girlfriend were in here I'd be a wreck, too."

I didn't even have the energy to correct him as I continued wiping aimlessly at the steaming liquid soaking the tiled floor. It felt so much like Levy's blood had as it had soaked my hands the night before that I had to swallow hard against bile that rose in my throat.

"Go sit down," the nurse instructed, "I'll clean this up."

"Thanks," I nodded returning to my seat. I put my head in my hands, realizing that I was shaking. Damn it. I should have been paying more attention! If I had, I could have stopped him, and Levy wouldn't be in here.

"Mr. Redfox?" I jumped up when someone said my name, going immediately to the man in a doctor's coat.

"How is she?" I asked.

He looked grim as a sigh escaped him. "I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head, "we've stabilized her for now, but I'm afraid that's all we can do. Whether or not she pulls through is entirely up to her now."

"Can I see her?" I asked, my chest suddenly too heavy.

"We'll move her to recovery in a few moments, then you may see her. However, because she's in a delicate state right now, we ask that no more than one person be let into the room at a time."

I nodded, unable to say anything else as he left. I sank back into my chair, feeling suddenly light-headed. She's alive. The thought echoed through my mind over and over again as I allowed myself to feel some sense of relief.

~Levy~

It hurts. That was my first conscious thought. It was followed immediately by, how the hell am I alive?

The cloaked man had appeared so suddenly, his magic canceling dagger raised over Gajeel's back. I had done the only thing I could think to do at the moment—shove him out of the way. When it had pierced me, the dagger immediately drained me of my magic energy, as well as causing a pretty serious injury.

Wizards typically healed slightly faster than non-magic users thanks to their magic energy. And because mine had been drained, I'd been left at the mercy of the cloaked man's dagger. I was incredibly lucky that he hadn't hit anything vital, and that I hadn't bled out right there on the ground.

Gajeel. The thought drifted into my mind, and I forced my eyes open, searching immediately for him. He was sitting beside my bed, his head laying on the mattress by my side, and both of his hands clasped firmly around mine.

He looks so tired. There were dark circles under his eyes, and a deep crease on his brow. I also noticed that his hair was slightly wet and he was wearing a pair of green hospital scrubs. On any other occasion, I probably would have laughed at how ridiculous they looked on him, but I could barely bring myself to keep my eyes open, let alone laugh. They must have made him change after he brought me here. He had probably been covered in my blood by the time we arrived, so it wasn't surprising that they'd want him out of those clothes.