A/N: SPOILER WARNING FOR THE LOS ANGELES BB MURDER CASES. The ending is revealed. Sorry. If you don't want it to be ruined, this chapter really isn't important, so you can skip it if you want.

This was originally written because my friend was planning on writing a parallel story following Mello. This was kinda just a filler for the time Mello spends with B. I'm not sure if she's going to end up writing the story or not but I decided to leave in this chapter anyway. Not my favorite, but whatever.

Thanks for reading. Haha. :D

xXx

Matt spoke with the nurse at the hospital while Mello sat, slightly dazed, on one of the plastic couches in the waiting room.

"I know this is a sudden visit," Matt was saying. "That's what I've been telling you." Matt was doing his best to keep his voice low and even. "We came the moment we heard. Word travels fast in the family, ok?"

The secretary sighed. "You're sure you're asking for the right guy?"

"Yes," Matt said firmly.

She sighed again and resigned herself – fighting with the boy was obviously getting her nowhere. "I'll need you to sign in. And I'll need to see your IDs. He's under jurisdiction of the state."

"I understand," Matt said, trying not to look smug. He pulled his thin wallet out of his back pocket and pulled out a driver's license and showed it to her.

"Jeremy Asher," she muttered as she took down the name and date of birth on his fake ID. "And your brother's?" she asked.

Matt grimaced. "Josh isn't taking this too well. Can I just show his to you?"

She glanced at Mello and nodded.

Matt pulled one of Mello's fake IDs from his wallet too and showed it to her.

"Joshua… Handling?" she asked, squinting at the tiny print.

"Yeah," Matt said. "We have different dads." He looked down, pretending to be ashamed.

"I see it all the time dear." She finished filling out the form and handed it to him. "I'll need both you and your brother to sign it, then you can go and see your uncle."

"Thank you," Matt said with a genuine smile. He took the clipboard and pen from her and walked over to Mello. He sat down beside him and finished his own practiced signature, then handed the forms to Mello. "Your name is Joshua Handling. H-A-N-D-L-I-N-G," he muttered out of the corner of his mouth. Mello signed the forms with a flourish. "Ok," he said, taking them back from him and helping him to stand. "We can go in now, she said."

Once Matt handed her the papers, the nurse pressed a button on her desk. "Please send out Agent Misora," she said into the miniature microphone.

"There's an Agent here? Like from the FBI?" Matt asked, sounding confused and a little concerned.

"Yes," the nurse answered once she'd lifted her finger from the mic. "She was the one who caught your Uncle. She's only here on follow-up."

Matt nodded, taking this in silently, careful to show nothing on his face.

The door opened a few moments later the door opened and a young Japanese woman stepped out.

"These are the boys," the nurse behind the counter said.

Agent Misora nodded and led them inside. They followed her down the twisted hallways and into the back of the ward. Matt knew which door was the right one before Agent Misora even pointed it out – there were two heavily armed officers standing outside it.

Matt felt Mello falter and gently gripped the other boy's hand, attempting to give him silent strength. Mello squeezed Matt's hand, his own sweaty and a little shaky.

"It'll be okay," Matt whispered to him. "Really, it will."

Mello nodded, not daring to speak.

Agent Misora stopped outside the door and opened it for them. Mello and Matt entered silently and she closed the door behind them. Matt was surprised at first that she didn't follow them in, but then he realized there was no need to do so.

Mello took one look at the man on the hospital bed before he collapsed into one of the hard, uncomfortable chairs. Matt had to look away, feeling a little uneasy.

The man before them was hand-cuffed to his hospital bed despite his obvious incapacity. Every inch of his skin was mutilated by severe burns. A moment's glance told Matt everything he needed to know – Beyond Birthday had covered himself in gasoline, been lit on fire, and been put out somehow, probably by a fire extinguisher. The fact that he was still alive was a miracle in and of itself.

"Matt, would you um… give me a minute with him?" Mello's voice was very weak.

"Are you sure?" Matt asked, looking at him with intense concern.

Mello hesitated, then nodded. "I'll call if I need you."

Matt nodded and stepped outside. He closed his eyes as he pulled the door shut behind him, trying to rid his thought of the horrific scene he'd just witnessed.

Agent Misora was upon him in an instant. "Jeremy, was it?" she asked.

"What?" Matt had to pull himself out of the image burned into his memory. "Oh. Yeah."

"Will you come with me for a minute?"

Matt glanced back at the room, knowing Mello was still inside, alone. "I really don't want-"

Agent Misora didn't give him a choice, however. She grabbed his arm in a vise-like grip and pulled him away. She turned him into a vacant room, pushed him inside, and closed and locked the door behind her.

"I want to know who you really are, Jeremy." She started speaking before Matt had even really recovered from being grabbed and shoved into a room by a strange woman, and an FBI agent to boot. "Though I don't really care what you're doing here."

"So then, Agent Misora," he replied calmly, "why take me away from my-"

"You can save the act, Jeremy," she said calmly. "I know Beyond Birthday has no family."

"-friend," Matt finished, frowning at her. "There's no need to tell me how to behave, Naomi Misora. Yes, I know who you are." Matt shook his head and seated himself in the physician's seat. "L told me about you."

"L?" she repeated, taken aback.

"Sure. You were his man on the scene in the LA BB Murder Cases. B - or Beyond Birthday – is the perpetrator. And I choose not to ask you about anything, just as I expect you to perform the same courtesy."

Naomi looked unchanged, though Matt knew he's surprised her. "How does a…?"

"A child like me know about L? I'm afraid I can't tell you that. I'm sure you understand."

Naomi sat down on the examining table. "So… why are you here? Surely L doesn't need…?"

Matt shook his head. "No, of course not. He trusts you to complete all the work, as he told you before I'm sure. No, this is a personal visit. BB was 'Joshua's' mentor. He took the news of B's… condition very hard, as I'm sure you can imagine. I brought him here so that he might be able to gain a sense of… closure, if you know what I mean."

Naomi nodded.

"Now, Agent Misora, I don't mean to be rude, but I should get back. My 'brother' might need me." He stood and headed for the door. "You should be more careful about who you pull into rooms without warning. I am armed, you know. If I thought you were going to harm me, I would have killed you or at the very least incapacitated you. I know this is an emotional time for you, but please, be more careful."

Naomi nodded minutely. "Please forgive me for being suspicious. You learned of B's condition so quickly that I was afraid you were here to break him out or … something." She shook her head. "But since you know of L… Well…"

Matt nodded. "I understand. B tried to kill himself only a few hours ago. You must still be in shock. Go home, Naomi Misora. Reassure Ray that you're not pushing yourself too hard. He'll appreciate that."

"How did you-?"

"It's all about who you know, Agent Misora." Matt let himself out of the room and walked back to B's room. He waited three hours for Mello, calm and composed at last, to emerge.

xXx

A/N: I know Naomi was kinda OOC for this one. Okay, REALLY OOC, cause she's awesome and I purposely made her annoying and incompetant. I wrote this on a whim and I kinda like it, so I'm keeping it. Besides, it's not fun to have Matt just waiting around for Mello to come out.

In case you are unaware (and missed my note above), the events involving L, Naomi Misora, and Beyond Birthday are found in Death Note: Another Note, also called The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. I didn't just make it up. :D It's an amazing book. Go read it if you haven't.

I also realize that B would be in a hospital in L.A., where he was at the time, but work with me on this one ok? It helps Mello's character development. And Matt's too, really. Just deal with it. :D