It had been a few hours now since Spain had been whisked off into the Emergency room. Living with the Spaniard all those years had blessed Romano with the ability to fill out his medical information flawlessly. He supposed that was a good thing, given the circumstances. However, it was hardly a thing he rejoiced at. After all, he wouldn't need to know Spain's medical information if Spain wasn't hurt. Heaving a sigh, Romano shifted in the waiting room chair. He faintly wondered if the chairs were purposely crafted to minimize comfort. It was as if they were designed to purposefully add to the uncomfortable atmosphere that always hung in the air. Waiting, wondering; worrying… only interrupted on occasion by a cheery doctor or seemingly ignorant nurse waltzing by.

He was just about to resign himself to a night of this discomfort, when a heftily built man clad in a white lab coat walked through the Emergency room doors. The fluorescent lights shown off his bald pate as he made his way over to the Italian.

"¡Lovino Vargas! ¿Cómo estás?" the doctor smiled "I haven't seen you in here since Antonio brought you in for that second degree burn last year from what was it…"

"Pasta Sauce" Romano grunted.

"Ah! Sí, I remember. You had spilled it all over your arm, yes?" the man smiled in amusement.

"How is Antonio doing? Is he alright?" Romano inquired, pointedly ignoring the doctor's attempts to strike up a long conversation. As it was, he hardly knew the man and he couldn't care less about having a conversation of substantial depth with him.

"The trauma to his head wasn't too severe. I've already bandaged his head and he appears to be stable." The doctor reported.

"So I can take him home then?" Romano questioned, perhaps in disbelief.

"¡Por supuesto!" the doctor smiled "Though we do need to verify a few things. Not to mention, he'll probably be a bit confused and disoriented when he wakes up."

"So he hasn't woken up yet?" concern hinted in the Italian's voice.

"Not to worry, Señor Vargas. He'll wake up soon." The larger man placed a hand on Romano's shoulder.

Romano scowled, resisting the urge to shove the Spaniard's hand away. He didn't like being touched, especially by a stranger. He didn't care if he was a doctor, or one of Spain's citizens.

The doctor simply smiled in turn "Now now, why don't you come with me and we'll check in on Antonio, Hm?"

That got Romano's attention.

Meanwhile, Spain blinked his eyes open blearily. Squinting against the bright lights, he tried desperately to grasp his surroundings. Where was he? He groaned pitifully and clamped his eyes shut. His mind felt so hazy and exhausted… perhaps it was best just to go back to sleep- to return to the darkness from whence he'd surfaced. Yes, surely that was the answer.

An annoying prodding at his arm seemed to have decided otherwise. With another groan, the Spaniard became acutely aware of a feminine voice beside him.

"Stay awake, Señor. You hit your head and have suffered a concussion, we need to make sure everything is alright" the woman said.

Spain squinted open his eyes once more, eying the woman for several minutes. "Who are you?" he asked at last.

"¡Hola! I am your nurse. Me llamo María." The woman beamed at him.

"I…see" he murmured tiredly.

"Just take it easy, Señor- you'll be home resting before you know it" the nurse added cheerily.

There was a brief shuffle from the other side of the door as the knob was turned. For an instant, the bustling noises of the hallway filled the hospital room as the doctor ushered Romano inside.

"Ah! Dr. Gonzales!" the nurse chirped "Perfect timing! The patient just woke up"

As the doctor proceeded to chat with his nurse, Romano slipped over to Spain's bedside. The older country looked thoroughly exhausted; Romano guessed that was largely due to Spain's head injury.

"Y-You scared me, you jerk! You have no idea how worried I was about you!" the Italian scolded, voice laced with emotion.

Spain winced at Romano's shouting, the noise was entirely too loud for him.

Romano heaved a sigh and looked at the Spaniard sympathetically "How are you feeling?"

Emerald eyes shifted to focus on copper ones. A frown crossed Spain's lips as he broke the gaze "I'm sorry… but do I know you?"

Romano's expression morphed from shock to anger "Mannaggia! You stupid jerk! How dare you joke with me like that?! It's not funny, mannaggia!"

