19- Red Blurs and Red Words

Marinette's POV

The camera shakes in my hand. "I'm sorry, Mayor Bourgeois, but there's no way I'm handing these over. Over my dead body!" Lifting my arm up, I throw the camera on the ground, hard, and watch as it breaks into pieces.

"NO!" Mayor Bourgeois screams. "What have you done? Chloe could be killed now!"

Adrien comes to my defense. "We can't give in to the blackmailers! He can't have all the power."

Mayor Bourgeois' eyes turn dark with rage. "You stupid brats!" He runs towards us and we jump back. I've never seen him like this before. "My daughter is in danger and it's your fault!" There's a sharp pain in my shoulder as I'm pushed to the ground, twisting my ankle.

"Ow!" I gasp, immediately reaching for my foot.

Adrien shoves Mayor Bourgeois away from me. "Hey! You have no right to put your hands on her!"

"Adrien..." I whisper, sitting up. Mayor Bourgeois is a whole lot bigger and more powerful than him.

Mayor Bourgeois leans down until he's in Adrien's face. "If this monster does anything to Chloe, I will personally have you two arrested!" He storms off this his car and leaves.

Adrien kneels down beside me, grabbing my hand. "Marinette, are you okay? I wanna kill him for what he did to you."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I whisper as he helps me stand. My ankle throbs and I scream out in pain, holding onto Adrien for support. He looks even more mad. "It doesn't hurt that bad, I swear."

Adrien turns to his bodyguard. "We're going to need the car. Marinette has to go to the hospital."

"No!" I start shaking my head as his bodyguard starts running. "Really, I'm fine, Adrien. It's a twisted ankle; I just need to put ice on it. I don't want to make a big deal out of this."

"Mayor Bourgeois should be fired!" Adrien screams, staring at where the car was parked. "He can't just go and push around civilians! It's not right!"

A car comes speeding down the street and stops beside us. Adrien grabs my hand before I can say anything and pulls me into the car. We start heading towards the hospital. "Adrien, I'm serious. I'm fine. I don't want to be a bother to anyone."

"Mari, it's okay." Adrien squeezes my hand and smiles. "It'll just be a quick visit."

***

"Your ankle is broken in three different places," The nurse explains to me as Adrien and I wait in one of the rooms. "You're going to need it casted. Please wait for the doctor."

I turn and glare at Adrien.

"So maybe not a quick visit..." He whispers, shrugging.

"It definitely doesn't feel like a twisted ankle anymore," I whisper, trying to fight back the pain.

"I'm going to contact your parents while you're getting casted and then we're going to prescribe you some pain medication."

My eyes widen. My parents are coming here? I can't stop them. I'm a minor; of course the hospital has to call them. I just hope Mom and Dad don't overreact.

The nurse looks between Adrien and me. "So, how exactly did this happen?"

We look at each other. I know Adrien wants to tell the truth. Before he can speak, I shake my head, and discreetly show him my phone, reminding him of my stalker and how we haven't exactly figured everything out yet.

Adrien sighs. "Marinette and I were walking downstairs to leave my house and she tripped on one of the steps."

"Hurt like a bitch," I mumble, faking a laugh. "When can I get that pain medication?"

"The doctor will be in shortly." She gives a pained smile. "Just bite your tongue." She turns and leaves.

"You should have let me told the nurse what happened, Marinette," Adrien says, walking over to stand beside me as I lay back in bed. "The mayor can't get away with what he did!"

I shift my body towards him. "Adrien, we need to be smart about this. If my Psycho Stalker blackmailed the mayor into taking pictures of me, then he can blackmail anyone! If we tell anyone what he did, then we have to explain my stalker, which appeared out of nowhere, and that somehow might lead back to Hawkmoth and the ladybug miraculous. It's too dangerous."

"I just hate the thought that he's going to get away with it." Adrien shakes his head. "It's not fair. He gives you a broken ankle and he doesn't face any consequences."

"The mayor will get what's coming to him," I tell Adrien. "We don't have to keep it a secret forever. Just until this whole thing with Hawkmoth and the stalker blows over."

Adrien laughs, but I don't think he means to. "Funny how this stalker's more of a threat than Hawkmoth, right?"

Right. That is weird.

The door opens and a doctor walks in. "Hello. I'm Doctor Ryes. You must be Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

I nod. "Yup. That's my name. The clumsy girl with the broken foot."

Doctor Ryes laughs. "We get a ton of clumsy girls in here. I'm going to go grab a wheelchair and we're going to head to a different room so I can cast your foot. Your, uh, friend here will have to sit in the waiting room."

"That's fine," I whisper, ignoring Adrien's stare. "Just hurry, please. It hurts so bad."

