Brian had lived on Avenue Q for nearly eight years now. And he had to admit, they'd never in that entire time had an ambulance there before. This was an impressive record for an outer suburb like theirs.

The whole gang stepped back as the paramedics brought the centre building resident out on a stretcher, with Nicky jogging beside him.

"Is he okay?" Princeton asked, as they passed them.

"I dunno...." Nicky responded, stopping beside the ambulance as his roommate was lifted into it. "I can come with him, can't I?"
The ambulance driver nodded, and Nicky climbed in, taking a seat beside his friend. He reached over and took his hand. "It'll be okay, Rod.... it'll be okay...."

The others watched as the ambulance closed and took off for the hospital, before turning to Christmas Eve, who had just walked out of the apartment.
"What's going on?" Kate asked. "Rod's not.... hurt or anything is he?"
"He no eat for while, from what look like." The older woman responded. "He weak, and pass out."

"....Oh."

Brian took his wife into a hug. "You okay honey?"
"Yeah... I okay, Brian." She leant into him. "I more worry for Rod."

---

He felt like a plastic sandwich bag, being buffeted around by an autumn breeze, only to land in a fountain, and get sucked into the pump and get stuck and block the system and make the pump explode. Yeah, that was it. Exploding fountain pump. That was exactly it.

Nicky hated hospitals.

He stayed at the hospital with his roommate the whole day. He was horrified at the things the doctors were telling him, and doing to his poor, weak friend. The ward nurses poked and prodded at him all the time, taking his temperature, checking his heart rate and taking blood samples and all sorts of other things that made Nicky decide he was taking him home as soon as he was physically able. Fuck this place. It wasn't health care; it was some strange kind of Chinese torture!

But, at the end of the day, their efforts did bring the tall man back to consciousness.

"Where....?" He mumbled.
"Rod! You're awake!!" Nicky exclaimed, looking down at him happily.

"Nicky..."
Nicky smiled at him. "It's okay, Rod, really."
"I'm sorry I kicked you out. I.... I missed you so much.... That...... that's why I trashed the apartment...."

Nicky laughed. The weaker creature blushed a little, revelling in that sound.... that wonderful, beautiful sound.

"You trashed it so it looked more like I was there?"
"Yeah, kinda."

"Oh Rod..... I'm sorry I said those things.... I..... You're my best friend...."
"Nicky...... I'm sorry I kicked you out.... I missed you so much...... when I get out of here..... will you.... move back in with me?"

"Oh! If it'll make you happy, Rod!"
"It will..."
Nicky sniffed, and leant across to hug him. "Rod.... I was so scared..... seeing you like that..... The doctors have been rambling at me all day, saying stuff I didn't understand, but... you're 'malnourished' and 'dehydrated'...... and they said if we hadn't found you when we did you would have died....

"I'm sorry..... I didn't mean to worry you..... I shouldn't have.... kicked you out.... I didn't realise.... how much I needed you there."

Nicky blinked.

"Hey......... Nicky..?"

"Yeah buddy?"
"I...... I need to tell you something.... but.... please don't hate me."
"I won't hate you Rod."
"I'm.... gay."
Nicky chuckled. "Well I knew that!"

Blue eyes looked at him. "There's.... someone I like...."

"Oh?" Nicky asked, smiling.
"Yeah."

"Who?"

"Promise you won't hate me?"
"I already said, Rod, I couldn't hate you!"

".....I like you, Nicky."

A/N: Just incase people haven't noticed, the second chapter is longer than it was this morning. I wasn't happy with it. This chapter, also, wasn't happy. Not sure If I like this story at all, but, hey, it's a start.

~Whispy