I'll have one miracle with a side of fries.

As it turned out, Tricia wasn't supposed to have healed Grace under certain conditions. If the circumstances through which Grace came back into health after so many gunshot wounds seemed... suspicious to the normal world, then she wasn't supposed to have gotten involved. If Grace seemed like she might be dangerous after learning about the Abyss, Tricia wasn't supposed to get involved. If she was corrupted and marred permanently in some way by the Abyss... then it was too late for her.

However, it wasn't too late for John to guilt her into doing everything she could to help anyways. His incessant begging and pleading with her to break the rules for him eventually got under her skin. When she was red in the face and thoroughly annoyed with him, she relented... albeit with a small, hidden smile on her features as he 'cornered' her into doing a good thing. She went to take care of his friend, and he was left standing guard outside the Intensive Care Unit where Grace was resting when he was suddenly approached again.

A handful of men, most of which had stopped by the nurses’ desk to pick at a spare candy bowl, flooded into the hospital's bright, white hallways. They crowded around the waiting area, making it a hassle for Giva to walk through when she finally decided to leave the conference room she had been crying in, and physically blocked off almost every means of escape while one man stomped straight up to John. It wasn't a very particularly tall man that John came face to face with. He was shorter than John was, with no hair on his head to speak of. The small amount of dark scruff he had on his chin was trimmed and rough like thick sandpaper. He had dark, blackish eyes like a pair of onyx gemstones. His figure was broad and muscular, but with his stature, he wasn't looming over John...

...probably because he wasn't trying to.

Daniel Salvador
Level 18 Ranger
<Brick>
321/321 HP
RP: +50
Effects: Greased Lightning, Pack Leader

Pack Leader, Passive.
Pack Leader: This leader has inspired so much loyalty in a large group of followers that some of them will live and die for the user. When the pack leader attacks, the pack members get the opportunity to immediately attack with the leader. With but an order, the Pack Leader may command his most loyal allies to take damage meant for him instead of suffering a hit himself.
For an ally to gain Pack Mentality, they must first reach a relationship score of at least 190.

Greased Lightning, Paragon Passive.
Greased Lightning: This change marks a new degree of Agility in its user. This subject’s Agility has surpassed the standard limits of mortality and, as such, is no longer bound by the laws of physics or the limitations of his own body. He and the things he carries are all immune to damage that would ensue from violating said laws or limitations.

"I wanted to thank you," he said as soon as John locked eyes with him. The hospital lights reflected off of his bald scalp. "I heard about what you did to the Cabal thug that they sent after you. While surprising... to learn that you were capable of such a feat, it's also impressive and good to know. I'm Daniel." The large bald man offered out a hand for John to shake. He didn't.

"How did you hear about that? And how did you know I was here?" the gamer asked while Daniel waited with his hand out. When John didn't shake, his relationship score with the man dropped by five points.

"Ah... yes. I did want to offer my condolences for your friend. If I had any means at my disposal for helping her, I'd offer them," he gave John a quick, dashing smile as he spoke. "However, if it is true that you are new to the Abyss, then you should probably know that news travels quickly in our world. You knocked a major player off the board! Anyone truly paying attention to Springfield will have heard of you by now or will soon." John's face paled. He had done so much to keep his powers secret, and now apparently... it was possible that a lot of people suddenly knew about him. Thankfully, the bald man waited for a moment for John to catch up. His white smile stayed on his face, as if he somehow knew that John was still trying to go over who could have possibly spread that information about him. Robyn seemed unlikely; she had stepped in between him and the Order. The order was a possibility. Moira's dad hadn't seemed too happy when he left, which meant it was possible for him to have run into Daniel on his way out of the hospital.

Maybe he had just overheard it.

"What did you mean by... 'major player?'" he asked, and Daniel put a hand on his arm to take him aside. With a little grin, the ranger led him back to a waiting chair and sat him down in it.

"Springfield is full of them. With the Order in place here, only the best can truly stay and survive. You have to be smart!" he poked John in the chest with the last word. "Only one group can rule after all. You have to be protected!" his fingers slowly intertwined as he took a seat next to John and nodded at him. "Which brings me to the other thing that I wanted to come out here for..." His smile quickly disappeared, and a grim look fell across his face. "You're strong, John..." The Gamer blinked hard as Daniel addressed him by name. "... but strength won't get you everywhere. When it comes to enemies... you need friends... allies. You need people who will watch your back, your family's back. You need supplies, money, and magic... and a proper group can provide that, without restricting your own growth! Hell, we could help it!"

"Group? I don't-" John started

"I know what you're thinking..." he interrupted John before he could finish speaking. The second that he started to say anything other than what Daniel wanted to hear, he was drilling his point home again, working to convince John. "The Order wants you, the Flame say they claimed you, but they will not help you. In the end, the Order will **** you into obedience when you step even a little bit out of line, if they don't start with **** first, and the Flame doesn't accept men into its ranks. You've started out on your own... and if you stay that way... the Order, or someone like them, will get their hands on you." Daniel's lips pressed together into a thin line. "If you join us, that won't happen. We can protect you and your family. You'll have mana and more money than you ever imagined." John's eyebrow twitched. Mana. "Use magic in ways you couldn't believe and-"

It was a good offer.

"I'm not looking for a group right now," he said with a slight hiss... and watched as Daniel's relationship score dropped twenty whole points. His perfect smile wavered, just for a second, and then it was back again. He nodded glibly, his disappointment still fairly evident, but he took the answer in stride. Daniel stood up, looming over John now with his dark eyes, and spoke loud enough for the rest of his posse to hear.

"I do hope you'll reconsider my offer, John," Daniel said, and all the other men in the room turned towards them. "Living alone in the Abyss can be quite... dangerous." They walked out after that. A part of him wanted to be scared, confused, or intimidated by whatever just happened. A small part of him was strangely intrigued at the idea of taking his offer just to get all the things he promised... but when he considered how Daniel and his group might have received his money and mana, he couldn't ignore the turning nausea in his gut. There was nothing that said that Daniel wasn't as bad as the Cabal. There was nothing that said that the Flame or the Order was better either. Everything he had heard so far just painted them all as bad. Still, he was too tired to dwell on implications and unsaid threats after the day he had had, and when Tricia came back out... the day went on longer.

Apparently, she didn't heal Grace all the way. She healed her just enough for the doctors to be able to save her, and when they came in to check on Grace, they found a 'lucky' change in her physical health. She went back into surgery while John, Giva, and Tricia all sat waiting throughout the night. Giva's son, Vijay, woke up early in the morning, and his mother swore thanks to all sorts of things that John had never heard of. He smiled, relieved mostly, but when he saw how happy Giva was, he had to hug Tricia again.

Grace only came out of surgery when the sun had finally come back up again. The doctors were eager to share the good news with the family, and Giva went as far as to hug John when they told her that her daughter would actually live. Giva called it a miracle, said that it had come... and no one disagreed.

The only hiccup they were waiting for now was to see if Grace would wake up as well.