⚠️WARNING!!!⚠️

This chapter contains subtle mention the idea of suicide and self harming, but will not actually show process of it. If you do not wish to read that part, find the [⚠️⚠️⚠️] and skip to the matching symbol. If it doesn't, then enjoy the story.

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Zane's P.O.V.:

It had been about ten days since the kids went missing. After working tirelessly on finding them, I still found nothing. I was not going to give up. I had been working on an invention that would go and fly and to their location, but there were still a few bugs to work out.

"Zane, my father and Axel are on the phone." Pixal said. "They said it was urgent."

"Ok." I said.

Pixal came into the lab and we turned the video phone on. We saw Borg using a welding torch on Axel's arm.

"Axel? What happened?" I asked.

"There was a security breach last night. I tried but I couldn't stop them." Axel frowned.

"Is he ok?" Pixal asked.

"He's fine. It was only minor damage." Borg said.

"Tell that to my motherboard." Axel held his head.

"Did you catch who it was?" Pixal asked.

"My cameras went offline right before the robbery. Surprisingly the only thing missing was the cloaking technology I was working on for Alex." Borg said.

"I thought he already had a cloaking device." I said.

"He does, but this one would allow him to camouflage himself with his surroundings, essentially making him invisible to the naked eye." Borg explained. "I was having Axel test it out because it's still in the prototype phase."

"You have millions of dollars worth of technology. Why would the thief leave everything else and take just that?" Pixal asked.

"Hard to say, but we think that's the only thing he wanted." Axel said.

"Borg, you said it was a prototype. What was keeping you from completing it?" I asked.

"The device works, but the effects wear off after two minutes." Borg told us. "I was in the middle of patching the bug when he took it."

"Did you call the police?" Pixal said.

"I did, but they have a lot on their plate." Borg sighed. "I thought you would like to know."

"Thank you. Stay safe father." Pixal said.

"Hope you feel better Axel." I said.

"Thanks." Axel said, still holding his head.

Pixal hung up the video phone and I looked at her. She seemed concerned.

"If you want to pay him a visit, that's ok." I said to her.

"Are you coming with me?" Pixal asked.

"I would, but I'm almost done with my new invention." I told her.

"A new invention? I thought you were looking for Alex and the kids."

"I am, that's why I made it. It's a drone that can track the last known location of ship calls and fly right to it. And now that I know where Ryder's distress call originated from, once it's done I can send it there. Then when someone finds it, they'll send out a signal that I can track."

"Zane that's genius!" Pixal smiled. "Have you told the others?"

"No, I don't want to get their hopes up if it doesn't work."

"I'm sure it will." Pixal smiled.

"I only have one shot at this, so hopefully I have the location right." I frowned.

"You said they were near the island they were headed to when the ship capsized."

"Yes, but with its fuel capacity, it will be risky to get it there in one piece."

"Maybe I can help." Pixal offered.

"Thank you but you should really go check on your father and Axel. I can figure this out."

"Ok. I love you."

"I love you too."

I gave her a kiss on the cheek and she headed out the door. I kept working on my invention. This was the last hope we had, so I had to get it to work, no matter what.

Lloyd's P.O.V.:

"I don't know what to do Mom. The kids have been gone for over a week now and Kira hasn't been doing well. Kai and Skylor are trying their best to catch this guy but it's taking a while, Zane hasn't been able to locate them, and Nya, Jay and Cole have their other kids to take care of. I'm just not sure if I can do this by myself." I looked at her grave. "I know what you would say, and dad tries, but it's like he just doesn't know what to say and Wu won't help because he's trying to teach Dad a lesson. Unfortunately Kira's not much help right now either."

I came to this place a lot, especially when my life got hard. As much as I love her, Kira's accident had changed her. She had a lot of physical and mental issues due to the shooting and complications from the surgery and the coma. She had trouble remembering things, panic attacks about the incident, and was basically bound to a wheelchair because she was too weak to walk. Ultimately, I had to make the decision to readmit her to the hospital so she could get better treatment.

It was the hardest decision I ever had to make. The sad part is that Kira has never been one to give up. She had always found a reason to keep going no matter how bad things got. She had been my rock through thick and thin, but this time she didn't have the one thing that kept her grounded. The kids.

"I miss you Mom, but I promise I will get your grandkids back. No matter what it takes."

I put some flowers on her grave and took a minute to say goodbye before walking back to my car. I took a moment to cry before I drove myself back to Wu and Dad's apartment. I had been staying there after I readmitted Kira. I just don't trust myself to be alone right now.

I walked in and put his keys on the hook. My father and Wu were in the middle of dinner.

"Hey son." My father said. "You want some dumplings? Wu said they were your favorite."

"No thanks, I just need a few minutes." I said not making eye contact with him. "It smells good, maybe save me some?"

"Ok, sure." He agreed.

I walked away and slammed the door as I entered the bedroom. I sat on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. Why was all of this happening to me? Just a few months ago I had everything I ever wanted. I had a loving wife, three wonderful kids, and both of my parents in my life at the same time. Now my mother's gone, my kids are missing, and my wife is stuck in the hospital. It just felt like everything was falling apart.

