A/N: Another fast update! I'm on a roll. I really like this chapter. It's been the most fun to write so far. I hope you like it :) Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing!

Chapter 10
Temporary Truce

"Logan, are you done yet?"

There was a loud bang on the door, snapping Logan awake. He inhaled sharply. The water felt like tiny, icy daggers slicing through his skin. Panting and slightly disoriented, he scrambled for the knob and shut off the spray of water. His entire body was quivering and his teeth were chattering together.

Logan looked down, getting his bearings. He was still on the floor of the shower, his body laying in pools of freezing water.

"Hey, are you okay in there?" James's voice asked from the other side of the door.

Logan felt himself begin to panic. Both hands gripped the edge of the tub as he managed to pull himself to his feet. "F-Fine," he stammered in response, yanking open the shower curtain. Water dripped off his hair and ran down his back, causing him to shiver.

His head still felt light as a feather as he climbed out of the shower and clumsily groped for the towel he left folded on the sink counter. His hands were trembling so violently that he dropped the towel twice in his attempt to unravel it. An unexpected whimper of alarm escaped him. When he finally succeeded, Logan wrapped the towel securely around his waist, then bent down to gather his clothes.

He pulled the bathroom door open, the rush of cool air intensifying the goose bumps on his skin. James was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, looking impatient. He narrowed his eyebrows in confusion as Logan pushed past him.

He could feel his face flush. Normally he would have dressed in the bathroom. With Katie and Mrs. Knight in the house, Logan considered it rude to walk around clad in only a towel. He kept his eyes on the floor as he hurried past Kendall's mother, who was seated on the couch. He was unsure if she even noticed him.

Logan's knees were wobbling as he made it to his room and slammed the door shut. He let the pile of clothes in his hands fall to the floor in a heap. Feeling faint, he rushed to the edge of his bed and sat, doubling over so his forehead touched his lap. He had read once in Future Doctor magazine that you were supposed to sit with your head between your knees if you felt as though you were going to pass out.

He gritted his teeth to prevent them from clicking together anymore. Every part of his body was involuntarily shaking. How long was he in there? Logan turned his head to get a look at the alarm clock perched on his bedside table. The digital numbers began to blur as frightened tears filled his eyes. Thirty five minutes. He had been laying there for thirty five minutes.

More small whimpers and gasps came out of his mouth. Icy water trickled down his skin, contributing to his already immense shuddering.

The black spots returned. Logan shut his eyes and gripped fistfuls of his bed sheets, desperately trying to fend off the darkness threatening to take him. It was no use. His eyelids stayed closed as his body fell forward. He slammed against the carpet and didn't move.

James always felt great after a shower. Unfortunately, he had to cut it short. Logan's half-hour cleansing used up nearly all the hot water, leaving James with a less than pleasant lukewarm spray.

After washing and dressing himself, he wiped away the fog on the bathroom mirror and examined his reflection. He ran his lucky comb through his wet hair a couple times before pulling open a drawer below the sink and retrieving his hairdryer. He flipped it on and began to put his hair through its normal routine, untangling the snarls as it dried.

When James was finished, he stuffed the appliance back in its proper place and left the bathroom. Mrs. Knight was standing in front of the kitchen counter, stirring a cup of tea. Still running his comb through his hair, he ventured through the living room and down the hall. On his way to his bedroom, James noticed Logan's door was closed.

He rapped his knuckles on the door. "Thanks for hogging all the hot water," he grumbled. Truth be told, he wasn't even that mad. He understood how much a long, hot shower could calm a person down, and with everything that had been happening in the last week, James knew he couldn't blame Logan for wanting to relax.

He knocked again when Logan didn't answer him. "Hey. Logan." Silence.

He sighed. Now what? Was Logan mad at him or something?

James frowned and tried the doorknob, finding it unlocked. "Hey, man, I'm not really mad that -" He stopped, gasping at the sight before him. His lucky comb tumbled out of his hand and onto the floor.

Logan laid on the carpet in front of his bed, pale and unmoving, clad in only a towel. Glistening beads of water coated his pasty skin. Arms were spread out to the sides as if he had fallen out of bed.

Fear pounded through James so hard that he momentarily wavered on his feet. He could feel the sensation surge down his spine and to his feet, like a lightning bolt.

He recovered quickly and dropped down next to his friend. His eyes scanned over Logan's body, not sure what to do.

James moved closer, putting one of his hands on Logan's cheek. It was icy cold. He gave it a gentle slap. "Logan," he breathed, one step away from panicking. "Logan, please wake up. Come on, man, get up!" He patted Logan's cheek again. Fearful tears filled his eyes as James apprehended the fact that Logan looked an awfully like Carlos laying on the ground. "Logan…"

The dark-haired boy's eyes slowly fluttered open. James realized he was holding his breath and let it out in one large exhale. The lightning bolt sensation reoccurred, only this time it carried relief.

