A/N: Okay, let's keep this gravy train rolling! Onwards to the next adorably sad chappie!

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Chapter 2: Deep Sleep

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The pristine hallways of the Peach Creek Medical Center were eerily quiet and filled with the reek of medicine. The kids of the cul-de-sac had been waiting in these halls for the past hour or so, stationed near a particular door, in tense silence. Some stared at the said door, others stared off into space, and a couple of the younger ones had fallen asleep at this late hour, like Jimmy, who leaned against Sarah on the floor in a cuddled ball, his scared demeanor maintained even in his slumber.

Eddy sat at the edge of his chair, gazing intently at the door and waiting for it to open. He had seen the team of doctors go in an hour ago to start their work on his friend, hearing muttering voices and cringing at each cracking of bones being set into place. At least Double D was unconscious for it, or else he'd be in a world of pain, and no one would want to hang around and listen to his cries of agony.

In a seat next to him sat Ed, who was also leaned over, hands clasped and forehead resting on his thumbs. This was the pose he chose to wait in, and with his eyes closed, anyone could've guessed he was praying. Whether it was to God or another heavenly figure from his favorite movies or comics, however, nobody knew.

He had remained that way for the entire hour, so still he looked asleep. Eddy noticed this when he glanced his way, nudging him with his elbow. "Hey, Ed… you fall asleep?"

Obviously not, as Ed looked up and replied with a hollowed stare, the same gaze used to answer the same question asked for a good five times now. It was painfully clear that he was too distraught to fall asleep, now or ever, not until he knew his best buddy was okay.

Eddy bit his lip and looked away. Ed did the same, going back to his previous state as if he was never disturbed, and the hallway was quiet again. That is, until an air of impatience began to grow, seeded within the gloomy atmosphere.

"How long must the men of medicine take to nurse Double-D-Ed-boy back to health?"

"Don't have a bird, Rolf," Kevin grumbled, leaning his back further against the wall with a subtle mope.

"I heard them saying it was a miracle he didn't die out on the street," Nazz spoke up, glancing around. "Did anyone see what happen?"

Most shook their heads, but then Jonny sat up. "…Me 'n Plank heard a grown-up tell the cops what he saw."

Everyone focused their full attention on him. Sarah had woken Jimmy up so he could hear too. Even Ed glanced up to listen.

"…Well?"

"Go on, Jonny."

"Okay…well…" He held his hands up, grasping an imaginary steering wheel. "The car in front of them was swerving left and right, when it suddenly screeched, hitting the brakes and turning sharply 'til it flipped around, and their van hit it dead on! The airbags went off and caught his parents, but Double D flew through the windshield, crashing through it head-first!"

The whole room seemed to cringe at once.

"Geez, Louise!"

"Heavens to Betsy!"

"Brutal."

"Then," Jonny continued. "…he flew for a good ten feet before landing and skidding for another five!" He demonstrated this with a much less devastating fall. "He landed right on his arm, too, and people could hear it crack when it hit the pavement!"

"Stop!" Jimmy wailed, frightened tears running down his face. "No more, please! That's too graphic!"

"Poor Double D…" Sarah lamented while holding Jimmy close for comfort, glancing back at the door.

"Rolf is astounded," the son of a shepherd commented. "To survive such a catastrophic collision… The Ed-boy is a harder peanut to smash than Rolf expected…"

"'Nut to crack,' dude," Kevin automatically corrected.

For once, Eddy had nothing to say. All of this was barely setting in already, and now to hear the actual damage done… His hurt just imagining it.

"…Eddy…?"

He was slightly surprised to hear that croak, as it was the first word Ed had spoken since they had arrived at the hospital. He turned to face the most disheartened pout that ever did cross Ed's usually cheerful features.

"…Yeah? What?"

"Double D's gonna be okay… right?"

It was the saddest question Eddy had ever heard, pulling relentlessly at his usually bitter heartstrings. Everyone was now turned to him, waiting to see if he would be honest with an innocent Ed or not.

Finding an answer, Eddy grinned half-heartedly. "'Course he is, Lumpy. You just watch, Sockhead'll pull through, I know he will."

Ed beamed weakly, sniffling.

"Man. How not unlike a dork."

Eddy swiftly shot a glare at the loud-mouth who dared the insult, sliding out of his chair. "What was that, Kevin?"

"You heard me." The jock pushed himself off the wall. "The least you could do is be realistic and tell him the truth, but I guess not."

"What truth?" Eddy took a hostile step forward. "You don't know anything, smart guy, so quit acting like you do!"

"Man, weren't you listening?" Kevin also closed the distance between them by a dangerous step-length. "Double Dweeb's seriously messed up! He's barely alive! Who says he's gonna 'be okay,' huh?"

"Who says he won't?" Eddy was beyond rage at this point, resisting every urge to ring his skinny neck. "At least I'm not being a pestamistic jerk about it!"

