A/N: Sorry for the late chapter. Got a bit off track, but now I'm back on it.

:)

Lincoln impatiently paced the emergency room, they'd taken LJ two hours ago. LJ's blood had dried on his skin, and he desperately wanted a shower, to guiltily wash away the evidence that he'd wronged LJ in every way possible.

The walls were all too familar, and the silence screamed into Lincoln's bones.

Lincoln needed to get out, the walls were too close and he couldn't breathe, Michael had gone for coffee; leaving Linc alone with the worry that consumed him, sending him slowly insane. He tore through the automatic doors that lead into the ER, air hitting his lungs and he let out an exasperated sigh of relief. It was his fault LJ was in hospital; putting his love/hate relationship with everything in the world down to a normal teenage bevhaviour. Only cutting yourself and almost bleeding out wasn't considered a 'normal' teenage behavioural characteristic, and Lincoln knew that, worry grasping tightly around his stomach, making it hard to breathe and to function normally.

Michael snuck up behind Linc and slipped his arms around his waist, taking a hold of the front of his shirt and twisted it into seperate balls held tightly in his fist. Lincoln leaned into it; needing the affection like an addict when they needed a fix.

"He's going to be okay," Michael whispered into Linc's air, nudging his ear with his nose, "a little embarrassed and mentally unwell, but okay," Linc felt warmth pool inside him somewhere, feeling like those words hid a promise.

x-x-x

LJ lay in bed, his eyes closed and sunk into his head, his skin a ghostly shade of pale. An IV line held securely into his hand, supplying him with some fluid.

His eyes drifted open lazily; taking note that Lin was in the single chair, Michael leaning against the plain white walls, his hands stuffed into his pockets; an unconscious immitation of a poster LJ had on his wall at home.

"Dad," LJ breathed and LIncs head snapped up; within seconds he was standing beside the bed. "How you feelin'?" Linc asked, ignoring the question, LJ began to babble an apology that nobody in the room wanted to hear. "Hey, it's okay," Lincoln soothed "Just get better so we can take you home," he said, putting his hand on LJ's.

"I don't really think thats an option, Mr. Burrows," A womans voice said as she walked into a room. She looked very formal, hair in a tight bun, a tight business suit and black reading-glasses perched low on her nose.

Perfect timing, Michael noted as Sara walked in to the small room, holding two McDonald's bags, her face read confusion in the most complex level. "Whats going on?" She said, putting the bags on the chair.

"My name is Christina Mills, from the Mental Health Department," she said, shaking Michael, Lincoln and Sara's hands in turn, after the introductions and hand shaking, it was time for the serious stuff.

"LJ has to be re-located," Christina said, it wasn't ever easy to do this. "He needs a psychiatric evaluation, to determine why he tried to -" LJ cut her off, "Say I tried to kill myself and I will fucking headbutt you!" He growled, "LJ! Watch your mouth!" Lincoln snapped.

Christina ignored LJ's outburst, and explained to everyone what the procedure was; he was to be interviewed by a psychiatric doctor, then it would be determined if he needed to be held in the Mental Health Ward of the hospital. Lincoln obliged after Michael took the lead - he'd done this before and it was how he got diagnosed. Maybe LJ would be diagnosed, too.

x-x-x

"Hi, LJ," a man said, and LJ opened his eyes. Lincoln, Michael and Sara were asked to go grab some lunch while LJ had his evaluation. "My name is Dr. Harmsworth, but you can call me Ken," He smiled, taking a seat next to LJ.

"I'm not crazy," LJ stated.

"Do you feel crazy, LJ?" Ken offered.

"No," LJ was fiddling with the cotton sheets.

"You tried to kill yourself?" Ken asked, obviously prodding.

"No, I didn't,"

"You cut into your muscle on your arm,"

"I don't know why I did it, but it wasn't to kill myself, okay? I just did," LJ looked at Ken for the first time, he was a young man, about 30-or-so.

"So, it was like an impulse kind of thing?"

"I guess," LJ agreed.

"Do you do drugs? Smoke pot?" Ken was writing in a book he had.

"Sometimes," LJ started "Not anymore, since Dad came back,"

"Where was he?"

LJ didn't answer for a couple minutes, obviously weighing up the odds that if he told the man, LJ would be taken away again.

"Look, I'm not crazy, my Dad was in Fox River, I've been thrown from home to home, hit, bashed, hurt, broken, and back again. Sometimes I snap, in a second of hatred and I'll start yelling at screaming. I am constantly afraid that people are going to leave me. I've been cutting myself since I was 13, and no, It's not a problem. Are we done?" LJ was clearly angry now, so Ken agreed that they were done and set off to find Lincoln, Michael and Sara.

x-x-x

Ken had interviewed Sara and Linc, now it was Michael's turn; Michael felt like he was 18 again, being interviewed after stomaching a box of Xanax, obviously overdosing, which resulting in him locked in the Mental Unit of the local hospital - where he was diagnosed with Low Latent Inhibition Disorder.

"Hi, Michael, take a seat," Ken smiled, once again.

"Hi," Michael said, shaking the man's hand.

"Now, I'm sure you know whats going on, I just need to you ask you a few questions regarding LJ,"

"Go ahead,"

"I understand you were diagnosed with LLI at age 18?"

"I thought this was about LJ,"

"It is, just thought maybe you were a role-model for him, being able to understand him, you know?"

"Still,"

"Now, does LJ have frequent mood changes?"

"Yes. He goes from hating something to loving it within hours or days,"

"So, he has a very love-hate relationship with the world?"

"Yes."

"M'kay, how long has this been going on?"

"I've known LJ about 12 months, now?"

"What is your relation to him?"

Michael felt like this was an interview to see someone in prison all over again, the man's questions quickly agitating him.

"Family friend, I'm... involved with his father,"

"An intimate relationship?"

"Depends on your definition of 'intimate'."

"Sexually involved?"

"Me and Lincoln have never had sex," Michael wanted to get out, now, "Are we done?"

"Yeah, I've got all I need, thank you."

x-x-x

Lincoln watched as Michael wandered out of the interview room, his brow pulled down, he was deep in thought, again.

"Hey, how did it go?" Lincoln asked, taking a hold of Michael's hand. "Yeah, alright.. wont do it again anytime, soon, though," Michael smiled.

"Mr. Burrows," Dr. Harmsworth was walking down the hall, his shoes making an annoying sound against the floor. "A word, please?" He asked, and Lincoln told him if he had anything to say, it was to be done with Michael and Sara at his side.

"Okay," he said, "My thoughts on LJ are puzzling, but, I do have a theory," He stated, looking through his book, "Which is?" Lincoln asked, putting his hands out in front of himself as he leant on the window, placing his hands openly against the glass, looking at the doctor. "Skitzophrenia," Ken stated, and Lincoln turned towards him, standing over him.

"What? LJ does not have skitzophrenia!" Lincoln argued, Michael's hand coming to rest on his arm - calming, but not enough to make the bubbling rage toward himself subside.

"How long 'till we can take him home?" Sara asked, just wanting to get out of the hospital - she was a nurse, it felt wrong that she was standing in a hospital and couldn't do anything for LJ.

"Well, we're going to take him over to the mental health part of the hospital for a couple days, give him a proper mental examination, then he should be free to go. Of course, he'll have to attend weekly psychiatrist sessions and take medication; but free,"

It didn't make sense to Lincoln; how could anyone be free when they're being controlled by medication? How could LJ get better when he was sitting a room, pondering and brewing on it?

He was going to drive himself crazy.

Please review!