I then heard my phone ringing and it was Kira video calling me. I dried my tears the best I could and answered the call. I saw her sitting on the hospital bed.

"Hey Kira." I tried to smile.

"Hi Lloyd." She smiled. "Any update on the kids yet?"

"Not yet, but Zane says he's getting closer every day." I told her, although she's heard that same sentence a thousand times before. "How are you doing?"

"I would feel better if we just knew they were ok." She frowned.

"I know, but at least we have each other, right?"

"Right." She sighed. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I just got back from visiting my mother's grave, so I'm a little emotional right now, that's all." I frowned.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know." Kira frowned.

"It's ok." I said. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, my doctor put me on some medication to help with the anxiety and they wanted to monitor me to see how it was working and so far everything looks good. My PT scores look great too and if I'm lucky I'll be out of here by the end of the week."

"That's great news." I said relieved. "I'm really happy to hear that."

"Ok, I need you to really hold onto that good mood, because I have some news that is... not so good." Kira frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't want to tell you this over the phone, but I need someone to talk about it with right now."

"What is it?"

"I... I was pregnant when the incident happened."

"What? You are?" I was shocked.

"No, I was." She frowned.

I then realized what she was trying to tell me.

"Oh. You're saying that you... lost it?" I frowned.

"It couldn't have been more than two weeks. I wasn't having any symptoms yet and I didn't know until it was too late. I just thought you should know."

I couldn't say anything. I sat there frozen in utter disbelief. How could somebody do that to my wife, my future kid? Everything in my life was all going wrong and the moment things were getting better, then I learned an innocent child lost their lives because someone had it out for Kira. I couldn't even fathom how anyone could do this.

As I sat there, I was distracted by a noise on the other side of the room. I looked in that corner and I saw some footprints leading to the bathroom. They definitely weren't there before.

"I gotta go. I love you."

"Lloyd wait, I..."

I hung up the phone as quietly as I could and tiptoed over to the bathroom. I opened the door and went inside, but it immediately closed behind me and something hit in the back of the head. I passed out before I could see his face...

Garmadon's P.O.V.:

I was sitting at the table. We were almost done with dinner.

"Lloyd's been in there a long time. Do you think he's ok?" I asked.

"Just give him time, he'll come around." Wu said.

"I'm worried Wu. Ever since he had to readmit Kira he's been in a slump of depression. I know it's hard with the kids being gone, but it's like he's lost all hope."

"Because his friends are all busy dealing with their own burdens." He said. "He doesn't have anyone to lean on right now."

"Then what am I meant to do? I can't make this all ok by talking to him."

"Just give it a try." Wu said.

"I don't know, advice is kind of your thing."

"It's important for you to learn how to be his father, you need to be the one to talk to him."

"Even in your old age, you still have to teach me lessons." I sighed.

"How else will you learn?"

My phone started ringing and it was Kira. I picked it up.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey I was just talking to Lloyd. I got some really bad news and he didn't take it well and now he's not answering his phone. Can you just check on him please? I'm really worried." Kira said.

"Are you ok?"

"It wasn't about me, let's just say that."

"Ok, I'll go check on him."

I went over to the door, keeping the phone on speaker so Kira could listen. I knocked on the door and there was no answer.

"Lloyd? You wanna talk?" I asked.

There was no answer. I told him that I was coming in and the door was locked. Now I was starting to worry.

"Lloyd, open the door please." I asked, still no answer. "Lloyd?"

[⚠️⚠️⚠️]

I knocked even harder, but still no answer. I banged on the door until it finally opened and I still didn't see him until I found Lloyd passed out in the bathroom and bleeding from his wrist, a razor in his other hand.

"Wu, call 911!" I yelled.

Wu ran into the room with his ear to the phone.

"Garmadon, tell me what's going on." Kira said.

"It's Lloyd, he... his wrist is bleeding and he's unconscious." I told her.

"Ok ok, get some cling wrap and wrap it around his wrist. Lay him flat and keep his arm above his head. That should stop the bleeding until the paramedics get there." Kira said.

"Ok."

Wu ran and got the cling wrap and I did everything Kira said. The paramedics came in and they took him to the hospital. We rode with them and waited in the waiting room.

[⚠️⚠️⚠️]

"This is all my fault." I frowned. "If I had just been there for him, this wouldn't have happened."

"Don't say that." Wu said.

We saw Kira get off the elevator and she limped over to us with her crutches. She still couldn't walk very well, but she looked a lot better than the last time I saw her.

"Kira?" I questioned.

"Is Lloyd ok?" She asked.

"They said he didn't need surgery so that's good." Wu said.

"We're waiting to see how his treatment goes." I said. "Thanks for telling me what to do."

"I knew that he wouldn't take it well but I never expected him to do something like this." Kira frowned as she sat down next to us.

"What exactly happened?" Wu asked.

"Well, they found out that I was pregnant at the time, but the baby didn't make it." She frowned. "I didn't even know I was until it was too late."

