A/N: Worry not, Light will get his comeuppance soon. Just not in this chapter. Also, I gave Mello the ability to pick locks. Of him, Matt and Near, Mello is the one I imagined being able to do it.
Ch. 10
L never bothered to say goodbye to anyone. He simply cleared out his few belongings and left the building.
Light was somewhat sad about the scenario, but realistically, it was for the best. And it was not as if he had a shortage of friends. Light could easily find others to hang out with, if he wanted.
As the days went by after L left, Light sometimes thought of him, wondering where he was and if he was okay.
00
Watari had been unable to reach L for over a week. He'd called and called and L's phone always went immediately to voicemail.
With each passing day, the older man grew more nervous. Near had reassured him that L was most likely fine, and wanted to be alone, but Watari still felt that something was off. Finally, he contacted his two other sons, Mello and Matt, and asked them to come to Japan. They'd get to the bottom of whatever was going on together.
00
"Pregnant." Mello repeated.
He, Matt and Near were sitting in their father's living room, listening to the story regarding L.
"Is that possible?" Matt asked.
"He has both sets of organs, remember?" Mello answered.
"Oh. Yeah. I didn't think he could get pregnant though."
"The chances of it occurring are near impossible," Near said, softly. He'd done some research of his own after figuring out his older brother's condition. "In fact, L is the first of his kind."
"Why am I not surprised?" Mello questioned sarcastically. L always did things all the way.
"And you're sure the baby is Light Yagami's?" Matt asked.
"I have no proof, but I cannot imagine who else it would be. Light is L's only friend."
"Have you contacted him?"
"He refuses to answer my calls," Watari sighed. "It's been ten days now and I've still been unable to reach L. I'm worried. I was hoping that you two could check in on him. I did not want to ask the police to go because of his career. I am unsure if his coworkers know of his condition. Plus, you may be able to reason with him if he becomes upset."
"We're not exactly on the best of terms," Mello replied. L always seemed to be the best at everything. Not only that, he seemed to receive all of Watari's attention while he and Matt were forced to fend for themselves.
Then Mello frowned as a realization hit him.
"...But, he's still my brother. I'm in. You?" He questioned Matt.
"Definitely. I think we should go now."
"I want to come too," Near spoke up.
Matt and Mello looked at their youngest sibling. Near was most like L, of all of them.
"Yeah, okay," Matt agreed. "Watari, can you give us a ride to his apartment?"
"Of course."
"And Mello… make sure you bring your lock pick set. We might need it."
00
Watari dropped Near, Mello and Matt off at L's apartment complex. He would have came up with them, but the brothers insisted that he stay put. If something had happened to L, finding him might push Watari over the edge.
Once outside L's apartment, Matt knocked on the door.
No answer.
Sighing, Matt tried again, louder this time.
Nothing.
Then, Mello took over.
"L! This is Mello. I'm with Matt and Near. Either let us in or I'll pick the lock myself."
Surprisingly, there was still no response.
A feeling of fear passed over the three brothers. Mello reluctantly got out his pick set.
Five minutes later they were inside.
L's apartment was in a complete state of disarray. Clothes littered the floor, and bags and boxes of unopened candy and sweets laid on the kitchen table. Yet, there was no sign of L.
"You check the bathroom, I'll check the bedroom," Mello instructed. "Near, come with me."
The three split off.
Mello knocked on the bedroom door. When he got no response, he turned the handle. It was unlocked.
The blonde's eyes widened at what he saw. He'd found L, alright.
"Matt! He's in here!" Mello called out.
L was lying on his bed, curled up, holding a black stuffed bear to his chest. He didn't appear to be moving, though.
Mello ran to his side.
"L! L, it's me! Wake up, L!" He shook the dark haired man.
Slowly, L's eyes cracked open.
"Mel…" He said, weakly.
Matt soon entered the room.
"He's alive," Mello told him.
Both Matt and Near moved closer.
"He's been sick," Near pointed out. There was a small pool of vomit near L's lips. "He is also dehydrated. See?" He pinched the skin on L's arm to demonstrate his point.
"Doesn't look like he's moved in a while," Matt noted.
"Mmm," L sighed. "So tired…"
"L, when's the last time you got out of bed?"
L blinked as he tried to think of the answer to this question.
"Just to use the washroom…" Then he coughed.
"He's got a cold or something too. Great," Matt said.
"I believe it may be worse. He's shivering despite being covered in blankets," Near started again. "We should get him to a hospital."
"I agree," Mello said. "Matt, call Watari. Near, call an ambulance. L," he looked at his older brother, "...It's going to be okay."
00
"Dr. Yamada says that he is lucky to have been brought in when he was," Watari said.
He and his three sons were sitting in the waiting room of the hospital. None of them had been allowed to ride in the ambulance with L, and Watari had only gotten to see him once he was stabilized. They'd been at the hospital for hours.
"He looked really bad," Mello replied. "I thought he might be dead."
"He had a high fever from an illness, probably pneumonia. The doctor said that he also appeared malnourished. L will not talk to the doctor yet, so we can only piece together information as we receive it. He has been started on antibiotics to combat the pneumonia. The doctor said that according to his charts, he weighs less than he did when he had his last checkup by six kilos."
"Wow, that's a lot of weight to lose, especially if he's pregnant. Oh, wait…" Matt looked at his father nervously.
Watari knew what Matt was thinking.
"The doctor says that the baby is alive. How, she is unsure. She feels that in almost any woman, such illness and stress on the body would kill the baby. Somehow, L's survived."
"Wow." Was all that Matt could say.
"But… maybe L was trying to… you know," Mello said, looking at his family. "...kill it?"
"L could accomplish that task much more quickly and efficiently by terminating it with medical supervision," Near answered. "I do not think that killing it was his intention."
Watari nodded, "I must agree with Near. I know L well enough to be sure that he attempt such a thing. Something else must have happened. L will hopefully tell us when he is ready. For now, all we can do is be there for him."
The group then sat in silence, until Dr. Yamada came in.
"He's waking up," she announced. "You can go see him if you'd like."
00
L looked horrible. There was no other way to put it. There were various lines attached to his body - an IV connected through a vein on his neck, for instance, and an IV in his arm. An oxygen cannula was placed under L's nose.
His face was gaunt and his arms very thin. Had he not been pregnant, he probably would have looked like a famine victim.
"L," Watari whispered, coming to his son's side.
L looked up at him.
It wasn't long before he noticed the other people in the room.
"Brothers," he said, softly. His voice was raspy and he began to cough.
"Don't talk," Near told him. "Just rest. We're here for you. Thankfully Mello was able to get into your apartment and we got you here on time."
"What were you thinking?" Mello asked.
L opened his mouth but Mello shushed him.
"Tell me when you're well enough. Whatever it is, it better be good. You almost killed yourself!"
L closed his eyes. If Mello, of all people, was saying that he'd screwed up, then he must have been really bad off. He and Mello had never gotten along. The fact that Mello had been concerned enough to pick the locks of his apartment to get in showed that despite their past, the blonde still cared. It made him feel both good and bad at the same time.
Soon, L felt someone take his right hand. Watari. He would recognize his father's touch.
Then, something was placed next to him on his bed. It rubbed on his arm and it only took L a second to figure out what it was: Hero. Someone had brought it along or gone back to Watari's to get it.
Finally, just before L went back to sleep, he felt someone else touch his left hand. He wasn't sure if it was Near, Mello, or Matt, but either way, he was grateful that they were there.