Beep. Beep. Beep. That's all I had heard for the past fifteen minutes. That and the occasional whoosh or clank of one of the many machines hooked up to his body deciding to erupt to life out of the chaotic stillness. The repetition of the machines was quick to remind me how fragile and complex the situation was. Them being the only reason he was still with me at the moment if you can call life support even being alive, to begin with. One of the most important pieces dug deep into his throat before protruding out would continuously swell then deflate, over and over, in complete silence. Pushing air deep inside him until his chest was forced to rise and then eventually fall with the perfect rhythm of the machine.

At this point, I really had no idea what I was even looking at. I had long separated myself from the situation, the shock taking its drastic toll on my psyche. And yet, even with my brain trying to make me forget how upset I actually was, deep down inside I knew exactly what I was looking at.

My long-time opponent and father's sunken body lied unaware and living off of the things he loved most, robots. It's ironic how unforgiving and cruel destiny's humor can be.

Bleep!

A new sound had startled me out of my disassociated state, a sound I had not heard before. I looked up at the monitor sitting right beside me only to see a change in his EEG, a change the doctors were hoping to see about a day ago. It showed a split second of consciousness that quickly trailed off within a matter of seconds before returning back to its normal state. A slight smile had formed on my tan muzzle before I placed my hand on his. Hopefully, the doctors would get notified soon, and they could give me a more positive status.

"Good job, dad. Keep doing that, and you'll be better in no time." I said soothingly with my index finger gently caressing the dorsal side of his hand.

I'm not sure why I was trying to comfort a person I knew was not listening, however, maybe It was more for my sake. Any sign of improvement, even if its small and delayed, is enough to bring me hope. I guess that was one of my best characteristics, taken straight from my father. He always used to have that bright, very sassy, bubbly spirit many people either loved or hated. It really hurt me to see him fall from grace so hard after his good looks started to fade. He went from caring only about his body to not caring at all, and this is what all that neglect has led him too.

I took a hefty and long sigh, attempting to fight back the tears I knew bound to burst out of their prison eventually. In the corner of my eye, I could sense some movement which oddly startled me. It was not a doctor or a nurse as they always knocked before entering and I quickly turned before placing my body in front of Ivo's in an instinctual attempt to protect him. I suppose my quick hero reflexes never seem to leave me, no matter what the situation.

What I saw brought a slight smirk to my face. A very welcome emotion after all of the suffering I had gone through recently. An ebony hedgehog, fur combed and professional, eyes crimson and piercing was staring at me with that traditional frown stapled onto his face. I had known Shadow for so long now that I almost found his scowl adorable. I certainly teased him on it more than necessary as he never seemed to like having me around. His melodramatic attitude was a nice interruption from the real drama I was handling for the past few days or so. However, his face changed dramatically when he looked upon the evil mastermind's body. Eyebrows frayed up a little in both concern and confusion as he uncomfortably shifted in his position.

"Is it bad?" He said hesitantly, seeming to be at a slight loss for words at the moment.

"The CT doesn't look good. At least twenty percent of his brain is either damaged or dead, and they cannot seem to wake him. Seven lesions were also found on top of everything that is adding to the cranial pressure caused by the brain attempting to heal. So to answer your question yes, it is bad. Quite bad. They tried taking him off the breathing machine, and he almost fell into cardiac arrest." I attempted to put on my poker face; I really did not want to show Shadow how unbelievably vulnerable I felt right now. However, he really needed to know the facts.

"Oh. Wow. Um. I'm not sure what to say." He shuddered back, his ears flattening across his head and eyes glaring down at the cold, white hospital tile flooring.

"It's alright, Shadow. It was bound to happen, eventually. Granted, I think the doctors were a little too broad on the diagnosis. He had been suffering from declining health for years, and I think something else is going on. However, it's too late now. The damage is done, and there's nothing any of us can do about it now." I took a deep breath as Shadow's face became even more distressed.

"Sonic... This must be incredibly hard for you. I know it probably doesn't mean much, but you have my full sympathy." He placed his hand on his chest slightly, showing real concern and sympathy for the first time probably ever.

"He is your step brother, technically; I would think you would be feeling similar pain." I attempted to connect our situations together as Ivo was family to both of us even though we were both not related in the slightest.

"Nothing compares to the loss of a parent, Sonic. Please, do not compare what I am going through to yourself. I barely knew the man, and he raised you since you were a baby. I just wish..." He trailed off slightly as he took a few steps closer to me before gently reaching for my shoulder.

"Wish what?" I tilted my head slightly in confusion, not sure what to expect out of this brand new Shadow I had never met before.

He stared blankly at me, darting his ruby orbs deep into my own emeralds. He looked as if he was searching for something, but only Chaos knew what and after a minute or two he looked as if he had given up.

"Nothing. Forget I said anything. You look exhausted, though. You want some food or a coffee, at least?" He shifted his eyes uncomfortable as he crossed his arms across his chest unaffectedly.

I had to admit, in my time of extreme weakness and fear, he did look very appealing. Something about that soft, silky ebony fur did always put me in an odd trance when I needed it most. I decided that it was time to walk into uncharted territory. Never had I asked Shadow for any form of comfort, even when I had practically shattered my ulna in half in one of our most heated battles. However, emotional pain was something that could not heal with medicine or rest, and I needed some relief desperately.

"No... But there is something I would love." I coughed a little as I could feel my cheeks flush a little with embarrassment. This better be worth it.

"What would that be?" His ears perked up in slight amusement and curiosity as my change in tone was definitely not something he was used to.

"A hug."