Spain whimpered and grasped his head shakily "I swear to you… I do not know you! Please… Please… don't yell at me…" he murmured.

Romano stood there stunned. Spain didn't know him? What was going on? The doctor had said Spain would be a little disoriented, but what was this about?! Romano babbled unintelligibly as he tried to voice the thoughts running through his mind. Tears began to bubble in the corners of his eyes. He felt a hand pat his shoulder as Dr. Gonzales stepped up beside him.

The doctor wore a calm expression as he locked gaze with Spain. He spoke gently "I am Doctor Gonzales. You hit your head pretty hard, and I'm here to help you."

Spain took in a deep, shaky breath "Okay."

"Tell me, do you remember who you are?" the doctor asked, voice patient and smooth.

"N-nurse María… she called me Señor" Spain said slowly.

"Is that your name?" the doctor inquired, offering a soft smile.

"I… I think so…Yes." Spain decided.

It was then that Romano found his tongue "No! That's not it at all!" he cried "Your name is Antonio…. Antonio Carriedo!"

"A-Antonio?" Spain asked feebly.

"Yes, you are Antonio, also known as Sp-"Romano was cut off by the rather abrupt sound of someone clearing their throat. He glanced accusingly at Dr. Gonzales, eyes narrowed.

"Nurse, why don't you assess the patient further while I speak with Señor Vargas." The doctor said with a smile.

"Muy bien." The nurse replied with a nod. She turned her full attention to Spain, flashing a brilliant smile.

Dr. Gonzales in turn gave Romano a warning gaze. His tone, however, remained incredibly friendly "Come with me, Señor Vargas. We will talk out in the hall."

A bit unnerved by the doctor's gaze, the Italian followed him out into the hall. The minute the door was closed, Romano glared at the man "What was that about?! You said he'd be a little confused?! He has amnesia, you idiot! That's a big difference! Mannaggia!"

Dr. Gonzales placed a finger to his lips and smiled "Shh! Not here, Señor. He'll hear you."

"What?"

"Just follow me, Señor Vargas… You need to walk out your frustration anyway, Hm?" the doctor's grin broadened.

With a grunt of defeat, Romano consented to following the bulky man.

When they had made it halfway down the hall, Dr. Gonzales turned to Romano "That was a close one back there." He chuckled in amusement "It's a good thing I caught you before you could tell him who he really is."

"What's that supposed to mean?! Why can't I tell Antonio that he is Spain?!" Romano snapped.

"Put yourself in Señor Carriedo's shoes. He doesn't remember who he is, or who anyone else is for that matter. Now imagine if your mind was a blank slate and all of a sudden some stranger bombarded you with all sorts of information. What's more, that same stranger accused you of being a liar and told you that you were a country. How would you feel?"

"I… I don't know… confused I guess" Romano admitted.

"Try overwhelmed" Dr. Gonzales waved his hands for emphasis "That's something monumental… you can't just throw that at him like it's nothing. If he can't even come to terms with his human identity, what makes you think putting the weight of an entire country on his shoulders is going to help, Hm?"

Romano was silent a long moment "I guess I didn't think of that" he admitted "But still, why did he even lose his memory in the first place?! I thought you said he was alright!"

"Sometimes when a patient has a concussion, they experience post-traumatic amnesia. The effects can last anywhere from a matter of minutes to a matter of days depending on the severity of damage taken by the brain. I must admit I wasn't expecting Antonio to lose his memory, but he should be fine." Dr. Gonzales explained.

"H-how can you be so sure?" Romano's voice faltered.

"You seem to be forgetting I tended his injury myself, Señor. There shouldn't be any permanent damage… Though if he's not back to himself in a day's time, bring him back in, Hm?" the doctor replied.

Romano frowned "Mannaggia! How can you say that so calmly?!"

"It's called keeping a positive attitude, Señor Vargas!" Dr. Gonzales chuckled "It would do you a world of good if you ask me."

The Italian blinked "What?"

"Be calm. Get him to trust you. Make him comfortable. And most importantly, don't push him. If you can do that, I'm sure you'll notice Spain improving."

