No Way Out

Beeps, Bullet-Proof Glass, and Blackmail

It didn't take very long for Emilie to find Adrien. Even though there were a lot of negative emotions in that emergency room, his despair was so strong that she was quickly drawn to him.

"How is she?" Emilie asked, giving him a hug.

"I don't know. They won't tell me, and they won't let me see her, but it seems like it's bad. She was unconscious when they brought her in."

She felt like crying right along with him. "I'm sorry, baby."

He finally let go and pulled back. "When the doctor is..." he trailed off, noticing the other person who arrived half a minute after Emilie. The sorrow suddenly had to make room for some anger. "Why are you here?" he demanded.

"What kind of question is that?" Emilie asked, frowning at her son. "I called him and told him to meet us here."

"I came to see how Marinette is doing," Gabriel added, trying not to sound annoyed.

After a second of thinking, Adrien silently stepped up to him and grabbed his arm. Once he pulled back the first sleeve and saw that there was no bangle, he did the same to the other arm. With no bangle to be found, he stepped back with a snarl. "Just leave. We don't want you here."

"Adrien, that is enough," Emilie chastised. "I don't know what's going on between you two, but this isn't about you right now. This is about Marinette. So, for once, stop fighting each other and realize that more important things are going on!"

Like usual, his mother was right. He should be focusing on Marinette; she was the one who needed his attention. Gabriel was just an irritating distraction.

Not a moment too soon, an older man wearing a white lab coat approached them. "Mr Agreste?" he asked, looking at Adrien.

"Yes, that's me," he quickly replied. "I'm Marinette's husband."

"My name is Dr Vidal. I've been overseeing your wife since she arrived..."

"Is she okay?" Adrien interrupted, not able to go another second without knowing.

"We've stabilized her, but we're not out of the woods quite yet. She has several injuries that need to be further evaluated. We've already booked transport for her to be brought to radiology. There, she'll be getting a CT to make sure that she's not having any internal bleeding. We'll also be checking her neck and spine to see if she suffered any fractures. She does appear to have a significant head injury though."

It was even worse than Adrien was expecting. The tiny bit of hope that he had been holding onto was gone, and the doctor wasn't even done.

"After that, she'll need several different x-rays," the doctor explained. "More than likely, she's broken a few ribs and possibly her left clavicle, shoulder and upper arm. Besides that, she has some bruising throughout her body and a few minor superficial wounds to her face." He paused. "I'm sorry, I know this is a lot to take in, Mr Agreste."

His cheeks were soaked from tears. "Is she awake?" he choked out.

"No. She still hasn't regained consciousness yet, and we're not sure how long that will take."

By that point, Emilie was crying and had covered her mouth with her hands. Gabriel appeared pale and clammy. But by far, Adrien was the one affected the most by the doctor's report. It felt like his soul had left his body, and he was nothing but an empty shell.

The doctor continued. "I can bring you into the room if you'd like to see her, but I have to warn you that it will be very tough to see her in this condition."

"I need to see her," Adrien said, his voice cracking. "I need to be in there with her."

"Yes, we want to see her," Emilie added. "Are we allowed in, too?"