Part 2 *~* Chapter 19 *~* Determination

"Is there anything else that you know about that you can tell me?" The investigator asked, jotting down the last of the newly obtained information he received on a small notepad. Elizabeta shook her head and with a worried look glimpsed down at Feliciana, sleeping with her head in the Hungarian's lap. They were on one of the only couches in the clean white hospital waiting room. "Alright, thank ya, ma'am." He pocketed the notepad into his beige trench coat.

As the man began to move away from her, Elizabeta grabbed his arm. "Excuse me, Mr. Hernandez, if you don't mind…" The man turned to her, curious. "Could you please tell me if the people in the factory, Yao and Ivan, were they still in there? Did they make it out alive?"

Mr. Hernandez rubbed his hand through his dark dreadlocks and thought for a moment. "If you mean those heads of the mafia, they died in the explosion. We found what was left of their bodies." Elizabeta shivered, turning her head to the side away from the officer and quietly questioned, "What happens next? What'll happen to us?"

"It seems that the mafia had split after the police infiltrated the area. Don't worry, we've got it under control from now on. We're rounding up members as we speak. Without a leader to take head, they tend to make obvious and stupid mistakes. You guys are all cleared up. We may end up calling just to double-check our sources and information, but as far as I'm concerned, you can put this whole thing behind you, ma'am."

Roderich, who was sitting on the other end of the couch, breathed a sigh. "Even though this issue has been settled, everyone is still sore. Many of us at hurt and one of us is on the brink of death." He looked down on his arm, held comfortably in a sling.

Mr. Hernandez responded, "I know, and we'll try to do everything we can to help you guys out. But for now, just hang tight. I have to go see Mr. Carriedo and Ms. Vargas to get their comments on the event, and then I have to get back to the station to report my findings. I wish you all the best of luck." He nodded towards everyone in the room and left, the sound of his shoes thumping against the cold tile floor echoing through the silence.

Alfred heaved a sigh from the corner he was standing in, arms crossed and tapping his foot. "I'm glad that the police are doing what they can, but I don't know how much luck they'll have with finding any more members."

"They'll do the best they can then." Elizabeta said. "For now, it's like he said. It is behind us at the moment. We need to be focusing on our injuries."

"So does anyone know how Lovina and Antonio are?" Alfred asked, looking around the room. Francis, sitting in a seat not too far from him, turned to the American and replied with a small smile on his face. "They are doing fine. I visited them about an hour ago. Antonio's got some cuts along his arms and face but nothing big, though son amour however will need to be in a wheelchair for a while. She has a lot of bruises, her leg will be in a cast for about two months, her shoulder will have to stay wrapped for another few weeks since it needed stitches, and they're checking for possible brain damage, but haven't found anything. She was beaten up pretty badly. I'm assuming that she'll have some scars from this experience."

He leaned back into the seat. "Antonio is unwilling to leave her side. It's nice though that he's finally realized what's been there all along. Goodness gracious, I would have ripped the hair off of my chin if he didn't do something about it soon!"

Elizabeta giggled, the frown on her face gone with a happy look for a few minutes. Alfred and Roderich also had a much brighter expression. "It's nice that they both have each other." She said, once again turning her gaze to the sleeping girl in her lap. Elizabeta ran her fingers through Feliciana's hair gently. "But I can't help but worry about Feliciana. Since the trip here the other day ago she's done nothing but sleep and worry. She barely eats and I fear she'll hurt herself more if we do not get news of Ludwig soon…"

The Hungarian's eyes moved to the other end of the room on their last member of their gang in the waiting room, endlessly pacing. "And then we have him to worry about as well. Blocking us all out and just constantly pacing. I understand it, but it can't be good to be doing that for nearly 24 hours straight."

Every time they had tried to make contact with Gilbert, he had only waved them off or would talk in a quiet voice in German. He refused to sleep until he knew of Ludwig's condition, which was taking far too long, so he was becoming restless.

"We're all worried about Ludwig, but Gilbert the most since it is his brother. And as the brother, you tend to feel responsible if something ever happens to them, even if it's not your fault." Alfred softly spoke. "Trust me, I know. But it's got to be ten times worse in Gil's head since he thinks it's his fault that Ludwig even came to the factory in the first place."