Romano considered the doctor's words.

"Now why don't you try talking to Señor Carriedo again?" Dr. Gonzales smiled.

As much as he hated to admit it, that annoyingly cheerful doctor had made a point. Yelling at Spain wouldn't get him anywhere. He felt guilt knotting in his chest as he recalled his earlier wish for Spain to forget about 'Cute little Romano.' Oh he'd forgotten alright. Mannaggia. Of all the times he'd wished for something, why did that particular wish have to be the one that actually came true. The very idea made him feel sick inside. The thought that he'd actually wished this on Spain. Not that he believed in such things, but the irony was just sickening. All he'd truly wanted was to be treated like a responsible adult… He hadn't really wanted Antonio to forget about him. He let loose a frustrated sigh and rubbed his temples. For an instant he expected Dr. Gonzales to say something more. However, when the Italian glanced around he noticed the doctor was nowhere in sight. He probably had more important matters to tend to. That was just fine, however, Romano decided. He had been given a second opportunity to talk to Spain and he was going to take it.

Letting loose yet another sigh, Romano made his way back up the hallway toward the room that currently housed Spain. He wrapped at the door lightly and waited to be told he could come in before he attempted to enter.

Spain was now seated on the edge of the bed, fingers buried in his shaggy brown hair.

Romano approached slowly and stood before Spain "H-hey Antonio… do you mind if I sit down next to you?" he asked as gently as he could manage.

"…Go ahead-" the Spaniard paused awkwardly, not knowing what to call the other man.

"I'm Lovino… but everybody calls me Romano" the Italian offered a wobbly smile.

"Romano?" Spain questioned, confused, green eyes trained on the Italian.

"Sí?" Romano replied, sitting beside Spain.

"I am sorry… that I don't remember you… I wish I did…" the Spaniard sighed sadly.

Romano bit back fresh tears "D-don't worry about it. You hit your head pretty hard and I was worried… I didn't mean to take my frustration out on you."

"It's… okay" Spain muttered.

"I know you don't remember it… but w-we live together" Romano lied gently; it would be easier to get Spain to go home if he made things simpler.

"We… do?" Spain blinked.

Romano nodded "Yes. We go way back…" he swallowed a lump in his throat "We're the best of friends."

There was a long pause and Romano berated himself for the lie he'd told. He hadn't lived with Spain for years! What's more, Antonio probably saw him as some crazy, intolerable jerk at the moment… there was no way he'd buy his story…

"…I can believe that" the Spaniard's voice broke the silence.

"I know it's hard to believe, but you have to- wait. What did you just say?!" Romano's eyes widened as he turned to Spain.

"You do seem worried about me… and when you quiet down… you seem like a nice person…" the Spaniard said, offering a weary smile.

"Y-you mean that?" Romano's voice cracked slightly.

Spain closed his eyes and sighed deeply "Yes… I mean it"

"You really want to sleep… don't you?" Romano asked, biting his lip.

Weary green eyes fluttered open "Is it… that obvious?"

"L-let me check with the doctor, and then I'll see about taking you home. Just sit here and relax, okay?" the Italian said, getting up.

For the second time, Spain flashed that tired smile "Gracias… Romano."

Author's Note:

And so ends Chapter 2. It's fun to write for Romano and Spain, though I do hope I'm portraying them well enough. For the record, both of their personalities are likely to be slightly off for a bit, Romano as he is trying not to scare Spain- and Spain obviously due to his lack of autobiographical memory. After all, he believed his name was Señor! *laughs* I feel like such a villain, torturing my favorite characters- but then I think of all the drama and fluff that spawns from said events =) I hope you all have enjoyed the story thus far! Reviews make me happy and see you in Chapter 3!

***Translations***

¿Cómo estás? (Spanish)- How are you?

¡Por supuesto! (Spanish)- Of Course!

Señor (Spanish) - Mister/Sir

¡Hola! (Spanish)- Hello!

Me llamo (Spanish) - My name is

Muy Bien (Spanish) - Very well

Sí (Spanish) - Yes

Gracias (Spanish) - Thank you