"Oh." I frowned. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Me too, but I should've waited until Lloyd came to visit so I could tell him in person or waited till the kids were back or..."

"Kira, this was not your fault. He's been through a lot and this just pushed him over the edge. That's all it was."

"No, he has a history of this." Kira told us. "He told me that after I disappeared he tried to take his own life, but luckily Ryder found him before he did it and he never went through with it because he realized he needed to stick around for Ryder, but this time..."

"He felt he had nothing left to live for." I frowned.

"Exactly." Kira frowned.

"Lloyd Garmadon?" The nurse stood up.

"Yes, is my son ok?" I asked.

"He needed a blood transfusion and a few stitches, but luckily his arteries were intact. He should be fine in a few days, but I recommend getting him into therapy." The nurse told us.

"Can we see him please?" Kira asked.

"Yes, but don't stress him out too much." The nurse said.

Wu, Kira and I went to Lloyd's room to see him on the bed. He was pale and tired, but he looked ok.

"Lloyd?" Kira opened the door.

"Kira?" He sat up.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I feel fine, just a little lightheaded and confused." Lloyd said.

"Lloyd, don't lie to me." Kira frowned. "I get that you're devastated about the baby but..."

"Wait, you told them?" Lloyd looked at us.

"I had to." Kira said. "They deserve to know."

"After you hung up the phone Kira called me and told me to check on you." I explained. "She was on the phone with me while I was saving your life. Without her I would've done it all wrong."

"So you're saying that Kira saved my life?" Lloyd said.

"It was a group effort, but yes." Kira said. "Wu, Garmadon, can you give us a minute?"

"Sure, we'll go get you guys some food." Wu said and I agreed.

"Thank you." Kira said.

Kira's P.O.V.:

Wu and Garmadon left and I took a deep breath and sat down next to my husband. Lloyd couldn't even look me in the eye.

"What the heck were you thinking?!" I shouted.

"Kira I know what it looks like but..."

"I get it, you miss the kids, and so do I, but that's not a reason to do this!"

"Kira you're not listening, I didn't do this." Lloyd said.

"Well it's not exactly surprising given your history and what you're going through."

"I know this looks bad and I may not remember much of what happened, but I promise I didn't do this to myself."

"I'm sorry but, I don't think I can believe you this time." I frowned. "If you're a danger to yourself then as a nurse and your wife, I have to put your safety above everything else."

"Kira you have to believe me." Lloyd frowned.

"I'm sorry Lloyd, but I have to put your safety first."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the safest thing to do would be to make sure you can't hurt yourself. With patients in your situation, we usually send them to a psych hospital where they can get better."

"Kira no, I can't do that. I need to stay in Ninjago with you and I want to be here when the kids come back."

"I know, and I want you to stay too, but if you're a danger to yourself then I have to protect you." I frowned.

"But I'm telling you, I didn't do this. All I remember was walking into the bathroom and then I passed out. I can't remember anything else, but I didn't do this." Lloyd pointed to his wrist wrapped in bandages.

"Lloyd I'm sorry, but if I let myself believe you and your lying then I'll hate myself forever if something terrible happened to you."

"And I would never make you feel that way." He grabbed my hand. "Kira, if I actually did this you would be the first person I tell, but I didn't. I promise."

I took a second to look into his green eyes. I know he would never lie to me about something like this, but a part of me just didn't want to believe him to keep him safe. I couldn't stand the thought of losing him.

I took a deep breath. "Ok, I believe you, but you have to start seeing a therapist."

"Really? Why?" Lloyd asked.

"It's just a precaution, plus I think it would be good for you to talk about your mom and other things bothering you. I'll even go with you if you want me to."

"If it means I can stay here, fine." He reluctantly agreed.

"Thank you." I said relieved.

I sat down and took a deep breath. It had been such a long day and I was exhausted from standing with my crutches. My shoulder wasn't feeling that great either, but the thing that was really bothering me was that the kids were still missing.

"Are you ok?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah I just miss the kids." I frowned. "Losing that baby was just a big fat reminder."

"Yeah, I'm upset about it too, but it happened." Lloyd frowned.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you over the phone." I frowned. "If you really want another baby then there's no reason we can't try again when this all blows over."

"No it's not that. It's just, the fact someone that took our baby away from us, its just so wrong."

"We had no idea I was even pregnant. He wasn't trying to make me lose it, it just got caught in the crossfire."

"Yeah I know, but still. The fact that we have to go the rest of our lives knowing that we could've had that baby, it's unbearable."

"I know, but there's nothing we can do about it now. The only thing we can do is know that we still have each other."

"It would just be easier if I knew the kids were ok." Lloyd frowned.

"I miss them too, but when they come back I don't want to tell them that their dad is gone. Please don't make me tell them that."

"How are you so sure they will come back?" Lloyd frowned. "It's been over a week and we haven't heard a thing from them."

"Because Lloyd it's like you said. All we can do is hope." I grabbed his hand.

"What if all hope is lost, then what do I do?"

"We ind some more."

I stayed right by his bedside and held his hand. I knew we had a lot of work to do, but I was going to everything in my power to protect him.