Unexpected Turns

Fear

Soul was panting when he finally barged through the automatic doors of the hospital. He felt he had be driving for hours though he had only been in the car for a few minutes. His mussed up hair, due to him running his hand through it every other minute, was sticking up wildly. People sat down in the waiting room looked up in shock as he marched in, distress plain on his face, before their expressions clouded with sympathy.

Soul payed that no mind. He made his way to the reception, more or less jogging before grabbing his ID from his pocket, already. He thrust it in the middle-aged receptionist's line of view as he looked over her shoulder.

"Um... I - I'm Soul Eater. I'm here for my partner and - and my daughter."

The woman nodded immediately. She didn't look too surprised. He could only assume someone had warned her.

"Of course, Mr Death Scythe," she said, standing up and gesturing down the white halls behind her. "Your partner and daughter are in room 38, just down that way. You won't miss it."

Soul nodded, muttering a low "Thank you," before speeding down the hall, muttering apologies as he knocked passed other nurses and doctors before finally reaching his destination.

The first thing that hit him was the strong smell of antiseptic. It was white and clean, the window pulled open so sun poured in and he haired sniffling. Amara was more or less buried in Maka's good side, crying hysterically while Maka stroked her hair. She was sat up right, her hospital robe in place. She had a big white plaster on the left side of her forehead, just below her hair line and a skin coloured brace on her left. That was all that Soul could see, though he assumed she was patched up under the robe too. Her face calmed him somewhat. She seemed alright, just hurt. No more than she would coming home from mission.

Despite that, he made his way to the bed and sat down on it beside Amara. Only then did Maka look up, she look surprised before a cloud of guilt and sympathy flooded into her eyes, he could only guess what he looked like. She knew what this did to him. His parents died in a car crash, his brother died in a car crash and then he got a phone call saying his partner, best friend and girlfriend had been involved in one and that he adoptive daughter witnessed it. Amara didn't look up, she just kept on sobbing into Maka side. Soul knew he should comfort her, hug her and tell her it was all going to be alright.

Only he couldn't.

He slumped down beside her, burying his face in the blankets covering Maka's thighs when he released his first sob, the one he's been holding back since he got into the car.

"Soul," Maka choked out, her voice thick but it didn't hide the shock. She'd never seen him like this, she'd never even seen him cry. He knew this was cruel, he shouldn't make her feel any worse but he was just sofrightened. He shook his head into the blankets, his arms wrapping lightly around her waist so he could feel that she was okay, that she was alive and with him.

A moment passed before he felt small hands on his arm, only then did he realise he was the only one crying. He peaked out from under her arm to see Amara's damp, heart-broken face looking sadly at him before she slowly lifted his arm. Automatically, he lifted it and she tucked herself under it, burying her face in his ribs and curling herself into his side. He thought she was going to cry again but she didn't. She just breathed in his scent and pressed her forehead to his side.

"Non stiamo perdendo lei, Papà. (We're not losing her, Daddy.)" she whispered into his side, making his heart leap into his throat at the meaning behind her words. "Non stiamo perdendo questo. (We're not losing this one.)" she muttered again, choking up a little. Maka closed her eyes and ran her fingers through the young girls hair.

"No," Maka said before Soul could say anything in response. Her voice was hard and sharp. "No, you're not. Not ever." Her eyes landed on Soul, her eyes firm. "Never."

Soul closed his eyes, hugging his daughter to his side as he pressed his forehead to Maka's arm. "Don't you ever scare me like that again," he said quietly, his low, baritone voice almost cracking. "Never. You have no idea what that did to me."

"It wasn't her fault," a small voice whispered. Soul looked down to Amara, but he couldn't see her face since she hid it in his side. "It's my fault."

Soul's heart near enough broke. "Baby, why on earth would you think that?"

"I heard the Doctor telling Mama," she said again, Soul frowned. He looked from her to Maka before pushing her away lightly to look at her face. She furiously wiped her tears, refusing to meet Soul's eyes.

"Amara, you don't need to - " Maka began but Soul silenced her with a look before looking back to Amara.

"Amara, what did they say?" he asked softly. Amara swallowed thickly, glaring at the floor as she opened her little mouth to speak.

"Me and Mama were walking home. I wanted to help Maka make you dinner for when you came home and she was telling me what we were going to make. I - Mama doesn't usually let me walk on the side next to the road when we're walking but... But I wanted to play tightrope in the curb, so I didn't say anything when I switched sides..." She closed her eyes before going on. "That's when the car came. Everyone started shouting at me, telling me to move but I didn't - I didn't see it Papa, I promise!"

Soul stroked her hair softly, kissing her forehead before muttering for her to continue. "That's when Mama pushed me out of the way. I didn't even hurt myself falling down. Mama got hit by the big car and she was still under it when I looked up. She was asleep and she wasn't moving... I thought she was - she was," Amara shook her head. "She was bleeding but when she woke up they still couldn't get the car up off her. I was so scared! She was telling me she was fine, that everything was going to be alright and the car was still on top of her!"

Soul cast an amazed yet terrified look at his girlfriend. She just looked out the window, her gaze sad. Amara went on. "They took her away in the doctors car and Amara heard the doctor say that if Mama haden't pushed Amara out of the way - " She stopped talking, sobbing once more and burying her face in Maka's side.

Maka stroked her hair, carrying on where her child left off. "They said that if I haden't pushed Amara out of the way, she wouldn't have made it," she said quietly, Amara sobbed louder and Soul's chest tightened so painfully he had to gasp for breath. She carried on. "From the angle the car hit... There would have just been no way, with her being so tiny - It was her or me Soul, her gone or me a little bit injured."

She swallowed audibly, shaking her head before meeting Soul's gaze head on. "I'm sorry I scared you both but I don't regret it and I'd do it again to save my daughter."

Soul was in absolute shock. She was just so - He couldn't even find the words. He took a sharp intake of breath before rounding the bed so that he sat semi-behind Maka. He cradled her to his chest in a way he didn't disturb her injuries and stroked his daughters head in attempt to calm her. He kissed Maka's temple, his heart still hammering at the thought he could of lost her, he could have lost Amara, and if it weren't for Maka, he would have. Without a doubt.

He buried his face in her shoulder, breathing in her scent, polluted with the smell of antiseptic and hospitals. Maka drew a hand up to bury in his hair as she leant back into his warmth.