Masked Mystery

Waiting

Serena’s POV

I picked up the sword that had fallen to the ground, and in one swift motion, I plunged the sharp point into the creatures heart. It fell to the ground hard, gasping for air. I stood over it and watched as it squirmed under my gaze. When its eyes met mine, I was filled with the sensation of loathing. I lifted the sword high above my head and came down hard. I hit it over and over again, each blow slicing through its skin.

“Sailor Moon… Sailor Moon! Serena that is enough!” Sailor Pluto placed herself between me and what was now definitely just an empty body. The sword fell and hit the ground with a clank that echoed through the empty streets.

I ran over to Tuxedo’s limp body. He was still breathing! He’s still alive! “Darien? Can you hear me? Sweetheart, it’s Serena. You’re going to be okay… I promise.” I looked around at the faces of my companions. They all seemed to be frozen in fear and confusion. “We have to get him to a hospital!” At that very moment, sirens began to wail from all over, and a loud roar came from above our heads. I looked up at the night sky. A large helicopter with a blue cross painted on it hovered above us. Ambulance after ambulance, and police car after police car began filling up the square. Men and women in uniforms began running to the bodies that had fallen at the beginning of the attack.

I saw Sailor Jupiter run to the closest paramedic. She grabbed the man by the shirt collar, and scooped up his medical bag in the other hand. “These people will recover. This man doesn’t have much time!” She drug him over to Darien.

He looked at me and spoke calmly, “Miss, I’m going to need you to step back.” I just stared at him. “Miss, please.”

I felt a hand on my arm, and I stood up and stepped in the direction I was being pulled. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Emergency lights were flashing everywhere. I could hear the first responders make calls on their radios. Darien’s paramedic spoke into his, “This one’s going to need the chopper, right now. Hey, Jake!” A young looking man approached our group. “Go get a gurney, and hurry up!” He continued to work on stopping the blood from leaking out of Darien’s wounds.

They had him wrapped in several layers of gauze, but blood continued to seep through. “One, two, three.” They lifted him onto the gurney and started to roll him around the block.

“Wait! Where are you taking him?” I asked in panic.

“The chopper landed around the block. Don’t worry. Jake here will take you and your friends to the right hospital. Go, Jake.”

The young man nodded and led us to his ambulance. When we arrived at the hospital, Jake led us to the Emergency Room waiting area. “I’ll go see what I can find out, and then I’ll come back and dress your wounds.” He was speaking to me, but I didn’t respond to him. My mind was in a fog. I sat down in the closest chair, and I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, but no one said anything. I stared at my feet, until a thought hit me. Lidia. I looked up and saw that she was sitting on Sailor Mercury’s lap wiping away her tears with a tissue. Jake returned. I stood up and waited, expecting the worst. “All I know is, they took your friend into surgery as soon as they got here. It could be a while before we know anything else. Now, let me have a look at you.”

I stepped back, “No. You should go help those other people in the Square. They need it more than I do.” He looked like he was going to protest, but then turned and walked out of the room.

Please be okay… Please. Please, let him be okay.

Rei’s POV

We were all just sitting in the waiting room. Things had never gotten this out of hand. I felt helpless. I don’t like feeling helpless. I looked around the room. There was a clock hanging on the wall to my left. 3:47. It had been almost two hours since Darien had went back into surgery, and we hadn’t heard a thing. I glanced to Serena. She had her legs pulled up to her chest, and her head rested on her knees. I stood and started out the door.

“Where are you going?” Mina asked.

“I just need some air.” I went out the way we had entered and let out a loud sigh. I could hear the sirens still wailing in the distance. We had almost made it out of the situation without any major injuries. I thought we had it in the bag, and then I saw the shadow and Tuxedo’s face wrinkle in pain. If Serena hadn’t of beat me to it, I would have sliced that thing up myself. Hopefully he would be okay. Maybe it was taking so long because they were caught up with all of the other victims coming in. Maybe he was already out of surgery, but they were distracted and forgot to tell us. I heard the door open behind me. I turned and saw Serena walking towards me.

“What if he dies, Rei?” She kept looking down at the ground.

I wanted to tell her it would be okay and that he wasn’t going to die, but I couldn’t because I didn’t know. It would be wrong to give her false hope. “Whatever happens, you aren’t alone. You have a lot of people who care about you, but it is probably best to think of positive outcomes. Don’t give up yet.”

She looked up at me. She was crying. I had been wondering when she was going to break down. I had hoped it would be on someone else. I am a terrible comforter. She bit her lower lip, trying to be strong and stop the tears. Dang it, Serena. “It’s okay to cry. Come here.” I pulled her in for a hug and she let go of her self-control. I didn’t know what else to do except stand there and let her cry. I kept my arms around her, but I didn’t speak. It wasn’t a quiet cry either. It was a sobbing cry. The kind where you think you aren’t going to be able to stop. The kind that takes away your breath and causes you to make loud, desperate gasps for air. That’s when I felt it. A warm tear trickled down my cheek. Am I crying? Oh my gosh, I hate emotions…

She finally pulled away from our hug and she looked at me, smiling slightly, “Thank you, Rei. You are a really great friend. We should go in.” I nodded and we both took a minute to wipe away the evidence of our worry.

We sat and waited for another hour. Finally, a woman came in wearing scrubs and a mask. She pulled the mask down below her chin. The waiting room had filled up with the loved ones that were involved in the attack. She looked around the room and saw our group huddled to one side. “Are you all the ones who rode in with Jake?”

Serena stood up, “Yes. Is Darien okay?”

We all stood up and huddled around Serena and we all were holding hands.

“Well, Miss… We tried our best. He is in critical condition. He lost a lot of blood, and he had some internal bleeding. We managed to stop it, but he isn’t in the clear yet.

“Can I see him?” Serena’s grip on my hand tightened.

The doctor nodded.

Serena’s POV

I followed the surgeon to his room. He looked as white as the sheets he was laying on. I pulled up a chair beside him and gently grabbed his hand. “Oh Darien… I’m so sorry. I wish it hadn’t of been you. I wish it was me lying here. You are so much stronger than I am… I don’t think I can do this by myself. That’s why you have to pull through.” I carefully ran a hand through his hair. “I love you, so much. You can do it… You have to be okay…” I leaned over and kissed his cheek. I rested my head on the edge of his bed and fell asleep to the beeping of hospital machines and his steady breathing.