Good Meets Bad

Chapter Twenty-three

Hollow
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"I'm sorry but... your girlfriend is in coma."

Jellal already prepared himself for bad news but he didn't expect it to be that horrible. All his life, hearing bad news and accidents were normal. When he heard that his aunt's husband died in a car accident, he barely shed a tear and just shook the news off. Of course, he attended the funeral but it's not like his uncle's death was a big shock. But right now, hearing that she was half dead and half alive, he wanted to yell in frustration, grab his hair and cry again.

Why did she take the bullet?

"How..." The bluenette gritted his teeth, "How long?"

The doctor frowned, feeling pity for the young man, "We're not sure, however, the bullet is out of her body. Just when she was about to die, well, her heartbeat was getting slower and slower, I tried everything in my power but then," He paused and rummaged through his pocket. He took out a Student Council band, "One of the nurses brought this to me and I wore it on her arm and kept pumping. She lived but entered coma."

Jellal covered his mouth in grief at the sight of the band-it was his. He lost that band and he wondered where it was but he decided to just get a new one. He didn't know that Lucy actually took it. He felt another round of tears coming and he suppressed them, "I... That's mine..."

The doctor smiled softly, "I figured it was yours, it was stuck inside her leggings and the nurse found it but she didn't throw it away."

"Can I..." The bluenette gulped, "Can I see her?"

The doctor nodded, "Yea, you can. Actually, it'd be great if you talk to her."

"Yea... I will," Jellal mumbled, shifting and gently laying Reina's head on his bag. He stood up and stared at Lucy's gang and Reina one more time before entering Lucy's designated room. He walked through the plain white room and sat beside Lucy, watching her chest rise and fall evenly.

His lips quivered at the sight. She had so many tubes connected from her body to multiple monitors. She looked like a mummy, covered in all of that bandages. Her skin color was heartbreaking, she was so pale. But that didn't make him cry. What made him sob all over again was her face. Through a peaceful look, tears slipped from her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Jellal buried his face in his hands, stopping himself from crying out loud.

"Lucy... did I-did I ever tell you h-how much I love you?" Jellal whispered, slowly uncovering his face and watching the tears from Lucy's eyes drop faster. He pouted in sadness and took Lucy's hand, clutching it tightly, "I didn't... did I?"

"Well, for starters," He sniffed, wiping his eyes, "I hated you at first. To be honest, I thought you were annoying. But, the way you were so quiet and preserved was amazing. I thought that it was my first time seeing a delinquent that silent and... likeable. I got mad at myself because you broke the barrier I built so easily. You're impressive, I must say but I guess that's the reason why I fell in love."

Jellal smiled softly, "You broke a barrier I unconsciously built around my heart." He watched as the tears slipping out of Lucy's closed eyes gradually slowed down and soon enough, only occasional tears dropped. "Haaaa, you're even crying while in coma?" He laughed softly. His smile dropped, "That's so... like you."

He stared at her face and he dropped his head, "Seeing your face right now... it's just so hard..."

"Did you know that... I had a dream last night about us?" Jellal mused and he laughed softly, "You were wearing a wedding gown and your hair was tied in a bun. At first I was scared because I wasn't there but then when you were walking up the altar and you held someone's hand, I saw my face and I was grinning. Then I saw Reina, Erza, Natsu, Gajeel and the gang. They were all there and we were about to recite our vows. You looked the prettiest when you smiled and just like I guessed, you were wearing the clock as a necklace surrounded with diamonds.