But his concern returned when he noticed how violently Logan was trembling. James was unsure of what to ask first. "Logan, what happened? Are you okay? Can you stand?"

Logan blinked a few times as he attempted to prop himself up on an elbow. Tears misted his eyes and a tiny whimper emitted from his throat.

"Come on, I'll help you up," said James, his mind whirling.

James maneuvered around the quivering boy and placed his hands under Logan's bare arms. He grunted as he yanked up. Logan stumbled, reaching out to grab the front of James's shirt to steady himself. The towel around Logan's waist unraveled and fell to the floor, but it was ignored.

Logan was crying as James led him to the edge of the bed. His body was shuddering intensely, and his breaths came in small gasps. "W-What? Are you…?" James stammered, shaking his head. He wanted to ask Logan again what was going on, but he couldn't seem to form a sentence. He got on his knees in front of his distressed friend, ready to put his hands on Logan's shoulders to comfort him. However, he stopped when he noticed Logan's lack of clothes. "Oops. Here." He whipped around and grabbed the towel from the floor.

Logan's face blushed bright red as he accepted the towel and draped it over his lap. Obviously embarrassed, he pulled a bed sheet closer to his body to help cover himself.

James tried again. "Logan… what - ?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," muttered Logan, furiously wiping at his eyes and nose.

James wasn't buying it for a second. "Dude, you were passed out on the floor. That is not fine." He wished Kendall was with them. James was never any good at handling delicate situations. But if Kendall didn't care about Carlos, he probably didn't care about Logan, either.

"I'm just tired, okay? As soon as I lie down I'll be fine." Logan's tears had already ceased falling, but his body still shook.

"But you weren't sleeping," James argued, "you were unconscious!" He put both hands on his head and took a deep breath, trying to calm his astounded nerves. "Has this happened before?"

Logan shook his head. "J-Just in the shower."

James gaped at him in disbelief. Logan spent more than half an hour unconscious in the bathroom and James didn't notice? What kind of friend was he? "Dude, you fainted in the shower? That's -"

"I know!" Logan cried, cutting him off. He nervously fiddled with the end of the sheet. "It could have been bad, I know. But I'm fine. I'm just tired, James. Really. It's okay."

Best friend protection mode kicked on, and James rose from the floor and took a seat next to Logan on the edge of the bed. "No, Logan, it's not okay! You need to see a doctor or something. This… this isn't normal!"

"No!" he exclaimed, tears springing back into his eyes. "Please don't tell! I'm just tired, that's all. I swear. Please don't tell anyone about this."

James had no clue as to why Logan was being so stubborn. After all, Logan was the one with the medical knowledge. Surely if James knew this was abnormal, Logan knew as well.

A small feeling of guilt fluttered within him, but James knew he needed to think of his friend's best interest. "Logan, I'm sorry, but I have to tell." Logan started to protest, but James spoke over him. "This could be serious! Do you really think I'm going to let this happen to you again?"

"It won't happen again," Logan insisted. He hugged the bed sheet closer to his chest, looking like a frightened child. "As soon as I lay down and get some sleep, everything will be fine."

Seeing his best friend so obviously shaken up by the previous events was enough for James to be firm in his opinion. Though his decision was made, he figured he might as well press on for information. "What do you mean? Haven't you been sleeping well?"

Logan averted his eyes to the floor. "Well, no," he admitted sheepishly. "But you can't tell me you have, either."

James suddenly became painfully aware of the dark, deep circles etched under Logan's eyes, his slumped shoulders, and his pale complexion. "I haven't been sleeping well, but at least I've been sleeping."

Logan kept his gaze on the floor, sniffling. James lowered his voice. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Us. The word presented itself on his tongue due to force of habit. With Carlos in the hospital and James and Kendall barely speaking, it was beginning to feel as though the term 'us' could no longer be used.

"Because," said Logan, finally looking up, "it's nothing to be concerned about! And if I told you or Kendall or Mrs. Knight, you'd just be worried about me. And we have enough stuff to worry about already."

Logan's response hit James like a slap to the face. He sat silent for a moment, dumbfounded and unsure of how to respond.

In the end, he did the only thing he could think to do: he called for Kendall's mother.

"Dude!" Logan cried, slapping James's arm. "I said -"

"I know what you said!" James shot off the bed, exasperatingly flinging his hands in the air. "You think I'm gonna sit back and watch you get hurt? Do you know how scary it was when I walked in here and saw you laying on the floor? I do not want that to happen again, Logan. Ever."

Logan frowned, but said nothing else.

Seconds later, Mrs. Knight appeared. She froze at the door, most likely because she was unsure of how to react to the sight in front of her. Logan, surprisingly, was quiet as James explained everything to Kendall's mother. She listened intently, her expression slowly morphing into one of worry.