Kevin raised a fist. "I'll give ya a 'pestamistic,' right up your…!"

"Stop it! Both of you!" A quarrel was prevented as Nazz got in between the two. "We are in a hospital, and our friend is fighting for his life in there, so both of you grow up or I'll get the doctors to make you leave!"

A shocked silence was their response. Both Kevin and Eddy scoffed and shot dirty looks at each other, but complied nonetheless.

Some expected Ed to grow upset, but when they glanced his way, he was no longer in his chair. He was now standing before the open door, a doctor gesturing within and giving him permission to enter. Ed nodded weakly and stepped inside.

There was a slight pause before the others began to move towards the door as well. Kevin would've pushed Eddy aside rudely and caused more problems had not Nazz held him back by the shoulder.

"Come on… let's let those two go first," she suggested softly. "I mean, they're his best friends."

Kevin grumbled, but obeyed. Eddy hesitantly stepped inside, disappearing for a few seconds until he reappeared at the doorway, motioning them to follow. They did so in a quiet, orderly manner as they entered the small room and surrounded the hospital bed, where he was resting in dreamless slumber.

Eddward was unnaturally still in his sleep, with only his chest rising and falling to a slow rhythm. Most of his body was covered by a thin blanket, but the visible areas were wrapped in bandages, and a full plaster cast held his left arm in place to heal. His face, which they were all so used to seeing so bright and expressive, was eerily tranquil, eyes faintly sealed and soft breathing cycling in and out of his slightly parted lips.

"…oh, man…" Nazz barely whispered.

"At least he looks better than he did out on the street," Jonny remarked. "Cleans up pretty good, doesn't he, Plank?"

"…He looks so peaceful…" Jimmy muttered woefully, holding Sarah by the hand and sniffling. "Serene in slumber, undisturbed by the troubles of the world outside the secluded realm of his deep conscience…"

"That's so poetic, Jimmy."

The boy blew his nose on a hanky. "Sadness has inspired many a sonnet, Sarah."

Ed sat in a chair to the right of Edd, looking him over with a dismal frown. He noticed Edd's uninjured arm, lying limply at his side, and took the lifeless hand into his own, lacing fingers and squeezing gently. The touch of skin comforted him slightly.

Eddy was standing next to him, but wasn't quite sure how he was feeling. His first instinct would to be angry, but as he stared at Edd, a deeply-buried conscience told him that wouldn't help him get any better. It was instead replaced with a feeling quite alien to him.

Concern.

"Huh? Hey, what's that, Nazz?" They all turned at that question as Kevin pointed out a folder in her hands, one she found on the counter and was looking over uneasily.

"Oh… it's… Double D's medical records… and his condition…"

"…what's it say?" Eddy asked in a rarely hushed voice.

"Well… his blood type's O positive… he's anemic… had his tonsils removed at age five…"

"Not that!" Eddy winced at his own raised volume, calming down before continuing. "…his condition."

"Oh…" Nazz hesitated for obvious reasons, but thumbed a page and cleared her throat anxiously. "…well… his arm was broken in two places, as well as a couple ribs, but they were all set back into place and are healing…"

"…and?" Eddy was getting irritated. "What about the blow to his head? How long is he gonna be out cold?"

Nazz bit her lip, then sighed and closed the folder. "It's… hard to say, Eddy… He's… in a coma right now."

A small gasp cycled throughout the room at this news. However, it quickly ended when it reached Ed, who looked up curiously, expression inquisitive.

"…Coma?" he asked, cocking his head. "What's a coma?"

"Yeah, is it bad?" Eddy added, growing uneasy from all the negative responses to the word.

A nervous glance was exchanged between the other, knowing kids, and no one said anything at first. This only proved to infuriate Eddy further.

"Oh, come on!" he finally burst. "I'm so sick and tired of you not telling us stuff!" He threw a finger in a bedridden Edd's direction. "Something's wrong with Double D, and we wanna know what! So get over yourselves and tell us!"

All Ed had to contribute to their argument was a pleading gaze, his hand clutching Edd's a little tighter.

Finally, Nazz coughed lightly and began. "Well… in a coma, a person's brain loses all functions except for operating involuntary ones, like the heart and lungs, leaving them dormant in…"

"Um, Nazz?" Kevin interrupted, pointing out their deadpan expressions. "You night wanna dumb it down a bit."

"Oh, oops… my bad…" She paused in thought, looking for the right words. However, thinking about it only saddened her more. "Double D's… asleep."

"Asleep?" Eddy raised a skeptical brow, shaking his head in disagreement. "No way, there's gotta be more to it than that."

"There is," Nazz nodded dolefully. "The injury to Double D's head knocked him into a deep sleep… one that's really hard to wake up from. That's what a coma is."