They all exchanged a look of concern when the doors to the emergency room opened suddenly, drawing their attention to it. A man in a long white lab coat walked over into the waiting room. His brown eyes scanned over everyone and said in a clear, loud voice, "Mr. Beilschmidt?"

Gilbert stopped his tracks and swiftly ran to the doctor's side, tired red eyes looking at him worriedly. He had bags underneath his eyes and was much paler than ever before. "Yes, that's me!" he nearly shouted into the doctor's ear. The doctor's face twitched for a moment before regaining his composure.

"I am Dr. Honda, the one in charge of the operation." Dr. Honda said softly, trying to talk only to Gilbert.

"We're all here for Ludwig, so you don't have to speak so quietly." Gilbert said, looking back at everyone in the room for the first time in the past couple of hours. The Edelsteins nodded, not moving much from their spot on the couch while Francis and Alfred in the other corner had shifted closer. Dr. Honda gave a quick, observant look over everyone. "Yes, of course, I apologize."

Dr. Honda adjusted his glasses, reading over the information on his clipboard once more before bringing his deep brown eyes back up to Gilbert. "As you know, Ludwig was accepted into the hospital in critical condition yesterday morning. Myself and the nurses have done the very best we can."

Elizabeta gasped, her hands covering her mouth as she began to tear up. "You… You don't mean he's-?"

"Ah, he is not dead, ma'am." Dr. Honda interrupted. "I'm sorry if I made you think that for a moment. He is indeed alive."

Smiles erupted all throughout the room as well as several sighs of relief. Not many people survive from a gunshot wound in the head, they all knew too well, so hearing this kind of news was a miracle. Francis began to tear up a little, bringing out his handkerchief to dab at his eyes. Alfred patted Gilbert on the back, both giving the other a grin. Elizabeta stroked Feliciana's hair, a tear rolling down her cheek. Roderich, however, noticed the look the doctor gave when he said that, and spoke up.

"What's wrong with him?" He asked, hands clenched into a fist. The smiles that had just brought joy mere moments ago were wiped clean. The small chitter-chatter stopped and silence fell onto the room. Gilbert twisted his head over to take a glance at Roderich. "What do you mean?" He stood up straight and looked back at the doctor, scrutinizing him. "What's wrong with my little brother?"

With a heavy sigh, Dr. Honda swept some of his black hair from his face. It was clear he didn't want to tell whatever depressing news it was.

"He is alive, there is no doubt about that, and that he will eventually make a recovery, due to the kind of gun that was used and the bullet. He'll need therapy, lots of home rest, and he shouldn't have any kind of mental problems, but there is a high probability that he will have amnesia. We don't know if it will be temporary or if it'll be permanent for sure until he wakes up."

There was no way to describe the feeling that crept through the skins of everyone in the room. The first one to react was Gilbert, who fell to the floor and punched it with his good hand, his nearly white hair covering half of his face. He gave an odd sort of chuckle and wiped his face. "Gott… Fuck…!" He looked up. "He won't remember a thing?!"

Dr. Honda kneeled down to Gilbert's level, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He might remember a few small things, such as bits and pieces about himself and family and friends, the same functions that everyone knows like eating and walking, but other than that I'm afraid he won't remember. You could always try to help him remember slowly and see if he makes any progress, but you should never force him with it. We don't know of anything for sure until he wakes up."

Tears streaked down Gilbert's face as he punched the floor once more. "Damn it all… DAMMIT!" Francis was quickly at his friend's side, holding his arm back to prevent him from punching the floor. Gilbert twitched and turned, trying desperately to move but was constricted by Francis. It was like a caged animal doomed to death, and it was hard to even look at Gilbert acting like this, Elizabeta thought, her face in the neck of her husband's. Roderich placed his hand on her hand, staring down at the girl still asleep through this.

It took a few minutes for Gilbert to stop shaking. Francis double checked with him to make sure he was okay, and with a hushed "Get off," Gilbert faced the doctor. His cheeks were stained, and he was sorrowful, but he gave the tiniest hint of smile. "He's alive though, right? He's fuckin' alive! That's what really counts in the end. He's alive… My little brother is alive! And I have you to thank for it, Doc. Thank you. Thank you so much!"

