A bit later into the day I go to see my mum in the hospital. The receptionist seems alright; she's not exactly chipper, but she gets her job done without a fuss. I can respect that.

"I'm here to visit Gwen Stacy, do you know where she'd be?" I ask her. "Hold on," she replies, then taps away at a computer on her desk. "Hm... you're her immediate family, right?" "Yes, I'm her daughter," I nod. She then tells me the room, so I thank her and head off to find my mum.

Well, I try to, but I get stopped before I reach the lift.

"Carmen, hey!" Peter says as he hurries over to me, his Aunt May walking along behind him at a less urgent pace, though with the same concerned and upset expression as Peter's. "I was hoping I'd find you here! We came to check on you but you weren't at your place! Are you okay?"

"Doing as well as I can do, I guess," I nod, accepting and returning Peter's hug. He lingers a little longer than necessary before pulling away, slightly red.

May hugs me as well, being the kind and supportive woman she is. "I'm so sorry about what's happened, Carmen. If you need anything, we'd be happy to help."

"Thanks, May," I smile slightly. I remember when I first met her I called her Ms Parker, but she insists people call her May. May suits her a lot better, anyway; it's sweet, warm and pleasant, just like she is.

Finally I'm released from all the hugging. "Right, let's get you to your mother," May smiles slightly. I nod and we all get in the lift, taking it up to the right floor. I walk to the correct room, taking note of the fact that it's a completely separate room and not just one bed among many.

Before I can open the door, a doctor beats me to it. They glance at us. "Oh, are you all here to see Miss Stacy?" "Yeah," I nod. "She's doing alright, isn't she?"

"Well... come on in..." the doctor says, holding the door open for us. I instantly move inside, pausing at what I see.

Mum's attached to a heart monitor, a drip and a few other complex-looking machines. She's pale and fast asleep, though the steady rise and fall of her chest and the calm, regular beeps from the heart monitor tell me that she's alive and stable.

"Mum!" I hurry to her side, gently taking her bleached hand. Peter comes up beside me, May on the opposite side of the bed. "The bullet wounds in her shoulder were sorted out as quick as possible and she should make a full recovery from those," the doctor assures, coming up beside May.

"What do you mean 'from those'?" I ask fearfully, looking at them. "What else happened?"

For a moment, all is silent. The doctor seems to be considering how to tell me the inevitably bad news.

"I'm afraid there were some... troubles... with the ambulance that brought your mother here. I can't say much about it, but it caused your mother to hit her head, among other places, pretty badly."

Dread digs a pit in my stomach and fills it with panic. "She's... she's okay, right?"

The doctor sighs slightly, looking at a chart on a clipboard they've been carrying. "She'll live. Unless something else comes up that we couldn't have anticipated right now, she'll make a full recovery if given time... but I'm afraid your mother's in a coma, Miss Stacy. We can't expect her to wake up any time soon."

I look at my mum in shock and worry. A coma? She's really in a coma? "Carmen, I'm so sorry..." May breathes, looking as crestfallen as I feel. Peter wraps an arm around my shoulders, then, when I don't fight it, pulls me into a comforting hug.

"I'll give you a moment," the doctor says gently, stepping outside, May following. Before they shut the door, though, the doctor hesitates and looks directly at me.

"I hope you have someone to take care of you. You seem sensible enough, but you're still a bit too young to stay home alone for as long as your mother will be in her coma."

The moment the door closes, I pale, taking in their words. I remember what the police officer said before, the words echoing in my brain like taunting, terrifying stabs with a knife.

If your mum needs more time in the hospital, you'll have to find someone to stay with. If nobody crops up you'll have to stay in some kind of care home for a bit, maybe even an orphanage if we really can't find anyone.

Silence falls. You could hear a pin drop, should one be given reason to fall. Emotions swirl and bubble inside me, immobilising me, suffocating me.

"You... you do have somewhere to go, don't you?" Peter asks carefully, still looking worried for me. I look at him, shaking my head slightly. "No... but I can't go back to a damn orphanage, they'll kill me."

"What? Carmen, nobody's going to kill you! Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find someone... wait, what did you mean go back to an orphanage?"

I shake my head quickly, realising what I just said. I've broken cover. I hope I haven't blown this for good. I really like Peter, I don't want anything to come between us, especially several hundred miles when they inevitably send me back.

"They're going to send me to an orphanage, Peter. You don't realise how bad that is for me. They'll kill me. They'll kill me and make an example of me. I can't go there."

Seeing I was serious and very scared, Peter seemed a little taken aback, but quickly recovered in an attempt to comfort me. "Then we won't make you go to an orphanage, don't worry."

"There's nowhere else for me to go!" I remind him anxiously. "I'm not going back. I'm never going back."

"Carmen, I-" Peter tries to say something, but I disappear into the shadows, unable to take this any longer. I need to escape.