Ed blinked, gazing back at Edd. "Deep sleep…?"

"That's the best way to put it… He's… his heart's still beating and he's still breathing, but… that's it."

"Well, haven't the doctors done anything to try and wake him up?"

"They've done all they can, Eddy…" Everyone followed her gaze, resting on the pitiful youth. "It's all up to Double D now."

Eddy began to sweat when the information settled in. "H… how long is he gonna be in that coma?"

Nazz sighed again, deflated. "It's hard to tell. Comas can last for hours, days, weeks, months… even years."

Eddy felt like throwing up. "Years?"

Nazz drew back, no longer having the heart to answer anymore questions.

Feeling sick and defeated, Eddy leaned on the bedside and buried his face in his folded arms in misery. Ed noticed, glancing at his pal questioningly.

"…Eddy?"

"…Th… thi…" Much to their surprise, he looked up with genuine tears in his eyes. "This wasn't supposed to happen!" he sobbed in frustration. "Double D was supposed to come home from his stupid family trip and show us his stupid pictures! It wasn't supposed to happen like this!"

Ed gazed at his upset friend thoughtfully, the cogs of his brain churning. Finally, his brow furrowed slightly, and out from his mouth came the most intelligent statement he had ever uttered.

"But it did, Eddy."

While the others were silently impressed, Eddy turned up and replied with a nasty scowl. "Ed, don't you get it? Double D could be asleep for years! For years, Ed!"

"But he won't."

Eddy was briefly caught off-guard by such a blunt response. "Oh? And how do you know that, Mr. Brainiac?"

Ed looked back at Edd, then gave off a soft, almost normal smile as he lovingly petted the back of his flaccid hand. "'Cause I know Double D," he answered simply, giving Eddy the same grin. "He hates sleeping in."

They were all left flabbergasted. It would've been a hilarious proclamation had it not been so tragic.

Even Eddy faltered in his retort. "…Ed… th-that's not…"

Ed raised a hand and frowned, shutting him up nice and quickly. He then turned back to Edd, their hands still intertwined. "Double D will wake up soon," he stated firmly, clasping tighter again. "I know he will."

His resolution held such confidence that no one dared to challenge it.

"…huh? What's that?" Jonny pulled his buddy closer to listen. "Plank says something's missing," he announced, motioning towards Edd.

With this, they actually noticed this time; Edd's trademark hat was absent from atop his head,. Whatever he was hiding was still concealed, however, underneath a pile of bandages.

Then, something in Ed's brain clicked, and he reached into his pocket, pulling out the missing piece to their friend's image, the very object that defined their dear Sockhead. Knowing what he had to do, Ed leaned over and gently placed the hat upon Edd's head, where it rightfully belonged, adjusting it accordingly. The gesture held an honorable, sacred emotion to it that left nearly everyone in the room breathless.

Ed leaned back, looked him over, and beamed. "Much better."

Eddy was left in an unsure stupor, experiencing emotions he had never felt before. He glanced over as Ed sat down and smiled back, and before he could stop himself, Eddy felt himself wholeheartedly returning it, reaching up to pat his flat head.

"N… nice work, Monobrow." Suddenly, he found it easier to look at Edd. "…He looks better already."

Ed nodded energetically in agreement.

So caught up the children were in the moment, they barely noticed the door opening, the same doctor gesturing that it was time to leave.

"Oh… I guess visiting hours are over…" Nazz assumed, her and Kevin moving towards the doorway.

Jimmy pouted in disappointment, but Sarah brought him out with her. "It's okay, Jimmy, we can come back tomorrow."

"O Great Nano, please watch over the vulnerable Ed-boy's soul during his repose," Rolf chanted a prayer, accompanied by peculiar hand movements. Jonny ogled the ritual with unbridled interest, then followed him out the door when it was over.

"…Come on, Ed." Eddy got up and tried to tug his friend out with him, but was held back when Ed didn't budge. "Let's go, Lurch, we can come back tomorrow!"

Ed was most reluctant to leave Edd's side, his view ever fixed on his unconscious buddy. At Eddy's urging tug, however, he quietly obeyed, standing from his chair. Slowly, he slid his fingers out from between Edd's, lingering on them as long as he could before he had to let go and depart for now.

He knew Double D would wake up soon. He only wished he could wake up sooner, because "soon" wasn't soon enough.

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A/N: Man… I don't even remember the last time I wrote something this sad but cute at the same time. Yes, I realize Nazz sounds a lot smarter in this chappie, but, y'know, babysitter's gotta know her stuff, right? XD Name that episode. Anyways, I've got ANOTHER fic idea, so I'll be working on now THREE fics at once, along with homework. XD I'm really excited about this new one, though, but yeah, just bear with me, you've been really patient with me so far and I really appreciate that. Keep it up, please! It lowers the stress level for everybody. :) And don't forget to review!