Dr. Honda smiled and nodded, helping Gilbert back up on his two feet. "Even if he loses his memories or becomes a different person, no matter what he is still your brother and all you have left is each other. Family bonds is one of the most precious of bonds we make."

He turned. "I'll come back and report when he has woken up." Dr. Honda said before disappearing back into the emergency room.

Gilbert looked down towards the ground, crying and sniffling. His shoulders heaved up and down, unable to control himself anymore. Francis leaned over and rubbed his back. Alfred peered at Elizabeta, who returned the look. She continued stroking Feliciana's hair as Roderich walked up to Gilbert and placed an arm around his shoulder, bringing his face into his chest. There will be a time later for words.

It seemed that luck was in Feliciana's favor, for when she awoke, the news of Ludwig being awake was announced by Doctor Honda. Hearing this, Feliciana sat straight up, looking unbelievingly at the doctor. She had been told nearly half a day ago about Ludwig's condition and cried for what seemed like hours.

Even though Feliciana badly wanted to see the boy she loved most, protocol states that only family members can enter for now, but knowing Gilbert he'll try to get a few people in to see him. Besides, Gilbert was the one who was going to find out if Ludwig had amnesia and that if he does, how much he remembers.

The minutes couldn't have gone any slower. It was practically painful for Feliciana just to sit there next to Elizabeta, shaking and trembling, keeping her hands busy by flexing her fingers over one another. Her eyes were closed, thinking of every single moment the two had together. Replaying those memories help calm her down a lot. Those memories will stay with her forever, but knowing that Ludwig might not even remember any of it…

Feliciana shook her head, trying not to think too hard about that. She had to stay positive! Ludwig will be okay in the end and they'll embrace and everything will be just as it was in no time! Positive!

So when Gilbert finally came back out about a half hour later with a solemn look, her heart broke. Gilbert sounded tired, obviously upset, but talked in a calm voice. "Ludwig doesn't remember much at all. At first he didn't know his name or who he was really, but is kind of remembering bits and pieces now. He almost didn't recognize me either. He doesn't remember much of anything before this whole business really. Don't be surprised if he doesn't recognize you. Just… just give him time, maybe he'll come around and remember, like the Doctor said. Maybe…"

Rushing off of the couch, Feliciana ran to Gilbert, clutching his shirt. "Me… Does he remember me? Anything at all?"

Gilbert placed his hand on her head and stared into her eyes. "I'm sorry. When I asked, he said he can't remember a thing about knowing someone named Feliciana."

She clenched on to his shirt, fresh tears becoming soaked into his clothes. Gilbert brought her into a hug as she wept.

"I know you love him with everything you've got, Feli. And I know that he loves you just as much. There's no way he won't fall in love with you again." He lightly pushed her back, wiping her tears with his thumb. "If he did it once, he can do it again."

"E-Even so…! He won't…!"

"Feli." Gilbert smiled and ruffled her hair a bit. "He does remember seeing a little girl in a green dress, and remembers making a promise to her. In fact, that was the first thing he said when he woke up. Something about keeping a promise, though he has no idea who he made it with or anything about it. I don't know anything about any promises, but I'm sure that that had to be with you."

Feliciana's eyes widened. "He made a promise before he left. So… if I tell him now-"

"No Feli, you can't. It's too early to try and make him remember anything. Remember what the Doctor said? We can't force him to remember at all, or he might get seriously hurt. If he remembers, he remembers. If he doesn't, then don't bring it up, okay? I know it's hard for you, but you've got to think of him right now and what's best for him."

She sniffled, wiped her eyes for a few seconds, and slowly nodded. Gilbert gave a smile, and gently took her hand, leading her into the hallway. "I don't want everyone seeing him today, but since you're practically his girlfriend I think you have a good enough reason to see him now rather than later."

It was too sudden for her as Gilbert pushed her into a room; the door shut behind her as Gilbert's footsteps gradually faded away. Feliciana was in a white, large hospital room with a huge curtain in the middle. A soft beep beep was the only noise in the room. The window was open, allowing fresh air into the room, and she could see his silhouette, his head turning towards the door.

"Hello?"

It took all of Feli's willpower not to start crying once again and force herself onto him in a hug. She remembered what she said earlier: Positive. She needs to stay positive. Ludwig doesn't need a broken down girl weeping at him.

