Nick stopped running, for once he didn't feel like he could do it, he couldn't keep up the game. He was weak and for a long time he'd hid it well. He didn't want the others to waste any of the supplies they'd found on him. He used up all he'd gathered in secret and regretted it, what if one of the others needed it? What if they asked for help and he had nothing? He shook his head and took a step and then a few more before finally collapsing. He'd been right, he couldn't do it.

When he woke again he was in a room that seemed to be safe, there were supplies on the floor and on a long table, and he seemed to be on a couch, laid out and cared for. "Nick?" A soft voice sounded, he turned and shook his head.

"I'm fine." He lied and closed his eyes, "don't worry."

"Don't worry? Don't worry?!" Ellis stood and stalked toward him, "you had nothing to defend yourself, you had nothing to care for yourself and you just ran off without us, you coulda been killed!"

"And I wasn't." Nick tried to act cool.

"Becausea me." Ellis' voice came out sad, weak. "If I hadn't seen that...if I'd just kept going..." He was crying and doing a horrible job of hiding it.

"What, are you crying?" Nick tried sitting up by the pain was too much.

"Shut up."

"Why, kid? I'm not worth it."

"Shut up!" Ellis pushed Nick down a little too hard and held him with an angry force, "you're worth it, you're a selfish bastard but you're worth savin."

Nick furrowed his brow, "you're hurting me."

"Good!" Ellis answered quickly, "now you know how I feel." He didn't let up, he couldn't he was trying to make a point, he was angry and not thinking. "You know how I feel when you run off, when you get hurt and you act like you don't care if you're livin or dyin, well I do!"

"Wha-what are you saying?"

"What?" Ellis asked softly, "I ain't sayin nothing."

"You're saying somethi-" Ellis shut Nick up with a kiss.

"Fine, I'm sayin' somethin."