When James completed recounting what had happened, Mrs. Knight marched into the room and knelt in front of Logan. "Sweetheart, look at me," she demanded. Logan shyly met her eyes. "Is all this true? You fainted?"

After a small pause, he nodded.

Mrs. Knight sneaked a quick glance at James. "Okay," she said to Logan with a nervous exhale. "You'll need to get dressed; we're taking you to the doctor."

"Mrs. Knight, I -" started Logan.

She held up a finger to silence him. "Don't argue with me." The stern tone in her voice vanished as quickly as it came. She rested a motherly hand on his arm. "Do you need someone to help you get dressed?"

"No, I can do it."

She eyed him suspiciously.

"I can. Really."

"Okay," she relented, "but I'm going to stand right outside the door incase you need me, alright? James, you run downstairs and get Kendall."

At the mention of Kendall's name, James's body tensed. But he nodded nonetheless and jogged out of the room, making sure to get another look at Logan before he left. He wondered if Logan would ever confide in him again. Logan had trusted James with an issue that was meant to be a secret, and James had went and told on him.

But, James thought, it would be worth it. He'd rather have Logan hate him and be safe than have Logan as a friend and hurt. Even so, the thought of Logan being angry at him made James sick to his stomach. At the moment, Logan was all he had.

He exited the apartment and trotted down the hall to the stairwell. He took the stairs two at a time on his way down.

When James entered the lobby, he gazed around for Kendall. He was spotted sitting in one of the chairs across from Jo. Their faces were grim, as if they were having a serious conversation. James took a deep breath, preparing to speak to Kendall for the first time in days.

"Kendall," James called, hurrying over. Both Kendall and Jo looked up. "You have to come upstairs. We're taking Logan to the doctor."

Kendall's eyes widened. "Huh?"

"Come on," James said, already walking away. Kendall scrambled to his feet, telling a nervous looking Jo over his shoulder that he'd call her later. James reached the door to the stairwell and pushed it open.

"Hey," Kendall said, joining him in running up the stairs. "James, what's going on? What's wrong with him?"

James shrugged. "He's passed out twice. I told your mom and now we're going to take him to the doctor."

James was slightly surprised when Kendall barreled past him and was the first to reach the second floor.

Kendall nervously tapped his foot. He wiped his sweaty palms on the thighs of his jeans. The clinic's waiting room wasn't blindingly white like the hospital's, but it was still a waiting room. Bitter memories of sitting in the lumpy green chairs floated into Kendall's head.

In the chair to his left, Katie doodled in a notebook she brought along, and to his right his mother paged through an issue of Better Homes and Gardens dated from 2007. Across from him, James had his arms crossed over his chest and had been staring into space, unblinking, for about five minutes.

Something was wrong with Logan. At first, Kendall put the blame entirely on himself. Logan was his best friend - Kendall should have noticed any warning signs. Or he should have at least talked with him.

But as Kendall sat in the waiting room of the walk-in clinic, tapping his foot and watching his mother read and his sister draw and James stare, he realized he wasn't the only person who should have noticed anything suspicious. James was Logan's friend too. They were both at fault. Logan was here because of them. And now Kendall had two friends who were hurt.

He felt nauseous. How could this have happened? He was the worst friend in history. He and James were so busy avoiding each other after their fight at Rocque Records, that they didn't pay any mind to Logan.

Kendall was supposed to be the leader. He was supposed to be able to help his friends with their problems. Somehow Logan must have gotten the impression that Kendall didn't want to help him. And that knowledge broke Kendall's heart.

He raked both hands through his hair and leaned forward in his seat. James already thought Kendall was a heartless jerk. Now Logan probably thought it, too.

Logan appeared from the hall moments later with a doctor leading the way. Kendall instantly sprang to his feet. "Logan!" he cried. He nearly threw his arms around his friend, but changed his mind at the last second, instead grabbing both of Logan's shoulders. "You okay?"

Logan nodded, lifting one corner of his mouth as if to prove it. From behind them, James snapped out of his thoughts and scrambled over, grinning with relief when he saw Logan's tiny smile.

Mrs. Knight tossed aside her magazine and rose to greet the doctor. "How is he? Will he be alright?"

The doctor gave Logan a pat on the back. "He should be just fine. Logan has told me all about the unfortunate situation regarding his friend. Dealing with problems under those circumstances can cause an extreme amount of stress, or in his case, exhaustion."

James raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Logan's exhausted?" He turned to his friend and gave him a quick once-over. Kendall rolled his eyes, and Logan shrunk back under James's scrutiny.

"Yes," answered the doctor. "His exhaustion is partially due to his insomnia, or inability to sleep. The lack of rest has contributed to his loss of appetite, which should return once he's back on a normal sleeping schedule."

Kendall crinkled his brow together in confusion. Logan hadn't been sleeping or eating? How could he have been so blind?