Feliciana walked over, lightly touching the soft fabric of the curtain, and turned to him. He wasn't the same young boy that she remembered. He was bigger, muscular, and didn't have an ounce of baby fat on him. But he had the same face, just only larger and structured more. His blonde hair was lighter with a bandage covering his head, and his eyes even were a lighter color than she remembered. He was hooked up to several machines, including a heart monitor. It pained her to see him like this but still, sitting in that bed was the very same Ludwig she fell in love with. It was her Ludwig, and she still loved him dearly.

"Um… excuse me?"

The sounds of his low voice stopped her from staring at him. How did she not notice that his voice was deeper? It made Feliciana feel like she didn't really know this Ludwig, but stopped thinking about it as she looked into his eyes. She smiled and walked over, not bothering with the chairs beside it and sat on the bed, reaching a hand out to touch the bandage.

Ludwig, clearly confused, looked up at her. "You seem familiar to me… but my brother says I have amnesia and that I won't really recognize anyone. I'm sorry if we've met before, but could you please tell me who you are?"

Feliciana brought her hand down, reaching for his own as she grasped it softly. "It's alright. Gilbert said it might take some time before you fully remember. My name is Feliciana Vargas, but you can call me Feli. We grew up together for a few years and are best friends."

Ludwig scrutinized her for a moment, still taking the information in. "We're… best friends?"

The Italian girl stared at him, and so quickly she began to fling her arms about, a worried look on her face. "AH! Did I go too far? Gilbert had warned me of trying to tell you things and instead let you figure out some things but I think I went and overdid it! Was I supposed to tell you that? What if I wasn't?! I don't want to be killed by Gilbert if I wasn't supposed to but I just missed you so much and I haven't talked to you in such a long time that it just slipped out of my mouth and I don't want to get in trouble and I don't want to hurt you more than you already are!"

Feliciana continued to wail, thinking too hard about what she may have done. She really didn't want to make Ludwig think too much since he's already having memory troubles on top of a head injury! To say she was shocked when he placed a finger on her mouth was an understatement. It definitely hushed her, and her wide eyes met with his. It was only brief before his cheeks were stained with a dark red color and turned his head to the side. "I-I get it, no need to yell in a hospital! And I'm fine. Nothing is hurting me."

This was her Ludwig. And he didn't even know anything about her or their past and here he was, blushing the same way he did back when he was little. It gave Feliciana hope. She gave him the biggest smile and said, "I'm really glad that you are okay, Ludwig."

Across from her, Ludwig gazed at her in astonishment, the blush still evident. He looked away when a loud beeping sound filled the silence. The heart monitor he was hooked up to was stable before, but now was beating faster. Feliciana laughed, in relief and in happiness, and weaved her fingers through his.

"Everything will be alright."

About a day after Ludwig awakens and re-acquaints himself with everyone, Francis had to leave, saying that he had to get back to work and couldn't miss another day. Alfred, on the other hand, decided to stay and give everyone else a ride home, of which they were most grateful.

Since Ludwig was alright to go home in a few days, the Edelstein couple chose to remain, mainly because of Feliciana's well-being. They knew they shouldn't take her away from Ludwig after meeting him once again in so long. Antonio also decided to stay, partly because the doctors want to do several more tests on Lovina and because Lovina wanted some time with her sister.

Time passed by slowly, the days usually spent telling stories of Ludwig's past from things like learning music with Roderich to Gilbert's embarrassing tales of his early childhood. Every day Ludwig would remember little pieces, but it was obvious that it might take years for him to remember everything, if he ever remembers.

At night when the youngest members of their group fell asleep, the rest of them would play card games, laughing and having some fun like they used to back when they were kids. The stress of having to worry about someone coming after them was off of their shoulders. They did wonder of whatever happened to Romulus, but it was agreed to decide that he was going to continue doing whatever it was (if he was even still alive, which they had no clue if he was or wasn't) and that they had to protect the two sisters no matter what.

Soon it became the day of leaving for everyone. Alfred took off and headed for Vienna first since it was the closest stop. He alerted everyone that they were going to be landing soon overhead, alerting the passengers. Mostly everyone was near the front of the plane, but Feliciana and Lovina were sitting near the back of the plane to have more privacy to themselves.

