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Chapter Fifty Seven

A/N sorry for the late update, guys! I'm been recently stacked with a bunch of drawing ideas and I really wanted to post them up on Instagram, but now I can't take it staying away from updating for so long lmfao.

"Meredith..." I heard someone whisper.

I opened my eyes groggily, wiping my eyes of the drowsiness. How long did I sleep for? Around me, the white room was dark and chilly, with the curtains closed and the lights turned off. Papa was standing up beside my hospital bed, pulling on his jacket that had fallen to the floor.

"Yeah?"

He pat my head lovingly with his hand, making me peer up at him. "I'll go out to get some food, since you're getting better," he said to me. Leaning over, he placed a kiss on my forehead. It made me feel warmer in the cool room. A sad smile stretched across his face as he said quietly, "If the plan to bring your mother back doesn't work out, I'll come pick you up, and we'll go home and cook a really good dinner for her, okay..?"

I nodded silently, watching as he buttoned up his jacket and walked out of the room. It had only been a minute or two after he left, and I was wallowing in my thoughts. Papa doesn't seem to believe in Aristi's plan. I do, but maybe it's because he doesn't think this death can be irreversible like during the Atlas Bomb. The door opened, and I glanced over at it. The doctor walked in. In her hand was the Blood Assassin knife, with a piece fractured off from the top of the blade. Right. They needed a shard for the operation. My eyes widened when I felt the glowing happiness bubbling around her, and she smiled.

"Operation was a success, Meredith!" She exclaimed, walking towards me. "Your mother thankfully gave us a heartbeat about a few minutes into healing, and she's back on track." Before I could ask if I could see her, the doctor added in, "She's still unconscious, but all is well. I suspect maybe in an hour, she'll be able to wake up."

"Thank you," I told her, letting my head hang low. For some reason, I wasn't crying, but I felt the emotions rushing through me.

The doctor put down the Blood Assassin next to me, saying, "You said you wanted this back."

"Yes." Before she could acknowledge what I was doing, I grabbed the blade into my hands. I examined it for a second, before inhaling gently. How many deaths were made by this single blade because people were attribute-hungry? My hands glowed green, and the blade shattered into pieces as I bent it. The blood that was inside the blade and made the designs became splattered all over me, and I let go of the two big pieces in my hand. The doctor's eyes widened, and she tried to say something. I glanced up at her and then looked back at the broken knife, mumbling, "There's no need for something so dangerous in this world. Legacy or not, our dynasty is at fault for the deaths caused by this."

"M-Meredith... is your mother going to be okay with this?"

I lowered my head, thinking of how to respond. If Mom knew I broke the Blood Assassin knife, would she furious? My eyes closed, and I let out a soft breath. She would. Looking up, I smiled at the doctor.

"She'll settle for it."

~~~

Tristan Tanner

I'm lucky they weren't closed.

Walking out of the Chinese restaurant, I waved goodbye to the chef, who was standing behind the counter with a happy smile after being greeted with a customer. My hand stuffed into my pocket. The other one held onto a plastic bag carrying the Chinese takeout I paid for. I started to make my way back to the hospital, not bothering to use my Flight attribute to get me there. I was too submerged in my thoughts about my choice of food for my daughter.

It should be fine, right? Meredith likes Chinese takeout.

I felt my foot hesitate to take another step when something struck me, but it placed itself on the concrete sidewalk as reality resumed. My gaze lowered, and my heart suddenly felt heavy.

So did... Cheryl.

I blanked out, feeling my footsteps slowing down. There's no way she's really coming back, is there..? Last time, she was only lucky. My phone buzzed in my pocket, interrupting me. I pulled it out of my pocket, peering down at the screen.

Reminder: Get a new scarf for Cheryl

My breath became harsh for a second, but I quickly shoved my phone back in its pocket, ignoring the reminder. My priority now is Meredith. I started walking faster, speeding to the hospital, as my eyes felt heavier.

~~~

The hospital hallway was empty, with the exception of one or two nurses standing in the doorway of a room to the right. I walked past them to Meredith's hospital room, my hand gripping onto the bag of food tightly. The front desk said Meredith's ready to be let go. Put on your brave face, Tristan. I stood in front of the door, staring at the plate that hung on it with the number of the room. If she sees you torn like this, she might feel it too. Letting out a soft sigh, I grabbed the handle and opened the door.

"Meredith, I'm back with food," I said, closing the door behind me.

Turning around, my eyes widened when I saw my wife sitting beside Meredith's hospital bed, talking to her. The two glanced up at me when they heard what I said. A smile appeared on Meredith's face, and she exclaimed, "Welcome back, Papa!"

My eyes were on Cheryl, who stood up, staring at me. I could hardly even breathe as I felt my throat closing in on itself. Slowly, I placed the food on the counter beside me, taking a small step forward.

"Cheryl..?" I whispered quietly, feeling my legs tremble.

She walked around the hospital bed with her hands behind her back as she smiled. "Hi."

I felt my hand cover my mouth in disbelief. She's alive. Cheryl is... alive. Attempting to walk closer to her, my leg was shaking too much to take a solid step, and I fell into her arms as she caught me. My hands clenched fistfuls of her coat, and I started crying into her shoulder, shutting my eyes as she hugged me back. Her hands stroked my back in a soothing manner, and I felt Meredith's ecstatic gaze on us.

"Aw, c'mon," Cheryl cooed. One of her hands held my face, making me pull away to look at her. Her eyes glowed brightly, and she had tears in the corners of them. She smiled, adding in jokingly, "You've cried too much already, Tristan."

I nodded my head, clenching my jaw to keep myself from sobbing. It didn't work, and I hid my face from her again. My arms tightened around her waist, and she stood on her toes, placing a gentle kiss on my cheek.

"I missed you too," she giggled lightly.

"Lemme join too! I wanna join!" I heard Meredith exclaim beside us.

She pulled away the sheets of the hospital bed, running over to us. Cheryl laughed, opening up a space for Meredith to run into. She kissed Meredith's cheek as well, smiling.

"Yes, of course," Cheryl said, her hand on Meredith's head. Her other hand rested on mine. "I missed you too." She glanced at the two of us, asking, "Now, how about that Chinese takeout? I can practically smell it."