"That's what I'm here for." Doctor Ryes comes back with a wheelchair and Adrien helps me sit down in it. "Alright. This shouldn't take long."

"I'll be in the waiting room," Adrien tells me, squeezing my hand again. "When your parents get here, I'll explain what happened and try to calm them down."

I smile at him. "Thanks, Adrien."

Doctor Ryes starts wheeling me down a long hallway. "So, what color do you want your cast?"

"Pink," I answer without thinking. "Pink. Always pink."

"Okay." He laughs. "I can do pink."

An hour later, I'm laying back in my room, a pink cast covering my foot. The nurse gave me some pain killers and I have to admit, they're really helping. I was told to wait in here for my parents. They were out of town with my grandpa when the hospital called, but they're heading here now. The door creaks open and I look over to see Adrien. He's holding a small cup of coffee, which I didn't knew he drank, and waves.

"Hey," I whisper, waving back. "I was just about to have the nurse call for you."

"Perfect timing, as always," Adrien jokes, closing the door behind him. I scoot over on the bed so he can sit. He stares at the cast. "How's it feel? Any better?"

"I definitely can't feel it right now," I admit, laughing. "I don't know what the nurse gave me, but it doesn't hurt so I'm happy. I am a little dizzy, though."

Adrien stands up and grabs a Sharpie from one of the containers on the counter. "You should take a nap before your parents get here." He takes the cap off and signs his name in the middle of the cast, adding a smiley face. He laughs. "I've never actually signed a cast before."

"You're welcome," I tease, laughing. I blink a few times and yawn. "You know what? You're right. I should take a nap."

"Go for it." Adrien turns off the light before making himself comfortable in the chair beside the bed. "I'll wake you up when your parents get here."

I feel bad that Adrien's stuck here, but part of me is glad he's staying. I don't ever want to be alone anymore. "Thank you, Adrien." I prop my broken foot on the pillow, trying to get comfortable on my side. I turn over and face Adrien. We stare at each other.

"You know to take a nap you have to actually close your eyes." Adrien grins.

"You drink coffee?" I question as he takes a drink. "I figured you were more of a tea guy."

Adrien shrugs. "No, I don't usually drink coffee, but one of the nurses offered it to me. Which is weird, because I didn't ask for one, but I didn't want to be rude. They're probably just being nice." He takes another drink. "I would have given it to you, but the nurse said to avoid caffeine for a few days."

"You're sweet, Adrien." I start to drift off. "Thank you for caring about me."

"You're welcome, Marinette..."

Those three words echo in my head.

You're welcome, Marinette... You're welcome, Marinette... You're welcome, Marinette!

My eyes dart open and I sit up in bed, gasping. Sweat covers my forehead and I breathe in and out, calming myself down. I look around the room. Adrien's fast asleep in the chair. I couldn't have been sleeping that long, could I? My parents aren't here yet. Or are they? As I turn my gaze to the door, a blur of red flies by and under the bed. My eyes widen. No, it couldn't be, right?

"Tikki?" I whisper, careful not to wake Adrien. "Please. Tikki, is that you?"

After a minute, that little red kwami makes herself known, hands shy behind her back. "Hello, Marinette."

"Tikki!" I whisper, eyes filling with tears. "It really is you. I thought I was dreaming."

Tikki flies over and hugs me. "I couldn't take it anymore, Marinette. I missed you too much. Master Fu doesn't know I left yet, but I had to come and see you."

"How did you know I was in the hospital, though?" I ask, holding her gently in my hand. I pat her head, smiling. I missed Tikki so much. I thought I would never see her again.

"I went by your house first to see if you were there, but no one was home." Tikki throws her arms up all dramatically. "I saw this flashing light on your home phone in the living room and when I pressed the button, a voice started talking and they said your name, that you were here at the hospital and your parents needed to come."

I hold Tikki to my chest and close my eyes. "I missed you so much, Tikki. So many crazy things have happened since you left."

"I'm sorry," Tikki whispers, patting my cheek. "Master Fu and I and the others are working really hard to bring Hawkmoth down, but every plan we come up with leads to a dead end."

Looking down at her, I rub her head and lay back against the bed. "You wouldn't believe what's happened, Tikki. Let me tell you. Hawkmoth attacked me in my room. He thought I still had the earrings, and then Cat Noir came and saved me." Tikki glances over at Adrien. "I had to move in with Adrien to protect myself, my friends, and my family. I'm lying to everyone and I hate it! My parents, my friends, Mr. Agreste. If he finds out we're lying, he might kick me out! And now I have a stalker, who's almost worse than Hawkmoth, and Alya's mad at me for not telling her. Oh, and Adrien and I are fake dating."

Tikki blinks at me. "Wow. That is a lot. Will you be able to work things out with Alya?"

