Knock. She rose her head from his lap. Her behind was sore from sitting there all night, but the pain wasn't enough for her to stand up and go anywhere. He needed her there, with him, holding his hand, and comforting him. It was scary for both of them. He had just gone and collapsed, without any signal or warning. How could a headache turn into something like this?

Knock. She lifted her tired eyes from the bed and into his eyes. He was looking down at her. "How do you feel?" she asked. "Is the shirt-" He nodded. "You have to get it off soon, or else I will choke on it." She smiled at him. "Don't worry, I will." Her legs lifted her up and off of him. She stumbled from her chair, but managed to make it to the door.

A doctor stood in the doorway. "Hi, Miss…."
"Takarai." Kris smiled. "You must be Doctor Hadley." Thirteen smiled. "Yes." She looked past the young girl and at the man slouched in the bed before them. "How is he?"
"He's alright. You've got IV's in his arm, and the sheets are warm, so he's okay." Thirteen looked at her for a moment. There was fear in her voice. "How long have you stayed in this room?"

"All night, I didn't want to leave…. Hide doesn't take well to strangers." Thirteen stepped inside the room and softly closed the door behind them. "I'm just going to check his vitals, if that's alright with you."

Kris looked at Hideto with sincere eyes. He nodded. It would be alright. Thirteen grasped the IV bag in her arm, letting the needle dangle for a second, and then replacing it with a new bag. "Sodium Chloride…" Kris whispered.

"You seem alright. Nothing is out of place. You should go home tomorrow." Hideto looked at her with troubled eyes. However, his mouth did not move. His eyes drifted to Kris, hoping that they would read. "Dr. Hadley?"

Thirteen turned to her. "Yes?" Kris paused for a second. "I don't think Hide should go home tomorrow."

Thirteen was caught off by surprise. "Why not? There's nothing wrong with him. Just a minor case of either dehydration or lack of vitamins. There's no reason that-"

"You don't understand." Kris cut her off, walking to her. "Hide… something happened to him last night." Thirteen put down her writing pad and looked at Kris. Was there something behind this case that even they couldn't figure out?

"He…." Kris paused again. "Look at his shirt." Thirteen reluctantly turned her eyes to Hideto's shirt. It was ripped in some places, especially across his chest and his shoulders. The neck was almost cutting into his skin. This puzzled her for a second. "Why'd he go and buy a shirt like that?"

"That's just it. He… Didn't." Thirteen's mind wandered. The lights inside the room buzzed; she could hear it. There was a slight moan to Kris's voice. She was worried about him, and clearly, if she wasn't, she wouldn't have asked him to stay one more night.

"His height measurement was five ten, was it not?" Kris asked, sitting back down on the chair. Thirteen turned to her again, leaving the white of the bed. "Yes…." She replied, thinking. "Hide… Hide was five six when I met him. A man's growth ends when he's twenty one."

"What are you saying?" Thirteen didn't want to be punked. Nobody under any circumstances (lest for drugs) could gain any height or weight during their later periods in life. Her eyes turned to Hideto himself, who was fingering the sheets lightly. The IV tinkled softly.

Kris sighed. "To put it bluntly: He GREW. Literally." Thirteen almost laughed. She wanted to laugh. How old was this kid?

"How old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"And he's forty."
"And?"
"Where'd you meet?"
"Band concert."
"Which band?"

"His." Kris tucked one leg under the other, letting her foot rest on the chair seat. "You're supposed to be questioning him, not me." Thirteen rubbed her eyes. "You have no proof to your statement." Kris's eyes turned dark. "What do you mean no proof? I saw what I saw last night! Why do you think he collapsed almost after finishing his dinner? He wasn't starving, dehydrated, and he takes a vitamin every morning. We went hiking together just two days ago! What do you mean I have no proof?"

Her voice was smooth, but it had a blade's edge. This girl was good. Thirteen sat back on the chair she was sitting on. Her arms rested at her bosom, crossed. "What do you propose I do then?" she wanted to see how much Kris knew about the situation. Maybe there was something wrong with HER and not Hideto.

Kris bit her lower lip. "Let him stay here. At least for two days." Thirteen rubbed her eyes tiredly. Why did she get stuck with the psycho ward?

"I'll let him stay, but that's only if HE wants to." Kris's ears perked. Her body was suddenly alert. "You're… going to ask him?" Hideto looked at Kris nervously. He was a man of few words, and he wasn't ready to talk to Thirteen.

Thirteen stood up and went to Hideto's bedside, dismissing the chair into the corner of the dimly lit room. She sat down beside him and looked him in the eye. He felt the tension increase.

"You are…"
"Hideto. Takarai."

He used his best English. He hoped he wouldn't make a fool of himself.

"Mr. Takarai, it's up to you whether you want to stay or not. Your girlfriend has no say in your personal being other then telling us what happened to you last night." Her eyes moved to Kris briefly. "Since she can give us no proof as to the statement that she made earlier, I'm leaving it up to you to confirm what happened."

He paused for a second, letting his thoughts wander. "She is… telling the truth." He stated at last, eyeing Thirteen fiercely. "She would not lie about something like this. I will stay, for two days. After that, I will leave." He turned to Kris again, passion seeping through every fiber of his being. "But I want Kris. To stay with me."

Kris smiled from ear to ear. She jumped up out of her chair and sprang to him, hugging him in the process. He smiled down at her, stroking her head softly.

Thirteen smiled at the happy sight, but wondered if Hideto was actually telling her the truth. "Alright. I'll let you stay. But only for two days." She turned to go out when Kris's voice stopped her. "Can I stay?" Thirteen nodded and looked back at her. "Of course, he loves you obviously, and wants you by his side." Thirteen paused for a second, letting the information soak through her brain. She reached into her pocket.

"Here." Kris took the little black device. "A pager?"

"A personal pager, in case if anything happens while I'm gone. You can call me if there's any emergency." Kris's eyes lighted up. A deep smile spread across her face. "Thank you so much!" she giggled. "Thank you!" Thirteen once again started to go out. As she closed the door behind her, she could have sworn she heard a moaning coming from the room…..