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Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews, I've responded to everyone, I think.

Mid-terms are finally over so I have a lot of free time this weekend. Here's Chapter Seven for you guys.

Enjoy, and please, review!


The ambulance ride was long, Luke holding his nephew's hand the whole way. The medics had restored Jess' consciousness by the time they got there, relief falling over Luke as the boy's eyes fluttered open. Jess was barely there though, the kid rarely responding to the many questions the medics asked him as they rode in the ambulance. Luke tried to keep his composure, answering the many trying questions in lieu of him.

It was a daunting task; the boy was scared and so was he. The kid was supposed to be fine; this wasn't supposed to happen. Why didn't Luke take more charge of the boy sooner, before it got to this? If he had forced the boy to stay in, if he had kept a better eye on him, this never would have happened. Now Jess was strapped to a stretcher, an oxygen mask covering his mouth.

When they arrived at the hospital, the medics rushed Jess away from Luke, leaving the man to worry alone in the waiting room. What was wrong with Jess? Did he have pneumonia? Luke sat down in a chair and ran a hand though his hair. Why couldn't he have just forced that kid to stay inside? He should have taken better care of him. Luke let out a sigh and slid down into the plastic chair. It felt like he'd been waiting forever before a nurse came up to him.

"You're Luke Danes, right?" she asked, "I saw you come in with a Jess Mariano."

"Yes," Luke nodded, "Is he going to be alright?"

"I need you to fill out this paper work," she told him, handing him a clipboard, "I'll call you when you can see him."

"Will you answer my question?" Luke snapped, angry that he was being told nothing about his nephew's well-being.

"He should be fine," she answered, a bit taken back by the man's tone, "The doctor can tell you more, but I can assure you he's resting."

"Sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean to snap like that, it's just--"

"No, it's alright," she soothed, "I understand. I'll find you when the doctor tells me your nephew can have visitors."

"Alright, thank you," Luke nodded.

He watched the nurse walk away, then turned his attention to the paperwork. He grabbed the pen and began filling out the forms, eager to get them done. He wanted to see Jess, thinking that maybe the forms would help the time go by faster. He was just finishing up when the nurse returned.

"You can go see him now," she smiled, "The doctor is in with him. He'll fill you both in on what's going on."

Luke quickly stood up and followed the nurse as she led him to Jess' room. They walked for a bit, passing the rooms of many other patients, Luke always hoping the next one would be his nephew. The nurse stopped at a door and smiled, informing Luke that they had finally reached his nephew. Luke nodded a quick thank you to the woman before walking in.

Both Jess and the doctor looked up towards him, Jess' bed tilted upward in a leaning position. Luke's attention immediately went to the boy, studying his appearance. The kid's face was a pale white, circles under his eyes. He looked terrible. Luke noted all the tubes and wires connected to the boy's arms, one going through the boy's nostril. It looked like it was almost impossible to move, the wires retraining him.

"Luke Danes, correct?" the doctor asked, causing Luke's attention to move to the man, "I'm Dr. Roberts," he held out a hand for the diner owner to shake, Luke accepting the gesture. "Your nephew's cold has turned into a serious case of pneumonia," he told Luke, "He'll have to stay here for a week or so for observation, just until his body is well enough to care for itself."

Luke nodded, looking over at his nephew once more, surprised to see the boy not protesting the suggestion. Jess had never been a big fan of hospitals, nor had Luke, it was shocking to see the boy not cussing out the man for such a recommendation.

"I understand he was living on the streets for a bit before coming back to you," the doctor continued, "Which explains his low weight. His weight played a big factor in this, it left him with a weak immune system, making it harder for him to fight the small cold he had, letting it develop into something much worse."

Luke sighed and nodded once again. He should have made sure the kid was at least attempting to gain weight. This was all his fault.

"He's on a medication for pneumonia and also has a feeding tube," the doctor added, Luke glancing over at his nephew's form as the man identified all the tubes to him, "If there aren't any complications, he should be able to go home when the week's over, maybe sooner if his body permits it."

"Alright," Luke said to the doctor, "Thank you."

"I'll let you visit with him," The man walked to the door, stopping for a brief moment and turning around, "I'll be back to check on you later, Jess." The boy nodded in response as the doctor left the room.

Luke sat in the chair next to Jess' bed, causing the boy to tilt his head in his uncle's direction.

"I feel like crap," Jess stated, looking at his uncle with tired eyes.

"I know," Luke ran a hand through the boy's black curly hair, "You'll feel better soon though."

"I should have listened to you," he muttered, his eyes fighting to stay open.

"Just rest," he shushed the boy, rubbing his thumb soothingly down his nephew's cheekbone. Jess nodded and shut his eyes to the touch. He looked so childish and small in that bed, scaring Luke for a moment. In his state, it wouldn't surprise Luke if there was some sort of complication. He continued stroking the boy's cheek, Jess' body relaxing as he drifted off. Then the thought dawned on the man: Jess could die, his nephew could die from this! He gripped the boy's weak hand tight, the idea scaring him to death itself. He couldn't lose Jess, not after he just got him back!


Thank you all for reading! I hope you liked it.

I'll try and update later in the week.

Please, please, please, review!

:)