"I don't know, Tikki," I admit, sighing. "She won't listen to me, but she sure will listen to any damn word that comes out of stupid Lila's mouth."

"Things will get better. I promise, Marinette." Tikki floats up and nuzzles against my cheek. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now. Master Fu's taking his afternoon nap and he should be waking up soon."

"Bye, Tikki," I tell her, kissing her small red head. "Oh, I can't wait until I'm Ladybug again." I wave as my kwami phases through the hospital window.

The door opens and Doctor Ryes steps in. "Good, you're awake. Your parents are here."

Mom storms into the room, immediately by my side. "Oh, my baby..." She throws her arms around me. "Your father and I were so worried when we got the message for the hospital. We drove back as fast as we could."

I glance behind her. "Where's Dad? And grandpa?"

"They're dealing with the paperwork," Mom says, cupping my face. "I know you're clumsy, Marinette, but a broken ankle?"

I laugh, nodding. "I know. It's a new record."

Mom looks behind me. "Oh! I didn't know Adrien was in here."

Adrien wakes up to his name, gasping, and jumps up from the chair. "I know karate!" He shouts, raising his hands, and stops when he sees us. "Oh. Hi, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng." He lowers his arms.

"Hello, Adrien." Mom smiles at him. "Your father's out in the hallway. I think he was looking for you."

His eyes widen. "Really?" 

"Yeah, your father decided to cover all medical bills," Mom says, patting my hand. "Which was unnecessary, of course, but he insisted."

Adrien starts to leave. "I'll be right back, Marinette. I need to see my father real quick." He gently closes the door behind him.

"Are you ready to come home?" Mom asks, helping me out of bed as I adjust my crutches. "I added fresh sheets to your bed."

"What?" I pull my arm from Mom. "No, I can't come home."

Mom frowns. "Marinette, what do you mean? Your father and I need to take care of you!"

I shake my head. While Hawkmoth is still out there, no one in my life is safe. "I can take care of myself fine at Adrien's house, Mom. Besides, what about the internship? I can't give that up." I'm a horrible person for lying to Mom. "If I leave, Mr. Agreste is just going to give the internship to someone else." Yup. A horrible, terrible person I am.

Mom sighs. "I should have known you'd be serious about that internship. You know, your father's going to want to talk to you before he just sets you off again."

"I know, Mom. Maybe we can even play video games, too."

Mom laughs. "That will make your father very happy. Oh, and Doctor Ryes says you're free to leave, so whenever you're ready, sweetie."

"I just have to go to and change in the bathroom real quick," I tell Mom before grabbing the spare clothes she brought me and limping through the door connected to my room. That felt like the longest nap of my life. I don't even remember falling asleep. I quickly change and yawn, twice. Bending over the sink, I turn on the water, splashing it in my face. It's cold and it'll wake me up. As I straighten my back, my eyes catch a message written on the mirror. Red words. My eyes widen and my heart drops to my stomach.

Objects in mirrors are closer than they appear. Be careful, Marinette.

What? No, this is impossible! If he wrote this, then that means at some point during the last hour, he came in here. He came in the room. Was Adrien asleep too? Did he see someone come in? With shaking hands, I take my phone out and take a picture before grabbing some toilet paper and wiping the message away. I race out of the room, grabbing's Mom hand, and we meet up with Dad, Grandpa, Adrien, and Mr. Agreste.

Adrien takes one look at me and immediately knows something's wrong. I hate that he's able to read me so easily. As his father and my parents talk, Adrien slips over and pulls me aside. "I know that look. What's wrong?"

I unlock my phone and show Adrien the picture I took. "This was written on the bathroom mirror. Somehow, while we were sleeping, someone snuck in and left this message for me."

"But... no, that can't be. I didn't fall asleep. That coffee was supposed to keep me awake." Adrien's eyes widen. "Wait. Maybe that's why the coffee tasted weird."

"What are you talking about, Adrien?"

He looks at me. "My coffee tasted weird, but I've never had coffee before so I just assumed that's how it tasted." His eyes widen. "I think someone spiked my drink so I would fall asleep."

"One of the nurses!" I shout, eyes wide. "Whoever handed you the coffee! That must be why. Do you remember what they looked like?"

"Umm..." Adrien closes his eyes and thinks. "It was a man with brown hair, I think." He scratches the back of his head. "He was in purple scrubs, which should have been a red flag since all the nurses wear blue scrubs here."

"How many people are helping this guy?" I ask, moving my arm. These crutches are hurting my armpits. "What does this person have against me? I don't understand!"

Adrien place his hands on my shoulders. "I think it's time we talked to my father, Marinette. He can help you a lot more than I can."

Adrien's right.

I can't do this alone.