"I don't get it," Katie said, proceeding to stand next to her mother. "So… because Logan's tired, he passed out?"

"Not getting enough sleep or nutrition has made his body weak," explained the physician. "Fainting is his body's way of saying he needs to recuperate." He held out a slip of paper, which Kendall's mother accepted. "I've written a prescription for a sleeping aid and some B vitamins. The vitamins can be taken once a day with a meal, and the sleeping aids should be taken about an hour before bedtime."

Mrs. Knight thanked the doctor, and all five shook his hand before he left to go assist another patient.

"Glad you're okay," James said to Logan, giving his arm a playful nudge.

"Me too," Kendall agreed.

"Thanks," said Logan, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

Katie smirked and held out her fist, which Logan bumped in return. Even Mrs. Knight looped an arm around his shoulders and gave him a one armed hug. A slight blush crept into Logan's cheeks, but he smiled at her nonetheless.

"We'll stop at the pharmacy on our way home," Mrs. Knight informed, still clutching Logan's prescription.

The five left the waiting room, Logan, Mrs. Knight and Katie in front, and James and Kendall trailing behind. When they reached the main corridor of the clinic, Kendall approached James. "We need to talk," he whispered. It was strange to speak to James when Kendall hadn't done so in so long.

James gave him a confused look for a moment, but nodded anyway.

"Mom," said Kendall. "I need to use the bathroom before we go."

James caught on. "Oh, uh, me too."

She nodded. "Alright, we'll meet you in the car." Mrs. Knight, Katie and Logan exited the building and started off to the parking lot. Kendall wordlessly turned and walked towards the restrooms, James uneasily following.

He was thankful no one else was in the room. Kendall stopped and faced James, who was staring at his feet. Kendall knew why. The last time they were in a bathroom together, things had gotten ugly.

But Kendall was willing to put that aside for now. Logan was his main concern. "How did we miss that, James?"

The taller boy weakly shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

Kendall paced the room as James stayed in place. He walked over to the sinks and leaned against the counter, staring at his reflection in the mirror. The lighting in the bathroom allowed him to notice his own bloodshot eyes and ashen skin. "Yeah, well, I know. We were too busy fighting with each other that we weren't paying attention to Logan. And he needed us." Kendall pushed himself away from the sink and mirrors, turning back to James, who still refused to look him in the eye. "That could have been really bad."

"Yeah," said James, his voice quiet.

Kendall paused. He put both hands on his head and slowly rotated his body three hundred and sixty degrees, thinking of what to say next. "Look, I know I've been a real jerk lately. But we're best friends. And friends aren't supposed to fight, especially now when we need each other the most."

James didn't move.

"I don't want to do this anymore," said Kendall. "And I'm sorry." When James still remained motionless, Kendall began to worry. "Can you forgive me?"

James finally looked up. He spoke with little hesitation, the word so flat and emotionless, so simple and so heartbreaking. "No."

Suddenly, Kendall's world shattered. The walls, the floor, and the ceiling all crumbled into nothing. James was the only figure in his vision.

Kendall's eyebrows narrowed together in bewilderment and hurt as he felt his heart get ripped out of his chest. He and James had known each other since pre-kindergarten, but never before had one not forgiven the other when asked. It was automatic. Best friends forgave each other, always. Because when you asked for forgiveness, it usually meant you'd learned from your mistakes.

Even more frightening was that Kendall had certainly never witnessed James hold a grudge. He wasn't that kind of person. He was carefree, easygoing, trusting, and most of all, forgiving.

James took a few steps forward, approaching dumbstruck Kendall. "I will stop avoiding you and form a temporary truce, but only for Logan's sake. Not ours." Kendall swallowed nervously at the firmness of his voice. "Don't tell me you're sorry, alright? Show me. If you go see Carlos in the hospital, I'll forgive you. For everything."

Kendall shrunk back. He had never felt so dejected and betrayed in his life. His mind was whirling, trying to piece together what was happening.

James lowered his voice to nearly a whisper. "Why won't you see him, Kendall?"

His throat was beginning to swell with emotion. It took willpower he didn't even know he had to squeak a response. "I can't."

The taller boy's face reddened with frustration. "Why? Is there something I'm not getting here? Please, Kendall, you can tell me. C'mon, man…"

A week ago, Kendall would have believed him. But even if he wanted to admit he was too afraid to visit Carlos, he couldn't. Not now. Not with James angry with him. Not with Logan stressed out to the point of exhaustion. Not with Katie going to him for comfort. It would only make them feel worse.

Kendall realized he had taken too long mulling the situation over when James shook his head disappointedly. "I thought I knew you better than that."

I thought I knew you, too, thought Kendall. James's comment stung, though. With a glowering look, James pushed open the restroom door and stepped out.

And Kendall was alone.