The Modern Four

Chapter 47

Hiro woke up in a dingy hospital bed. He glanced around the room, and saw his aunt Cass in the corner, sobbing. He tried to sit, but felt as though a ton of bricks were keeping him down. He blinked slowly, trying to process it all. He cleared his throat, and tried to say something to his aunt. It came out as a squeak. But, it managed to get her to look up. She looked over at him, her eyes wide. She shot up. "You're awake! Hiro! You're- you're alive!" She cried out. She ran out of the room. "He's awake! Nurse! Nurse!" She shouted. He blinked, furrowing his eyebrows. Of course he's alive. Why wouldn't he be? He saw a nurse come in, and look at him, an eyebrow raised. The nurse smiled.

"We weren't sure you were going to make it buddy." He said, checking Hiro's IV and vital. Hiro wasn't sure why he said that. Of course he was going to make it. He tried to recall what happened, but it was all a blur. He remembered bits and pieces, Violet's hit, and an alarm. Being carried out of the barn by Tadashi. He smiled, thankful for his brother.

Penny hadn't stopped crying since this whole thing happened. She cried as the doctor checked her out. She cried as her mom came for her in the hospital. She cried as they set her arm in a cast. She cried now, as she sat in the lobby of the hospital with Wilbur, who held her close. She felt horrible. She felt as if this was all her fault. She pressed the button. She's the reason Tadashi was dead. Wilbur hugged her tightly.

"Shhh.. you're okay. It's all going to be okay." He whispered to her. For the first time since the event, she got angry. She pushed Wilbur off of her.
"Stop saying that!" She yelled, her voice cracking. The other people in the lobby looked at her, some eyebrows raised. She didn't care. She wiped her eyes and glared at Wilbur. "It's not true. Everything's not going to be okay! Tadashi's dead, and it's all my fault." She said, more quietly. "All my fault." She whispered, holding her necklace. She pulled the chain, breaking it, and took the necklace off her neck. Tears streamed down her face. "I don't deserve this." Her voice broke. "I'm no hero. I'm a villain." She whispered, dropping down the necklace.

"Penny... no... you are a hero. You saved Violet." Wilbur said, picking up the necklace and offering it to her. She refused it.

"Did I save her?! The doctors don't know how to help her! She might be gone forever! I could've fixed her! I could've hit the right button, and snapped her back."

"Or you could've killed her, by hitting the wrong button. You did your best. At least she's alive, Penny. At least we're alive."

"But Tadashi's not." She said, turning away. Wilbur looked at her sadly, and pocketed the necklace, standing up. He grabbed Penny's hand, and turned her towards him.

"Hey. Listen to me. It's not your fault. You're a hero, Penny. You hear me? A hero." He whispered to her.

She looked at him, and broke down, hugging him tightly and sobbing into his chest. He held her close, closing his eyes and comforting his best friend.

Down the hallway, a scream erupted. Nurses rushed into the room, restraining the screaming girl. Her eyes were wide with panic as she looked at the nurses, who offered no comfort in their serious expressions. She squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to stop screaming but feeling out of control. She felt a prick in her arm, and her world went dark.

The parents stood in a group in the lobby, a bit of a distance from the kids. "What.. happened?" Mrs. Robinson asked, looking over at her son. The other parents remained silent, all of them clearly affected by the events that had transpired. Aunt Cass most of all. Tears streamed down her face as the other parents comforted her, unable to imagine the heartbreak that she was experiencing.

1 week later-

When Hiro found out about Tadashi, he acted strong. But really, he was heartbroken. He felt responsible. If he hadn't been knocked out, Tadashi wouldn't have had to save him, and he would still be here. His wall of emotions broke down at Tadashi's funeral and he hurried out of the room to avoid anyone seeing him cry. He ran into the bathroom, collapsing in a chair. The coffin was empty. He couldn't even see his brothers body. He was gone permanently. He covered his face, wiping away tear after tear, feeling alone. He didn't hear any footsteps, but he felt a hand placed on his shoulder. He looked up, seeing Wilbur standing over him. "Hey Hiro." he said, sitting down next to him. "This sucks, huh?" He said, smiling a little.

"Sucks doesn't even cover it." He muttered, wiping his eyes. He took a deep breath. "Thanks for coming. It.. It helps." He looked at his friend, who smiled.

"Violet and Penny are here too. It's just... the men's room." Wilbur laughed a little, and Hiro smiled.

"Yeah, it is. Uh, let them know they can come in. I..."

"Yeah, I'll let them know." He smiled, standing up and walking to the door. He opened it, looking at Penny and Violet. "He says come in." He smiled a little, looking back at the Hiro, who nodded. The girls walked over to him, sad smiles on their faces. They were both dressed in black dresses, and Violet's hair was cut quite a bit shorter. She looked better. The girls sat down next to him. He sighed.

"Like I said to Wilbur, thanks for coming..."

"Wouldn't have missed it for anything," Penny said.

"Yeah, of course." Violet nodded in agreement. Hiro gave them a watery smile, looking down. Penny took his hand, offering as much comfort as she possibly could. He looked at her, and wiped his eyes.

"I... I'm really gonna miss him, guys." He said, taking a deep breath.

"We all will, Hiro." Penny said, squeezing his hand. "He was a hero."

A week ago

In the ashes, buried under soot and smoldering pieces of dirt, there was movement. A man shifted around in the ashes, covered in the soot. He was alive. How was he alive? The man asked himself, blinking. Who was he, and how did he get here? His head killed. He tried to push himself up, but couldn't. He groaned, and then a hand was thrust in front of his face. He took the hard, looking at it confused. The hand that he held was connected to an arm, which was connected to a body of a tall, skinny man. The man smiled sinisterly. "Welcome back, Sunfire."

THE END