10 hours. 15 minutes. 27 seconds.

Feliciano ran forward, the wind whipping his reddish brown hair in many directions. His feet made a clicking sound as his flip-flop clad feet hit the ground. His notebook and textbook that was crammed full of papers, was clutched tight to his chest.

His phone buzzed silently in his back pocket as his worn brown satchel hit his leg aimlessly. The phone was probably just Bella as she wondered where he was as he ran down towards the hospital.

Feliciano khakis were wrinkled from not being ironed the night before. His huge red tee-shirt that his friend Ludwig had lent him was flapping around him, digging into the crevices with the wind.

The hospital he was trying to get to came slowly into view as he approached. Feliciano straightened out his hair and slipped his books into his bag, hoping it wouldn't split on him.

He walked in and approached the receptionist. His gasping breath echoed as he breathed. Unlike the busy street outside, the hospital ward was quiet. The only thing was probably an occasional sob from a distressed family member, the music that was trying too hard to be cheery that it sounded more depressing, and the pop of the receptionist's gum as she leaned back in her chair.

The nameless teen, glanced at Feliciano as he scrawled down some information for the sign in form. He flashed his ID to prove he really was Feliciano Vargas. She silently accepted it as she leaned forward, trying to show off her non-existent chest to Feliciano as she pressed a button to open up the doors.

Feliciano tilted his head to her in a thank you manner, as he walked through the now open sterile glass doors. The strong smell of antiseptic hit Feli's nose as he walked through to Lovino's room.

Three small rooms down, he saw Vargas neatly written in cursive on a small chalk board to signal that it was Lovino's room. Mr. Carriedo, or Lovino's doctor, stood outside the door to the small hospital room. Almost as if he was playing guard but much older and a wide smile across his face.

Mr. Carriedo had choppy brown hair and bright green eyes with some very tan Spanish skin. Some missed stubble littered his face. He looked at Feliciano with kind and happy eyes but behind that, laid some sadness and misery. He seemed more like the people they send to cheer up patients than a doctor except for the doctor.

"Feli!" Mr. Carriedo or as he was more known in the family Antonio exclaimed at the grim twenty-three year old. "How you been?" He asked, his thick Spanish accent taking over his speech as he asked with more interest than he let off.

"Pretty good I guess," Feliciano said, shrugging his shoulders, "Well, I mean between school and Lovino and Bella, it hasn't been half bad. I just can't really get it all in a straight schedule."

"I get what you mean. My wife's at home, and she's raising Delmara basically by herself but she's also pregnant with another but we don't know which one of them is going to make it with her cancer getting real bad," Antonio said, his smile going off his face.

"Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't know. But you know that Ludwig and Gilbert's offer still stands to watch Delmara while you are at work and Pamala doesn't get stressed out to much," Feliciano said, trying to help the family friend.

"Yeah, I know. I trust the Beilshmdits all the way; I just don't want Delmara around Francis. Plus no matter how much I insist, Pamala still insists she is doing fine."

"Just trying to help. Any who, can I go see Lovino now?" Feliciano asked, his head tilting briefly to Lovino's room.

"Oh yeah, sorry," Antonio said, letting the grim adult pass.

XxXxX page break XxXxX

9 hours. 59 minutes. 10 seconds.

"Hey Lovino," Feliciano told the empty air as his brother didn't reply, not that he ever did. Feliciano walked closer and saw his brother was getting worse, even he knew that.

His deep Italian skin was now a pale, pasty tanish white. Even his oak brown hair was starting to lose its color. It was now a sick and ugly caramel brown color. His pupils moved silently under his eyelids and he tried to lift his eyelash which was probably as heavy as stone to the poor boy.

Feliciano knew his younger brother was in pain. He could only do one thing about it. He didn't want to do it but it had been a year since Lovino went into a coma; it seemed like the only real option to help him. It would be quick and painless.

Feliciano shook his head; he didn't want those thoughts invading his space. He looked upon his sixteen year old brother. It was a life well wasted. He didn't get a chance to live out every single dream he had as a kid.

Feliciano looked at the place where Lovino laid. He was lying on clean, spotless and wrinkle free sheets. The one on top of him was tucked all the way up to his mid chest except for his right arm which sat numb at his side.

A mask was placed over his brother's pasty face as he struggled to get some even breaths. The mask was the only thing that let Lovino live on. Life support.

Feliciano saw peeking out under the neck of his brother's nightgown; the small metal cross that grampa had given him when he was younger that he never took off. Grampa said it was suppose to protect him from every challenge that he would be presented with. So far, it had yet to work its magic.

Feliciano sat in a chair, his thoughts slowing down as he started to drift off. A couple of yawns later, he was out cold.

XxX (page break) XxX

5 hours. 28 minutes. 35 seconds.

Feli woke up with a start. He looked at his brother who nothing new going on with him. He knew what he had to do. He just had to apologize to him first.

"Lovi, I'm sorry. Please whatever you do, don't hate me. I hope we can see each other again someday. Buh bye fratello," he said walking out.

XxX (page break) XxX

"I want to take Lovino Vargas off life support," Feliciano told Mr. Carriedo.

"What?" The doctor told him dumb founded. He had never in his twenty years of working here, had anyone take someone off life support. It wasn't unheard of; Antonio just had never had someone request it.

"I want to take Lovino Vargas off life support," Feliciano told him again.

"Are you sure? I mean he is your brother and he does have a slight-" Antonio was cut off at that.

"That is my request, please just do it," Feliciano told him, holding back obvious tears. He stood up from the desk and left, just like that. Never to be heard from again.

XxX (page break) XxX

0 hours. 5 minutes. 12 seconds.

"Is that all the flowers and everything out of the room?" Dr. Carriedo asked the nurse who was carrying out the final vase of partially wilted white roses and shoebox of cards. His brother had called a bit ago and told them to trash everything and since Feliciano was Lovino's only family left, they had to comply with his wishes.

"Yes, Sir," she said and walked towards the end of the hallway to trash it all.

Antonio walked into the now cleared out hospital room. The only thing that was still in the room was Lovino and the silent ventilator. Antonio walked closer to it and ran his hand through Lovino's hair as he whispered one last thing to Lovino before pressing the 'off' switch to the ventilator.

"I'm sorry, Lovino." The only other thing that could be heard was the sound off the flat line going off.

XxX (page break) XxX

0 hours. 0 minutes. 0 seconds.

Feliciano had called in sick to work to not get his last pay check. He didn't want to make this choice but he didn't want to be known as the heartless man who took his sixteen year old brother off life support. He had to leave; there was no other choice for him left to do.

He had the only thing he needed to continue his new life packed in a traveler's trunk and a small backpack. Nothing in there would remind him of his final choice to let Lovino end life. He had a future but not one that would help him.

Feli may not have had anything left physically but he still had those last words Lovino had told him. Nothing could get rid of that final memory of Lovino. Feli could even remember Lovino's face as he spoke those final six words.

"Feli, I love you so much."