"I'm really going to miss you, sorella." Feli said, hugging her sister as best she could. Lovina returned the gesture, awkwardly turning so that she didn't have to move her leg that was propped up or her injured shoulder.

"I'll miss you too, idiot. Stay safe and don't stray far from the house by yourself, got it?"

"Ve, of course!"

"And also…" Lovina looked down, grabbing her sister's hand. "Call every once in a while. Just to make sure everything is okay."

Feliciana smiled and squeezed it back. "I will as long as you call me every once in a while. Besides, you have to keep me updated on how you and Antonio are doing!"

Turning pink Lovina huffed and crossed her arms, ripping her hand from her sister's. "I don't need to tell you what the hell goes on between us!"

"But you're dating now! That's so exciting, Lovi! Please? You could give me tips for when I start dating, ve!" Lovina's face turned into one of disgust.

"I am NOT giving dating advice! And you'd use it on the potato!"

Feliciana laughed. "Well of course I'd used it on "the potato," I do love him of course!"

"Feli, will you really be okay?" Lovina asked, concerned. Feliciana gave her a questioned look. "I mean, he still doesn't remember what happened between you and him before he left. Will you be okay knowing that there's a possibility he won't ever remember or that it'd take something like ten years for him to remember?"

The mere fact that Lovina was worried about her openly made Feli feel glad. She grabbed her sister's hands once more and said, "Thank you for worrying about me, I really appreciate it. I'll be fine, because it doesn't matter if Ludwig remembers or not. I love him. Gilbert even told me the other day that he was asking more questions about me and wanting to know more. It'll be alright."

Lovina sighed. "He'll most definitely fall in love with you again." Feliciana giggled.

"Just make sure he doesn't do anything to you, alright? And if I find out if he's done something unforgettable to you I'll take care of him myself, dammit."

"Haha, okay!"

"Girls?"

They looked up to see Antonio a few rows in front of them, waving his hand. "We'll be landing in about a minute." Feliciana replied back saying they'll join them up front after they land and he nodded, walking back.

"That reminds me." Lovina turned her attention back to her sister. "It's kind of weird how the mafia has destroyed our family. Papa and mama, nonno..l. And yet at the same time it gave us a new family."

It was a heavy topic, but there had to have been a reason Feli was bringing it up. Even though Lovina didn't want to think of what has happened, she replied back. "Yeah, they did. I can never fuckin' forgive what they've done to our family, but at the same time they did lead us to Antonio and the Edelsteins."

"Mm… I'm glad that we're still a family, you know?"

Lovina softened her look on her sister. "We'll always be a family, dammit. Besides, no one can get rid of you if they tried."

"Lovi!"

They laughed as the plane landed, Roderich gathering their things with Antonio's help. Elizabeta called Feliciana over, saying that they can't keep Alfred from his next destination. Feliciana hugged her sister again with a promise to meet as soon as possible. Antonio squeezed Feliciana when she raised her arms to him, running off about how he would better protect Lovina. It was funny to watch when Lovina tried to tell him off, only to get a kiss on the lips from her boyfriend, silencing her. She shook hands with Alfred while Gilbert twirled her into the air, telling her that he'll visit within the next few weeks to see Ludwig. Ludwig himself was asleep, still needing lots of rest, and though Feliciana wanted to actually talk to him, she only reached down and kissed his cheek, whispering into his ear "Until we meet again."

Grasping onto Elizabeta's hand, she descended from the plane, only turning back to wave at everyone left. "Everything has been settled," she thought as she walked on out of the airport with her guardians. While Roderich tried calling for a car, Feliciana looked up to see Alfred's plane in the sky. She waved one last time, knowing with ease that someday they all will meet once again.

A/N: Took forever but it's done! I've learned a lot from writing this fic and I have plans to improve myself much more. Thank you all for your support for the past year. And I know, the ending probably wasn't what you expected, but it was what I had planned, to somewhat leave it unfinished. I wanted the focus more on the family/love and of how those ties are very powerful rather than the mafia part, so yeah. If you have any questions at all, just send me a message and I'll be happy to tell you anything.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia in any way, shape, or form.

Translations:

Gott - German - God

Son amour – French – his love

Sorella – Italian – sister

Papa – Italian – father

Mama – italian – mother

Nonno – Italian - grandfather